Skip Tracing Course for Private Investigators

Investigations in the Land of the Lost:
The Art of Skip Tracing and Missing Persons Investigations


COURSE DESCRIPTION:

“Skip tracing” is a term that refers to the process of finding a person whose whereabouts are unknown and is based upon the word “skip,” which is often used to describe a subject who is believed to be “skipping out” on his or her duties and obligations- such as a debt or court appearance. Private investigators conduct missing persons investigations on behalf of a wide variety of client-types:

• Family members looking for long-lost relatives.
• Friends looking for persons with whom they lost touch many years ago.
• Attorneys looking for missing heirs in probate cases.
• Creditors looking for those who owe them money.
• A bail bondsman looking for a client who has failed to appear in court.
• An insurance company looking for a missing witness to an insured loss.
• A parent looking for their child who has run away or was abducted.
• Private Investigators looking for a scam artist or identity thief.

People are missing for a great number of reasons, but all typically fall into one of two categories, intentionally or unintentionally missing. This course is designed to teach and develop techniques that are required in even the most demanding skip tracing investigations. The course of instruction will introduce topics from determining the reason behind the subject’s disappearance and the best methodologies employed to find each type, gathering required information through the use of traditional and creative investigative techniques as well as using information brokers or databases and brand new cutting edge Internet resources to the legal aspects of missing persons assignments and why it is a skip tracer’s responsibility to ensure the safety of those he or she finds.

This course is approved for 14 hours of instruction in Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Iowa; 12 hours in Kentucky; 10 hours in South Carolina; 8 hours in Kansas and Louisiana. It is not yet approved in Tennessee but should be very soon as we are waiting on the state agency's approval process. An exam will be administered upon the conclusion of the program. If the candidate passes with a score of 75% or better, a certificate of completion will be issued in accordance with acceptable standards.

PROGRAM OUTLINE:

Skip Tracing

Introduction to Skip Tracing
The Liability of Skip Tracing
The Legality of Skip Tracing
Important Personal Identifiers
The Social Security Number
Document Review and the Funnel Approach
My Approach to Skip Tracing
Skip Tracer’s Checklist
Your Own Powers of Observation
Pretexting
Pretext Scenarios and Examples
Commercial Information Brokers and Database Sources
Credit Headers and Consumer Credit Reports
Real-time and Historical Telephone Information
Motor Vehicle Registration and Licensing
Phone Based Skip Tracing Systems
Finding the Commercial Database Provider that is Best for You
Cosigners
Field and Phone Interviews
Canvassing and Wanted Posters
Understanding Public Records
Public Records on the Internet
Using Email to Locate People
How to View Email Headers
IP Addresses and Deciphering their Location
Internet Profiling
Locating Military Members and Verifying Active Duty Status
Understanding Military Addresses
Other Federal Resources
Finding Homeless People
Salvation Army
Child Abduction Resources
GPS Location of Cellular Phones
Skip Smasher and “Cell Pinger”
Heard it on the Grapevine- Miscellaneous Resources and Tips
What to Do When You’ve Reached the Proverbial End of the Road

Comprehensive Review

Final Examination