Has someone skipped town? How skip tracing finds missing people.

Skip tracing is the process of locating a person's whereabouts for any number of purposes such as;

1.) Bail Bond skips
2.) Missing adoptees and birth parents
3.) Missing family members or lost loved ones
4.) Tenant skips
5.) Rental goods skips
6.) Life insurance claimant skips
7.) Lost stockholders
8.) Credit card charge offs
9.) Debt buyer skips
10.) Judgement debtor skips
11.) Unclaimed property
12.) Missing witnesses

The person being searched for is often referred to as 'the skip' an expression derived from "to skip town" leaving minimal clues behind to "trace" the person's new location.

Skip tracing is performed by gathering as much information as possible about the missing person and then analyzing data and verifying facts. Investigators sometimes need to call or visit former neighbors or employers to ask questions and verify information. Records used in skip tracing include; phone number databases, credit reports, job applicant information, criminal background checks, utility bills, and tax information. Often the records can not be accessed by the general public but private investigators are able to get to the data and locate the skip.

Depending on the reason for the skip and the country they are in, the person hiding will be easy or harder to find.

Unintentional Skip: This type of skip might not know they are missing, and are the easiest skip to located. The situation could be an unclaimed property or missing witnesses.

Convenient Skip: This type of skip most likely knows they are missing but has conveniently failed to notify an associate or client that they have moved. The reason for this type of skip is not usually criminal and so people in this group do not go to great lengths to cover their location.

Intentional Skip: This person has probably skipped town because they are attempting to hide from an authority or because of bad debt. The degree of their success in covering their tracks and assuming a new identity will depend on the seriousness of the situation and the skips experience. International skips are often fraudsters and may have several identifies set-up in advance that they can use.

The Renwick Group has the knowledge and experience to help you or your business with skip tracing. Please call us at 1 (888) 722-9807 to discuss your situation.

Take the Spam Quiz and Learn About Fraud in Canada

Fraud is a big problem for small and big companies. It is estimated that businesses lose up to 5% of revenue because of fraud in the workplace.

Small business must be extra careful because they don't often have anti-fraud controls or policies used in larger organizations. For example, small businesses may not conduct background checks or credit reports on potential hires. All potential hires should have a criminal record check, and in addition a credit report if they are involved in the financial aspect of the business. Small business should also offer consider fraud training and run periodic audits.

Another aspect of fraud is spam and other electronic schemes.

Here is an online quiz which shows individuals and Business how to protect against spam and other electronic threats which lead to fraud. Click on the image to take the quiz.

In Canada, fraud can be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre .

"The CAFC is jointly managed by the RCMP, OPP and the Competition Bureau Canada and its mandate has expanded to include many versions of Mass Marketing Fraud (MMF) – these frauds are essentially schemes that target many victims at the same time whether by telephone, facsimile, postal mail or the internet. Often, MMF involves identity crime, which includes identity theft and identity fraud. As a result, the CAFC also accepts these reports. With the Competition Bureau as a partner, the CAFC deals with deceptive marketing practices and with spam issues related to fraud.

The CAFC remains located in North Bay, the city where it was founded. The Call Centre Unit has 11 full-time Call Takers who are able to field more than 300 calls each day from citizens reporting frauds. Of those calls, the Centre logs data from more than 25,000 victims each year. The Call Takers are dedicated, trained anti-fraud specialists who provide advice on the steps that victims should take to recover lost funds and to protect themselves in the future. Each spring, the Call Centre takes on additional personnel to deal with the increased call volumes brought on by publicity for Fraud Awareness Month during the month of March.

The CAFC has established itself as Canada's central fraud data repository. It has become a trusted source for fraud data and for educational and prevention resource materials. The CAFC plays a crucial role in educating the public about specific mass marketing fraud pitches and in collecting and disseminating victim evidence, statistics and documentation, all of which are made available to law enforcement agencies. " source: CAFC

The Renwick Group has the knowledge and experience to help you or your business with fraud investigations. Please call us at 1 (888) 722-9807 to discuss your situation.