Skip Tracing Basics & Beyond: A Complete Step-By-Step Guide for Locating Hidden Assets

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Acknowledgments

To my children Eric and Jessica, who have always said to me, You should write a book. I love you both more than you’ll ever know.

And to my wonderful father, who has always been there for me no matter what. I sometimes think about how I may not have even existed if he hadn’t escaped from Hitler. He is a miracle at 83, and I love him dearly.

Introduction

Why You Need This Book

You need this book because the art of skip tracing has been around since biblical times, and this is a new twist to an old subject. A classic example of this would be the biblical figure Delilah, who seduced Samson, discovered the secret of his strength, and sold it to the enemy. As times evolved, so did intelligence styles. What once took a gumshoe weeks to obtain can now be had in minutes with a simple phone call or in seconds at the keystroke on your computer monitor or mobile device. Today we do business using additional and new and improved techniques and technologies. Many of you can’t even imagine life without a computer, and try imagining life without a calculator. I still remember using an adding machine. Things change quickly, including espionage standards and strategies. The Web is dynamic and is an ever-changing medium; it changes every minute of every day. As this book goes to press, there is a renewed emphasis on methods that comply with privacy laws. The financial world is starting to see skip tracing as a value-added element in the big picture, and you don’t want to be left out.

How did I get started in my business? After getting my baccalaureate degree in accounting, from Queens College, and while studying for my CPA exam, I decided to take a step back and look at myself from the outside in. What did I see? What was I to do with all this knowledge I had just obtained? How could I best use that information to serve both my personal satisfaction and needs and to give back by serving our society? I examined different avenues to use my skills and feel satisfied at a personal level. I knew I was talented and gifted in many areas and disciplines, and I wanted a way to incorporate all those skills together so I could be of service and give back. I started to investigate career options to see what type of work would keep me interested for the long term. All sorts of paths turned me on—some were more labor intensive, some were more capital intensive and some were more mentally intensive. Each had its ups and downs, or pros and cons, but one captured my heart. It was to process judicial judgments or court orders. It was such a huge and vastly infinite opportunity with so many possibilities that I just couldn’t resist and had to inquire into what it was all about. When I looked at the material, I was so excited with all the parts that it felt like putting together a puzzle. Some of it looked so exciting, and some was such a challenge. One thing I did know for sure was that I wanted to conquer or master that thing. I wasn’t sure what that thing really was yet.

I was sure that all of my friends, relatives, and counselors were against the idea. Some said, Are you serious? I told everyone that I was 100 percent serious and that I wanted to try my hand at it. It had all the elements to keep my adrenaline going, and it was a natural high.

Against everyone’s advice and better judgment, I followed my heart and used my instinct and intuition and founded Search-Net Management almost two decades ago, on Valentine’s Day! It was the gift of love to myself. When I began working in this field, I had no idea of the number of times I would encounter people who were interested in earning their living doing the same thing. I do remember looking for books on the topic and finding almost none. I always felt that more material was needed, and, because I am a source, I wanted to be a contributor. I knew that the gratification would be enormous and that I would not be bored. It is such a broad subject, with so many subdivisions and subcategories.

I wrote this book because I want to advance the industry and to raise the bar. When a magician reveals the secrets to how his tricks are performed, the industry of magic will advance because magicians will need to create new tricks. It is my intention to give away the tricks in order to improve the standard that our up-and-coming skip tracers or successors will need to adhere to. I want to pass down the information. Necessity is the mother of invention.

Let’s face it, proper behavior in investigative settings can be a scary topic. Being unsure of what move to make or what move should come next is often quite unnerving. When we’re scared, we don’t think very well. That can make successful interaction seem almost impossible. Some people fall down under pressure. If you fall, you’ll need to pick yourself up and dust yourself off and do it all over again.

Like most of us, you’ve no doubt asked yourself plenty of questions beyond the basics, questions that don’t seem to have easy answers, such as:

What exactly is the difference between a legal pretext and an illegal pretext?

When I’m skip tracing, what should I say, or avoid saying?

How do I handle people who come across too strong?

What will the new standard for the twenty-first century be?

These are the kinds of questions that can keep some people up at night. I have met many people who are eager, as you are, to learn how to skip trace legally and ethically. We learn how to conduct ourselves properly and comply with all the laws surrounding the topic.

Through my business at Search-Net Management, I have trained hundreds of individuals and have worked with such organizations as the National Business Institute, www.nbi-sems.com, teaching a yearly Skip Tracing In New York seminar. You can trust the National Business Institute with your continuing education needs. Quite simply, they are the best! They are a loved and trusted source provider to the continuing education market. They have been the largest provider of legal and professional education in the country for over a quarter of a century. They have trained over two million professionals. When you train with them, not only do you make an investment in your career, but you also make an investment in yourself. Additional resources and seminar formats let you customize your educational experience. Many online seminars can be found online at West LegalEdCenter. When working online, you’ll be able to enjoy the same great quality as our live seminars, all from the convenience of your office or home. In-house, customizable, convenient, and cost-efficient seminars can be brought to your facility on a schedule that works for you. Previously held NBI seminars are available for purchase as audio, CDs and written reference manuals. Reference manuals can be purchased in three different formats: downloadable PDF file – immediately accessible via the Web site. Many of our clients request the seminar brochure in an electronic format because it is a convenient and effective method of obtaining the information. This is the link to an electronic version of our brochure last seminar on May 8. http://www.nbi-sems.com/Enbi/Brochurepdfs/42962.pdf

This book is a must for anyone considering a career as a skip tracer or for anyone just starting out in an entry-level position; if you’re an experienced tracer, you’ll learn about a mirror having two faces and about the resources that are priceless. It is also designed for attorneys, collection agencies, estate planning, family law, banking, lenders, creditors, factors, financial personnel, paralegals, private investigators, process servers, security personnel, researchers, information brokers, data brokers, snoops, litigators, credit and collections professionals, debt buyers, auditors, accountants, tax professionals, law enforcement, property managers, personal injury work, genealogists, probate matters, and real estate personnel. Skip Tracing Basics & Beyond is a valuable resource for anyone interested in participating in these markets.

A sneak peek at one of the secrets you’ll be privy to is: How can you tell when you are in a room, restroom, motel room, restaurant, gym, locker room, changing room, bathroom, fitting room and other such places whether a mirror is a two-way glass?  Here’s how—I thought it was quite interesting!  And I know in about thirty seconds you’re going to do what I did and find the nearest mirror. Do you know how to determine if a mirror