Posted on February 11, 2025 by Arizona Quick Serve

skip tracing Locating individuals who don’t want to be found can be challenging, especially when they are avoiding legal service. Skip tracing is a powerful investigative tool used by process servers, attorneys, and debt collectors to track down hard-to-locate defendants. By analyzing various data sources, skip tracing helps uncover a person’s whereabouts, ensuring legal proceedings can move forward.

How Skip Tracing Works

  1. Public Records Searches – Databases containing property records, court filings, and driver’s license information provide valuable location clues.
  2. Credit & Utility Traces – Defendants may leave digital footprints through credit card activity, utility bills, or rental applications.
  3. Social Media & Online Activity – Many individuals unintentionally reveal their location through social media posts, check-ins, or interactions.
  4. Interviews & Surveillance – Speaking with relatives, neighbors, or former colleagues can help confirm a person’s recent movements.

Who Uses Skip Tracing?

  • Process Servers – Ensuring legal documents are delivered, even to evasive defendants.
  • Attorneys & Law Firms – Tracking down individuals for lawsuits, subpoenas, or court appearances.
  • Debt Collectors – Locating individuals with outstanding debts to proceed with collections.
  • Bail Bondsmen – Finding individuals who have skipped court appearances or fled bail.

The Importance of Process Service in Legal Proceedings

In many cases, legal actions cannot proceed unless a defendant has been properly served. Skip tracing helps locate individuals who have moved, changed names, or deliberately gone off the grid. By using advanced investigative techniques, process servers can ensure due process is upheld, allowing cases to move forward without unnecessary delays.