| Should you hire a Private Investigator or a Skip | | | | banking information. |
| Tracer? That is a question that you should | | | | Skip tracers are able to locate a debtor using |
| consider whenever you wonder if you should hire | | | | various methods including the internet, computer |
| a Private Investigator (PI). | | | | software, talking to relatives/friends of the |
| In some situations, a skip tracer can get the | | | | debtor, etc. Of course much of their information |
| information you want for much less than what a | | | | is obtained by careful and limited lying. Lying for |
| PI would have to charge. It all depends on what | | | | skip tracing purposes is called pretexting. |
| you need the information for. | | | | A large amount of skip tracing is done using |
| If you need to research a bank account number, | | | | deceptive pretexts. This means skip tracers |
| a cheating spouse, a bail jumper, or anyone else | | | | cannot obtain a bank account number. If done |
| for humanitarian reasons, you will need to hire a | | | | properly, pretexting is legal. Of course you can't |
| PI. | | | | pretend you are a law enforcement officer. If |
| If you are a judgment enforcer, a repossession | | | | you want to use pretexts to do your own skip |
| company, or a collection agency, and need to | | | | tracing, research the laws that may apply. |
| locate someone, their assets, or their income | | | | PIs can also do basic skip tracing work, but it is |
| stream, for the purpose of collecting a debt, you | | | | more expensive than hiring a ST. Sometimes you |
| may not need a licensed PI. You can save money | | | | will need a PI, but sometimes you can save |
| and hire a Skip Tracer (ST). | | | | money with a skip tracer. |
| Skip tracing is legal when it does not involve | | | | Most skip tracers do not work for original |
| performing video surveillance and spying on the | | | | judgment creditors. They only work for judgment |
| debtor, or using false pretenses to find specific | | | | enforcers, collection agencies, and repossession |
| banking information. | | | | companies. Most charge fees up front, and one |
| It is perfectly legal to find out information for | | | | must pay even if the skip tracer produces no |
| your own legitimate purposes. As an example, a | | | | useful information. |
| repossession company is allowed to spy on a | | | | There is at least one company that charges |
| debtor for the purpose of repossessing their | | | | judgment enforcers on a contingency basis. They |
| vehicle, without being a licensed PI. However, if | | | | only charge if the judgment enforcer is able to |
| you need someone to actually spy on a person or | | | | recover a profitable payment from the debtor. |
| a company for you, you need a PI. | | | | Contingency skip tracers work continuously with a |
| If you are a legitimate judgment enforcer, a | | | | judgment enforcer, gathering research on the |
| repossession company, or a collection agency, | | | | debtor or their assets until the judgment enforcer |
| you can safely hire a ST to find a debtor or their | | | | is able to seize assets. Contingency skip tracing is |
| asset stream, with the exception of their specific | | | | the wave of the future for judgment enforcers. |