mug brownI am often asked what sites I use on the Internet to skip trace missing consumers and secured collateral and my reply is usually the same, “I use many sites and try to constantly update old ones and discover new ones.”

In this issue I would like to share a few of the sites I use daily am providing information on are for the most part free; and as I have often repeated to the readers, “You have to learn how to manipulate and massage the data if you are to benefit from it.”

DuckDuckGo

Let’s start with a little known site called Duck- DuckGo, which can be located at www.duckduckgo.com. This site provides several ways to search for errant consumers which include surnames, user IDs, phone numbers and email addresses. I have found DuckDuckGo very useful when developing general information on subjects and there is no cost for obtaining the data they store.

YouMail

Next we will look at another less utilized site, You- Mail, which is found at www.youmail.com. When you input a phone number you will receive data related to who the carrier actually is, who uses that phone, and where the number originates. No charge here either for a few more pieces of the puzzle.

Google Images

Another site I favor is Google Images. This site can be located at www.google.com/images and contains numerous photos pulled from all types of Internet sources. When you key on an image it will transfer you to the site where the photo originated and provide data on your subject.

FoneFinder

Then there is FoneFinder. This tool can be accessed at www.fonefinder.net and provides current telephone directories for the United States, Canada and most international countries. At this site you have the ability to search by telephone number, cities, and zip codes; and it provides data on some very useful demographics including average household income and property values.

Skipease

Next we will look at another site which most tracers rarely use, Skipease. This site, www.skipease.com, is a collection of some of the best public record searches I have been able to locate. Each people search engine at this site has its own strengths and weaknesses. By using these search engines you have the ability to search by name, Internet user ID addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and other selected personal identifiers. I have been able to use these databases to locate hard-to-find skips by collecting personal information from the multiple searches, which are available at this one-stop site. There is a lot of free data located at this site but be aware, there are some which will charge for premium information. I have information indicating this site is growing and will have even more locate links in the future so it is a good site on which to keep your eye. Some of the individual data links at this site are PeopleSmart, White Pages, ZabaSearch, Pipl, Social Networks, and Facebook.

I actually found the Skipease site on a link from another very good site I often use, ECSI. At www.ecsi.net/links_skiptrace. html, you will find links to the following data sources:

• The New Ultimates White Pages (www.newultimates.com/white) Provides search boxes for The Yellow Pages, People Search Reverse Cell Phone Search, and Email Search.
• Ancestry (www.ancestry.com) A search includes information from the Social Security Death Index.
• Bigfoot (www.search.bigfoot.com) This is another large search engine.
• Yahoo! People Search (www.people.yahoo.com/) A good place to search for individuals.
• AnyWho (www.anywho.com) By AT&T Labs, this searches the AT&T white pages.
• Infospace (www.infospace.com) This is a search engine that can be used to find information.
• USPS Zip Codes (www.usps.com/zip4/) You can find the Zip+4 for an address.

Last but not least I would suggest you take a look at www. findingpeople4u.com and take a look at the sites on the investigator- links. You will find numerous links there which will aid in your endeavors to locate missing consumers and assets. Please note this link is in the process of moving so follow it closely.

As you can see I have no “golden bullet” but rather a toolbox of many sources allowing me to gather the required pieces of the puzzle and assemble them in order to locate the person for which I am searching. Until the next issue...good luck and good hunting.

Ron Brown is a member of the National Association of Fraud Investigators and the author of “MANHUNT: The Book.” Contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..