Private process servers have a tough job. Not only are they often the bearer of bad news, they first have to find the person to deliver the bad news to. There are many reasons you might not have the accurate contact information for someone who you need to have served. They may have moved, changed jobs, or changed their name. Sometimes people intentionally try to disappear from public record to avoid being served.
Process servers have a lot of tools at their disposal to track down their target and serve papers as required. This is sometimes referred to as skip tracing. Process servers primarily use public records to track down people to be served, although they have other newer methods as well.
The public records that process servers scan include:
- Arrest records
- Traffic violations
- Current ongoing court cases
- Marriage licenses
- Deeds and titles
- Business licenses
In addition to searching these public records, process servers have also begun using social media to track down individuals. Although not everyone keeps their information on social media up to date, it can often give the investigator a city and state to start their search. If the individual has their place of employment listed on their profile, they may even be able to be served there.
Another tool that process servers use are private detectives. When a process server is unable to locate an individual on their own using these methods, they often contact a private investigator who they frequently work with to track down the individual. Private investigators have more time and resources than process servers.
If you have papers that need to be served but don’t know where to find the target, contact us today for more information on how we can help.
