Skip Tracer

Skip Tracers spend the day playing a form of cat and mouse. A Skip Tracer is the cat and the mouse is a person who has skipped town to avoid paying their bills. The cat must be quick and nimble to outsmart the debt-ridden mouse and force them to pay up.

You likely work in an office, surrounded by a team of other Skip Tracers. After you’re given a list of people to check on, you get to work tracing their whereabouts. You call each person’s employer, family members, friends, and relatives to see if you can find out where the person now lives. You also search phone records and the Internet for information.

When you find the person and make your debt-collection call, you immediately identify yourself as a debt collector. The person may not be pleased to hear from you, as they obviously didn’t want to be found. They don’t appreciate your investigative skills, but you remain professional at all times and resist the temptation to gloat about how smart you are. You follow up your phone call with a letter to remind the person to pay the money owed.

While threats and intimidation often force even the most reluctant people to do what you want them to do, these practices are illegal when you’re trying to collect a debt. You never resort to these dirty tactics but instead use your professionalism and persuasive gifts while working with your clients.