Tracing Agents | People Tracing Service.
Introduction: Tracing Agents
Each year hundreds of thousands of people move addresses (an estimated 370,300) and a percentage will not inform creditors and other people or organizations of their new addresses. As such this creates a need for tracing agents who specialize in locating current address data for people and their addresses.
🏠 Search for People
Use any known details and locate a persons current address — this amazing service works Worldwide on a No Find No Fee Basis!
👉 Start a Search
How Tracing Agents Work
Effective tracing of people is a blend of leveraging extensive specialist data including but not limited to Credit Agency data, specialist tracing software, and open-source investigative techniques.
Tracing agents or enquiry agents can locate a current address for a person In the UK in a matter of hours but there is a requirement for an agent to have access to non-public access data sets such as Credit Agency data sets — For example Experian or Equifax.
This credit agency data is the foundation for most traces as it will provide an accurate up-to-date address validated by recent credit activity at the new address, to note these days this activity is not just limited to credit activity but a broader spectrum of activity data at the address.
Once this link is obtained it will need to be validated by further supporting data to make the trace valid and reliable, all tracing agents should use this method of double validation at minimum to provide a robust tracing service but the further data utilized the more reliable this tracing provision becomes.
👉 🏠 Start a Search
Tracing agents — What are they?
Tracing agents are specialist investigators who specialize in locating and finding current address data for people. This can be for a variety of reasons including but not limited to debtor skip tracing, tracing a beneficiary for probate, tracing long-lost friends or family members, or tracing a witness for a legal matter.
Tracing agents usually rely on various data sets including Credit Agency data sets to obtain links from the old to a new address for the subject being tracked.
The trace will become more reliable when further data sets are used to confirm the original findings and the supporting data is with recent data sets within the last few weeks, obviously, the more recent the data the more accurate the trace becomes.
Tracing agents can be specialist private investigators or increasingly technology-led data companies who specialize in obtaining data from various live data sets and producing a result based on indication sources.
🏠 Search for People
Use any known details and locate anyones current address — this service works Worldwide on a no find no fee basis!
Start a Search
What requirements are there to be a tracing agent?
All tracing agents in the UK must be registered with the ICO for data protection but in the UK currently, that is it. Best practice dictates that it would be wise to choose a trace agent who has professional indemnity insurance to the value of over £250,000 to cover any consequential loss.
Also, it would be wise to make sure the tracing agent has verified reviews which are over at least 100 testimonials to demonstrate a trusted and reliable nature.
It is also wise to make sure the agent has a clear pricing structure that is paid at the time of purchase rather than relying on an invoice that is generated at the end of the search with no clear price agreed.
In the UK there are many tracing agencies that will have hidden fees in their terms of service with some even charging to not find an individual!!
No Trace No Fee Trace Agents
When you need to find someone but have very few leads, you can quickly get despondent and stressed, especially if the person you are looking for has worked hard to avoid being found.
The good news is that in these cases, expert tracing agents are often able to get the results you need within just twenty-four hours!
Find out more about no trace no fee services and how they work to support your needs.
🏠 Search for People
Use any known details and locate anyones current address — this service works Worldwide on a no find no fee basis!
Start a Search
What is No Trace No Fee?
At Find UK People, we take pride in supporting our clients to find the people they are looking for without the stress of them losing money without the answers they need. Our no trace, no fee service works to provide an efficient solution when you need to locate a person, and you won’t need to pay unless they are found.
Many people worry that there is a catch to the no find, no fee service, but it really is as simple as it seems. We take the information you provide us with and complete a thorough search for the person you want to locate, using our ability to access information that is not held in the public domain.
This means that you can be sure that you are accessing a tracing service that can do more than you have been able to, with a 98% success rate for clients within one day of appointing us.
How No Trace No Fee Works
No trace, no fee is a simple process to use and is designed to ensure that you get the answers you need without the risk of losing your money. If you are keen to understand how the system works in full, then take a look at our process below:
- Head to our simple, self-serve website and select the service you want us to undertake.
- Next, you need to complete all the known information you have about the individual in our simple to complete form and select any extra services you want us to complete.
- Fill out your information, including payment information, ready for us to take when we have located your chosen subject.
- Wait for our team to provide you with the results of your trace (typically within 24 hours of submitting your request).
We work hard to keep the process as simple as possible for clients because we understand the stress and pressures you face when you are looking for someone.
All no trace no fee services will offer to retain your search for a specific period of time so that you have the best chance of finding the person you need without the stress of continually completing search forms.
The great thing is that when your search does not produce results, you can be sure that you will not be charged as we will refund the fee paid in full.
Why Use a No Trace No Fee Tracing Agent
There are a number of tracing agents for hire across the world who will promise you that they will be able to find the answers you need, but you should always be wary of agreeing to hire an individual as they are unlikely to be able to produce the results you want on their own and will leave you out of pocket without the information you are looking for.
Choosing a no find no fee trace agent service makes much more sense as you can be certain that your needs will be met with the most accurate information, passed through the most up to date data.
This means that a tracing agency will have access to protected data and credit information that you cannot obtain as an individual, making it more likely that we will be able to find the person you need without taking your money unless they succeed — sounds great, doesn’t it?
Credible Alternatives to No Find No Fee Tracing Agents?
The simple answer to this question is no — there is no credible alternative to a no find no fee tracing agency, no matter how much a person or service claims to be able to offer by taking your money off you regardless of the outcome.
Sadly, when trying to locate an individual, many people choose to trust a cheap or too good to be true option because they are keen to act upon the information they need. In virtually all of these cases, the person is left without accurate answers and is left out of pocket.
To avoid this scenario, the best solution is to choose a no trace no fee company instead.
Why You Need to Use a No Trace No Fee Company
If you have been trying to locate an individual without any luck, then a no trace, no fee tracing company is the best option for your needs. Standard tracing agents just run individuals details through publicly accessible information, something that most of our clients have done for themselves before contacting us.
When you are unable to get the results you have been looking for, then a no trace, no fee is the next logical step as we are able to access information that is not accessible to you, including credit agency informationand more.
In addition to having access to the best technology and the most accurate data, we also employ a team of proven tracing agents that are experts in their field.
When you combine each of these facets, you are given a triple lock system that will work hard to produce the people tracing results you need without the risk of losing money.
If you are keen to search for someone’s current address for probate, court proceedings or debt — or you want to find a long lost friend or relative, then you can be certain that Find UK People is the best service available.
Take a look at our options today and get the answers you need when you proceed with us.
🏠 Search for People
Use any known details and locate anyones current address — this service works Worldwide on a no find no fee basis!
Start a Search
Who is the best Tracing Agent?
Well, we are biased but we believe that Find UK People offer an amazing service that is reliable and trustworthy. The service is always no trace no fee for all people tracing services and the fees charged are transparent and of good value.
All services are provided in a matter of days, not the people tracing industry-standard of weeks or months.
The added benefit with the Find UK People service is it is a digital-first service that means all fees are paid in advance via an online merchant such as PayPal which means your payment is also backed and guaranteed by a third party such as PayPal giving you peace of mind that your payment is safe.
Find UK People also have an online tracking system for all orders placed which means that you can log in at any time and track your order status and manage your invoices, payments, and customer records.
Learn more about Find UK People
What are Tracing Agents
Many people ask “what are tracing agents” and in the article, we go some way to explaining what a tracing agent does and how they do it.
What is a tracing agent — Tracing agents or enquiry agents are specialist private investigators who locate people to a current address. They utilize a variety of datasets to obtain current address data for the person they are trying to locate.
In the UK most tracing agents will utilize a combination of Credit Agency data and Electoral roll data and they will supplement these two main data sources for tracing a person with other confirmation data sources such as BT data to confirm residency of a property and that the bill payer of the telephone bill is the same name match as the person they have traced and that the number is still active and live which indicates residency is still valid.
Tracing agents are instructed to trace people for a variety of reasons which can include the following circumstances
How Tracing Agents find people
Tracing agents will utilise data sets and combinations of current live data to validate a current address. For instance, if a tracing agent looks at a credit agency source such as Experian or Equifax they can see a link from the old address to the current address on these Credit Agencies and this will also show recent credit applications to indicate the recency of the flagged new address.
The Tracing agent will then look to confirm the indicated address by various means and this can be alternative data sources that also show the flagged address to be the current address, physical verification means which although more expensive can be a very robust means to verify an address such as a doorstep verification which can be a useful tactic to verify a traced address in debt collection cases.
Most tracing agents will work on a no trace no fee basis which limits the cost exposure to only when a subject is successfully located.
Open-source people tracing
Open source tracing is where a tracing agent utilizes the various open-source media that is available such as Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn as a small example. The more experienced a tracing agent is the more adept they will be at leveraging this open-source media to pick out the nuggets of key information to base an inquiry on.
Sometimes these open source platforms can bear fruit where more traditional areas can be limited, as an example, if one was tracing a noncredit active person who placed all of their applications and bills in their partners name as they were taking precautionary measures to be evasive from being traced such as a debtor then the open-source can sometimes give the key information. For example with Facebook, one might be able to discover the subject’s partner and then be able to trace this person to a current address for further investigation and to check if the traced subject is residing with their partner.
How Tracing Agents use Credit Agency Data
Tracing agents have access to industry access tracing data sets and Credit Agency information to enable the locating of people in the UK. The UK Credit Agencies are Experian, Equifax and Transunion. The credit information available to tracing agents for the purposes of locating people is vastly superior to the Electoral Roll information open to the general public for tracing people in the UK.
A tracing agent will locate people for a variety of reasons including tracing debtors, locating beneficiaries of wills, locating absentee freeholders, finding long-lost family or friends, and tracking old customers. Tracing agents in the UK must be registered with the ICO (Information Commissionaires Office).
Many people tracing cases are for debt collection claims, this is because to start a debt recovery claim in the UK a current address must be provided to the courts or debt collection agency, without a current address the claim cannot progress. A tracing agent will be able to confirm if the subject lives at the supplied address currently or indeed has moved in which case they will locate and provide the correct current address.
It is estimated that 70% of cases submitted for debt recovery will require a people trace service, performed by a tracing agent, to establish the trace subject’s current address.
🏠 Search for People
Use any known details and locate anyones current address — this service works Worldwide on a no find no fee basis!
Start a Search
Litigation & Tracing Agents
Pre-action conduct
The rules relating to pre-action conduct are contained in the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct and in 15 specific Pre-Action Protocols.
The Pre-Action Protocols set out specific procedures for certain types of claims. However, the pre-action procedure applicable to most large commercial claims will be the general provisions of the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct, which states that before commencing proceedings the court expects the parties to have exchanged sufficient information to:
- Understand each other’s position.
- Make decisions about how to proceed.
- Attempt to settle the issues without issuing proceedings.
- Consider a form of alternative dispute resolution to assist with the settlement.
- Support the efficient management of those proceedings.
- Reduce the costs of resolving the dispute.
Required pre-action process in regards to Tracing Agents
- The intended claimant should write to the defendant setting out concise details of the claim, including the basis on which the claim is made, a summary of the facts, the remedy sought, and how any monetary amount sought has been calculated. (You will need a validated current address to complete this action in an evidenced and reliable way)
- The recipient of the letter should respond within a reasonable time, being 14 days in a straightforward case and no more than three months in a highly complex case. The reply should confirm whether the claim is accepted and, if it is not accepted, the reasons why together with an explanation as to which facts and parts of the claim are disputed and whether the defendant is making a counterclaim as well as providing details of any counterclaim.
- The parties should disclose key documents which are relevant to the issues in dispute.
The courts expect compliance with the Practice Direction and the Pre-Action Protocols and will take non-compliance into account when giving directions for the management of proceedings and when making costs orders.
Pre-action protocol and Tracing Agents
With the above pre-action recommendations in mind, the use of a tracing agent to verify the address on file is the correct and true address would be a very valid addition to the process and indeed would be a best practice.
Also if no response is received to a pre-action letter it would be a requirement before any litigation is commenced so that all documents and notices are being sent to the correct current address and the defendant has the ability to defend any action or indeed settle any claim before court proceedings as appropriate.
How much does it cost to trace someone?
A person’s trace can cost from just £49 for a basic trace where the subject of the trace has only recently moved from the last known address, to upwards of £550 for a limited information trace of a long-lost family member.
The price is normally dictated by how difficult the trace is going to be and most tracing agents will charge based on this by asking relevant questions of the person to be traced and what information you have about the person to be traced.
The more information that you can provide on the person to be traced can be very useful for the tracing agent and will on some occasions allow for a less expensive tracing service provision.
Tracing people, No trace no fee.
All tracing agents should trace people on a no trace no fee basis unless their fee is so low that they have built the no trace no fee into the low price being offered. As an example of this, if the standard price to trace a debtor is £49 on a no trace no fee basis but another trace agent charges £19.99 but on a fee per case basis then it is clearly built into the pricing being offered.
Always be cautious over any tracing service that does not show a clear price without hidden fees. Always check the tracing agent’s terms of service and especially pay attention to any hidden fees.
Find UK People always offer people tracing services on a no trace no fee basis with clear agreed pricing for all services. There is never any doubt about how much you will be charged for any service and indeed you will only pay for a successful result.
How can I trace someone?
Tracing someone in the UK has become a transaction based on the internet over the last decade. All you need to do is go to a tracing agent service such as Find UK People and place a short e-commerce order with the details of the person you wish to locate and find a current address for.
Then over the next 7 days, the company will email you the results which will include the current address of the person you are looking for. Easy as that!
If you need to locate someone in the UK or even further afield then Find UK People are the number one choice.
🏠 Search for People
Use any known details and locate anyones current address — this service works Worldwide on a no find no fee basis!
Start a Search
Why Pre-Paying Tracing Agents Is A Good Idea
Learn why pre-paying tracing agents is a good idea with this informative article. If you need to find someone that you’ve lost touch with, you may be considering using a tracing agent. Tracing agents are an effective solution, whether you want to reconnect with a missing friend or family member, or whether you’re keen to locate someone who owes you money.
However, not all tracing agents work in the same way. Some trace agents will only bill you after they’ve found the person that you’re searching for, whereas others will ask you to pre-pay in advance.
Although the idea of not having to pay until the job has been completed may sound appealing, it isn’t always the best option. In fact, paying upfront comes with a host of advantages which we’re going to take a look at here.
Paying a Tracing Agent at The End Of The Project — Is It A Good Idea?
It’s fair to say that nobody wants to pay for a service that they may not receive. It isn’t too surprising, then, that the idea of paying upfront for a tracing agent to locate a missing individual sounds like a bad idea.
After all, how do you know that they’re actually going to get the job done? Couldn’t you be throwing your money away with no guarantee of finding the answers that you’re looking for?
With that in mind, the idea of paying at the end of the project seems to be the best solution. At least you’ll know that the task has been accomplished and you’ll have the address of the individual in question safely in your hands. Right?
Well, not necessarily. Unfortunately, although this system sounds ideal, it could put you at risk of hidden fees that can turn out to be a lot higher than you expected. It could also put you potentially at risk of becoming a victim of fraud. Sadly, not every company offering tracing services is created equal, and some are not reputable or are simply ineffective.
While it may sound counterintuitive to pay for people tracing services upfront, in fact, it can actually protect you from disputes and unexpected high costs as long as you select the right tracing company.
The Problem of Paying a Tracing Agent at the End of a Project
Pre-paying for tracing services may seem like a bad idea — after all, there’s no guarantee that the tracing agents will be able to find your missing individual — but if you choose the right tracing company, you’ll find that pre-payment comes with a wealth of benefits that will actually protect you.
The primary benefit of pre-paying for a tracing service is that any unexpected bills will be avoided. All too often, companies offering tracing services with payment at the end of the project fail to fix a price in advance. This can lead to clients being faced with very high bills with hidden charges applied that they were unaware of at the outset.
Billing at the end of the project tends to mean that no price is set at the beginning. Even if costs are discussed, they may be vague and revolve around a lot of “what if” scenarios. This is something to be aware of if you’re considering using a tracing agency that bills after the event.
What may appear to be an attractive quote for tracing your missing individual at the outset may rapidly turn into a large invoice when hidden extras like search fees are added on.
In such cases, it can be difficult to dispute those charges or to prove that fraudulent behaviour has occurred, and too many clients end up out of pocket. Therefore, with this firmly in mind, it’s easy to see why pre-payment offers its own advantages.
🏠 Search for People
Use any known details and locate anyones current address — this service works Worldwide on a no find no fee basis!
Start a Search
The Benefits Of Pre-Payment Tracing Agents
When you pre-pay for your tracing services with a reliable and reputable tracing agency, you can be confident that you won’t be charged any extra for locating the individual in question. You will know in advance exactly how much you have to pay for the service and what the payment covers.
This will give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing there will be no hidden fees or charges that you were unaware of at the outset. This eliminates the possibility of fraud or awkward disputes at a later date and ensures a trouble-free transaction.
Of course, it’s still important to choose a trustworthy tracing agency, especially when you’re paying for their services upfront. That’s why it’s essential to look for some key features when you’re selecting the right agency for you.
Two features that you should look for in your chosen tracing agency are a no trace no fee arrangement and a recheck guarantee. If both of these features are in place, you can be confident that pre-payment will only bring you advantages with none of the potential pitfalls.
Choosing A Reputable Tracing Agency
When it comes to choosing a reputable tracing agency, Find UK People should be your first port of call. Not only do we have a high success rate at locating missing individuals, but we also offer our services on a no trace no fee basis.
If, in the rare event that we can’t find the person you need to locate, we’ll give you your money back without any arguments or excuses. Your refund will be processed at the same time that the negative report is generated, and you will receive the money into your account within 3 days.
We also offer a recheck guarantee. If it turns out that the location information that we have obtained for the person in question is incorrect for any reason, we will carry out a recheck to rectify the situation.
We underwrite address information that we supply for a period of 60 days, and this means that we will recheck the details for free should they prove to be wrong within that period of time.
Since we also undertake to find your missing person within at most 30 days, with many individuals being located within 7 days, you will rapidly receive the information you require when you choose Find UK People.
🏠 Search for People
Use any known details and locate anyones current address — this service works Worldwide on a no find no fee basis!
Start a Search
Related Pages
About James Gordon-Johnson
James Gordon-Johnson is the visionary Founder of the PDM Group, which encompasses leading people tracing business Find UK People®. Since its inception in 2016, under James’s leadership, Find UK People has rapidly ascended to become a prominent player in the people tracing and investigations sector. James’s entrepreneurial journey is marked by a relentless drive to enhance digital customer experiences, as exemplified by his creation of the PDM Group in 2015. He consistently prioritizes innovation and customer-centric design, ensuring his conglomerate’s success in digital marketing and customer service. James’s strategic roadmap involves nurturing existing brands like Find UK People® & DebtTrace®, expanding through acquisitions, and leveraging digital technologies to drive organic growth, all with an unwavering dedication to delivering excellence in every facet of his business ventures. As the UK’s premier people tracing agency, Find UK People® and James’s leadership at the PDM Group continue to set new standards in customer-centric business, solidifying his position as a trailblazer in the UK’s corporate landscape.
