Free People Search Advice

How do I Find Someone's New Address

2011-07-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

Question:

I searched all over the internet on all these people finder web sites, found an address and sent a letter. The letter came back "Attempted Not known". Why was I charged for an invalid address and how do I get a good address?

Answer:

It's probably not really an invalid address and "Attempted Not Known" simply means that the post office attempted to deliver your letter or package and it was denied by the current occupants. There are many reasons this can happen.

People Finder and People Search web sites that locate address information can only provide you with the most updated address as reported to public records, published directories or as provided in certain database profiles.

When you give out your address to a retail store, grocery store, sign up for "rewards" cards, inquire about credit card offers, do online surveys, enter sweepstakes and basically anytime you give out your address you get entered into a database somewhere.

All those databases are bought and sold like commodities to marketers who want to sell you the right things. Advertising is changing. TV commercials blast ads to everyone but database companies sell information to targeted companies. They also sell and lease data to data brokers and many other avenues.

I could go on and on about how to "opt out" of address databases but that's another post. This question is about how to find someone else's address if the only address you can find is outdated.

Obviously your subject [the person] you are looking for lived at the address at some time or another. It was just in the past (it could have been last week, last month, last year or longer). Why isn't a new address available?

Online data typically comes from white pages, published listings, premium records or public records. These system can only include the address that were reported.

If your subject hasn't updated their address they may have a reason. Maybe they are hiding from debtors, or can't get a place on their own. Criminal records, eviction notices, and foreclosures all effect the person's ability to rent a place in their name.

Maybe your subject moved in with friends, family, or went overseas (reserves, military, volunteer, living abroad) and has been gone for a few months or longer.

When you send a letter to the person's address and the post office sends you the letter back with a message that says "attempted not known" this simply means that USPS attempted to deliver the letter or package and it was denied by the current occupants.

Maybe the occupants know where your subject really is and don't want to disclose it or just don't know. Maybe the actual subject is still living there but saw who the letter was from (return address or post mark) and refused it to fool you into thinking they were no longer there. No one really knows.

The only way to really know for sure is to:

Send a certified letter with the message "address service requested" under your return address.
The US postal service will send you a copy of the letter on a form 3547 (a notice) with the "OLD" and "NEW" address on it (if there is one on file).
Your subject would have had to notify USPS of the new address.
You will also be required to pay $0.50 upon delivery of that FORM 3547 when it arrives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Noah Wieder is CEO of SearchBug, Inc. and the founder of Best People Search. SearchBug.com offers a Free People Finder and Company Search as well as Data Scrubbing Services. Bestpeoplesearch.com is a private investigator portal and Information Retrieval Services web site where investigators offer searches to businesses and individuals with specific search needs.

Locate Unclaimed Assets | Missing Money | Unclaimed Property

2011-05-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

If you've ever overpaid for something, closed an account and never received interest payment, were due a dividend but moved and the forwarding address expired and so on, you may have missing money or unclaimed assets somewhere.

Here is a short list of helpful links where you can search for or locate your unclaimed assets if any exist. There are services that will do a more comprehensive search but if you have time or enjoy the hunt this might be for you.

#1. The Government May Owe You Money
This web site offers a list of links where you can check unclaimed property, credit unions, mortgage refunds, and more. I've listed a few of the links on the site below as well as a few others, however, if you start here it covers most if not all Unclaimed Government Fund web sites.

#2. National Association of State Treasures
Select your state then look for unclaimed assets link in state controllers web site. If you can't locate it, the easiest thing to do is use the search box typically located on the controller web site and search for "unclaimed". You will typically get a list of documents, links or articles having to do with unclaimed assets. Click on the first few links to see if the unclaimed assets link is available. The Arizona link will take you to the Arizona Unclaimed Assets page. The California link will take you to California Unclaimed Assets page.

#3. U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Missing Income Tax Refund Claim
If you're expecting a Tax refund from the IRS and it's has been more than 28 days since you're check was mailed (if you didn't file electronically), you can file an online claim for a replacement check.

#4. FDIC Unclaimed Funds
If a financial institution is closed, by a regulatory agency, the FDIC is appointed as Receiver and is responsible for the payment of insured deposits and the liquidation of the remaining assets. If you did not claim your funds previously you now have another opportunity to do so.

#5. National Credit Union Administration Unclaimed Funds (NCUA)
When a credit union with federal insurance is liquidated, NCUA is responsible for paying the share accounts to the members. Unfortunately, some checks are never cashed or a credit union members address information was incomplete, missing or outdated.

#6. Unclaimed Saving Bonds - Treasury Hunt
Do you have savings bonds that have matured and stopped earning interest? If so, it's time to cash them in, or reinvest them, and have your money start working for you again.

It's important to check your savings bonds periodically to determine if they're still earning interest, and if they're not, they should be redeemed. Billions of dollars in savings bonds have stopped earning interest, but haven’t been cashed. This database is updated monthly.

#7. U.S. Veteran Affairs Unclaimed Insurance Funds
Unclaimed insurance funds are owed to certain current and former policyholders or their beneficiaries. This money represents death awards, dividend checks and premium refunds that were mailed to policyholders. These payments were returned to VA by the Post Office because they could not be delivered. VA holds this money until we can locate the policyholder.

#8. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Unclaimed Pensions (PBGC)
When a company's pension plan is transferred to PBGC, the company is sometimes unable to locate people that participated in a specific plan and therefor unable to give them any benefits they may be owed. PBGC looks for them through the "Missing Participants" service.

Please note that the person should have participated in a "defined benefit" pension plan in a privately owned company that terminated and then transferred the plan to PBGC.

#9. National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrator (NAUPA)
The NAUPA is a non-profit organization. They are affiliated with the Council of State Governments and the National Association of State Treasurers. Members represent all states, the District of Columbia, and other international governmental entities. NAUPA provides a forum for protecting and returning property to rightful owners.

#10. Missing Money
Missing Money is operated by ACS Unclaimed Property Clearinghouse a Xerox company and is a national database. It was established in November 1999 by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA). MissingMoney.com enables owners to perform comprehensive searches for lost assets required by law to be turned over to the states and provinces.

How to Avoid Reverse Phone Lookup Scams

2011-05-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

This is a follow up post to my blog about Know Your Data Broker where I talked about Tamara Thompson's blog.

I conducted some simple research to show the differences between what's available online regarding the various reverse phone lookup searches and will show three very different examples to include what bad web sites do to trick consumers and what a good web site should do to show they are trustworthy.

As usual, I will also include what SearchBug does and what makes us different (and better) and why SearchBug customers appreciate everything we do.

First test subject was found via a Google Advertisement. This company pays for traffic and has to use tricks to get customers. When I visited cellphonenumberlookups123 [dot] com it looks professional enough but has an annoying gentlemen telling me it's a "premier" service. I'm sorry, he is annoying.

At first glance I want to see the contact us page. I expect to see a phone number, fax number and address for a legitimate company that wants me to enter payment information online. How can I trust a company that won't even provide a mailing address or phone number.

The image below is a screen shot of the contact page I found on their web site. As you can see, no phone number or address anywhere. But they do say, that you can reach them via phone for help, however to get the phone number, I had to engage in a live chat session during business hours.

During my chat session I asked why the phone or address was not available on the web site. I was not provided with that answer. I was however given a phone number for customer service but was encourage to email them. No way to tell if I was dealing with someone at the company or if it was outsourced to a third party.

Now on to my test searches. I purposefully used an invalid phone number to see what web sites would tell me. Would they tell me it was invalid or offer any information, or just try to take my money?

Upon entering my fake phone number 555-234-5678 this web site shows a "processing" screen which took almost 20 seconds (a big waste of time for nothing, other than to make customers think they are really trying to find stuff). Remember, this is the age of computers, we can tell if the number is valid or invalid in split seconds. Here is the first of 4 screens I had to endure to get to the end.

Click on any image to enlarge it and read my comments on the screen shots

After this screen came the next screen in the series.

Here they try and convince me that they found
information for the bogus number I entered.

When I click that continue to next step button I get the screen below which tries to convince me they are searching for even more stuff for some reason.

Now comes the third sales page that tries to tell me
I can get the information I want for just $1.00

Here comes the checkout page,
the fine print is really scary.

It basically says for your $1.00
you get a 7 day trial to some type of service
and after 7 days you'll be billed
$18.95 per month until you cancel.

Remember, this is all for a phone number I know is Bogus, and here they still try and tell you they found your information, want you to pay $1.00 for it and sign you up for an $18.95 monthly subscription.

That is what I call "wrong". Caveat Emptor - Let the Buyer Beware

Next up - we have Reversephonedirectory [dot] com. These guys appear to be a landing page or reseller for Intelius because when you click thru pages you end up back on Intelius. Here you can clearly see they tell you there are 8 results in some premium database but they don't give you any hint on the names.

Also, if the number is invalid, why don't they tell you that? Seems that they don't reveal that information. They do show you the cities and states, and as far as I know, a phone number can't really be from several different states unless it was a cell phone and the owner moved and kept their number. But they don't tell you if it's a land line or a cell phone either?

Now we have Intelius and USSearch. Since Intelius now owns and operates USSearch, I would expect similar results from a company their size. The interesting thing here is that these guys have more computer engineers than any of the other people search web sites in the USA. Why they only tell you the number is invalid and nothing else amazes me.

At lease USSearch shows it big enough to see. Intelius is whispering the information like it's a secret or something.

There are hundreds of other examples of similar web sites. The important thing to keep in mind is to make sure the web site is reputable, has their address and phone number clearly displayed on the web site and provides enough information for you to make an informed decision if you want to do business with them or not.

You know I saved the best for last. Here is the same number entered into the SearchBug system. Note that we tell you the number is Likely to be Invalid in big letters. We also tell you the reason (because 555 is a fictitious area code). We also tell you the line type, carrier and calling area are unknown (likely because the area code is fictitious).

So why would there be any names or addresses found in public records for a bogus phone number? Well, these are public records and as such get input from many resources. Even though the number is invalid, people evidently used the number on documents that end up in public domain and databases that are made available to the public and data brokers.

Keep in mind that because the phone number is fictitious the names and addresses could also be fictitious, however it's impossible to check the information until the full records are purchased.

SearchBug tries to manage customer expectations, providing as much information as possible to let their customers make informed decisions.

Identity Theft and SSN Randomization

2011-04-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

SSN Randomization is a project by the SSA in an effort to curb Identity theft victims in the USA. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will change the way Social Security Numbers are issued starting on June 25, 2011.

Since 1973 SSN's have been issued based on the Zip Code of the mailing address of the SSN application. The first three digits of the SSN were tied to a particular state. After June 25, 2011 this will no longer be the case making it a little more difficult for Identity thieves to guess or obtain the SSN of their victims.

Starting on June 25, 2011, the SSA will eliminate the geographical significance of the first three digits of the SSN, currently referred to as the area number, by no longer allocating the area numbers for assignment to individuals in specific states.

The project is an effort to help protect the integrity of the SSN by establishing a new randomized assignment methodology. SSN Randomization will also extend the longevity of the nine-digit SSN nationwide.

The downside to this randomization is that employers, collection agents, financial institutions and many other industries that rely on being able to conduct SSN verification using various third party services may find themselves paying up to 10x more for similar services.

Know Your Data Broker

2011-04-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

Much like the banking industry has procedure called "KYC" which stands for Know Your Customer - consumers, investigators and other users of data brokers should adopt a "KYDB" or Know Your Data Broker.

Tamara Thompson of PiBuzz.com really sums this up well. Her article includes a lot of information that has caused this industry to get a black eye. Just look at my blog about reverse phone lookup scams to see the details.

We all know when it's too good to be true it probably is however, when Tamara discusses criminal records I have to shed light on the fact that there really is no single repository for Criminal Records and not every county court reports the same criminal activity. We've also noticed that there are often disparities in what consumers think is in criminal records and what certain counties, states or federal criminal records include.

I also see a lot of disclaimers on instant criminal records and even we include a disclaimer, if only to manage consumer expectations since it's not possible to guarantee third party information (especially from the government). The only way to truly see what is included in a criminal record is know the county or the court where the conviction took place and to obtain copies of the actual case.

I want to also point out that some records are sealed, some counties and records only include convictions not arrests and if a case is still pending or the courts are behind at closing files it could take months or longer before some records are included in online access. SearchBug offers verified business users access to the most comprehensive system of criminal records I've found and that is via RapSheets.

Free or fee. I agree with Tamara on most of this in her article, however, there is one thing I noticed about free information and even sometimes with paid information from the wrong source. Basically you get what you pay for. So if you are looking for free information or free public records be prepared to spend some time hunting down what's needed and then you may need to double check it. Published records are different from public records which can be different than "current" records.

It boils down to this: If you're just looking for an address or a phone number to conduct some marketing service or find a lost friend or family member the free searches may be fine. However, if you're trying to collect on a debt or conduct process service and you're sending a process server or sheriff to an address you found, you should make absolutely sure it's a verified current address.

There are only a few ways to make 100% sure an address or phone number you have is current for your subject. To verify correct current address, you can mail a certified letter with address service requested (about $5 and change) and wait a month for the receipt or the correction service to come back, or you can hire a professional to conduct a real skip trace or a verified locate.

Obviously, I'm a bit partial to our People Search USA and we're upfront about what it includes in our effort to manage our customers expectations. We include all published records free and then we offer a premium service that shows what is available before customers have to make a decision to purchase. This is the key to knowing your data broker. When you conduct a search for an address or phone the web site should show you that some information was found.

Another way to test the service is to type in a phone number you know is invalid. If the service tells you that information is available even if the number is invalid, that's a sign to stay clear.

We include a sample report, tell you How to Search, what your Results will typically include, provide information sources and the cost of each search before you even get started. Our toll free phone number is clearly displayed on all our web pages and you can reach our customer service for help selecting the best search for your needs while keeping cost down and getting the right type of data.

See my next blog for a detailed report on how to spot a reverse phone lookup scam.

Search all Craigslist or Backpage Cities at same time

2011-04-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

I've created this simple search box that will let you search all the items based on a key word for all the Craigslist or Backpage cities at the same time.

Looking for a special item or service and want to check all of Craigslist or the Backpage Cities at the same time? Well, now it's possible.

Links for Law Enforcement

2011-03-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

I've compiled a list of Federal Law Enforcement Sites in the USA.

C.I.A. - Central Intelligence Agency
N.S.A. - National Security Agency
NCJRS Law Enforcement Information
US Department of Justice - Home Page
US Department of Justice - US Federal Bureau of Investigation
US Department of Justice - FBI CJIS Division (Clarksburg, WV)
US Department of Justice - FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin
FBI/NWCCC - Internet Fraud Complaint Center
US Department of Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration
US Department of Justice - US Marshals Service
US Department of Justice - Immigration and Naturalization Service
US Department of Justice - Office of Justice Programs
US Department of Justice - US National Central Bureau of INTERPOL
US Dept. of the Treasury - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
US Dept. of the Treasury - US Secret Service
US Dept. of the Treasury - US Customs Service
US Dept. of the Treasury - Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
US Dept. of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service
US Dept. of the Treasury - Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETCE)
US Dept. of the Interior - US Fish and Wildlife Service
US Dept. of the Interior - US Fish and Wildlife Service Forensic Lab
US Post Office - US Postal Inspection Service
US Dept. of Transportation - Coast Guard
US Government Services Administration - Federal Protective Service
US Department of State - Bureau of Diplomatic Security
Police News, Forums, etc. - Officer.com
US National and Federal Police, Sheriff and Other Law Enforcement Agencies - 9-1-1 Site

Reverse Phone Lookup

2011-02-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

The long awaited redesign of the SearchBug Reverse Phone Lookup tool is complete. Over a Dozen data sources combined into one tool - over 4 months in development. The search includes free access to published listings, something SearchBug Calls White Pages +, since they search more than just the regular white pages for free.

If your search results are found in the white pages or free resources it's shown on the screen for free, no B.S. Why pay for something if it can be found free.

If nothing is found in published directories, the reverse phone lookup tool will automatically search through hundreds of millions of public records as well as third party commercially available private databases. If the reverse phone lookup locates records you'll actually see a portion of what is available prior to committing to order (don't let the small fee fool you, this is one great value).

SearchBug does not try and sell you a membership to a database that tells you it found information when it really didn't. Go ahead, try and fool it, enter bogus numbers - you'll see no information found or invalid entry. If a number is valid and not found, the system will suggest alternate ways of locating the information.

What will the reverse phone lookup find. Well it will scour:

White Pages
Yellow Pages
Public Records
Cell Phone Databases
Other specialized sources

* Verified Current Owner Search and Professional Investigator searches are also available.

Is my Date with Destiny or a Desperado?

2011-01-26T17:47:00.000-08:00

Internet dating is quietly creeping up in popularity, an unspoken nod that will most likely end up with you agreeing on "we met at the library/coffee shop/random place. Whether you choose to find love out at the grocery store or while browsing the pages of men at plentyoffish.com one thing is for sure, there are a lot of weirdo's in this world.

While dating is nothing new, neither is the prevalence of assault and data rape or "acquaintance rape". Acquaintance rape, which is also referred to as "date rape" and "hidden rape," has been increasingly recognized as a real and relatively common problem within society. The scholarly research done by psychologist Mary Koss and her colleagues is widely recognized as the primary impetus for raising awareness to a new level. The publication of Koss' findings in the popular Ms. magazine in 1985 informed millions of the scope and severity of the problem.

One in four women surveyed was victim of rape or attempted rape.
An additional one in four women surveyed was touched sexually against her will or was victim of sexual coercion.
84 percent of those raped knew their attacker.
57 percent of those rapes happened while on dates.
One in twelve male students surveyed had committed acts that met the legal definitions of rape or attempted rape.
84 percent of those men who committed rape said that what they did was definitely not rape.
Only 27 percent of those women whose sexual assault met the legal definition of rape thought of themselves as rape victims.
42 percent of the rape victims did not tell anyone about their assaults.
Only five percent of the rape victims reported the crime to the police.
Only five percent of the rape victims sought help at rape-crisis centers.
Whether they had acknowledged their experience as a rape or not, thirty percent of the women identified as rape victims contemplated suicide after the incident.
82 percent of the victims said that the experience had permanently changed them.

We know that Sex offenders use online dating web sites to locate victims and 57% of attacks happen while on dates according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Don't become a statistic.

Running a background check and criminal check should be part of your screening process. It can't be fool proof but it's better than going in blind. This is online dating not a blind date. Find out before you go out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sarah aka Sarita is a CSR at SearchBug, Inc. and assists clients in the use of Best People Search and SearchBug.com a Free People Finder and Data Scrubbing Services.

Identify Phone Numbers for Cell Phone Text Messaging

2011-01-26T16:40:00.001-08:00

There are several ways to process phone records to determine the line type and carrier (other information is also available if needed).

You can scour the internet for free tools to do this yourself.
You can hire a service to run a manual batch to clean lists of phone records.
You can subscribe to a service that lets you upload a file with phone numbers.
You can subscribe to a service that provides a real-time API and returns XML.

If you have less than a few hundred records you can typically find a free identify phone number tool online where you can do the lookup yourself. The SearchBug service allows you to lookup phone info for free a few times a day. You can subscribe for under $4.00 per month and run 100 per day manually. This is by far the cheapest solution available.

A Manual Batch Service:
If you have a list with 1,000, 10,000 or even a few 100,000 records to clean and only need a single list cleaned, this is a good option. Easy to get started. Simply complete a payment form and email (upload in future) your spreadsheet of numbers with one number per row. Your batch is processed and returned within one business day (sometimes the same day). There is a flat fee per batch based on number of records.

The Self Service Batch Tool:
This tool allows you to upload phone numbers in any format (ie. dashes, spaces, or even if it has a 1 in front). You can sign up and enter your billing information online. Then you can start to submit 1 to 10,000 records per batch (as many batches as needed daily up to your subscribed monthly limit). Tiered pricing is based on number of records processed monthly. Fee is a monthly subscription as is lower than flat per batch fee pricing.

A Real-Time API:
An API allows you to "call" HTTP GET or HTTP POST via a private URL and receive XML in return to parse into your database as needed. This method allows you to submit from 1 to 1,000 records per API call.

The XML returned can be used as you need. Parse it into your database live. Do you have an inbound call center and want to know information about the number in real-time. Are your people talking to mobile users? Tiered pricing based on number of records processed monthly.

Output from the batch tool or API can return any of the following information:

Identify each line type (Cell / Landline / unknown)
Carrier name
Location
Calling Area

Want to learn more about phone number lookup?

Providing your Social Security Number on Forms

2010-09-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

Just like in Jess's blog, every time I have to complete a form at a bank or even at a doctors office they want my SSN. Since I'm in that industry I know all too well how SSN information gets abused.

As we slid into a recession a few years ago, unemployment mounted and peoples bank accounts started dwindling. Foreclosures on the rise, bad credit card debts mounting, bad loans running amok.

What some not so good people do when their credit is bad and they need to survive.....

We have heard stories where parents that have bad credit will start using their kids SSN to establish new credit. Really easy to do when Joe Sr. uses Joe Jr.'s SSN to get a new credit card. Lots of immigrants sharing SSN numbers to get work. Very few have photo ID but pass around that Social Security Card.

One thing I still don't understand is why the SSA (Social Security Administration) doesn't require a photo on the Social Security Card. Yeah, sure most get an SSN as an infant but shouldn't it be required at some point? Hey, how about hooking the SSA up with the DMV's and start using their photos. Oh.. no.. that's way too much bureaucracy.

Everyone needs to be careful. If you are filling out an application you should always ask why they need your SSN. Many doctors forms ask for it but they don't really need it, especially if you have an insurance card.

Insurance companies and even the DMV in some states use to use a Social Security Number as the DL number or the member number. Laws have made them change that.

Bottom line ... Ask Questions. Know who has access to your SSN:

Ask about their privacy policies.
How long they keep it on file.
When do they destroy the document (employer, after you leave, how long?)
How long after you stop going to that doctor do they destroy that paperwork?
Do they shred documents or throw them out. Yikes!

If you stop working someplace or stop going to a doctor, know your rights. Keep track of every place you provided with your SSN and be sure to opt-out of any sharing.

Need to verify an SSN or make sure some one is not using a deceased SSN?
Social Security Numbers are never reissued.
People have been known to use a deceased persons SSN. Make sure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Noah Wieder is CEO of SearchBug, Inc. and the founder of Best People Search. SearchBug.com offers a Free People Finder and Company Search as well as Data Scrubbing Services. Bestpeoplesearch.com is a private investigator portal and Information Retrieval Services web site where investigators offer searches to businesses and individuals with specific search needs.

Juicy Information About You on Computers All Over the World

2010-09-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

Google CEO Eric Schmidt spoke with with Stephen Colbert, here's a few tidbits...

The information is "all out there on the Web," said Schmidt "Google just collects it." Computers all over the world collect the information, "and if it's really juicy there will be copies everywhere".

The truth is network hubs make copies of information as bits and bytes that get transferred from one location to another. So even the one private email you sent to your secret friend isn't private. There's another copy floating out there in cyberspace.

The information is "all out there on the Web," Schmidt told Colbert. "Google just collects it." Read the full article....

My opinion if anyone cares.....

If you use the internet and sign up for newsletters, enter contests on line or in a store, provide your phone number, name, address, or email to get discounts or promotional stuff, you're in denial if you think your information is private.

With advertiser revenue shrinking and marketers trying to deliver only what you want to see, they use all sorts of information to ensure the advertisers dollars are best used. This means sharing of information. Not only do commercial retailers, web sites and large companies do this but so do government agencies and web sites. All "public records" are obtainable, searchable and viewable either for free or a fee.

If you don't want your information showing up on the internet, I'd suggest the following:

Don't purchase a home (or at least not in your name). The deed is public record and is recorded as such. Use a trust or some other method of purchase (think about how celebrities do it) to keep the public record out of your name.
Don't open any bank accounts, get any loans, leases, utilities or establish credit of any kind in your name. Eventually your information will make it's way into computers, once it's in computers, the bits and bytes are there forever and copies are being made all over the world. It will be found some day.
Don't get arrested, don't get involved in a law suit, don't get married, dont' get divorced, don't vote, don't register to vote, don't file any paperwork of any kind with any government agency.

Let's face reality... that's all pretty impossible. You would have to be completely "off the grid" for your name and information not to be in a computer somewhere. Either that or very wealthy or a government official of some sort. Since it seems that most privacy laws are aimed at protecting government officials; and celebrities just have a boat load of money and can pay people to hide all their stuff, privacy is really not for everyone.

As for you and I, we have to rely on ourselves. Want to remove your information from the internet, do your homework, be prepared to spend some time doing it if it really matters to you.

In the future, it will be important to have an online personality so people will conduct business with you. Even now, let alone 10 years from now, if you're not on the internet people are less likely to trust who you are.

The more someone can find out, the more open you are, and less you have to hide, the more apt someone may be to do business with you, hire you and trust you. Bottom line is we are in a new era, industrial revolution move over.

Bottom line: If you fear privacy, think about what you're afraid of. There are only two types of fear:

The fear that you will lose something you have
The fear that you won't get something you want.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Noah Wieder is CEO of SearchBug, Inc. and the founder of Best People Search. SearchBug.com offers a Free People Finder and Company Search as well as Data Scrubbing Services. Bestpeoplesearch.com is a private investigator portal and Information Retrieval Services web site where investigators offer searches to businesses and individuals with specific search needs.

Help, I Lost my Social Security Card

2010-08-31T17:12:00.000-07:00

While we get a lot of people that contact us for our help getting their SS card replaced, it is something you can do yourself.

Let's say you moved out of the country for a few years and you had a social security number back then. What happens to that number?

The good news is that the Social Security Administration never reissues SSNs. They remain with whomever they were issued to until a notice of death is turned into the SSA and the SSN is listed in the SSDI (death index). Therefore, your SSN is yours for the duration of your life. It would not be reassigned to anyone.

We do offer a SSN and name match service which is derived from many sources including but not limited to the SSDI (a death record search), public records, court records, credit files, private data, and much more. Unfortunately computerized public records typically only go back so many years.

If you have not been in the states for years (a decade for example) it is likely that you haven't used your SSN for anything for it to get reported - no mortgages, no auto loans, no utilities, no credit cards, etc. So if there isn’t any reported activity linked to your SSN our SSN and name match report may be unable to confirm a match with your name. We would still report the active or inactive status as defined by a death records search. However if there were fraudulent activity on your SSN another name would be listed and the SSN and name match service would come back as false (meaning a match to your name). If that happened you may opt for a reverse SSN Lookup.

If no information is found, and you haven't used your SSN in years, it is actually a good sign. Since that would mean no one has been trying to use your SSN without your consent either, so your SSN is still clean.

If your SSN is still considered “active” according to our service but no name was found, that just means there isn't any current information for the investigators to either deny or confirm the match to your name.

Keep in mind that once an SSN is assigned it is for the duration of your life. You can rest assure that if the SSN you provide was in fact issued to you in the past, it is still yours.

If you lost your Social Security Card, you may want to contact the SSA and get a replacement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Noah Wieder is CEO of SearchBug, Inc. and the founder of Best People Search. SearchBug.com offers a Free People Finder and Company Search as well as Data Scrubbing Services. Bestpeoplesearch.com is a private investigator portal and Information Retrieval Services web site where investigators offer searches to businesses and individuals with specific search needs.

Security Fog

2010-08-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

It’s safe to say that a new idea is simply a twist on something we already know. Here is an example: We know that when fog comes rolling in off the ocean we have trouble seeing. The twist on this well-known fact is to use fog to make it difficult for a criminal to see and therefore not be able to carry out the criminal act.

Even though the fog is NOT smoke it can look like smoke so the fire department would also be called out. Smoke & Screen Systems are devices that activate when a burglar alarm is tripped. The device sends out a thick fog that makes it impossible for the burglar to find the target item and may even prevent the burglar from getting out of the store before the police arrive. The smoke is non-toxic, non-choking, and similar to smoke you see when the magician says, “Presto.”

Several companies have this product but from what I see it's not available in the USA. Security camera's are rendered useless and police officers won't enter a building full of fog.

Please comment if you are familiar with Security Fog.

Skip Tracing | People Tracing

2010-08-20T16:09:00.000-07:00

Best People Search announces a new skip tracing service that combines the thoroughness of a verified address locate search, with the in-depth search of a place of employment locate and tops it off with a verified phone number locate service.

Introducing the Bestpeoplesearch.com professional skip tracing service. For a flat pre-negotiated rate, your assigned private investigator will conduct an in-depth, no stone left unturned skip tracing, people tracing search.

What this means to you is no hourly rate, no surprise expenses, no toll charges. One rate, three comprehensive in-depth searches.

A current address search - Verified
A current phone number search (land line and/or cell phone) - Verified
A current employer search - Verified

No more gimmicks, no games. With decades of experience in skip tracing, your professional investigator will search high and low for your subject. We can seriously state with 99% certainty, that if our skip tracing, people tracing investigator can't locate your subject, we don't think anyone else can.

Try our skip tracing service before September 30, 2010 and enter promotional code VST92010 on the checkout page and get 15% off your order.

iomega Sucks, American Express Rocks, get a Drobo!

2010-08-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

I wrote a blog about backing up data and recommended the HP simple save which works great for individual work stations however I need something to replace my piece of crap Iomega Store Center which died after only 16 weeks and iomega told me to too bad.

The Story:
I purchased an iomega drive in March 2009. It came with a 12 month warranty, however I came to find out that anything purchased in June 2009 and after included a 36 month warranty. Oh, and they offer a free 36 month warranty on drives purchased before June 2009 but you had to know to register it with iomega within 90 days of purchase. No mention of that in the manual, you only see it when you go to iomega support. What a load of crap.

Simply stated iomega doesn't stand behind their products. I'm pretty sure they spend a substantial amount on advertising and marketing to get customers so their customer acquisition cost would seem to warrant trying to keep customers happy so they return for new items and good service. But that didn't happen in my case and based on the forums, it's par for the course.

What really pushed me over the edge is that they wanted $50 for out of warranty help via phone or chat. Just to say my drive was dead, out of warranty, but we can sell you a new one. Well, they lost my business for life as well as the rest of my family and any friends or people who will listen.

Now I go out of my way to tell everyone to avoid iomega products.

Luckily, I purchased the iomega store center using my American Express card and had automatically received an extended warranty just by using my AMEX. I called AMEX to inquire if I was covered and within a week they had credited my original purchase price, less sales tax.

I don't know about you, but I'm an AMEX customer for life and will now purchase all my electronics and almost everything else using my AMEX card.

After thorough research and a recommendation from a friend in the IT world I finally found my last network drive. The Drobo has great reviews from everyone who gets one and is well regarded in the IT world. Do yourself a favor and check out the Drobo. I shopped around and found the best deal on Amazon since shipping was free.

How to find a phone number from name, city and state.

2010-08-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

This is a very common question and thought I would review and explain here. The question comes in many forms but one of the most common types of requests is:

QUESTION: If I provide you with someones name, city and state can you get me a valid phone number? Most of the other sites I've tried provide old numbers and what is the cost?

ANSWER:
The simple answer is, yes, our investigators can do this for you. However, let me explain.

One of the reasons other sites provide old numbers is because people move and change phone numbers and most other find phone number services use flat file databases or old phone books and cross reference additional information found and make best guesses based on computer algorithms. Those are only as good as the database or people programming the algorithms.

If you are looking for a valid land line phone number that is attached to a physical address but don't have the address, and all you have is the name, city and state you can do a find address and phone number search. This is a professional search performed by a human private investigator so you get a real address and phone number.

Now keep in mind that not everyone has a land line phone these days and many people only use cell phones. So the above search may only produce an address. Also, if the person you are looking for has a common name and you only have city and state it may not be successful.

If you wish to locate someone's cell phone number please review our cell phone number lookup search (note that this search requires a previous or recent address). So if you don't have any address you may want to do some research yourself and locate an address first.

You have several options to try and locate an address:
We have a few self service people search tools which you can review.

Individual and Free People Finder Tools
Unlimited People Search Access
Free People Search by name and state

SSN Reserved for Future Use

2010-07-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

Q: When I conduct a Social Security Number Verification some results show "Reserved for future use" what does this mean?

A: Reserved for Future Use is a denotation defined by the Social Security Administration for numbers in states that have not started to be assigned yet.

An SSN is made up of an Area Group Serial (AAA-GG-SSSS) number. All three numbers combine to make the complete SSN.

The Social Security number consists of nine (9) digits. The first three (3) digits denote the AREA (or State) where the application for an original Social Security number was filed.

Within each area, the GROUP number (middle two (2) digits) range from 01 to 99 but are not assigned in consecutive order.

For administrative reasons, group numbers issued first consist of the ODD numbers from 01 through 09 and then EVEN numbers from 10 through 98, within each area number allocated to a State.

After all numbers in group 98 of a particular area have been issued, the EVEN Groups 02 through 08 are used, followed by ODD Groups 11 through 99.

Within each group, the serial numbers (last four (4) digits) run consecutively from 0001 through 9999. This chart below shows how Group numbers are assigned:

ODD - 01, 03, 05, 07, 09	EVEN - 10 to 98
EVEN - 02, 04, 06, 08	ODD - 11 to 99

Even though an SSN provided is a valid number "Reserved for future use" means it has not been issued by that state yet.

For example: According to the SSN the state of MA is assigned to the AREA number 032. However, as of today July 2010 they are only issuing Group Numbers in the 92 series (ie. 032-92-XXXX). After they assign the last number in that series 032-92-9999, they will start issuing 032-94-0001 and so on. An SSN such as 032-98-XXXX has not been issued in that series and therefor is "reserved for future use".

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Noah Wieder is CEO of SearchBug, Inc. and the founder of Best People Search. SearchBug.com offers a Free People Finder and Company Search as well as Data Scrubbing Services. Bestpeoplesearch.com is a private investigator portal and Information Retrieval Services web site where investigators offer searches to businesses and individuals with specific search needs.

Kindle Book Reader

2010-07-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

If you live in a cave you've probably never heard of the Kindle Book Reader from Amazon. It's the most popular book reader to date.

However, the newcomers to the market are trying to grab some of their market share. This article is the best Book Reader comparison I've found online.

As the author states, if you’re a first time buyer your choices are not easy. I agree with his assessment that right now, I would opt for a Kindle. Mainly because most digital products and especially readers are based on support (especially for reader content, meaning number of titles, etc).

Since Amazon has the biggest library of titles with the best prices this sings the odds in their favor.

Now while the Nook and the Sony Readers supporting ePUB is nice, it's not currently as easy to find the latest titles in that format. And, as the author of the article above states, if you do, they will not always work as they should (aka: formatting problems).

As we all know in the high tech world, a lot will change in both the near and distant future so enjoy what you get today and use it.

The Haircut

2010-05-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, "I cannot accept money from you, I'm doing community service this week." The florist was pleased and left the shop. When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a "thank you" card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a police man comes in for a haircut, and when he tried to pay his bill, the barber again replied, "I cannot accept money from you, I'm doing community service this week." The cop was happy and left the shop. The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a "thank you" card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Then a Congressman came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, "I cannot accept money from you, I'm doing community service this week." The Congressman was very happy and left the shop.

The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut. And that, my friend, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the politicians who run it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Noah Wieder is CEO of SearchBug, Inc. and the founder of Best People Search. SearchBug.com offers a Free People Finder and Company Search as well as Data Scrubbing Services. Bestpeoplesearch.com is a private investigator portal and Information Retrieval Services web site where investigators offer searches to businesses and individuals with specific search needs.

Are you a good consumer or a consumer from hell?

2010-04-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

If you've ever been in customer service or owned a business you'd know what this is all about. We've all had our fair share of customers from hell, but have you ever been considered a customer from hell yourself?

The article weed out your customers from hell explains the four types of hellish customers.

The Bully

You know the type. They’re nasty, impossible to please, and they typically abuse your most important asset: your employees.

The Tightwad

Times are tough for everyone, but a tightwad cares only about his own bottom line. He’ll beat you up on price until you’re working for pennies and then he’ll string you out for more than 120 days on invoices.

The Chicken Little

This customer wants you to think the sky is falling every time she needs something.

The Status Quo Joe

Depending on your business; if your client doesn't want to change anything, test new strategies, or fully utilize your capabilities and you end up in a supporting role, it may be time to cut ties.

Lookup Phone Reverse

2010-04-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Searchbug is starting a tutorial series on how to look up information online. We've kicked off the series with a video tutorial on how to Lookup a Phone in Reverse (aka: Phone Reverse Lookup).

If you're trying to lookup the name or address from a phone number using a reverse look up check out our video tutorial. We'll walk you through step by step and show you how to lookup any published number in the white or yellow page directories online at no charge.

Our future video's will also show you how to use the same tools to locate unlisted, unpublished, cell phone numbers and more.

You can also review the step by step write up on eHow which goes thru how to do reverse phone lookup searches on Google as well and compares the different search methods and outcomes.

Check out the video tutorial below or click lookup phone reverse to open a new Youtube window and watch a larger version.

Free SSN Verification

2010-03-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

QUESTION:
Are the Social Security Number validations you perform obtained directly from the Social Security Administration. Our company has new requirements in place and we need to insure that your verifications are an acceptable source.

ANSWER:
To answer the question quickly, yes some of it is partially derived from SSA information, however no one can obtain information electronically from the SSA unless they are an employer; and using the information solely to validate employment information on employment applications.

See my published article on this very topic here:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5520470_obtain-number-verification-ssn-lookup.html

With that said, our SSN verification is derived using several proprietary algorithms which includes data from several proprietary databases cross referenced and verified against information from the SSA high group and allocation information.

We currently have two SSN verification services:

One is Located on Searchbug here and requires a business account:

http://www.searchbug.com/peoplefinder/verify-ssn-free.aspx

The other is located on our sister web site here:
http://www.bestpeoplesearch.com/FreePeopleSearch/FreeSearches.aspx?tab=freessnverification

Feel free to test them as they are free on a limited bases.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Noah Wieder is CEO of SearchBug, Inc. and the founder of Best People Search. SearchBug.com offers Free People Search and Company Finder as well as Data Scrubbing Services. Bestpeoplesearch.com is a private investigator portal and Information Retrieval Services web site where investigators offer searches to businesses and individuals with specific search needs.

How To Obtain a Truly Free and Instant People Search Guide | Howcast.com

2010-01-30T19:48:00.000-08:00

How To Obtain a Truly Free and Instant People Search Guide | Howcast.com

How to Identify a Phone Number | eHow.com

2010-01-30T12:11:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this eHow article that includes a step by step walk thru of how to identify a phone number for free.How to Identify a Phone Number