First of all, in a country the size of the US, there are many people with the same names.
The only practical way to be reasonably sure of finding a person is to know their date of birth or social security number. Having one or both of these is an absolute necessity in order to have a letter forwarded by a government department.
If you don't know either one, please see "Hints on Finding D.O.B & S.S.N." at the end of this report.
The U.S. Government knows the current address of most everyone in the
country, and will assist you in locating a missing person. Although the
Federal Privacy Act forbids them from providing you the address, they
will gladly FORWARD A LETTER FOR YOU at no cost.
Here are government departments which will forward a letter for you at no cost:
The first thing that a professional searcher does is make sure
the person is still alive. You should do the same.
For a free search of the social security death index, go to;
http://www.ancestry.com ssdl
The IRS is your best bet, because everyone, (well, almost everyone), pays income tax, and the IRS has an address which was valid as of the person's last filing.
With the IRS, providing the person's social security number is an absolute necessity.
You must write a short letter, giving the reasons why you wish to have the letter forwarded, along with the letter itself, which must be left unsealed. As to content, here is how the IRS regulations read, "the purpose must fall under a humane situation, or consist of beneficial information...".
This gives you plenty of leaway - for example, you could be wanting to get together with a missing relative, you could be advising the person of a birth, death, illness, marriage, divorce, etc. or that money is coming from an estate, abandoned bank account, or whatever. Be creative!. Creating a family tree doesn't apply, nor can you write a letter dunning for money.
If the letter is returned to the IRS as undeliverable, you will not be informed.
Send the two letters along with the person's SSN to the 'Regional Disclosure Officer' at the IRS office closest to where the person last lived. The addresses are:
North-East: 12Fl. 290 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10007.
Midstates: 4050 Alpha Rd. Dallas, TX. 75244
South-East: Room 2238, 401 W. Peachtree St. N/W, Atlanta, GA. 30365
West: P.O. Box 2900, Stop SA 5201, Sacramento, CA. 95812
If you have no idea as to where the person last lived, then send the letters to:
Office of Disclosure, Room 1603, 1111 Constitution Ave. N/W, Washington,
D.C. 20224
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
This is your next best bet. They will have the person's home address, only if he/she is receiving a pension or other benefit, otherwise the letter will be sent to the place of employment.
It is helpful, but not absolutely necessary, for you to supply the person's SSN. If you don't have it, you must supply the date of birth, and either
(a) the person's parent's names or
(b) the person's last known place and approximate time period of employment.
The letter you wish to have forwarded should have a "humanitarian purpose" and contain information concerning which the recipient would undoubtedly want to be informed of. It must contain nothing which, if read by a third person, could prove to be embarrassing to the missing person.
Send the unsealed letter you wish to have forwarded, along with a cover letter stating:
(1) reasons for wanting to contact the person,
(2) last time heard from and,
(3) explaining that all other methods of contact have been exhausted.
The address is:
6401 Security blvd., Baltimore, MD. 21235.
Insider's Secret
If you know a former employer of the missing
person , they will almost certainly have the
person's SSN though they likely won't give
it to you, so here is what to do: Follow
the steps in (1) and (2) above - and send the
package to the former employer, asking them
to fill in the SSN. When they see what you
are doing, they will quite likely do so.
HOW TO FIND MOST ANYONE - EVEN IF YOU HAVE ONLY THE FIRST NAME AND APPROXIMATE AGE - FOR TWO DOLLARS. This amazing service would likely be of interest to those planning reunions - for details please see the website for "Ameridex" at http://kadima.com/
US POSTAL SERVICE
If you have the missing person's mailing address from up to 18 months ago, send a letter to that address and mark on the envelope, "do not forward", "address correction requested". You will get the new address for a fee of 50 cents.
HOW TO SEARCH THE GIGANTIC DATA BANKS AT ALL THREE NATIONAL CREDIT BUREAUS - for $20.00. This is less than half the price charged by most commercial people locator firms. Available from the Los Angeles County Public Library, at (800) 582-1093. You will require the social security number. You can pay them by credit card.
STATE DRIVER'S LICENSE OFFICES
Many of these offices will forward free a "humanitarian" letter for you, if you provide the person's full name and date of birth. Most will provide the address for a small fee.
Write to the offices in the states where you missing person is likely to be, explaining the situation and enclosing the unsealed letter you wish to have forwarded. Request from them at the same time, details as to their service of providing current addresses.
Write to State of ....................., Driver's License Division, City, State, Zip.
Alabama, Montgomery, AL. 36192, (334) 272-8868
Alaska, Juneau, AK. 99811, (907) 465-4363
Arizona, Phoenix, AZ. 85009, (602) 225-0072
Arkansas, Little Rock, AR. 72203, (501) 371-1743
California, Sacramento, CA. 95813, (916) 445-6236
Colorado, Denver, CO. 80204, (303) 866-3407
Connecticut, Wetherfeild, CT. 06109, (203) 566-3300
Delaware, Dover, DE. 19901, (302) 736-4497
District of Columbia, Washington, DC. 20001, (202) 727-6679
Florida, Tallahassee, FL. 33201, (904) 488-3411
Georgia, Atlanta, GA. 30371, (404) 656-5890
Hawaii, Honolulu, HI. 96813, (808) 548-3205
Idaho, Boise, ID. 83731, (208) 334-2586
Illinois, Springfield, IL. 62723, (217) 782-6212
Indiana, Indianapolis, IN. 45204, (317) 232-2798
Iowa, Des Moines, IA. 50319, (515) 281-5649
Kansas, Topeka, KS. 66626, (913) 296-3601
Kentucky, Frankfort, KY. 40622, (502) 564-6800
Louisiana, Baton Rouge, LA. 70896, (504) 925-6343
Maine, Augusta, ME. 04333, (207) 289-3583
Maryland, Glen Burnie, MD. 20162, (301) 768-1855
Massachusetts, Boston, MA. 02114, (617) 727-3700
Michigan, Lansing, MI. 48918, (517) 322-1460
Minnesota, St. Paul, MN. 55155, (612) 296-6000
Mississippi, Jackson, MS. 39205, (601) 982-1212
Missouri, Jefferson City, MO. 65101, (314) 751-2733
Montana, Helena, MT. 59620, (402) 471-2281
Nevada, Carson City, NV. 89711, (702) 885-5360
New Hampshire, Concord, NH. 03301, (603) 271-2371
New Jersey, Trenton, NJ. 08666, (609) 292-9849
New Mexico, Santa Fe, NM. 87503, (505) 827-2362
New York, Albany, NY. 12220, (518) 474-2068
North Carolina, Raleigh, NC. 27697, (916) 733-4241
North Dakota, Bismark, ND. 58505, (701) 224-4353
Ohio, Columbus, OH. 43227, (614) 466-7666
Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK. 73136, (405) 424-0411
Oregon, Salem, OR. 97301, (503) 378-6994
Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA. 17122, (717) 787-3130
Rhode Island, Providence, RO. 02903, (401) 177-3000
South Carolina, Columbia, SC. 29216, (803) 758-3201
South Dakota, Pierre, SD. 57501, (605) 773-3191
Tennessee, Nashville, TN. 37210, (615) 741-3954
Texas, Austin, TX. 78773, (512) 465-2000
Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. 84119, (801) 965-4400
Vermont, Montpelier, VT. 08602, (802) 828-2121
Virginia, Richmond, VA. 23269, (804) 257-0406
Washington, Olympia, WA. 98504, (206) 753-6977
West Virginia, Charleston, WV. 25317, (304) 348-2719
Wisconsin, Madison, WI. 53702, (608) 266-2325
Wyoming, Cheyenne, WY. 82002, (307) 777-7971
The following states use the person's SSN
as the driver license number:
Arizona, Arkansas, District of Columbia,
Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky,
Massachusetts, Missouri, Mississippi,
Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South
Dakota, and Virginia.
Order the Driver's license information
and presto, you have the SSN!
Try the following sources to find a date of birth:
* Ask family members of friends "what was his/her birthday?"
* Try the following:
Church records
Criminal History records
Former Employers
Insurance Policies
Marriage Licenses
Military Personnel records
School records
Draft Registration records
State drivers license records
Voter registration records (kept at the county offices)
State Licensing agencies
Failing any of the above, Strategic Data Service will find a DOB for you for $50.00. You can reach them at (800) 553-7840, or E-mail them at stategic-data@swbell.net. Visit their website at http:datahawk.com/
A Social Security Number can often be found from:
Family members
Bank statements
Credit reports
Former employers
Income Tax returns
Military records
If you do not succeed, then for $29.00 you can get the person's SSN from;
http://www.datahawk.com
The Privacy Act forbids Federal Government
Departments from releasing a person's
SSN, but this law does not apply to
State Government or Businesses, so that
you can often legally obtain a SSN from
these sources.
Go to 'People Search' in 'Yahoo' - then type in just the first and last name of the person you seek - not city or state. You will get the name, address, and phone number of most everyone in the country by that name, provided they are listed in a phone book. The database is updated quarterly. You may just luck in and find the person you are looking for right there!
While you are at this address, check to see if the person might just have an email address. (There are 70 million people in the US using the Internet right now, and the number is rising daily!)
Go to Infospace (www.infospace.com) then to reverse directory, which allows you to type in an address, and get the name and phone number of the person living there, also the names and numbers of the neighbors
If you have a former address of the person you seek, phone the person presently living there and ask for a forwarding address. If this doesn't work, phone the neighbors
For More Hints:
See Computrace People Search instructions on "How and Where to find information about people" at their website, www.primenet.com/~missy/missing/
How to Search the Voter Registration Records for just $1.50
The home address of a person who has an unlisted phone number, (which is very common), can often be located in this way. See "Locate People" on http://www.KnowX.com
If you prefer, you can have a pro do a search for you for $24.95.
See "People Finder Search Services" at http://www.yahoo.com or e-mail pearlman@flocean.com
TO LOCATE A PERSON IN GREAT BRITAIN
Write a letter to he/she,seal it, and send it for forwarding to: Dept.
of Health, Special Section 'A', Rm. 101B, Record's Branch, Newcastle
Upon Tyne, U.K. NEY81YU. Provide them with as much information as you
can, i.e.: full name,last known address if you have it, DOB or at least approximate age, and marital status. They are very helpful, and as Britain has National Health Insurance, they have everyone's present
address.
IF YOUR SEARCH INVOLVES GENEALOGY Go to the Mormon Library site: www.familysearch.org. Also see www.ancestry.com and www.cyndilist.com
Be Patient - Never Give Up!
I sincerely hope that you find this information to be helpful in your search.
Best of luck.
Terry Howes
625 Delaware Ave, Suite 450
Buffalo, NY
14202