Most people will not casually give out their social security number (SSN). Do you know your girlfriend’s SSN or find info on anyone through people search by SSN service? Probably not. So if she suddenly goes missing together with most of your money and fraternity pin, then you will be in a pickle. What you need is an SSN finder or SSN search that uses SSN records for a fast search.
Finding people can be easy if you have their social security number or SSN. Because the SSN is an excellent source of information for finding people, most investigators will ask for the SSN to try and track people down. However, without the SSN, an SSN finder will provide this for you. But an SSN finder is not as simple as a people search.
An SSN finder can take various forms, but in any case, no reputable company or entity such as LocatePeople.org will give out the full SSN to you even if they have a definite trace. This is because giving out of a person’s SSN is restricted and carries a hefty fine when transgressed. In many cases, a legitimate people search company will deal only with licensed private investigators or businesses who can show “permissible purpose” (a term used by the Fair Credit Reporting Act) before they will entertain an SSN finder commission. Even then, they will only provide the SSN, just the pertinent data necessary for your purpose.
The following are “permissible purposes” of an SSN finder:
1. Official government business
2. Identity and other fraud investigation
3. As part of a criminal investigation
4. Court request to determine military status
5. Debt collection and judgment recovery
This means you cannot commission SSN finder services so you can get your pin back. Most companies will investigate you first before they investigate the girlfriend, to see if you have a credible background and do not mean to do mischief. Since the reason for your SSN finder activity is to wring her neck, they will not give you the satisfaction.
However, SSN finder methods can be a little more creative. Some investigators use skip tracing, which in SSN finder lingo is how you find a guy who skipped on his bail bond. While this does not have to be the case every time, the methods used are equally useful because they target people who want to stay “lost.” The first step in skip tracing for the SSN finder is to acquire the full name of your girlfriend, including maiden and married names, nicknames and other aliases if she has a name like Mary Smith. Armed with the names and her exact birth date, you can try to find the driver’s license listing. Many states use a person’s SSN as the driver’s license number. Or you can get a previous address and check the County courthouse for criminal records, which may possibly list the SSN. You can also try your girlfriend’s old boss, who might just understand enough to help you out.
An SSN finder has to be devious and creative, as well as patient. It may take several months and dead-ends before you get hold of a usable address, so finding the SSN is usually a short cut in the process.