How to search for Someone
In the Information Age, everybody leaves a digital trail. And if the person doesn't have one, well, let's look harder. With Google, Facebook, Tumblr, LinkedIn, and countless other social media sites, whoever you're looking for is bound to have some of their personal information online. Although sometimes creepy, it's easy to follow this trail all the way back to the person you've been looking for.
StepsMethod 1Finding Someone Online
1. Write down all the vital information you know about this person.Trying to find somebody using their name alone will probably cast too wide a net. Make your hunt more targeted by including information such as:
Full name and nickname
Age and date of birth
Schools attended
Hobbies, likes and dislikes, team sports (especially at schools)
Places of work
Old addresses and phone numbers
Friends, family members, and neighbors
2. Search for variations on the person’s name and/or nickname.Every time you find a page or clue that suggests other parts of the profile, write it down in the profile. For example, you might find "Bea Harrington" mentioned in a newspaper in Albany, NY and a “Beatrice R. Harrington” in a brochure in Dallas, TX. Write down both of those locations in the profile with question marks. If you find another indication that the person with that name is in one of those locations, put a tick next to that location every time.
To pull up exact matches only, put quotation marks around each version of their name. (If you’re unsure as to spelling, don’t use quotation marks.) Plug it into major search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc.); the more variations and engines you try, the more info you're likely to find.
If you suspect that the person has gone to another country, especially one where a different language is spoken, try a foreign search engine. Many major search engines have different versions for different countries (Australia, China, etc.). Try those.
When searching for a woman who might have gotten married and changed her name, try adding "né" in the search box with every variation (née is a word used to indicate that the person is using their maiden name).
3. Vary your online searches by including other details about the person. After you’ve done a full sweep on the person’s name and nickname, do a second with a slight modification such as their hometown, age, high school, former workplace, etc. Repeat as necessary.
If you know of a particular website this person may be associated with, you can search within the site on Google with something like "site: stanford.edu Beatrice Harrington" to focus on those results.
4. Use a search engine designed specifically to find people. These allow anyone to perform people searches. Try ZabaSearch.com or Pipl.com, for example. Use filters to narrow your results when applicable.
Lost Trekkers is another place to find lost people. Choose the country, mode of transport or other option, and leave the details in the relevant forum. You will need to register to place an ad. You can search through existing posts to see who might be looking for you or the same person you're looking for.
5. Search for the person’s last known cell phone number. Since cells are mobile and their numbers can be transferred to new phones or providers, people’s cell numbers are much less likely to change them their home numbers. Though reverse-tracking a cell phone number usually costs money, you might get lucky by simply searching for the number on various search engines. If the person has listed or advertised their phone number anywhere on the Internet, it's likely to turn up. Put the entire phone number in quotes and experiment with hyphens, periods, and parentheses to separate the numbers.
In the US, a phone’s three-digit area code can be traced back the location where a cell phone was issued, which might help you pinpoint another area where the person has lived or worked. The next three digits of the number are the exchange area; most exchange areas cover a small town, or a section inside a city, say a 10 x 10 block area. You can contact the phone companies in that area, or get a phone book from the area, and make a map of the exchange area, based on like exchanges in the book. If you have a phone number and ZIP code, you can cross over the maps and get an even smaller area to search.
6.Search the online white pages. Type in the person’s name and any other details you find relevant. However, if you don’t specify location, you’ll get results from all across the country, which is useful if the person has moved.
Sometimes, searching by last name only will pull up a family member that you recognize. If the white pages show a list of associated people, you might find the person’s name listed there. This can be useful in cases where the person you’re looking for has changed their last name after marrying, for example.
Search the person’s ZIP code if known. If you have a 9-digit ZIP code, it can be tracked to the exact block within a city or town. Now you can search in directories in that area for this person. If they are not in that directory, call directory assistance for that area. Many times people will have an unlisted number, which, while not in the book, is often in directory assistance.
7. Search social networking sites. Some people specify that they don’t want their public profiles to appear in search engine results, in which case you’ll need to go straight to the source. Try searching things like Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google profiles. If given the option, be sure to narrow down the results by specifying a hometown or school, etc. To search all the major social networking sites simultaneously, use a search engine like Wink.com.
8. Consider more non-traditional searches. Sometimes Facebook and Google don't exactly give you the information you're looking for. If there are...special scenarios this person may have run into, you can focus on them instead of the general information every website will warrant.
Most states have court search websites where all you have to do is (after acknowledging the terms and agreements, of course) enter a person's name and all their run-ins show up in a nice list. If nothing else, it's juicy and may give you their location (if they're in-state).
If it's been a while since you've seen hide or hair of this person, consider searching the SSDI -- the Social Security Death Index.
While there's no national website, most states have records of their inmates. A quick Internet query will turn up what your state's site is (make sure it's .gov).
The National Personnel Records Center is a pretty comprehensive list of military records.[1]
RELATED POSTS:
In the US, a phone’s three-digit area code can be traced back the location where a cell phone was issued, which might help you pinpoint another area where the person has lived or worked. The next three digits of the number are the exchange area; most exchange areas cover a small town, or a section inside a city, say a 10 x 10 block area. You can contact the phone companies in that area, or get a phone book from the area, and make a map of the exchange area, based on like exchanges in the book. If you have a phone number and ZIP code, you can cross over the maps and get an even smaller area to search.
6.Search the online white pages. Type in the person’s name and any other details you find relevant. However, if you don’t specify location, you’ll get results from all across the country, which is useful if the person has moved.
Sometimes, searching by last name only will pull up a family member that you recognize. If the white pages show a list of associated people, you might find the person’s name listed there. This can be useful in cases where the person you’re looking for has changed their last name after marrying, for example.
Search the person’s ZIP code if known. If you have a 9-digit ZIP code, it can be tracked to the exact block within a city or town. Now you can search in directories in that area for this person. If they are not in that directory, call directory assistance for that area. Many times people will have an unlisted number, which, while not in the book, is often in directory assistance.
7. Search social networking sites. Some people specify that they don’t want their public profiles to appear in search engine results, in which case you’ll need to go straight to the source. Try searching things like Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google profiles. If given the option, be sure to narrow down the results by specifying a hometown or school, etc. To search all the major social networking sites simultaneously, use a search engine like Wink.com.
8. Consider more non-traditional searches. Sometimes Facebook and Google don't exactly give you the information you're looking for. If there are...special scenarios this person may have run into, you can focus on them instead of the general information every website will warrant.
Most states have court search websites where all you have to do is (after acknowledging the terms and agreements, of course) enter a person's name and all their run-ins show up in a nice list. If nothing else, it's juicy and may give you their location (if they're in-state).
If it's been a while since you've seen hide or hair of this person, consider searching the SSDI -- the Social Security Death Index.
While there's no national website, most states have records of their inmates. A quick Internet query will turn up what your state's site is (make sure it's .gov).
The National Personnel Records Center is a pretty comprehensive list of military records.[1]
RELATED POSTS:
9. Post an ad. If you know where the person is located, post an ad in the local online bulletin board (e.g. Craigslist). Explain who you're looking for and why. Leave a form of contact information that you don’t mind having spammed (ex. an email address you set up specifically for this purpose).
If you want a long-term ad, build a simple website that uses their name as a keyword. If they ever search their own name, your site might turn up.
If you don't know the person's location but you do know which schools they went to, what their career is, or what hobbies/interests they pursue, try posting on forums and e-mail lists ("listservs"). Keep the person's privacy in mind; don't reveal any incriminating information that you know about them.
10. Carefully consider posting in a friend-finder forum. Friend-finder forums are available and are moderated by "search angels" or volunteers who use special people search tools. However, it’s unlikely that the person you’re searching for will appreciate having their relevant details distributed to strangers online – especially the kind of person who has managed not to leave a paper trail thus far.
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