CLPS Skip Tracing 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'link analysis' in the context of skip tracing?
- Checking hyperlinks on a subject's website for contact information
- Mapping relationships between a subject and known associates to identify leads (Correct answer)
- Analyzing broken links in court record databases
- Reviewing anchor text in social media posts for location clues
Correct answer: Mapping relationships between a subject and known associates to identify leads
Link analysis visually maps connections between a subject, their associates, addresses, and phone numbers to uncover leads through relationships.
Question 2: A process server discovers a subject has a judgment lien filed against them in the county recorder's office. Why is this record useful for skip tracing?
- Judgment liens always list the subject's current employer
- The filing typically includes the debtor's address at the time of recording (Correct answer)
- Lien records are only available to the lienholder, not third parties
- Judgment liens automatically update with new addresses when the debtor moves
Correct answer: The filing typically includes the debtor's address at the time of recording
Judgment lien filings in public county records include the debtor's address at the time of the filing and can help establish a recent location.
Question 3: Which federal agency operates the E-Verify system, and how can knowledge of it assist skip tracing efforts indirectly?
- The IRS; it links to tax withholding data accessible by servers
- USCIS; it verifies employment eligibility and indicates the subject is likely employed at a U.S. company (Correct answer)
- The FBI; it flags criminal employment records
- The FTC; it tracks consumer disputes related to employment
Correct answer: USCIS; it verifies employment eligibility and indicates the subject is likely employed at a U.S. company
While servers cannot access E-Verify directly, knowing employers must use it for work-authorized individuals helps confirm a subject likely has verifiable employment records.
Question 4: If a subject lists a family member's address on court documents but does not live there, what skip tracing technique helps determine the subject's true residence?
- Serving the family member and closing the file
- Interviewing the family member under oath
- Conducting physical surveillance of the listed address and querying utilities for the subject's name at alternate addresses (Correct answer)
- Filing a motion for substituted service immediately
Correct answer: Conducting physical surveillance of the listed address and querying utilities for the subject's name at alternate addresses
Surveillance of the listed address combined with utility record searches can confirm the subject's actual residence when a third-party address is used.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes the legal concept of 'permissible purpose' in the context of accessing data for skip tracing?
- Any purpose that a judge has approved in advance
- A statutorily defined legitimate reason (e.g., legal process) that authorizes access to otherwise restricted records (Correct answer)
- Any purpose that the subject has verbally agreed to
- A purpose approved by the International Association of Professional Process Servers
Correct answer: A statutorily defined legitimate reason (e.g., legal process) that authorizes access to otherwise restricted records
Laws like the FCRA and DPPA restrict access to certain records unless the requester has a 'permissible purpose' as defined by the statute.
Question 6: A subject has been incarcerated. Which resource should a process server check to locate their current facility?
- National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW)
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator or state DOC online lookup (Correct answer)
- U.S. Marshals Service Missing Persons database
- Interpol's fugitive alert system
Correct answer: Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator or state DOC online lookup
The Federal Bureau of Prisons and state Departments of Correction provide public inmate locators that identify the current facility for incarcerated individuals.
Question 7: After exhausting standard skip tracing resources, a process server finds a subject who moved internationally. Which is the MOST appropriate next step?
- Attempt service by Facebook message
- Consult with the attorney of record regarding the Hague Convention service procedures (Correct answer)
- Mail documents to the subject's last known U.S. address
- Request the State Department to locate the subject
Correct answer: Consult with the attorney of record regarding the Hague Convention service procedures
International service of process is governed by treaties like the Hague Convention, and the attorney of record must direct the proper procedure.
CLPS Skip Tracing 5
What is 'link analysis' in the context of skip tracing?