How To Locate A Person Without
Help
If you're trying to locate a
person, you may have your own reasons as to why.
Maybe they're a long-lost friend that you haven't seen in years and
are interested in catching up with. Maybe this
was someone you met in college and you haven't thought about in a
long time and didn't see at the last reunion.
Maybe this is a relative you haven't seen in a awhile and you need
to tell him or her that uncle Phil has died.
Maybe you want to locate a person because they owe you money or you
heard that they hit the lottery and you need to declare your love
for them! Whatever your reasons, there are some
ways you can go about this without help, and some things you need
to keep in mind as well.
Why
Do You Need to Locate a Person?
It's actually very important
that you give some thought as to why you want to find someone
because police and law enforcement take stalking charges very
seriously these days. If this person is someone
you work with or have dated in the past and they have rejected your
affections, you do well to let it go. You may
think that he or she will appreciate you leaving notes on their car
or roses on their doorstep, but you might want to think
again. Invading their personal space like this
is a bad idea not just from a romantic point of view, but from a
legal one as well.
It's also not a good idea to
try to locate a person if you have been told by that person not
to. Of course, you need to decide for yourself
if it's time to bury the hatchet with your estranged parents or
that friend you had the huge argument with years ago, but if
they're avoiding you then it might be a good idea to respect their
decision. And never try to locate a person for
any illegal activities whatsoever. If you don't
have custody of your child or have been served with a restraining
order, it's better to work these things out in court rather than to
try to take things into your own hands. Again,
the law takes these things very seriously, so while you may be able
to find this person, ask yourself what will happen once you
do.
Using the Internet
Obviously the internet is the
first tool you would use when trying to locate a
person. You can "google" them by typing their
name into that website or any other search engine, and seeing what
comes up. If they're in business for themselves,
they may have a web page with the business name and contact
information.
When using the internet to
try to locate a person through a search engine, it helps to have as
much specialized information as possible. You
would be surprised how many John Smiths there are with home pages,
so if you have any type of location - city and state, or even just
their state - along with their business, age, schooling, and so on,
you may be able to narrow your results.
Social networking sites are
another great tool when trying to find a person.
They may have a MySpace or FaceBook page. You
can also try the personals, if you know they're still
single. That includes Yahoo, eHarmony, and so
on.
Their Company
If you know where they work
or where they did work when trying to locate a person, you can try
to send an email to their name and their company
name. For example, try
JohnSmith@ABCindustries.com. Even if they don't
work there anymore, the email may be forwarded to someone else that
can give you updated contact information.
Other Resources
If they have a home phone,
you may be able to trace their phone number online as
well. Some directories allow you to locate a
person with just their phone number and nothing else.
All of these are quick ways
of how to locate a person without hiring a
professional. Try them first; you never know
what you'll turn up!
| 