In this week’s letter, I take a look at how the law affects the work of the People Finder.
When you undertake a search for a person, you are working with personal and private information about that person. It is important to ensure that that information is dealt with carefully and treated with respect.
It is said that over an average person’s lifetime, many miles of paperwork are created about that individual. However, just because there is so much paperwork doesn't mean that we People Searchers have the right to see or read that paperwork. Some information is in the public domain and other information is regarded as private. For example, you will often find when you contact a company to ask for information about someone who works for them, that they will say that they cannot give you any information because of the Data Protection Act.
The Data Protection Act requires anyone who handles personal information to comply with a number of important principles. It also gives individuals rights over their personal information. You can learn more about data protection on the Information Commissioner’s Office website at http://www.ico.gov.uk/
The Data Protection Act has made life fairer for us all, but it has probably made the lives of private investigators more difficult!
So, how do we get around this problem?
If we know that an organisation holds the contact details for someone we're trying to get hold of, they may be willing to pass on a letter to the person concerned, even if they can't give us the address directly.
Below is an example of a letter you could write to the Human Resources Department of a company that your subject works or worked for:
Dear Sir or Madam,
Re: John Smith
I am trying to contact the above, who is one of your employees, regarding an urgent and confidential matter and I am wondering if you can put me in touch with him.
I understand that the Data Protection Act precludes you from advising me of their current address, but I would be pleased to know if you would be prepared to forward a prepaid letter to Mr Smith on my behalf.
I apologise for troubling you and enclose a stamped addressed envelope for your reply. Any assistance you can give me would be very much appreciated.
Yours sincerely,
Your Name
Enc: SAE
Do you get the idea?
The letter you write John Smith will depend on how much you know about Mr Smith and also how certain you are that you have found the right man. Below is an example of such a letter:
Dear Mr Smith,
I hope you don't mind me writing to you, but I am trying to locate a Mr John Smith, for a friend of yours, Your Name. I am writing to all the people of that name that I can find.
The John Smith I am looking for is … where born … job … employed as … lived at …
If you are the John Smith, that I am looking for, do please let me know. I am enclosing a stamped addressed envelope your use. Even if you are not the person I am looking for, I should be grateful if you would drop me a line so that I can take you off my list.
Thank you very much your time.
Yours sincerely,
Your Name.
Enc: SAE
Such letters, respect the privacy of the person that you are looking for. They can always choose not to reply. Sometimes, you will get a very quick reply, and sometimes it can be ages before you'll hear from them. There will be many times where you will get no reply at all, but overall it is a good method of finding people.
You need to be imaginative. Such letters can be written to employers, banks, golf clubs landlords and so on. Who might know the address of the person you're looking for?
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I hope that this information is useful and that it helps you to find the person you are looking for.
I run a people finding service called Blood-Ties Tracing Service, which you can find at http://www.blood-ties.com/. I should be happy to help you in your searches.
Archives of these e-letters can be found on the ‘UK People Search News’ at http://uk-people-search.blogspot.com/
Please feel free to re-publish this article so long as it remains unaltered and this resource box is included.
The views expressed in my articles are mine alone and while they are effective methods used in my own business I cannot guarantee the results that you will achieve. While these articles are written with every care, I am not a lawyer and you should consider the legality and morality of any steps you take to trace people. Please remember that your investigation could cause distress to others so tread gently and make sure your contact is welcome to them.
Best regards,
Giles
info@blood-ties.com
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