For professional private investigators, the key to successfully locating a person is piecing together bits of information that are already out there. Skip tracing, surveillance, and investigative techniques are used to paint a picture of the person and their likely location(s).

A professional private investigation firm may conduct searches of nationwide or worldwide databases which would be extremely difficult for the general public to access. They may also access government records, banking information, credit bureau reports, online social networks, and other sources to piece together any evidence that might play a role in their investigation.

These methods must be used legally so as not to violate any privacy laws or regulations that would apply if a government agency were conducting the same type of activity.

Once useful information is collected, the investigator may do additional surveillance for logistical fact-finding such as determining who the person lives with, where they work (and when), etc. It is then possible for the investigator to continue surveillance on the target, conduct additional research, or provide key information on the target person (such as address, phone number, etc.) to the party or parties with a vested interest in the target.