Finding People

[Scarlett]

I don’t know if this is the right category or not, so I can repost if necessary.

I have Recently ended up finding some family members for different people, some who have been adopted. I love doing it, and I think I’m quite good at it. However, there is one person I’m looking for and I can’t find anything beyond a birth record. I see that there are companies out there that specialise in finding people. They also charge thousands of pounds. What records do they have access to, that I don’t? And are they legal?

[Sam1960]

192.com any good to you ?
giving you a link

https://www.192.com/

[Buenchico]

>>> They also charge thousands of pounds. What records do they have access to, that I don’t?

None.

>>> And are they legal?

There's nothing at all illegal about running people finding services but, of course, it's illegal to bribe people with access to confidential databases (such as the full electoral roll or tax records) to provide information to such services. (That might be how some such firms source their data but I've no specific knowledge about any firm actually doing so).

[Scarlett]

Thanks Sam; I do use 192.com and that’s quite expensive. I was thinking are there other rolls or databases that a company could access that warrants their hefty price tag!

[Scarlett]

Yes Buen, I think they may have friends in high places. I know people who work for the NHS or prison service can access lists but risk losing their jobs if they do.

[Sam1960]

The only other thing I can think of is the Salvation Army. Don't know what they would charge though !!

https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/family-tracing

[haras2]

Apparently the Church of Jesus Christ and the latter day Saints (Mormons) have very extensive records

[THECORBYLOON]

They do have access to additional information that we don't.

On one site charging £1,047 to find folk, they state,

"Your search is carried out in accordance with the Credit Services Association, Office of Fair Trading and the Information Commissioner’s Office

Many people ask “How do I know you have traced the exact person I’m looking for?”

We cross reference the information you provide on your order form with information on our databases (these are not publicly available and we have to be licensed by the CSA, OFT and ICO to use them)."

[Canary42]

There are thousands of databases out there which the general public cannot access. In addition to the more important confidential ones such as Police records, Court records, Sexual Offenders Register, DVSA, HMRC, etc., there are of course all commercial Companies' customer records (allegedly protected by GDPR, but recent hacking revelations have cast a doubt over the safety of these).

Way back in the 1970s I worked for a company which estimated the marketing worth of each name-and-address record was £4, and trading of such records was not uncommon (years before Data Protection of course) in those days.

Although public access is illegal, once a specialist Finding Company finds a person, how could such access be proved working backwards from the specialist Company's result - after all once found it would probably be quite easy to reverse engineer a valid route. Prosecution therefore most unlikely. Like Chris, I have no evidence to support such an allegation, but . . . . .

[Scarlett]

Thank you Corbyloon- That’s what I suspected. So I guess they get special permission and have to pay in order to access these records?

[Canary42]

Corby's post emerged while I was still typing - revealing something I wasn't aware of, so it does modify my previous response.

[THECORBYLOON]

The fee is made up of "£249 to get the ball rolling and the remaining £798 is taken once [they] successfully locate the person you’re looking for."

If they don't find the right person, only the £249 is payable.

They won't find everyone so that means the £798 is priced to account for that fact.

They say they've found 15,000 folk over the past ten year so that's an average of about thirty a week.

[Buenchico]

>>> "We cross reference the information you provide on your order form with information on our databases (these are not publicly available and we have to be licensed by the CSA, OFT and ICO to use them)".

Just because companies say that they're licensed by government agencies, doesn't necessarily mean that they actually are!

As an analogy, if you're looking for cheap Microsoft software, there are hundred (or possibly thousands) of websites offering it for sale. They all seem to carry a Microsoft logo, together with wording such as 'Authorised Microsoft Dealer' or similar, but none of them are actually trading with Microsoft's consent or approval. They simply say that they are.

I'm unaware of any licensing system offered by the ICO and I can find nothing on its website to suggest that such a system exists. Further, the uses to which the full version of the Electoral Register can be put are stated on the Gov.uk website and don't make any reference to private companies such as those who claim to be able to trace people: https://www.gov.uk/electoral-register/opt-out-of-the-open-register

My scepticism about the advertising claim quoted by TCL deepens even more when considering the claims that the company is licensed both by the CSA and OFT. The CSA was closed down in 2012 and the OFT ceased to exist in 2014!

Don't get conned!

[lankeela]

There's a lady called Meena who lives in a place called Emmerdale that can find people others have been trying to trace with one phone call.

[Chinajan]

Except she didn't. She gave her own phone number. #snake

[Mamyalynne]

TCL's quotes come from - FINDERMONKEY.

[elliemay1]

lankeela, meena hasn't found anyone, she's just pretending to have found the Mum

[Scarlett]

Finder monkey quoted me this:
“ UK searches start from £1047 but the fee is dependent on a few specifics surrounding the search so we would be able to discuss this with you on the call.” I said don’t be ridiculous.

[jno]

is this someone alive now that you're looking for? Some people find others just by searching on Facebook.

[Scarlett]

Jno I’ve tried all the usual things. No sign.

[THECORBYLOON]

CHRIS, the CSA is very much in existence, https://www.csa-uk.com/