Regulatory Compliance

The federal and state laws below govern how we, and our customers, collect, use, and disclose information about people. This page is a summary intended to orient customers and visitors. It is not legal advice and does not replace the legal terms that govern your use of our Services. For the controlling language, read our FCRA, GLBA & DPPA notice, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Acceptable Use Policy.

Our Regulatory Posture, in One Paragraph

Skip Tracers is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Our reports are not consumer reports, and may not be used for any FCRA-covered purpose, employment, tenant screening, credit, insurance underwriting, or eligibility for government licenses or benefits. Several of our services draw on data regulated by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act or the Driver's Privacy Protection Act; those services are restricted to customers with a permissible purpose under the relevant statute, and every order, restricted or not, requires the customer to select a permissible purpose, describe the matter, and affirm four certifications. We do not extend service to anyone who cannot demonstrate a lawful purpose for the information requested.

The Laws We Operate Under

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)

The FCRA, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1681 et seq., regulates "consumer reporting agencies" and the assembly and disclosure of "consumer reports." Skip Tracers is not a CRA. Our reports are investigative work product and may not be used for any FCRA-permissible purpose.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)

The GLBA, 15 U.S.C. §§ 6801 et seq., restricts the reuse of "nonpublic personal information" obtained from financial institutions. Several of our services involve data sourced from credit headers, which is treated as GLBA NPI in many circumstances. We pass GLBA restrictions through to our customers and require attestation of a § 6802(e) permissible purpose at intake.

Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA)

The DPPA, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2721 to 2725, restricts the reuse of personal information from state motor-vehicle records. Our Vehicle Sighting Report (DRN), Driving Records Search, and Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) draw on DPPA-regulated data and are restricted to customers with a § 2721(b) permissible purpose. For these services, customers select one of the 14 statutory categories at checkout and represent that they hold any license or professional credential required by applicable law for the stated purpose.

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)

The FDCPA, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692 et seq., regulates third-party debt collection. Debt collectors using our Services are responsible for their own FDCPA compliance, including the FDCPA's restrictions on third-party contact and disclosure.

California Consumer Privacy Act / Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA)

We are based in California and comply with the CCPA/CPRA in our handling of customer personal information. We do not sell or "share" customer data for cross-context behavioral advertising. Our Privacy Policy sets out the rights available to California residents and how to exercise them.

Other State Privacy and Consumer-Protection Laws

We honor analogous rights afforded to residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws (including Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana, and others, as those laws come into effect). State licensing statutes for private investigators and repossession agents also affect who may purchase certain Services; we do not knowingly extend restricted Services to unlicensed customers in jurisdictions where licensing is required.

Anti-Stalking, Anti-Harassment, and Protective-Order Statutes

Locating any person to harass, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with their lawful activities is a violation of federal and state law and of our Acceptable Use Policy. We refuse service in any case where the available facts suggest such a purpose.

How We Put This into Practice

A short, plain summary of how we generally operate. None of this is a promise of any specific outcome.

• Permissible-purpose capture at every order. Every order requires the customer to select a permissible purpose from the service's allowed list, describe the underlying matter in their own words, affirm four certifications (lawful purpose; acknowledgment that misuse may violate federal and state law; acknowledgment that the report is not for consumer credit, employment, tenant, or insurance eligibility decisions; and acknowledgment that the request is not for any prohibited purpose, including locating a minor for non-legal purposes, stalking, harassment, or discrimination), and, for the three DPPA-covered services, upload supporting documentation that evidences the permissible purpose (for example a court order, subpoena, judgment, docket, repossession assignment, insurance claim file, engagement letter, or matter reference) and select one of the 14 statutory permissible uses at 18 U.S.C. § 2721(b). For all other services, documentation is optional.
• Customer representations of professional capacity. For restricted Services, the customer represents that they hold any license or professional credential required by applicable law for their stated purpose. We do not, at this time, perform automated credential verification against issuing-authority records; this is something we may add later.
• Source restriction. We obtain data from licensed, reputable providers and pass through their use restrictions to customers.
• Audit and refusal. We may audit any order, request additional documentation, and refuse to fulfill any order that does not clearly correspond to a permissible purpose, regardless of payment status.
• No FCRA-covered purposes. We do not extend service for employment, tenant, credit, insurance-underwriting, or government-licensing decisions. If you need a report for one of those purposes, use an FCRA-compliant consumer reporting agency.
• No personal curiosity. We do not extend service for personal, family, or household uses.
• Compliance reporting. Anyone, customer, subject, or third party, may report suspected misuse to compliance@skip-tracers.com. Reports may be made anonymously.

What You Can Do

• Customers: Read the FCRA, GLBA & DPPA notice and the Acceptable Use Policy before placing your first order. If you are unsure whether your intended use is permissible, contact us at compliance@skip-tracers.com before paying.
• Subjects: If you believe a Skip Tracers report has been generated about you in violation of any applicable law, contact compliance@skip-tracers.com. We investigate every such report.
• Anyone: To report suspected misuse, email compliance@skip-tracers.com or call (818) 796-3826. Reports are confidential to the extent permitted by law.

Contact

Skip Tracers, Compliance Office
Email: compliance@skip-tracers.com
Phone: (818) 796-3826

This page is provided for informational purposes and is not legal advice. Our FCRA, GLBA & DPPA notice, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Acceptable Use Policy are the controlling documents.