The first thing when trying to find missing people online is to get the things together that you need, you may not be Sherlock Holmes but for the next few hours you’re going to feel like it and each little break through is going to make you more curious and determined to trace an old friend.
Preparation is key so you will need:
• A computer with internet access
• Paper and a pen
• Telephone
• An inquisitive mind
The first thing to do when looking for missing people online is to write down their name, then write down their last known address. Depending on how long ago you last saw them you need to consider:
• Could they have moved to a different area of the country
• Got married or changed names
• Emigrated
• Always travelled with work?
It is hard to mention all the variables but these are a few of the common ones, you need to consider what information you know about your missing friend such as:
• Date of birth
• Relatives or friends names (they may be easier to find and then talk to!)
• Behaviour
• How common is their name (this is really important)
Once you have considered these things you can decide what catchment area to go for regarding your search, this can again be dependent on lots of factors but consider, if they have an unusual name you can search UK wide, if they have a very common name such as John Smith, it may be worth starting your search in the particular postcode area that they are connected with.
Finding missing people online is hard but you can use these sites to see if they can help you:
• Google – Google their name and area and see what comes up, it amazing how many people are now on Google in some form or another. Try putting “” around the person’s name but not the area “John Smith” Liverpool.
• 123 People – This is a great site for people finding and like Google it is a free people finder, you simply put in the name of the person you are looking for and it will give any matches it can, these include social networking profiles and email addresses.
• Friends Reunited – Don’t forget this site, it’s still a great site for finding old friends and its now free to message someone.
• Facebook – Can instantly put you back in touch with a missing friend and you usually get to see their picture so you know it’s them for sure.
• 192.com a paying service and one that took a battering from the press recently but still a good source of information.
• BT Direct enquires – Know the surname? Know the area? Well if you do this is a great way of obtaining relatives telephone numbers.
Remember when you finding missing persons online you need to respect people’s privacy and their right not to pass information on to you if they do not want to, you need to respect this (as I’m sure you will) thank them for their time and move on to another way of getting the information you need.
If you still need help locating missing people online you could try www.findermonkey.co.uk the uk’s premier people finder service, using trained staff for all searches to give you the most accurate results on the web.
http://www.findermonkey.co.uk/
Good luck finding missing people online.
