Are you a process server having a hard time finding your process recipient? Avoiding a process server is not uncommon. People do so for various reasons, including just not wanting to hear bad news. However, no matter how badly they want to avoid the court case the process server is trying to contact them about, they can’t. Avoiding the process server just adds extra time and expense to the case that they may end up responsible for if a judge finds that they intentionally avoided the server to delay the proceedings.
Here at Accurate Serve® of Ocala, we’re experts at finding people who don’t want to be found. Along with our fast and efficient process server services, we also offer skip traces and diligent searches to hunt down the most elusive of litigants. Here are our top tips for finding an evasive process recipient:
Research the Recipient
Most of the work you will do discovering information about the process recipient should happen before you ever set foot out of your office. The internet makes it really easy to find out almost anything about anyone, although finding some information may require a trip to the appropriate courthouse, county administration, or city hall. Online directories can be useful, but don’t depend on them entirely because they often have outdated and incorrect information. While doing this preliminary research, you will want to collect the following information at a minimum:
- Name
- Addresses
- Phone numbers
- Emails
- Aliases/nicknames
- Vehicle make, model, color, unique bumper stickers, and other identifiers
- Picture or physical description of the target
- Best time and place to contact
- History of evading service
- History of violence
- Social media accounts
This list will look different for each and every process recipient, as it needs to be based on that specific person’s situation. If you gather this information before ever attempting to serve the recipient, you’ll have a much better chance of locating them quickly.
Write Everything Down
No matter if you prefer the traditional pen and paper route or a convenient note app on your phone, you need to be writing down every single piece of information that you find out about the process recipient. It’s impossible to remember everything, especially when you’re working on several cases at the same time. By writing everything down, you’ll ensure that you miss nothing important and be able to take a step back and look at the big picture more easily.
Call Around
Most of the time, process recipients that avoid the process server are also trying to avoid anyone finding out about the court actions pending against them. This likely means that they don’t want their friends, family, and employers to know that the court system is looking for them. One easy tactic that a process server can use to locate an elusive recipient is to start calling their friends and family. You would be surprised how quickly it will get back to the recipient that they are being searched for, and usually, they will end up contacting you before you call any more of their contacts. Always start by calling friends and family before resorting to calling an employer. Even though these people are being evasive, you don’t want to do anything that might cost them their job. There are also rules about contacting people at work that you must follow before contacting an employer.
Dress Like You Belong
You don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb when attempting to serve process. If you look out of place, it will increase the chance that people become suspicious of your presence and intentions. So if you are attempting to serve process in an office building, for example, then you need to dress in business casual attire. If you are attempting to serve process in a more casual location, such as someone’s home, it may be better to wear jeans.
Check Out Their Online Presence
We mentioned this one already above, but it’s worth a second look. Many people post a ton of information about themselves online. By finding the social media platform that the process recipient prefers, you can gather a wealth of information about their life, places they frequent, and people they associate with. This becomes especially easy when people allow location tags on their photos or posts.
Feel free to view or even follow the person on their social media accounts, but if you ever actually contact a process recipient via social media, never do so without identifying yourself as a process server first. Disguising your online identity is just as unethical as disguising yourself in person, and is not an acceptable practice for professional servers.
Some of the most popular social media sites as of August 2022 for you to investigate include:
- Facebook (Meta)
- YouTube
- Snapchat
- Tumblr
- CafeMom
- NextDoor
- TikTok
- Twitch
- Discord
- WattPad
- CrunchyRoll
- SoundCloud
- Medium
- Giphy
- Imgur
- Influenster
- Telegram
- Quora
- Classmates
- Vimeo
- MeWe
- Clubhouse
- Rumble
- Truth Social
There are literally hundreds of social media platforms out there today. With new platforms popping up almost daily, any list will be outdated almost immediately. However, a quick online search can let you know which platforms are trending and popular. Be aware that many social media sites are highly polarized and/or political, so be prepared to see and read things that you may not agree with or find quite offensive.
Stake Them Out
If all else fails, it’s time for a stakeout! While this would be an uncommon situation, if you are almost sure that a process recipient is hiding out in a certain location, a stakeout may be in order.
A stakeout typically begins with a routine service attempt at the location where the recipient is suspected to be hiding. During the attempt, snap a few covert photos of anything that should change frequently, such as the electric meter, water meter, or even looking inside a window into the kitchen or another frequently used area. Then, return to the location a few days later for a second service attempt and snap the same photos, then compare. Do the photos show that someone is living in the residence? Then it’s time to wait them out!
Find somewhere nearby where you can see the location in question, and stay there until you see the recipient emerge. This is a bit easier in locations where you can park nearby. Once the recipient leaves the residence, follow them to their destination and attempt service.
Request Alternative Service
If you’ve tried all the above and still had no luck finding the process recipient, there’s still hope. In Florida, you can request to serve the recipient via an alternative service method, such as substitution or publication. A judge must approve the request before the alternative service is attempted, and there are special rules that govern these types of services which must be followed for the service to be considered legally valid. However, once the requirements of the alternative service are met, the recipient is considered served by a court of law and the case may proceed.
Process Servers in Ocala and Surrounding Areas
If you’re searching for a case litigant who can’t seem to be found, give Accurate Serve® a chance. We are experts at finding process recipients who don’t want to be found, and if we can’t, we can request alternative services to get the job done. Call us at (352) 278-2188 or email jared@accurateserveocala.com to get started today.
