Understanding the terminology used in people search and public records can help you get the most out of your searches. Here's a guide to common terms you'll encounter.
Public Record
Public record refers to data that is available online without requiring a user account or being behind a paywall. This includes arrest records, traffic violations, building permits, bankruptcy records, death records, birth records, property records, political donation records, and more.
Public records are generated by government agencies and courts as part of their normal operations. While "public" means accessible, it doesn't always mean easy to find, as this information is often scattered across thousands of different government websites and databases.
Reverse Search
A reverse search allows you to find information about a person using a piece of data you already have. Different types of reverse searches include:
Name Search
You have the name of a person and are looking to find additional information such as email address, phone number, and home address.
Email Search
You have an email and want additional contact information about the person associated with it, including name, home address, and phone number.
Address Search
You have an address and are looking to get information on the owner or residents, which could include names, email addresses, and phone numbers.
Phone Search
You have a phone number and are looking for the person or persons who own it. This information could include names, email addresses, and home addresses.
Skip Trace
Skip tracing is the process of locating a person who has "skipped" or left without providing a forwarding address. The term originated in the debt collection industry but is now used broadly to describe finding people who are difficult to locate.
Professional skip tracers use a variety of tools and techniques including public records, social media, and specialized databases to locate individuals. People search engines like That'sThem provide many of the same capabilities for free.
ZIP Code
Zoning Improvement Plan (ZIP) codes are 5-digit geographical regions within a state, smaller than a city but larger than a block. ZIP codes were originally used to help the postal office narrow down the geographical region in which letters would be mailed but have become useful as another level of resolution for conducting searches on fairly large geographic regions.
ZIP+4 codes add four additional digits for even more precise location identification, typically narrowing down to a specific city block or building.
Area Code
An area code is a three-digit number that identifies a specific geographic region for telephone calls in North America. Originally, area codes corresponded to large regions, but as phone usage grew, many areas now have multiple overlapping codes.
Area codes can help identify where a phone number was originally assigned, though with mobile phone portability, the current location of the phone user may differ.
Carrier / Service Provider
A carrier or service provider is the telecommunications company that provides phone service for a given number. This includes major carriers like AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and many regional or virtual network operators (MVNOs).
Knowing the carrier can help identify whether a number is a landline, mobile phone, or VoIP service, which can be useful for understanding how to best reach someone.
FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act)
The Fair Credit Reporting Act is a federal law that regulates the collection, dissemination, and use of consumer information for certain purposes. Under the FCRA, there are strict rules about using personal information for decisions about employment, tenant screening, credit, and insurance.
Important Notice
That'sThem is not a consumer reporting agency and may not be used for decisions about employment, tenant screening, credit, insurance, or any purpose covered by the FCRA. Always ensure you are using people search results in compliance with applicable laws.