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Tracking down your father can be an extremely difficult and stressful process, and can cost a lot of money. But it can also be done without spending a fortune. Whether you're adopted or you don't know your father for any other reason, read this article to learn how you might be able to find him without having to spend money hiring a private investigator.
Steps
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Gather any information you have. This includes first, middle, and last names, last known location, date of birth, physical attributes, addresses, and employers. Ask other relatives about any information they might have. The more information you collect, the easier it will be to narrow down your search and produce results.
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Do an Internet search. Simply do an online search using your father’s name, and any other information you might have, especially location. This can lead you to other information and can be a great help in your search.Advertisement
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Look in a phone book. If you suspect that your father lives somewhere close by, it is worth a look in the phone book to see if you can get a phone number for him. If you find it, try calling. If not, you are no worse off than when you started, and there are many more options to try.
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Look up public records online. An Internet search for “public records” will return a number of sites that allow you to look up public records for a person. These are especially useful if you know what state your father is, or at some point was, located in, because this greatly helps to narrow the results. These sites often charge a fee to get a full report, but you can usually find past and current cities of residence, as well as known relatives, for no charge.
- In many cases, you can pay a small fee or subscribe for a free trial in order to access a full public record report. These reports often include a phone number, which can greatly help in your search.
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Look on social networks. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best. If you know your father’s name, look him up on Facebook, Myspace, or any other social networks where it may be possible to find him.
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Search out leads in person. If you are successful in finding some information about your father but are still unable to contact him, seek out people who may have seen him recently. If you have an address where he lived at some point or an employer where he worked, go there and ask around. You may be able to find someone who knows more about him, or can help you find his current location.
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Be persistent. If finding your father were easy, you probably would have done it already. So do not give up. Information is constantly being added to the web, such as marriage/divorce records, criminal records, property records, employer information, and more. Do periodic web searches to see if any new information has turned up.
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Tips
- Stay in regular contact with people who knew your dad. Let them know that you're looking for him and ask them to contact you if he contacts them.Thanks
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Warnings
- These steps do not guarantee success. It may become necessary to hire a private investigator who specializes in finding parents.Thanks
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About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 100,741 times.
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