AlumniFinder Online Training Instructions

Finding people is part art, part science. We provide the science through data and tools to help in your searches.

Searching without the SSN is a two step process. The first step is to identify the right person through an old address, then you must click on the X's under that name and choose person search from the drop down menu to display the current address and name. This guide provides you with techniques to hone the "art" of searching. This helps you conduct effective and efficient searches. Effective searches return the information you need and efficiency reduces the cost of these searches.

Quick Start

First, try to locate the subject using one or more of the following search techniques:

1. Search using Social Security Number
If you know the subject's Social Security Number (SSN) use it alone in your first search. The records appear in descending order. The current address is at the top.

2. Search using Last Name, First Name, and Zip Code
Identify the right person and click on the X's under the name to display current addresses, name changes, death indicators, date of birth, and phone number.

3. Search using a Last Name, First Name, State, and full or partial DOB (mm/dd/yyyy, mm/yyyy, or yyyy)
Identify the right person and click on the X's under the name to put records in descending order.

4. Search using Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial, and State
If too many records are returned, try adding a City or County. You can also use a partial first name. Identify the right person and click on the X’s under the name to put records in descending order and bring up name changes and the current address.

5. Search using a Telephone Number
You may use seven digits, with or without a State.

6. Search using the Date of Birth and First Name

Searching Without A Social Security Number
Non-SSN searches do not always return all records associated with the Subject. In order to ensure all records for the Subject are returned, you must identify at least one record that has a high level of confidence to be the Subject's record (see "Find a Subject in the Displayed List"). CLICK on that record's SSN to return the optimal results; that is, all records associated with the Subject including the current address and telephone number.

Find Others Who May Be Living With A Subject
You can enter a known address in the search fields or CLICK on the address in a result list or Comprehensive Report to display all the people who live at an address. This can also help identify mail drop addresses because it should show the name of a business that provides mailboxes.

Helpful Search Tips

Search By Social Security Number
A Social Security Number, if you have one, should be the first search you try as it yields the best results. On the Person Tab on the Find People screen, type in the Subject's SSN in the SSN field. It is not necessary to type the hyphens.

Even though SSNs are the most reliable identifier for an individual, they are not 100 percent dependable because some records may not contain a subject's SSN. Therefore, a record for an individual may not appear when searching using SSN only. Conducting a second search using Name and State provides additional coverage.

Search By Last Name
On the Person Tab within the People menu, type in the Subject's Last Name in the Last Name field, then CLICK on the Search button. If more records are returned than are practical to review, refine your search as described below.

Search By Date Of Birth & First Name
On the Person Tab within the People menu, type in the Subject's full DOB and First Name, then CLICK on the Search button. If more records are returned than are practical to review, refine your search by adding a State, County, City and State, or Zip Code. A radius search can also be performed when the City and State or Zip Code are used in your search.

Search By Address
If you are unsure of the exact city, supply the closest city and specify a radius (no more than 100 miles). This expands the area considered to a circle extending the specified number of miles from the center of that city.

For an address search, the City and State fields are required, but no name is required. If you do not include a name, the radius option is not allowed. To search all houses on a street in a certain block, enter the block number and an asterisk (*). For example, to search the 1200 block of Main Street, type "12* Main St." Note that a search of the 100 block (1*) will also match addresses in the 1000 and 10000 range. If you are unsure of the exact address, you can perform an address range search by using a colon (:) or a comma (,). For example, to search for everyone between 120 Main Street and 327 Main Street, enter "120:327 Main St." or "120,327 Main St."

Search By Telephone Number
On the Person Tab within the People menu, type a telephone number. You may search by a telephone number with or without the area code. If you do not know the area code, you can search using only the seven digit telephone number with or without the State.

Refine A Name Search
Adding criteria not already used, such as first name, middle name or initial, DOB, city, county, state, ZIP code, or age range, refines a search. The more criteria you provide the more precise (narrow) the results will be.

Keep in mind that some records may not contain a middle name or initial, so providing one could eliminate records you may want included.

If you are unsure of the subject's proper first name, try using a variation of the name. Accurint's intuitive automatic nickname feature will return results matching the subject's proper first name.

If you are unsure of the spelling of a person's name, try checking the Search for other possible name spellings box which will search for variations of the subject's name if no exact match is found.

A DOB may be entered in several formats: mm/yyyy, mm/dd/yyyy, or yyyy alone.

For Example:
1).    Month and Year: (04/1963)
2).    Month, Day and Year: (04/23/1963)
3).    Year Only: (1963)

In the event that a Subject's complete DOB is unknown, searching by mm/yyyy or yyyy format may prove helpful.

If you do not know a Subject's city but know the general vicinity, you can use the radius option. Enter a ZIP code or a nearby city and state and provide a radius (in miles) in the Radius field.

Too Many Records Found
If your search returns the following message: Search completed. Too many records found. There was No Charge for this search, it means the search resulted in more than 1,000 records. Try narrowing the list of results by adding search criteria.

If a list of results is displayed but more records were returned than are practical to review, try narrowing the list of results by adding search criteria.

Narrow List Of Results
If your search returns a long list of results, we recommend adding the following criteria, if known, in this order:

1. First Name or First Initial
If you are not sure of the entire first name, type an initial or the first few letters in the First Name field. If you are not sure of the subject's proper name, try using a variation of the name.

2. State
Entering a state narrows the results to subjects living in that state.

3. City
Entering a city, in addition to the state, further narrows the results to subjects living in the specified city and state.

4. County
Entering a county and state, further narrows the results to subjects living in the specified county. If you just enter the county name, the results will include subjects living in the requested county for all states.

5. Middle Name or Initial
If your results return multiple listings with the same first and last name, add the Subject's middle name or initial. Remember that some records do not contain middle names or initials and will be excluded.

Expand List Of Results
If too few or no results are returned, loosen the criteria by removing the most precise or uncertain criteria (e.g., middle name or initial, date of birth, city).

Find A Subject In The Displayed List
Identify the number of unique persons by examining the SSNs. For each individual, examine their records to determine if the displayed age, geographic regions, middle name or initial, or first name fit what is known about the Subject. CLICK on the SSN of an individual you believe to be the Subject to get the optimal set of results including their current most probable address and phone number.

Deceased Indicator
If your results are returned with a red "D" to the left of the subject's name, that subject has been reported deceased. Move your mouse over the "D" to view the date of death. For deaths reported since 2001, there may also be a "P" which would mean that proof, such as a death certificate, has been filed with the Social Security Administration or a "V" which would mean the death has been verified, usually by a family member.

No Blue Check Mark Found
If a subject is found but has no blue check mark to indicate the most likely current address, you can try to find a subject through associates, landlords, relatives, or neighbors. Initiate a Report for the Subject by CLICKing on the Run a Report icon on the left-hand side and following the prompts. When a report is generated, scroll down to find the relevant individuals.

Find Others Who May Be Living With A Subject
You can enter a known address in the search fields or CLICK on the address in a result list or Comprehensive Report to display all the people who live at an address.

This can also help identify mail drop addresses because it should show the name of a business that provides mailboxes.