// Skip tracing
GLBA, credit header data, and why skip-trace tools gate access
The most accurate locate data comes from credit headers, which the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act protects. Here's why premium skip-trace tools credential their users and why pretexting is a crime.
The short answer
Credit header data (the name, aliases, address, and SSN sold off the top of a credit file) is nonpublic personal information protected by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Bureaus may only resell it under GLBA's fraud-prevention exception, which is why premium skip-trace tools verify a permissible use before granting access. GLBA §6821 also makes pretexting, obtaining financial data by impersonation, a federal crime.
What credit header data is
When you apply for credit, the top of your file carries identifying data: legal name, past names, current and former addresses, date of birth, and Social Security number. That header isn't the credit score, so it isn't a consumer report under the FCRA, but it's the single most reliable way to tie a person to a current address and phone. It's also nonpublic personal information under GLBA.
Why the best skip-trace tools credential you
The bureaus can only pass header data downstream under a GLBA exception, mainly fraud prevention and other permitted purposes. So the vendors that resell it, the LexisNexis and TransUnion tier, require every user to certify a permissible use, and they audit. That credentialing is the difference between the investigative-grade tools and the self-serve real-estate tools, and it's why a wholesaler can't just buy TLO access.
Pretexting is a crime, not a technique
GLBA §6821 makes it a federal offense to obtain someone's financial information by impersonation, false statements, or forged documents. Calling a bank pretending to be the customer to confirm an address is pretexting. Some old-school skip-tracing tricks are literally illegal under this section, and no deal is worth a federal charge.
Where this leaves real-estate skip tracing
Real-estate tools mostly run on public and property records plus lighter consumer data, not gated credit-header feeds, which is why their hit rates trail the investigative tools and their prices are a fraction. That tradeoff is the honest one for marketing use. You get enough to reach an owner without touching data you have no permissible purpose to hold.
// Common questions
Answered.
Is credit header data a consumer report?+
No. Credit header data is the identifying information at the top of a credit file, not the score or account history, so it isn't an FCRA consumer report. It is nonpublic personal information under GLBA, which is why access is still restricted.
Why can't I get TLO or LexisNexis access as a real estate investor?+
Those tools resell GLBA-protected data under a fraud-prevention permissible use and credential every user. Real-estate marketing doesn't fit that permissible use, so the investigative-grade tools won't grant access, which is why investors use non-FCRA real-estate skip-trace tools instead.
What is pretexting?+
Pretexting is obtaining someone's financial or personal information by pretending to be them, their bank, or another party. GLBA §6821 makes it a federal crime, and it's one of the clearest illegal skip-tracing methods.
// Keep reading
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Read →Put this into practice.
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