u/Soggy_Appearance_513

Location: NYC, NY, USA

*sigh* I'm looking for advice from anyone with experience in civil litigation, debt collection, process serving, or private investigations.

A good friend was an authorized user on my credit card. The original intent was to help him build his credit after he had difficulty securing housing/rental despite having the income to afford rent. For quite a while, he reimbursed me every month without issue. I have everything tracked in a spreadsheet and digital repayment receipts.

Over time, he fell behind on repayments. He repeatedly assured me he would catch up, and eventually signed a written repayment agreement acknowledging the debt and agreeing to a repayment schedule. He later defaulted, and the last payment I received was in October 2025.

I have:

• A signed repayment agreement
• Credit card statements
• Bank records showing his repayments
• Text messages acknowledging the debt
• A detailed accounting of the balance

My total financial loss is now approximately $57,000, including the outstanding debt, accrued credit card interest, and the payments I've continued making after he defaulted.

Earlier this year, I retained a debt collection agency to pursue litigation and paid $2,375 in litigation costs.

Over the past few months they:

• Sent a demand letter
• Attempted to locate him through skip tracing
• Attempted to verify his address for service

The demand letter was eventually returned "Return to Sender."

Today they informed me they're closing the litigation file and refunding my escrow because they were unable to locate a valid address to serve him. They specifically told me the issue isn't the merits of the case, it's that they can't commence litigation without being able to locate and serve the defendant given this is a consumer case and not a business.

Here's what I know about him:

• Full legal name
• Date of birth
• Social Security number
• Originally from the Boston area, unsure if he is still living in NYC
• Works in construction as an electrician/project manager (but I don't know where)
• Affiliated with this union group: IBEW Local 3 in NYC
• Last known mailing address was a friend's apartment in Brooklyn, but mail is now being returned
• His uncle owns two businesses in Little Italy, NYC
• He intentionally keeps almost no online presence (no LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

At this point I'm considering hiring a licensed private investigator instead of another collection agency.

My questions are:

1. Is hiring a licensed PI the best next step?
2. With his full name, DOB, SSN, union affiliation, and the information above, how realistic is it to locate someone like this?
3. Are there better methods than hiring a PI?
4. Would a litigation attorney be able to do anything before he's located, or would they tell me to find him first?
5. Has anyone dealt with a defendant who intentionally disappeared? What ultimately worked?

I'm not looking for advice on whether I should pursue the debt. The debt has already been acknowledged in writing, and I intend to continue pursuing it. My challenge is simply locating him so he can be properly served and I can move forward with litigation. I'm getting married soon and I had to use my savings in order to clear the credit card debt along with taking on a balance transfer so I am keen to move this forward any way possible.

What can I do or what should I do next? I know this is over the 10k limit in small claims but is it worth a shot?

Thanks in advance!

Location: NYC, NY, USA

Has anyone had success lawfully locating someone through union employment or trade affiliations (e.g. IBEW) for purposes of service of process? I'm not looking to obtain confidential information, just trying to understand whether this is a realistic avenue or whether a PI would use other methods.

Location: NYC, NY, USA

*sigh* I'm looking for advice from anyone with experience in civil litigation, debt collection, process serving, or private investigations.

A good friend was an authorized user on my credit card. The original intent was to help him build his credit after he had difficulty securing housing/rental despite having the income to afford rent. For quite a while, he reimbursed me every month without issue. I have everything tracked in a spreadsheet and digital repayment receipts.

Over time, he fell behind on repayments. He repeatedly assured me he would catch up, and eventually signed a written repayment agreement acknowledging the debt and agreeing to a repayment schedule. He later defaulted, and the last payment I received was in October 2025.

I have:

• A signed repayment agreement
• Credit card statements
• Bank records showing his repayments
• Text messages acknowledging the debt
• A detailed accounting of the balance

My total financial loss is now approximately $57,000, including the outstanding debt, accrued credit card interest, and the payments I've continued making after he defaulted.

Earlier this year, I retained a debt collection agency to pursue litigation and paid $2,375 in litigation costs.

Over the past few months they:

• Sent a demand letter
• Attempted to locate him through skip tracing
• Attempted to verify his address for service

The demand letter was eventually returned "Return to Sender."

Today they informed me they're closing the litigation file and refunding my escrow because they were unable to locate a valid address to serve him. They specifically told me the issue isn't the merits of the case, it's that they can't commence litigation without being able to locate and serve the defendant given this is a consumer case and not a business.

Here's what I know about him:

• Full legal name
• Date of birth
• Social Security number
• Originally from the Boston area, unsure if he is still living in NYC
• Works in construction as an electrician/project manager (but I don't know where)
• Affiliated with this union group: IBEW Local 3 in NYC
• Last known mailing address was a friend's apartment in Brooklyn, but mail is now being returned
• His uncle owns two businesses in Little Italy, NYC
• He intentionally keeps almost no online presence (no LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

At this point I'm considering hiring a licensed private investigator instead of another collection agency.

My questions are:

1. Is hiring a licensed PI the best next step?
2. With his full name, DOB, SSN, union affiliation, and the information above, how realistic is it to locate someone like this?
3. Are there better methods than hiring a PI?
4. Would a litigation attorney be able to do anything before he's located, or would they tell me to find him first?
5. Has anyone dealt with a defendant who intentionally disappeared? What ultimately worked?

I'm not looking for advice on whether I should pursue the debt. The debt has already been acknowledged in writing, and I intend to continue pursuing it. My challenge is simply locating him so he can be properly served and I can move forward with litigation. I'm getting married soon and I had to use my savings in order to clear the credit card debt along with taking on a balance transfer so I am keen to move this forward any way possible.

Help! If you're a licensed PI, process server, attorney, or have dealt with locating difficult-to-find defendants, I'd really appreciate your perspective. What can I do or what should I do next?

Thanks in advance!

Location: NYC

*sigh* I'm looking for advice from anyone with experience in civil litigation, debt collection, process serving, or private investigations.

A good friend was an authorized user on my credit card. The original intent was to help him build his credit after he had difficulty securing housing/rental despite having the income to afford rent. For quite a while, he reimbursed me every month without issue. I have everything tracked in a spreadsheet and digital repayment receipts.

Over time, he fell behind on repayments. He repeatedly assured me he would catch up, and eventually signed a written repayment agreement acknowledging the debt and agreeing to a repayment schedule. He later defaulted, and the last payment I received was in October 2025.

I have:

• A signed repayment agreement
• Credit card statements
• Bank records showing his repayments
• Text messages acknowledging the debt
• A detailed accounting of the balance

My total financial loss is now approximately $57,000, including the outstanding debt, accrued credit card interest, and the payments I've continued making after he defaulted.

Earlier this year, I retained a debt collection agency to pursue litigation and paid $2,375 in litigation costs.

Over the past few months they:

• Sent a demand letter
• Attempted to locate him through skip tracing
• Attempted to verify his address for service

The demand letter was eventually returned "Return to Sender."

Today they informed me they're closing the litigation file and refunding my escrow because they were unable to locate a valid address to serve him. They specifically told me the issue isn't the merits of the case, it's that they can't commence litigation without being able to locate and serve the defendant given this is a consumer case and not a business.

Here's what I know about him:

• Full legal name
• Date of birth
• Social Security number
• Originally from the Boston area, unsure if he is still living in NYC
• Works in construction as an electrician/project manager (but I don't know where)
• Affiliated with this union group: IBEW Local 3 in NYC
• Last known mailing address was a friend's apartment in Brooklyn, but mail is now being returned
• His uncle owns two businesses in Little Italy, NYC
• He intentionally keeps almost no online presence (no LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

At this point I'm considering hiring a licensed private investigator instead of another collection agency.

My questions are:

1. Is hiring a licensed PI the best next step?
2. With his full name, DOB, SSN, union affiliation, and the information above, how realistic is it to locate someone like this?
3. Are there better methods than hiring a PI?
4. Would a litigation attorney be able to do anything before he's located, or would they tell me to find him first?
5. Has anyone dealt with a defendant who intentionally disappeared? What ultimately worked?

I'm not looking for advice on whether I should pursue the debt. The debt has already been acknowledged in writing, and I intend to continue pursuing it. My challenge is simply locating him so he can be properly served and I can move forward with litigation. I'm getting married soon and I had to use my savings in order to clear the credit card debt along with taking on a balance transfer so I am keen to move this forward any way possible.

Help! If you're a licensed PI, process server, attorney, or have dealt with locating difficult-to-find defendants, I'd really appreciate your perspective. What can I do or what should I do next?

Thanks in advance!