If I wanted to track somebody down, could I do this by contacting their country's consulate/embassy in the UK? (where I live) I actually have no idea where to start, only having information from 1988, such as a place of work, a name, and a couple of photos. Furthermore, the person I wish to track down, may not live in that country anymore. So many variables, and it's really annoying because the conventional methods that I am aware of (for tracking people down domestically), are seemingly impossible in this situation. Any help is appreciated!
If the person you're looking for went to university, then alumni associations would probably be your best bet for a start.
I do know the person I am looking for, was a member of the military (although I'm not sure of what branch) via national service. I've tried that route, although this country's not quite as open about it's military as the UK or the USA, so I doubt I could find any relevant info. The country is Turkey by the way.
That too, I'm pretty sure I offended a great many non-English speaking Turkish people with my butchery of the language! No luck though! I'm trying a new technique at the moment (circulating some old photos), but I'm not particularly confident, although stranger things have happened!
That is what I was going to suggest. If a Tasmanian man, who had been separated from his Indian family at the age of 5, can track down his mother 25 years later using only his own memories, Google Earth and Facebook than I think it can be used to track down almost anyone.
I've never actually met the person I'm trying to track down. I know, this sounds ludicrous at this point, but I'm wary about revealing any unnecessary details publicly.
Facebook could possibly be the easiest way to go about it. The only problem with that is sometimes people don't have profile pics or if they do, they're not pics of themselves. Either way, I wish you luck in your endeavor.
How do you know of this individual, and why are you looking for this individuals? Those details might help?
If you know the person's real name, a search in the Turkish phone book (white pages) might help. Otherwise - as already recommended - facebook, twitter and other social media might be a place to search. If the person you are searching for is a former board member here, I recommend the oldtimer thread here in MISC. Each of us old members is still in contact with a few others, many of whom have left, and one of us might be able to help you with the information you seek. It would be ideal if you happened to know someone from Turkey and ask them to make those inquiries for you. There will be the inevitable bribes (officially known as tips / baksheesh /turkish: Bahşiş) to be payed to clerks and officials. That requires a lot of tact and insider knowledge that we foreigners lack. Only someone who is familiar with the local situation (and the going rates...) will be able to handle this properly. Due to certain cultural peculiarities, the person acting for you should be male (a female would either not be respected or charged triple the bribes*) and as highly ranking as possible. This method might be costly but is in my opinion the one most likely to get a result. *exception: if you are loking for a Turkish woman, your representative should be female. A man inquiring for a woman's whereabouts might lead to misunderstandings. But as the person you're looking for was in the Turkish army, I guess we can exclude the fairer sex.
Depending how sensitive this is, have you considered maybe contacting a popular turkish radio station or something similar? Might make for an interesting story for them and might flag up the actual person, or else someone who does know them?
If you have this persons name and approximate age, you might see if Turkey puts their court records on line. In the US court system records are public information, lots of people get common speeding and parking tickets. Their age will help you narrow down your first results. Unless it's a common name, this might get you into the ballpark. If there was an arrest, then there could be a picture on line as well. If you have some idea of their occupation, see if there is a listing of professional licenses, and labor unions. A people finder search engine for Turkey, if one exists. Good luck.
I'm pretty sure that would be a waste of time. It's just not the type of service a diplomatic mission provides. My advice would be to hire a private investigator, if you can afford it.
I was going to suggest a private detective, but "facebook" does seem like an easier, far cheaper alternative.
"Why" question? If you mean that you are wondering why I want to track somebody down, then those are my personal reasons. I made this thread to throw a hypothetical out there, since there's a wide variety of people using this forum, and I was seeking some inspiration from a variety of sources. If I ever manage to track this person down, I'll let everyone know, but for now it's more of a private matter. Like I said, I'm looking for inspiration and ways to which, I could go about looking for somebody in a foreign country. Thanks to everyone who has thrown some ideas out there!