Collectors, Beware!

There are a lot of debtors out there, consequently there are a lot of creditors, and when money is involved, scam artiest come out of the wood work. This begs the question by creditors and collectors, "Who can I trust to locate a debtor?"
Perhaps I can shed some light on the subject. First, make sure the company locating the debtor meets the requirements of your state or the state they are located in. Is the company you are considering using a skip tracing company? If so, do they meet the requirements of your state? In Florida, for example, in order for a person to legally conduct skip tracing they must work for a member of the Florida Bar, be a certified process server, or a licensed private investigator. A private investigator must be licensed in just about every state. Contact the division of your state that over sees licensing to find out if the license is valid and if there have been any complaints or allegations filled against this company.

All straight with the legal details? Here are a few other things you might what to consider:
1. Where are they located? No reputable business operates out of a mail box or only on the Internet.
2. Ask if the company has a valid business license.
3. What databases do they use to locate the debtor? If they are using one of the information vendors on
the Internet, why bother? These databases are available to any one with a credit card. Make sure your
company uses private databases.
4. Even the best private databases miss things now and them. You want a company that has the ability
and desire to do some old fashion detective work, because that is what may be required to locate the
debtor and hidden assets.
5. What is the turn around time? Does it meet your needs?
6. Does this company have the ability to search for the debtor and/or assets outside of the United States?
7. Have a fee and payment schedule that is agreeable to all in writing. Often a search, especially
for hidden assets, requires additional time and resources to locate all of the money and
property. Naturally you want to be consulted first and not be shocked with a bill for thousands of
dollars.
8. Contact your Better Business Bureau or local consumer protection agency to see if this company
has any complaints or praises on file.
9. Make sure you have an open line of communication with the company. You may have questions or
concerns (like what is taking so long to find this debtor?) therefore you want an investigator
is willing to discuss your case with you.

I hope these tips will help. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at http://www.missinglocated.com. I will be happy to help.