posted on 2012-12-28 by Dean Kaplan
Recently we published a pamphlet about free internet
resources which can be used to verify
credit applications and prevent fraudulent purchases. These same resources can be helpful when
trying to locate a debtor and collect the monies owed. Skip-tracing is the detective work that is
done to locate and contact debtors.
There are some excellent skip-tracing subscription services available,
and these services are becoming more and more powerful. Our business to business collection agency
can be especially challenged when looking for small business debtors. It is not uncommon for us to be unable to
locate a valid phone number to reach a live person or even to know who to
contact. Fortunately, there is one free
internet resource which often yields the exact information we are looking for.
Prior to picking up the phone to make a debt collection
call, our collectors go online and visit the debtor’s website. The goal of the collector is to learn about
the company and about the people who run the company. Unfortunately, many small business websites
tell us very little beyond the basics.
The fact that the debtor has a website is good news because that means
that the debtor had to register the domain with ICANN (Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers) which keeps track of website domain names for the
internet. Just like the county recorder keeping track
of who owns each piece of real estate in the county, ICANN keeps track of what
company owns each domain on the internet, and ICANN makes this domain
registration data available to the public.
A Whois search is the easiest way to obtain domain
registration information. Free Whois
searches are available from most companies who sell domain names such as
GoDaddy and Network Solutions via links located at the bottom of their web
pages. Click on the link to get to the
Whois search page. Once there, enter the
website address of the debtor in the appropriate field. This will bring up the page showing the
information that was submitted by the debtor to ICANN. This information usually includes the company
name, the company address, the administrative contact, the administrative
contact’s direct telephone number and email, other submitted contact names,
telephone numbers and emails, and the names of the servers that host the site.
Of key importance is that ICANN information is truthful except
in the cases of outright fraud because it records ownership. Website domains are valuable company
assets. Therefore, most small business
owners will want to register their domains in their names, and the information
will usually be valid and up to date with the business owner or a key employee
name listed.
If the contact information listed in the Whois search is not
valid, this is a red flag. It may
indicate that the business owner no longer sees value in the business because
it is no longer in operation. Another
possibility is that the business hired a registration company to register their
domain, and the information listed belongs to the registration company. In this case, the registration company only
has to reveal the company’s contact information if a court order is issued;
however, it never hurts to ask.
When a company has changed ownership, a Whois search can
provide valuable information. Due to the
value of a company’s website, it is highly likely that the new owner would go
through the strict process of transferring domain ownership to his or her
name. When this transfer takes place,
the Whois search will usually reveal the official name of the new business
entity as well as the name of the new owner of the business. The search may also yield the date of the
transfer which can be helpful in determining who owes the debt, the new or the
original owner of the business.
Using a Whois search to locate and contact a debtor is one
of several free internet resources available.
Visit our
website to access more ideas to help in your debt collection efforts
including infographics, videos, ebooks, articles, and more.
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