Finance Companies & Mercantile Agents

We at Trace and Identify (Australia) know the correct questions to be asked, the correct legal procedures to follow and how to successfully identify a Subject (debtor) whilst using Duty of Care to both client and Subject.

Definition of a ‘Debtor’ – A debtor is a person who owes money, goods, or services to another.

When there is a debt owing to someone (a finance company, law firm, private citizen), we are given the task of tracking that someone down who doesn’t want to be found.

To do this successfully, you need to be in possession of the right tools. These ‘tools’ are databases that are not generally available to the public. Some are free and some are PAYG (pay as you go) and some are quite frankly, very expensive and some even require contracts to be signed before usage. An annual fee for some necessary databases in our profession can be quite expensive.

For a professional Skip Tracer to track down someone who doesn’t want to be found, they also need to be in possession of very good telephone skills. On many occasions, the only information we receive is a name, current mobile number and LKA (last known address) and in some instances, the LKA can be up to five years old.

The first step is to check whether we have been given the correct information (I cannot emphasise this enough). For instance, is the debtor’s first name Lesley, or Leslie, or Lesleigh, or even Lesleye?

Do they have a middle name? What is their DOB (date of birth)? If not their DOB, at the very least, what is their YOB (year of birth)? Are they female or male, Caucasian or coloured? Good investigators use their own individual tried and true template of questions to ask the client.

All clients, (experienced professionals of companies, or private citizens) make errors. They themselves may have obtained the incorrect information through no fault of their own, therefore it is always advisable for the Private Investigator to ensure that the client submits the exact details. Near enough is not good enough.

Private Investigators need the submitted information to be 100% correct to enable them to successfully locate the debtor. If it is not exact, the client will be disappointed with the results, as more costs may be added because the Private Investigator will be spending valuable time seeking someone who does not exist.