How to Find a Social Security Number for Debt Collection

An important part of the debt collection process is credit reporting. When you place a negative entry on a debtors credit report, he will often be willing to work with you an pay the debt in exchange for the removal of the derogatory trade line. To report a debt to the credit bureaus, you must have enough personal information on the debtor for the credit bureaus to successfully match him up with the information that is already in the system. While coming across a debtors full name, birth date and address may not be challenging, Social Security numbers are more closely guarded. The debtors Social Security number, however, is necessary if you intend to use credit reporting as a method of debt collection.

Instructions

1

Call the debtor and ask for her Social Security number. Do not mention that you plan to use it to make a negative report to the credit bureaus. Sometimes unsuspecting individuals will volunteer the information if you ask.

2

Send a form to the debtors home for her to fill out if the initial telephone call was unsuccessful. Include blank spaces for her name, birth date and Social Security number. Not only does your request appear less suspicious when coupled with a request for additional information, by mailing the form you have the chance of a family member filling it out not realizing who it is from and what it is for.

3

Pull a copy of the debtors credit report. As a creditor, you have the legal right to do this at any time. Review the report for current and past addresses.

4

Look up the county for each of the addresses reflected in the debtors credit report.

5

Register for an account with PACER, the U.S. governments general access website for public records. It is available for personal and corporate use and can be found at pacer.psc.uscourts.gov.

6

Choose the option for Links to PACER websites. Select the appropriate state and county for the debtor.

7

Choose Query and type the individuals name into the box. Any public records containing the debtors name and personal information filed in that particular county will appear.Check each county on your list for public records. If the debtor has ever been married, filed bankruptcy, been arrested, purchased property or gotten a traffic ticket he will be in the database.

8

Review the public records that are available on the debtor until you come across his Social Security number. Most forms of public records will contain Social Security numbers.