It’s hard enough trying to get a debtor to pay the funds that they owe. It’s much harder to get those funds when that debtor seems to disappear into thin air.

You may be wondering, what can your business do when a debtor vanishes? You’re going to want to call a professional debt collection firm with skip-tracing services.

What Is Skip Tracing?

Skip tracing is a series of strategies used to find someone who has “skipped town.” Professionals will look into the person’s digital footprint to see whether it reveals their current location and contact information. This digital footprint can be discovered through proprietary databases, public records and social media accounts.

Skip tracing is just one of the expert debt recovery solutions available to businesses that are struggling to recoup outstanding payments. If a debtor is nowhere to be found, skip tracing can track them down in hopes of recovering the funds that they owe.

A debt collection firm like Summit A*R could be an excellent choice for finding any debtors who have “disappeared.” The top-rated firm has a skip tracing department that’s run by a licensed private investigator. That’s the type of expertise that will meet your debt recovery needs and then some.

Why Do Debtors “Disappear”?

It’s easy to assume that debtors don’t answer your calls and “disappear” on purpose. Of course, there are debtors who are aware that they owe a substantial amount of funds and evade communication in an effort to escape their obligations to pay. But not all disappearances are deceitful!

These are some other reasons why your debtors may not be responding when your business reaches out:

• Document Errors: The debtor’s records have the wrong contact information.
• Change in Address: The debtor moved and forgot to update your company about their new address.
• Change in Phone Number: The debtor forgot to inform your company that they have a different cell phone number after purchasing a new phone.

Steps to Take If One of Your Debtors Disappears

What can you do if one of your debtors can’t be reached? Take the following steps:

• Review Documentation: Don’t assume the debtor is avoiding your calls on purpose. Start by reviewing documentation to confirm the debtor’s details to see whether any errors are preventing them from being reached (for example, the wrong phone number).
• Attempt All Forms of Contact: Use every contact method available to your company to reach the debtor. Contact them via phone, email, text or physical mail. Be careful not to break regulations like the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Bombarding a debtor with messages at odd hours will violate this regulation and can lead to legal consequences.
• Engage a Debt Collection Agency: If the debtor still can’t be reached, it’s time to go to a professional debt collection firm with skip tracing services. The firm will use its resources to find that debtor and get the payments that your company is owed.

It can feel hopeless when a debtor stops answering your calls and seems to vanish off the face of the planet. You might feel like you’ll never recoup the funds that you are owed. But, don’t panic if you can’t reach the debtor – there are ways to find them again. All you have to do is go to the right debt collectors for help.