| Do you enter into business relationships, acquisitions, | | | | criminal filings are what you would most be interested |
| property investments, partnerships, or enter into a | | | | in. You can go to the National Association of Counties |
| transaction without first verifying a companies identity, | | | | by going to- and look up the county of your interest |
| associates and affiliations?Most people do and your | | | | and you will go to their web site and see what kind of |
| not alone. However most entrepreneurs still enter into | | | | records that are accessible on-line for you to search. If |
| business relationships with curiosity and unanswered | | | | you don't know the name of the county, you can |
| questions they may have regarding a company or | | | | locate a County by just knowing the City and State by |
| associate of a particular company. Wouldn't it be | | | | going to the U.S Census Bureau and searching their |
| beneficial to you and or your company to limit liability | | | | database located here: |
| and risk by conducting due diligence before entering | | | | you can locate a County by Zip Code by searching |
| into business relationships?By limiting your risk and | | | | this database by just entering a zip code soon as you |
| liability your business will have a far greater chance to | | | | locate the counties web site that you want to search |
| succeed. By conducting simple due diligence and | | | | just run the subjects name and company name |
| developing your own profile on any person or business | | | | through the various online databases. It can be very |
| you will have a much better understanding of a | | | | interesting to what you might find through courthouse |
| particular business and its associates which is vital to | | | | records.You should also run the subjects name, |
| your business decisions. 90% of the information you | | | | company name, phone number, any addresses |
| need to know can be found on-line. You just have to | | | | separately through Google- Using each category- Main |
| know where to look for it, and how to look for it. I will | | | | Google, Google Groups, Google News. I typically run |
| show you how you can develop your own profile on | | | | the above search criteria through Google to see what |
| anyone or any business on-line for free.Example on a | | | | I can find and where it links to. You can also verify if |
| property investment acquisition. I contacted an individual | | | | any address is a mail drop (like Mail boxes Etc.) or if it |
| who had placed a classified add through an on-line | | | | is actually a street location by using a free database |
| newspaper under real estate finance/services for hard | | | | search located here: me give you a recent example of |
| money lending, private money lenders. I was really just | | | | how my typical investigation starts.The individual that I |
| trying to get a feel for the market in that specific area | | | | recently contacted in regards to private money lending |
| of the country. I do this by contacting various types of | | | | had provided me his name and company name when I |
| real estate professionals such Agents, brokers, title | | | | asked, which is typical with any dealings on the phone. I |
| companies/escrow, private/hard money lenders, bird | | | | already had his contact number from the add that he |
| dogs, wholesalers, etc. When I call I get their personal | | | | had placed on-line in the classifieds under "real estate |
| name and the company name they work for (if any). If | | | | finance/services".I first ran the phone number to see if |
| it's a company its usually an LLC which is very | | | | it was a cell number or a landline number. I do that by |
| common in the real estate industry or another type of | | | | going to |
| corporate entity. A lot of times people talk fast or not | | | | I then ran his telephone number through Google to see |
| very clear on the phone. So I always have them spell | | | | if it appears online anywhere. I enter phone numbers in |
| out their name and company name and have them | | | | Google like this:- area code-prefix-phone number. |
| provide me any additional contact numbers that they | | | | Example- "111-555-1212" . Running this search gives me |
| can provide should I need to speak with them at | | | | a good idea if the phone number he provided me has |
| another time.When the subject I'm speaking to on the | | | | been used anywhere online. Sometimes I find a |
| phone tells me the name of the company he or she | | | | different name of the company other than what they |
| represents and it is a corporate entity such as an LLC, | | | | provided, or I may find a web site where the phone |
| S-Corp, partnership, etc. I know right away I can get | | | | number was used as a contact number, I may even |
| the corporate members names within a few minutes. I | | | | find a personal add placed where the subject was |
| will first go to the states web site in which the individual | | | | trying to sell a classic car and the contact number |
| claims to conduct business in and lookup the entity | | | | matched that of which I already had. Or I can find out |
| online by the name of the company.Just about all the | | | | which forums the subject hangs out at, he may have |
| states in the U.S have free online searches at their | | | | used the phone number there. If I find a website where |
| web sites where you can lookup information about a | | | | the contact number I entered into Google shows up, I |
| corporation by company name or agent names. Just | | | | find out who owns the web site by searching the |
| go to your favorite search engine like Google or MSN | | | | whois directory located here- I may find another name |
| and type in the name of the state and corporations. | | | | or indeed find out my subject owns this particular web |
| Example "Arizona Corporations", "Texas Corporations", | | | | site.I start developing my profile of the business and |
| "Nevada Corporations". The search engines will | | | | the subject themselves by initially starting with a simple |
| typically return the results your looking for within the | | | | phone number. I can find all kinds of interesting things |
| first two organic search result listings. Once you get to | | | | by simply running a search through Google with the |
| the states web site you will need to find where on the | | | | subjects contact telephone number.I then ran the |
| web site you can lookup a Corporation. Usually it will | | | | company name that the subject had provided me by |
| just read "Look up Corporations". Type in the name of | | | | going online at the specific states website where I can |
| the company and you can find out all corporate | | | | look up and find out information about corporations. |
| members, addresses, resident agents, corporate | | | | This will allow me to verify or reveal agents names. |
| status- good standing- dissolved, revoked, etc. What I | | | | Sure enough he was a member of the corporation. |
| typically do is find out if the name the subject provided | | | | However the last name he provided to me was |
| to me on the phone is indeed an actual member of the | | | | spelled and pronounced much differently than what |
| corporation, and then I run his or her name through the | | | | was revealed with the corporation search. It was way |
| states database and see if he or she is involved in any | | | | off.I then went to the respective county web site to |
| other types of corporations. I find that is quite common | | | | search online for civil and criminal records on the |
| to have members involved in several | | | | subject. I knew which county to search based on the |
| corporations.Sometimes you will not find a companies | | | | subjects phone number and also the zip code that |
| name in the specific states database. There could be | | | | was returned for the subjects address revealed in the |
| a few reasons for this. The company may be a sole | | | | corporation search through the states website.I found |
| proprietor, or the company is registered in another | | | | numerous civil filings on the subject regarding business |
| state but has not filed as a foreign entity in the state | | | | dealings including an Exparte filed for a wire tap on the |
| they are doing business in. Sometimes companies | | | | subjects phone number as well as family law cases |
| operate this way. In this case it would be wise to | | | | involving domestic violence. I also found a criminal |
| search the Nevada and Delaware corporation web | | | | case-. Possession of marijuanaNow it doesn't take a |
| sites to determine if the company or agents are | | | | rocket scientist to make up ones mind if they would |
| registered in either of those two states. There are a | | | | like to enter into a business relationship with this |
| great number of corporations that register in Nevada | | | | subject. There is a greater possibility that I might have |
| and Delaware simply because of the asset protection. | | | | issues with this individual and things may not work out |
| It's difficult to pierce the corporate veil under the laws | | | | so well in the future.There are many scenarios of why |
| of those two states and that alone drives many, many | | | | you would need to conduct due diligence on a individual |
| companies to register in those particular states.I then | | | | or company. But remember you should always verify |
| run the companies name and agents name through | | | | or reveal information on an individual or company prior |
| online courthouse records in the specific county where | | | | to entering into a business relationship.Copyright 2005 |
| they are residing in or conducting business in. Again like | | | | Frank BrunoFrank Bruno has been a Private |
| with the states, most counties have some type of | | | | Investigator for 8 years and is an expert in on-line |
| information that is accessible online. Civil, family law and | | | | Investigations. He has been the manager of since 1997. |