Advice on convoluted searches

Suppose you’d like to find out more about the wizard behind the curtain, that is, the company and/or person behind the domain name. You don’t have readily available information, such as name, location, phone number, etc. to perform a routine search on Search Detective. Well, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Let’s think this one through.

You can begin by going to networksolutions.com and performing a 'whois' search on the domain name, which more likely than not should produce the contact information you’re after: the name, address, phone number & email address of the domain owner.

Now you’re ready for the next step in your thorough investigation. Who runs the company, what is their reputation and background, do they have criminal records or civil judgments, etc.; in other words, is this a reputable business, are its owners trustworthy, and do you want to deal with them?

Even if you only succeed at getting only one of the above components, you are still in good shape. Got a phone number? Do a Reverse Phone Lookup. Got a name and location? Perform a phone and email lookup, and get the Public Records report. Those searches will still return the remaining missing information – name, age, date of birth, current address and past residences, names of relatives, average income and home value, criminal history – everything you need to know about the owner of the anonymous Web address. Now you are in the position to form an opinion as an educated, well-informed consumer, without having to grope in the dark.