How do I contact Merlin?
TopMerlin's customer service is the best in the business. Our staff is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm MST to help with any questions you may have. Call us toll free at (800) 367-6646 or e-mail and we'll contact you.
Merlin Information Services
215 S. Complex Dr.
Kalispell, MT 59901Phone (800) 367-6646
Phone (406) 755-8550
Fax (406) 755-8568 or (406) 755-8579
What does Merlin do?
TopMerlin provides investigators, collectors, and other professionals with affordable online access to public record and privately owned investigative databases. Merlin offers high quality data, both current and historical, accessible through the best search and retrieval software in the industry.
Who can use Merlin’s services?
TopAccess to Merlin's databases is restricted to industry professionals who must qualify to use the service. Merlin supplies data primarily to businesses in the investigative and collections industries that locate or identify individuals or businesses for legitimate business purposes. Our clients include:
- Private investigators
- Corporate investigators
- Insurance industry investigators
- Skiptracers
- Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies
- Collection agencies
- Judgment collectors
- Debt buyers
- Attorneys and paralegals
- Credit management professionals
- Process servers
- Bail bondsmen
- Repossession agencies
- Reunion committees
- Real estate investors
What is skiptracing?
Top“Skiptrace” is an investigative term meaning “locate people and businesses”. It does not always imply that people have “skipped town”, although sometimes this is the case. A skiptrace may include a search for people who witnessed an accident, are recipients of unclaimed funds, or want to reunite family members. In general, “skiptracing” covers any legitimate reason to find someone.
What is public record?
TopPublic record is information gathered and maintained by a governmental agency which is, by law, available to the general public. The federal Freedom of Information Act and similar state legislation governs what is considered public record. Tax returns, credit information, medical records, employment records and financial records are not public record. Such non-public information is protected from disclosure by law or by custom.
Examples of public record include:
- Motor Vehicle Title Documents (access to some data is restricted by the Driver's Privacy Protection Act as well as several state laws)
- Real Property Deed Transfers
- Real Property Assessors' Records
- UCC Filings
- Corporate Filings, LLCs, and LLPs
- City Business Licenses
- Fictitious Business Names / Assumed Name Filings
- Sales Tax Permits
- Court Indexes—Civil, Criminal, Small Claims, Traffic, Bankruptcy
- Professional Licenses
What is publicly available information?
TopIn addition to public record, Merlin provides access to publicly available information such as phone books, directory assistance databases, and online information such as published membership directories. While this type of information is not truly public record, it is considered publicly available information.
What are proprietary databases (privately owned investigative databases)?
TopProprietary databases are maintained by private companies. Access to this data may be regulated by state or federal law. Merlin offers this type of information for authorized purposes only.
How do I access Merlin's databases?
TopOnce your application has been approved, you will be issued a User ID and password to access Merlin's databases at www.merlindata.com.
Can I get access to full SSNs?
TopTo qualify for access to full SSNs in Merlin products, businesses must pass a physical site inspection and fall into one of the following categories:
- Collection Agencies
- Government Agencies
- Law Enforcement
- Businesses with a professional license that are able to demonstrate a legitimate need for full Social Security numbers for purposes such as fraud prevention or criminal investigations
Businesses that do not qualify or choose not to apply for a site inspection: Merlin's products are still available, but with truncated dates of birth and Social Security numbers.
For more information, visit Merlin's Account Setup page.
What are the payment options?
TopMerlin doesn’t require a set up fee. A variety of customizable payment solutions are available to best meet your needs.
- Pay-Per-Search - Searches range from 25¢ to $25.00 ($250 minimum deposit required. No monthly service fee for accounts that search at least $35/month)
- Unlimited Subscriptions - Flat rate with unlimited searching (No deposit required. No monthly service fee.)
- Discounted Packages - Fixed number of searches into Merlin's most popular databases (No deposit required. No monthly service fee.)
- Batching - Merlin offers a variety of batching solutions, many of which are available on a per-hit basis. (No deposit required. No monthly service fee.)
- Net 30 Billing - On approval ($100 monthly minimum applies to pay-per-search accounts.)
What is a pay-per-search account?
TopAfter your application is approved, an online account will be established. To keep our per-search pricing competitive, we ask for a minimum deposit when the account is opened. Each time you search, the search charge is subtracted from your account balance.
What is the Service Fee?
TopThe monthly Service Fee supports Merlin's high level of live customer support, and expenses related to compliance and security. Merlin incurs significant costs associated with securing and hosting our data regardless of whether or how often our customers search our data. If your account purchases $35.00 or more in a month, you are exempt from the $20.00 monthly Service Fee. If you have a Merlin subscription or package, the monthly Service Fee is waived.
How do I open an account?
TopA completed and approved Merlin Service Application and an initial deposit are all it takes to open your debit account. Open your account by either credit card or check and by faxing or mailing a completed and signed Service Application. Our fax numbers are (406) 755-8568 or (406) 755-8579. Merlin customers in good standing may apply for direct billing by completing a Merlin Credit Application. To set up an account or for more information, please call us at (800) 367-6646, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm MST.
I don’t have time to search databases, and sometimes I don't even know where to begin. Can Merlin help?
TopYes! Merlin’s highly qualified Locate Services team is here to help. An expert from this group of trained professionals will get details from you about your subject and search appropriate databases to find the information you are seeking. Save your valuable time while Merlin’s Locate Services team does the work. Call (800) 367-6646 for more details.
How do I get a free trial?
TopMerlin offers free online demonstrations of our databases. A Merlin sales professional will be pleased to demonstrate our products and help you identify the databases that will best suit your business needs. Please contact one of our account managers at (800) 367-6646 to request to be set up for a free online demo.
What type of training is offered?
TopStep-by-step tutorials are available online and our friendly customer service staff is available to help with any of your questions Monday through Friday during regular business hours. Once you become a Merlin customer, our telephone support services are always available free of charge, or you may e-mail your questions for a same-day, or next business day response. Merlin provides the best customer service in the industry. Please contact one of our sales representatives at (800) 367-6646 to sign up.
What's the advantage of Merlin's historical data?
TopAccessing historical data can solve tough cases and is essential in locating people when the only clue is very old information. This information is the starting point for tracing the subject forward to his or her current location. Merlin is committed to maintaining historical information as well as current information. Public record is obtained from government agencies that systematically purge old data from their files each year.
Most data providers do not take the necessary and costly steps to preserve historical data with each new update; instead they simply replace the old data with whatever new data the government agency offers. Merlin has sophisticated processes to preserve the historical data, making its data extremely valuable to skiptracers and investigators.
How often is Merlin's data updated?
TopMost of our databases are updated weekly or monthly, and some are updated daily. When we add new records to a database, we keep the old information, making our data much more comprehensive.
Have a question that's not answered here?
TopClick here to submit it to a Merlin customer support representative.
