SPAIN (El Pais) Obtaining the personal details of a resident of Spain has never been easier. For the cost of 210 euros, anybody in the country can buy an access code to a database containing the personal information of 36 million people in the country. The electoral roll and municipal registers are both sources of great value to debt-collection companies in times of financial crisis, when arrears spike. Locating debtors is one of the main hurdles third-party debt collectors face. In many cases, between the signing of a contract and a non-payment, people change address, telephone number or leave the country. In order to track them down, these companies can consult public archives such as the Mercantile Register or the Property Register. Since 2004, an Alicante businessman has offered a service to all those wishing to find somebody. For a 210-euro fee from an authorized computer, or up to 1,400 euros for a flat rate, José Vicente Lucas offers access to a website that until recently was named Saberlotodo.com (literally, "know everything").>
