Account Qualification
Please read the following to determine if your business qualifies for a BellesLink account. Your business must meet all five requirements.
- Your business cannot be on either the prohibited business (see below), or OFAC (Office of Foreign Affairs) list.
- You have an online presence and we are able to verify its legitimacy.
- Proof of Bona-Fide.
- One of the following is required to serve as Proof of Bona-Fide:
- Professional or Business License: must be active, current, and valid
- Business Registration (Incorporation, LLC, LLP), verifiable through appropriate government website such as Secretary of State
- We’re able to verify your contact information and address.
- The phone number given is the main business phone and directly associated with the company name, owner of the company, or authorized officer of the business. If you’re using a VoIP service for your phone number, you’ll need to provide a page that contains both the main phone number and the name of the billing party.
Prohibited Businesses
These businesses are prohibited from obtaining a BellesLink account.
- Bail Bond Enforcement or Bounty Hunters
- Internet people locator services
- Diet centers
- Adoption search firms
- Credit Repair companies or credit clinics
- Non-Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA), for profit Credit Counseling
- Loan Modification Companies
- Media agencies, news agencies or journalists
- Non-governmental agencies or businesses associated with the collection of child support
- Companies or individuals on internal Customer Alert List
- Dating Services
- Asset Location Services
- Condominium/Homeowners Associations (unless acting as a tenant screener with proof of permissible purpose)
- Future services (i.e., health clubs, continuity clubs, etc.), except health clubs (spas) human resource departments for employment screening and Fraud Services for fraud detection purposes
- Country Clubs (except for employment screening)
- Timeshare (unless proof of credit extension is procured or fraud detection purposes)
- Companies involved and/or associated with inappropriate adult content web sites and/or adult-type telephone services
- Any company or individual who is known to have been involved in credit fraud or other unethical business practices
- Any person or entity which BellesLink knows or suspects may be engaged in fraudulent or illegal activity, such as identity theft, harassment or stalking
- Any company or individual listed on the Departments of Commerce, State and the Treasury lists website
Permissible Use
Your business must have one of the five permissible uses listed below in order to obtain and use a BellesLink account.
1. Fraud Prevention or Detection
Examples:
- Fraud prevention or detection by private sector
- Due diligence research on potential or existing vendors, customers or applicants
- Due diligence research on present or future alliances or acquisitions
- Asset verification
- Locate criminals, witnesses and victims of fraud
- Locate beneficiaries and heirs
- Locate customers for legal purposes
- Risk management analysis
2. Legal Compliance
Examples:
- Locate beneficiaries and heirs
- Locate customers for legal purposes
- Locate shareholders
- Locate pension beneficiaries
- Legally required employee investigation
3. Transactions Authorized by Consumer
Examples:
- Collection activities
- Skip tracing to locate debtors
- Skip tracing to locate references
- Asset verification
4. Use by Persons Acting in a Fiduciary Capacity on Behalf of the Consumer
Examples:
- Locate beneficiaries and heirs
- Locate shareholders
- Locate pension beneficiaries
5. Use by Persons Holding a Legal or Beneficial Interest Relating to the Consumer
Examples:
- Locate beneficiaries and heirs
- Locate shareholders
- Locate pension beneficiaries
- Due diligence research on potential or existing vendors, customers or applicants
- Due diligence research on present or future alliances or acquisitions
