Debt collectors have a new, insidious weapon in their search for folks who skip paying their bills: Facebook. The social network site has become a new way to track down deadbeats.

How does it work? The collector searches Facebook for their target and issues a “friend” request. Many folks automatically accept these requests and that gives the collector an inside track not only into contact information, but details about the debtors’ lives that could be useful.

Posts about new cars, jewelry or houses could be used by the collector to place liens on such property to recover the money owed.

There’s some debate about whether “friending” a stranger in order to track them down for debts violates the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act of 1978 which has strict guidelines about using deception in order to contact or communicate with a debtor.

But there was no Facebook — or other social media site — in 1978 when the Act was created. For now, it will be up to the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces the act, to decide if this tactic is legal.

Collectors no doubt love the practice. Debtors, not so much.

What do finance folks think?

Tags: debt collectors, Facebook, Federal Trade Commission, FTC