What is a pretext?
A pretext is a story that is made up to convince another person to do something, such as give up a desired piece of information.
If you are trying to locate a debtor and the only lead you have is the debtors parent, the honest thing to do is to contact the debtors parent and say "Hi, this is Sam Spade from Collections Agency, Inc. I am trying to locate your son because he owes my client money." The debtors parent may not be very friendly and helpful.
On the other hand, you could use a pretext such as "Hi, this is Sam, I am an old friend of your sons from college. One of his close college friends is dying of cancer and would like to see your son before he dies." The debtors parent may be more likely to share with you the debtors current contact information.
The use of pretexts are not legal in some cases. Be sure to research all of the laws applicable in your area.
Prying Eyes: With These Operators, Your Bank Account is Now an Open Book? is an excellent Wall Street Journal article on the use of pretexts.
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