Eyes On The Pies

Posted by Adam Kuban, April 12, 2004 at 12:33 PM

Deadbeat pizza eaters in the Show Me State best beware: The Missouri Office of State Courts Administrator has hired a company to track down people who owe the state money, and that firm just may use the information given during orders for pie delivery:

David Coplen, the state office's budget director, said he found out pizza delivery lists are one of the best sources such companies use to locate people.

"There are literally millions of dollars of uncollected fines, fees and court costs out there," Coplen said.

How much?

A sampling in January of just three of Missouri's 114 counties found about $2 million owed to courts by people whose Social Security numbers were known, Coplen said. That finding suggests courts statewide could reap significant revenue once Dallas-based ACS Inc. goes to work later this month pursuing people using phone numbers and addresses.

Databases compiled by private companies and government agencies are a key tool for firms such as ACS, Coplen said, and "one of the databases they find to be most helpful are pizza delivery databases."

"When you call to order a pizza, you usually give them your correct name, your correct address and your correct phone number," he said.

But we're being told not to worry just yet. The company still hasn't put this system to use. And some pizza chains, such as Domino's have indicated that they won't sell information collected in the course of deliveries.

Hmm. This sounds very familiar. And is it not a coincidence that John Ashcroft calls Missouri home?

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Tags: Oddities