How? I cannot take the credit on this at all Joe, it was another long time and respected domainer who contacted me. If he wished to post he is welcome to because of his honesty and nose for red flags he has helped us all.
How exactly are he or we able to determine a name may be stolen? Be alert, look for red flags and follow up. For example a 20 year old name does not suddenly have an invalid address, number, free email and fake looking name, red flags! By simply using whois history tool one can do a look see at recent activity. This falls under category of due diligence as well. I never as a buyer just take the reg/admin email, owner name etc for what it is, confirm confirm confirm! Also a name that is under valued is usually a red flag as well when coupled with the above. Do not let greed blind you because you will lose your money!
The main reason people alert me to what they find as well as they look to buy is they know I am very capable of finding hard to reach people and not just alerting them but helping them recover.
So Joe, be alert!