Unreachable by any other means, an unnamed Australian couple attempting to hide from a defaulted home loan will be served a legally-binding court notice through the one thing their debt collectors did manage to track down: their Facebook profiles.

The Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court approved the unusual request, filed by lawyers working for lender MKM Capital, last week after numerous attempts to contact the couple at their home and e-mail address failed.

By the time court’s approval was finalized, however, the couple’s Facebook profiles disappeared – reportedly closed or made private, according to an AP report.

Lawyer Mark McCormack of law firm Meyer Vandenberg Lawyers, who initiated the request on behalf of MKM Capital, convinced the court that the couple’s Facebook accounts were authentic after pointing out that the each posted names and birth dates matched information on file, and that each account listed the other as a friend.

In addition to serving the couple notice via Facebook, the court ordered McCormack to send a copy to the couple’s unresponsive e-mail address, as well as their last known residence. His client is attempting to collect on a 100,000 AUD ($66,940 US) home loan.

“We believe it's certainly the first time in Australia... and we haven't heard of it being done anywhere internationally,” said Meyer Vandenberg representative Archie Tsirimokos.

“[Facebook is] somewhat novel, however we do see it as a valid method of bringing the matter to the attention of the defendant,” said McCormack.

“I think the courts will continue to adopt it on a case by case basis … They will need to assure themselves that it is reasonably likely to bring [decisions] to the attention of the parties concerned.”

Australian courts approved the use of SMS in subpoenaing Australian rugby player Sonny Bill Williams earlier this year, after word surfaced that he had disappeared following defection to a French team.

Meanwhile, Australia isn’t the only country allowing official business on 100,000,000 strong Facebook: British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS, also known as MI6) recruiters are reportedly using Facebook to bolster their recruiting efforts, citing hopes at reaching a larger and more varied pool of job candidates. An MI6 spokesperson said the site was merely the most recent in a “number of channels” that the organization is using in its recruitment efforts.