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I don’t think I’ve ever used a fake name to order anything online.
I can understand doing it for something potentially embarrassing or compromising, but until I saw this post it never even crossed my mind that there might be people that do it as a matter of course.
Same here. If it ever got lost or I had to pick it up from the post office, it'd be pretty hard to prove I'm Fred Flintstone.
c/privacy has joined the chat
My name is on the credit card, so shipping it to a fake name isn’t doing anything but potentially drawing attention to myself.
privacy.com is available if you're in he US
But this is essentially shifting trust to them instead. Its like a VPN, but for payments. But given the nature of anti-money-laundering laws, its only safe from like amazon or your bank (provided you trust privacy.com to not sell your data); The government can definitely have no issues supoena all your purchases.
That and amazon lockers means you can kinda keep purchases somewhat secret. Like um.. adult stuff 😏
My bank transactions already have my name plastered on every single one, and I certainly don't want any trouble with my courier due to me using a false name, so I don't do it. This doesn't mean that I don't make sure not to share my name online at all times.
Nice try, Rob.
Don't do that. It can be a huge headache if any problems come up and you need to prove you are, well, you.
I use my real name, but I'll put the business as my middle name. So when l get an email saying "Dear John StoreName Doe", I'll know who either got hacked or sold my info.
My name is Walter ~~Hartwell~~ Los Pollos Hermanos White, if you are watching this, I'm probably dead, murder by my brother in law, Hank Alberquerque DEA Schrader
I do similar, but with an email alias instead. I sign up with storename@my.domain and it all just routes to my main inbox. This way, I know if an email comes in that I never asked for, I can see what company sold my information and stop using them.
You can also do this with lots of email accounts like Gmail - myemail+storename@gmail.com goes to myemail@google.com but lets you easily filter and see who sells/leaked/got hacked your data.
I used to do that as well, but most spamers have caught on and strip that out first.
Can't use a false name on the payment options, so I don't even bother with the address.
Order food through an app, though, half of these things never let me enter a name and just use what is associated with the email I signed up with. So everything uses a nick name/alias and not my real name, since none of my email accounts use my real name for the real name field.
Yes you can use false names for billing info… zip code is often the only thing US processors check so if that’s right it’ll go through.
It depends entirely on the payment processor. Some will fail if the name and/or address doesn't match what's on file for the card.
I've spent a long phone call at a day job with a payment failing until the person remembered that their card was held by their birth name rather than their married name, and the payment went through once that was corrected.
What kind of restaurant asks for your name? In the restaurants I worked the only times I needed a name was to put on a reservation and it was just for reference, you could make a reservation to the color blue, as long there weren't two groups with the same name we didn't care.
If it's being judged by people when you order food that you're worried about, how does using a different name affect that at all? You're still there ordering the same food.
The main thing is, nobody who sells or delivers food for a living actually gives a serious shit what you order. Just tip well.
First time I ever order something from Amazon I used my user online user name Pac-Rat and couldn’t figure out why USPS put a hold on my package. When It arrived with Pacrat??? On the shipping label (and a week late) clued me in on what was wrong so I can’t recommend you do this for the sake of postal workers sanity.
Years ago I used to sign up for free samples of things (found on a freebees sub) using the name Freema Balczak, because then I'd know if one of them sold my info... but mostly for shits and giggles.
I use a fake name at restaurants and fast food, and if I know something is coming via FedEx or UPS, I also use a fake name for that too. Unfortunately USPS will only deliver packages to the listed names at your address, or I would use a fake name for everything.
Why ?
I’ve lived in several states and USPS doesn’t care about your name. They want your legal name written on the mailbox (and will usually write it down if you don’t when you move in), but they will deliver to any ass name. I’ve used fake names for everything ever for a long time now and only had a problem once with an international shipment. You can mail random ass name to random ass address and they’ll put it at the address.
If USPS fails to deliver an international item that requires a signature, you need to show ID if they don’t try to redeliver. And your name must match or they won’t give it to you.
In my case, it was something that didn’t require a signature and even had a “no signature required” sticker on it from the sender because they do that enough apparently. And the USPS didn’t try to deliver it cause I have a cam. So the USPS person just gave it to me and told me to not fuck up again on international shipments and that was that!
In short, fake name good at all times except on international orders that require a signature.
I think it depends. I’ve noticed in newer developments that yes, they’ll only deliver to names of known recipients.
But I’ve also lived in old-ass places most of my life and I can’t get them to stop delivering mail for someone who hasn’t lived here in 5+ years.
My gloriously unionized USPS workers are hella pissed that I continue to write “no longer at address” on mail for the umpteen people who have previously lived where I am now. I will occasionally get mail with “or current resident” underlined many, many times because it was misdelivered and that person sent it back, and they think I tried to “no longer address” it I guess.
I lived in a newer development a few years ago and they didn’t care about names there either. Sad to hear new-new is different.
Overall, if your USPS just wants to jettison mail at an address, using a fake name is great. I get spam for shit with a fake name and I can see who sold my info (and ditch them). I get emails like “Shitbob Jimbo, we stole your identity and hacked your email and computer and it’s joever for you, believe us because we know your name.” Little do they know I’m really Jimshit Bimbo and forever elusive
I have my Amazon orders come to a fake name to differentiate from my wife who orders under my name. I'm not saying you're wrong, but there is clearly a loophole.
For things involving payments, the info should probably be real but I might use only a first name if I can get away with it. And if it's asking for an address for no good reason I'll give a fake address in the same city. No one's ever asked me for a name in a restaurant.
Fake name and email and virtual card, unless legally required to give my real info. Businesses get hacked all of the time and i dont trust them.
Also all of the grocery cards are all fake names too.
Martavius Garantus Hawthorne IV is my real name, officer.
Brumblebury Zoibbbble checking in!
Depends.
Digital stuff? If I can my online nickname.
Is it personal? I will maybe use real name
Physical? Obviously legal name.
