Am I going to be fined/investigated for internet fraud?

[3.1415]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

California

Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

So anyways, I was playing a prank on one of my friends (online, not in real life), and I went to his thread on an online auction site for gaming accounts under a fake name and tried to impersonate a "middleman" to see what type of things I could do before breaking it to him and returning everything.

However, he/she went to the site administrators for confirmation, and filed a complaint on IC3.gov for internet fraud before I could get anywhere.

As far as I understand, making a fake email address is not a valid form of identity theft, as I lack all types of information that would put me under that type category, such as I never introduced a credit card or any sort of identifying information that I could have supposedly "stolen" from the real person.

So now, the person I was attempting to impersonate for fun (have no idea who he is), and 2 websites supposedly have my "IP address" information, and it is really starting to freak me out that some sort of fine is going to land in the mailbox.

I am in fact a minor, and I seriously don't need the FBI or some sort of law enforcement investigating me for a failed prank.

I have a dynamic IP address, so changing the IP address of my household is an option, but I was wondering how seriously people take these cases. Will the people from the sites or the government trace the IP address down to my neighborhood and mail fines or whatnot?

There was no monetary gain or loss, no other sort of gain or loss, just getting a fake name banned from the site and making me super paranoid. I am not legally able to be charged for identity theft, and making a new email address cannot possibly be a form of that.

So, to sum everything up:

-Can they trace my household and send fines just from the IP address supposedly recorded by the sites?
-Is this serious enough for me to be in legal trouble?
-Is changing my IP address necessary?
-Am I subject to law enforcement monitoring from this incident?

I'm just some kid who needs to know whether I ruined my future or not.

Thanks everyone

 

[quincy]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

California

Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

So anyways, I was playing a prank on one of my friends (online, not in real life), and I went to his thread on an online auction site for gaming accounts under a fake name and tried to impersonate a "middleman" to see what type of things I could do before breaking it to him and returning everything.

However, he/she went to the site administrators for confirmation, and filed a complaint on IC3.gov for internet fraud before I could get anywhere.

As far as I understand, making a fake email address is not a valid form of identity theft, as I lack all types of information that would put me under that type category, such as I never introduced a credit card or any sort of identifying information that I could have supposedly "stolen" from the real person.

So now, the person I was attempting to impersonate for fun (have no idea who he is), and 2 websites supposedly have my "IP address" information, and it is really starting to freak me out that some sort of fine is going to land in the mailbox.

I am in fact a minor, and I seriously don't need the FBI or some sort of law enforcement investigating me for a failed prank.

I have a dynamic IP address, so changing the IP address of my household is an option, but I was wondering how seriously people take these cases. Will the people from the sites or the government trace the IP address down to my neighborhood and mail fines or whatnot?

There was no monetary gain or loss, no other sort of gain or loss, just getting a fake name banned from the site and making me super paranoid. I am not legally able to be charged for identity theft, and making a new email address cannot possibly be a form of that.

So, to sum everything up:

-Can they trace my household and send fines just from the IP address supposedly recorded by the sites?
-Is this serious enough for me to be in legal trouble?
-Is changing my IP address necessary?
-Am I subject to law enforcement monitoring from this incident?

I'm just some kid who needs to know whether I ruined my future or not.

Thanks everyone

What can be done and what will be done are two separate things. I doubt you have "ruined" your future with this stunt of yours but I suggest you learn how to behave on a computer or do not use a computer at all.

If visited by the police, it would be smart for you to say nothing except that you wish to remain silent and that all questions should be directed to your attorney. Then get an attorney. If you are served with a complaint indicating you are being sued, find an attorney to help you deal with it.

 

[xylene]

Personally, I am more inclined to believe you are 'trying out' a story of prank on your friend when in reality you were colluding (directly or indirectly) with him in stealing from a third party, but what quincy says is excellent advice.

 

[3.1415]

Personally, I am more inclined to believe you are 'trying out' a story of prank on your friend when in reality you were colluding (directly or indirectly) with him in stealing from a third party, but what quincy says is excellent advice.

I wish that were the case, but unfortunately, I wouldn't be on here if I was still in my preparation phase.

I'm aware that IP checks can only zone in so much, and for a small case such as this with no actual losses raises my main question on whether this case is serious enough that they will actually check house by house or whatnot to find the perpetrator.

I am relatively certain I am not guilty of identity theft, because nowhere do I obtain information on credit cards or sensitive information of any kind, and I am simply asking whether my "stunt" is enough to trigger a legitimate investigation concerning this just because a case was filed on a government website. They have no way of knowing where my address is or any of my information at all apart from the IP address they supposedly recorded. The real question is if whoever goes through the cases on ic3.gov will bother going through my IP information to find a general location when no other sort of information has been acquired. And as I said, our internet plan is dynamic, and therefore, I am bound to end up with a new IP address sooner or later.

I am unsure of how relevant the complaint is compared to the rest that flow through the website.

And in regards to Quincy, after this scare, I am most definitely closing up my "experimenting" at this point.

 

[quincy]

I wish that were the case, but unfortunately, I wouldn't be on here if I was still in my preparation phase.

I'm aware that IP checks can only zone in so much, and for a small case such as this with no actual losses raises my main question on whether this case is serious enough that they will actually check house by house or whatnot to find the perpetrator.

I am relatively certain I am not guilty of identity theft, because nowhere do I obtain information on credit cards or sensitive information of any kind, and I am simply asking whether my "stunt" is enough to trigger a legitimate investigation concerning this just because a case was filed on a government website. They have no way of knowing where my address is or any of my information at all apart from the IP address they supposedly recorded. The real question is if whoever goes through the cases on ic3.gov will bother going through my IP information to find a general location when no other sort of information has been acquired. And as I said, our internet plan is dynamic, and therefore, I am bound to end up with a new IP address sooner or later.

I am unsure of how relevant the complaint is compared to the rest that flow through the website.

And in regards to Quincy, after this scare, I am most definitely closing up my "experimenting" at this point.

An ic3 complaint of the type that would have been filed over your "prank" will be turned over to California authorities to handle. Because state resources are limited, I will hazard a guess and say that not much will come from it. If there is any investigation at all, it will probably be of no depth. There will be no house-to-house search for you. Based on what you have described, in other words, I do not think you have to worry about the police knocking on your door.

Of course, if the police DO knock on your door, worry (and contact an attorney).

I think you are smart to give up your life of crime now. Trying to impersonate others for any reason is generally a very very bad idea (unless you are a comedian and get paid for your impersonations).

Good luck, pi.

 

[CdwJava]

He can make a complaint to IC3, but, having experience with them, I can say that this is well below their radar. Unless you, your IP, or this scam, is otherwise on their radar screen, they will do little more than file any complaint. The local police are almost certainly not going to come to your door, and the FBI won't be bothered with this.