using a different name when buying items

[gero456t]

hi,

i was wondering is it illegal and could you be charged for using a different name when buying items?

like if you go to get your hair cut and they ask you what your name is and you say you wouldn't like to give it out but they said they have to have one.

what if you give out John Han<kock or give some other generic name like billy bob because you don't like giving out your name.

could you possibly be charged with something?

keep in mind these are not government agencies or financial institutions but more like pizza parlors, video game stores, etc.

where you are clearly not trying to impersonate someone else you just don't want to give out your real name.

 

[sandyclaus]

hi,

i was wondering is it illegal and could you be charged for using a different name when buying items?

like if you go to get your hair cut and they ask you what your name is and you say you wouldn't like to give it out but they said they have to have one.

what if you give out John Han... or give some other generic name like billy bob because you don't like giving out your name.

could you possibly be charged with something?

keep in mind these are not government agencies or financial institutions but more like pizza parlors, video game stores, etc.

where you are clearly not trying to impersonate someone else you just don't want to give out your real name.

As long as the business isn't asking for other personally identifying information, such as an address or phone number, why would you hesitate in giving a name?

But no, I don't believe that it would necessarily be considered illegal to do so.

 

[gero456t]

As long as the business isn't asking for other personally identifying information, such as an address or phone number, why would you hesitate in giving a name?

But no, I don't believe that it would necessarily be considered illegal to do so.

thank you for the reply. if it helps the reason why i ask is because i am being stalked by someone very well connected who could ask one of their friends who works at the company i am buying something at to look me up.

again thank you for the reply.

i would like to hear some more opinions on the legality of this.

 

[justalayman]

it is illegal to use a name, other than your legal name, to commit fraud or some other crime. Other than that, you are not obligated to use your real name in most situations. Of course, if you use a fictitious name and then later have to prove your identity as that person you are going to have a problem proving it. The laws are state specific and I do not see your state named so it is not possible to give you anything close to definitive.

 

[gero456t]

it is illegal to use a name, other than your legal name, to commit fraud or some other crime. Other than that, you are not obligated to use your real name in most situations. Of course, if you use a fictitious name and then later have to prove your identity as that person you are going to have a problem proving it. The laws are state specific and I do not see your state named so it is not possible to give you anything close to definitive.

would it be considered fraud if you use a different name to get your hair cut, buy a pizza...pretty much anything that involves you just buying something.

obviously not buying a house or car or other big money item though.

 

[justalayman]

gero456t;3161719]would it be considered fraud if you use a different name to get your hair cut, buy a pizza...pretty much anything that involves you just buying something.

let me ask you this: do you think Lady Gaga is in jeopardy of being arrested if she calls out for a pizza and tells them her name is Lady Gaga? Seriously, you are getting to worried about nothing here.

obviously not buying a house or car or other big money item though.

It isn't actually the "big money" being the concern. It is if you use a name to commit fraud, that is what is illegal, whether it involves a million dollars or a buck ninety-five.

 

[CdwJava]

would it be considered fraud if you use a different name to get your hair cut, buy a pizza...pretty much anything that involves you just buying something.

obviously not buying a house or car or other big money item though.

Sooo ... do you believe that the person who is stalking you has the connections to look up your name in such a diverse set of businesses? And that somehow the name will allow them to find you? And that these connections might be willing to lose their jobs or be prosecuted for criminal offenses just to provide the name to your stalker?

Most places I have been to ask for a first name. That first name is not likely to do a stalker any good unless yours is such a unique name that it stands out.

No, it's not a crime to offer up an alias or a fake name in such circumstances, but I am concerned that you might think someone is stalking you so seriously that this thought concerns you. When you reported this stalking to the police, what did they tell you? And just WHO is this stalker?

 

[FlyingRon]

I had a friend who had a rather difficult eastern European name. When ordering takeout food she always gave her name as "Mrs. Fine." This worked great for years until one time she tried to pay for food with a check. The proprietor of the chineese restaurant couldn't figure out why Mrs. Fine's check had some strange name on them.

 

[dave33]

would it be considered fraud if you use a different name to get your hair cut, buy a pizza...pretty much anything that involves you just buying something.

obviously not buying a house or car or other big money item though.

When ordering pizza you can use any name you want. Since you can use any name you may as well be creative. goodluck.

 

[Mass_Shyster]

There could be consequences to using a false name.

There is a case recently argued before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court where someone went to a doctor and used a false name. His license to carry a concealed weapon was revoked, in part due to his use of this false name. The argument was that he had answered "NO" to the question on his application where it asked "Have you ever been known by another name".

It's a stretch, but it can happen.

 

[FlyingRon]

Getting caught LYING on a government form about aliases is a different issue than just using them in commerce.

 

[Mass_Shyster]

Getting caught LYING on a government form about aliases is a different issue than just using them in commerce.

In this case, the "no" on the form came before the use of the alias.

 

[Indiana Filer]

I'm Esmeralda at several local restaurants where they ask for a name. That's all they want is a name to call out when the food is ready.

My friend works for a multi-state company that deals in storage spaces. They had a guy call in the other day wanting to close out his unit and get a refund on his pre-paid rent. No problem. They'll just issue the refund in the name he used to rent the unit. Unfortunately for the customer, he used a false name when he rented the unit, and can't cash the check, since he won't have ID in that name.

That's not the problem of the storage company. That's a problem that renter who gave the false name will have to deal with.

 

[dave33]

I wonder how many cases are actually prosecuted when someone gives a fake name with no intent to gain anything? One in a billion, maybe.
If you look hard enough you can find a case to support just about any "logic".
When looking at this scenario from a common sense and/or realistic standpoint, I think giving the o.p. the impression that being prosecuted is not something
he should be losing sleep over is realistic.

 

[justalayman]

Maybe I should worry since I'm not using my real name when I post here. What do ya think?


when I go to burger king and they ask for my name I tell them it's Achmed. When asked how to spell it, I spell it just like Jeff Dunham does.

A C phlegm....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwcyq2hdMik

about that time they often realize my name is on my coat and they go; Ah, your name is [my name]. At that time I say no, it's really Phil. Then they point out that my name is on my coat after which I tell them my name is Phil, I stole [my name]'s coat. About that time they give up.

So, do I have to worry about BK having me arrested?