Blog : Using your real name on the internet...

2294 posts
1/11/2015 7:13 am

Using your real name on the internet...

The internet appears to be filled with all kinds of bad elements. Two examples: Men in Ghana pretending to be women and attempting to get men in other countries to send them money to finance a love relationship. Scammers pretending to be some agency claiming you didn't make an important payment and subject to police arrest if you don't click the (fraudulent link) and make an immediate payment. This week, a CPA I know has been telling her the IRS doesn't phone you demanding your credit card number to satisfy a missed payment. The bad part is people are falling for this scam. I know dating scammers often use a formal introduction with their first & last name. That would (falsely) suggest to the reading you are dealing with a well mannered person. I've also seen members use their real names as profile names. That's nice, but some fall prey to scammers this way. I dislike filling out surveys, especially when they ask for my personal information. I bought a new car last year and all sorts of mail started coming to my house. I call them parasites as they attach themselves to the car manufacturer offering all sorts of discounts and free offers. The dealer asked for my e-mail address when I made an appointment for service and right after I started getting e-mail offers from unknown businesses. I phoned the manufacturer to complain about the dealer and the e-mails stopped. Whenever I get the chance, I'll use a bogus name when filling out a request for information just to see what other things come back from it. So... my poll is asking if you... . . .
	Always use your real information on the internet.
	Sometimes use your real information on the internet.
	Rarely use your real information on the internet.

chatillion 71M

1569 posts
1/11/2015 5:06 pm

I didn't.

I thought YOU did.

chatillion 71M

1569 posts
1/12/2015 4:04 pm

SF, I see you re-posted and POOF!
It wasn't me.

chatillion 71M

1569 posts
1/13/2015 3:49 am

wo... they have the ability to spoof phone numbers. A few years ago, a niece of mine was about to default on a car loan and they were calling me daily (despite my insistence not knowing her whereabouts) trying to track her down. Right after one of their calls, her name and number shows up on my caller ID... but she wasn't at the other end. I answer my calls normally... I didn't let on anything about her.
A week or so later she phoned from a different number and said the number I had was changed long before the call.

To answer your question... I honestly don't know, but I suspect some of their practices are not allowed.