Josh T. lives in Destin, Florida. One day, he was standing outside a bank when a concerned citizen called the police to check on him.
Police arrived to conduct a welfare check on Josh because he appeared to be passed out.
After arriving, police asked Josh for his identification.
Josh provided police with a social security card and other forms of identification.
The problem was that the identifications were all under the name Patrick Pearson, and unfortunately for Josh, Patrick had an active warrant for identity theft.
Police initially assumed the IDs were legitimate, however, while Josh was being booked at the jail deputies realized he’d actually provided false information.
He was charged with possession of a forged driver’s license and giving false identity to police.
“If you give law enforcement fake identification—make sure it’s not someone with an active warrant,” the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said.
Now, these days, many people use fake information when creating an account for websites.
For instance, some people might use a fake email address or even a fake home address.
Sometimes websites demand incredibly private information…
And the last thing you want is detailed data to fall into the hands of hackers, which is why some people choose to give websites false information.
“It’s a common technique for individuals to use false or pseudonymous contact information and birthdays and other personal details,” according to the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
There is no question that there can be good reasons to give a website fake information, but it’s good to keep both the pros and cons in mind.
Pros:
One benefit of providing fake information is that it’s very easy to do.
Big companies like Facebook, and Google are a few websites where users can enter fake data with little chance of getting caught.
“I usually do not use my name, if it is something that is not required or public facing,” said one cyber security expert.
These companies aren’t going to come after you for using false information.
Technically, they can terminate your account, but it’s rarely done for giving false info.
When you give a website a false name, email, or phone number it protects that data from being used by hackers.
Another benefit of using fake information is that it prevents you from receiving unwanted emails or calls.
Many websites collect personal data for advertising, so when you give them fake information it limits the data they collect about your habits and preferences.
Lastly, using false information can provide anonymity.
If you use social media or participate in online gaming, you might not want others to know your true identity.
Cons:
The main drawback of giving out phony personal details is that if you get locked out of the website it’s tough to get new access credentials.
For instance, if you forget your password the website might reset it by sending an email or text to the data you provided.
But if this information is fake, then you wouldn’t be getting the new credentials, and you could lose your access.
Also, even if you provide fake information, sometimes you just won’t remember it, which again is not great if you get locked out.
Depending on the security of the website, they could ask for a government ID to provide access to the account, your real ID wouldn’t match the fake data you used.
Since using fake information can be a breach of the terms of service for many websites, it could lead to your account being suspended.
So, if the website is critical for you to use it might not be worth using false information.
Ultimately, using fake information seems like a good idea to protect your privacy.
But it comes with risks of getting locked out of the website.
And it’s just one way of shielding your private information from being stolen or hacked.
