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Am I asking for too much?

Schmarvin

Cross Industries
NLC
For over two years, I've always asked clients, whether they be free or paid ones, to provide valid personal account information in the system. Now, just recently, I've begun to receive fraud orders, so I mark them as fraud in the system. Some of those are actually real people who lied about themselves. In my terms, it states my stand on fraud. We don't tolerate it. Clients are complaining that they should not have to provide these details. But, last year I had no problem. So, I wanted to ask everyone here if I should remove some of the requirements.
 
My thought has always been that if they need to lie then I do not need them. You are not only protecting yourself but your other clients.
 
Paying clients complaining or free???
From my experience its the free ones that tend to whine about it, like they do everything.

I would stick to your guns and keep gathering the information, if they don't like it they can go somewhere else and that why you are more likely to have valid data on someone that breaks the law using your hosting.
 
I give them another chance if that happened after some days of hosting period. But if it happened in the signup, then OF COURSE NOT!
 
In my opinion, They have no place on the host if they cannot provide accurate information. Who is to say that they aren't planning on c99/c100'in the host or any other malicious means, if they didn't provide true valid information. How would you persue them?

Those who do provide valid information, you at least have a trust that they aren't gonna be as destructive or abusive as the invalids
 
Well, thanks for the comments. I'll continue as I've been doing since it doesn't affect my paying customers.
 
It'll just cause them to go somewhere, and since they're free clients. Who cares?

Like everyone has said, you're bound to get genuine free clients if you provide those sorts of details.
 
Traditionally I use fake info when signing up for free services online in order to protect my own identity, as there are a lot of fraudulent free services out there and I would prefer not to leave my own info exposed to such things. Something like hosting I would use the real thing for emergency contact reasons, but not everyone might think that. Anything that I am paying for I use real info on just because there's always paypal transaction logs to prove that it took place and make it easier to find the person/company responsible if it is necessary.

It's a matter of trust really. While it is much preferred on both ends that people do use legitimate info, a lot of people are hesitant to trust a free service they just signed up for. Many of them will later on go back and edit their info to the correct values after using the service for some time and acknowledging that it is legitimate.

I noticed that too on my web hosting though, a lot of signups are processed using false names.
 
Traditionally I use fake info when signing up for free services online in order to protect my own identity

Isn't this still illegal to do? Even if you think you're protecting your own identity, it can be classed as ID fraud (even with made up info)?
 
Traditionally I use fake info when signing up for free services online in order to protect my own identity, as there are a lot of fraudulent free services out there and I would prefer not to leave my own info exposed to such things. Something like hosting I would use the real thing for emergency contact reasons, but not everyone might think that. Anything that I am paying for I use real info on just because there's always paypal transaction logs to prove that it took place and make it easier to find the person/company responsible if it is necessary.

It's a matter of trust really. While it is much preferred on both ends that people do use legitimate info, a lot of people are hesitant to trust a free service they just signed up for. Many of them will later on go back and edit their info to the correct values after using the service for some time and acknowledging that it is legitimate.

I noticed that too on my web hosting though, a lot of signups are processed using false names.

Yes, that is what I have done multiple times, but I will often use believable fake names and an address to a house I used to live in. For the phone number I tend to change the last 4 digits. I have had more problems with my IP saying I live in a different state when using real info than the fake info.
 
Isn't this still illegal to do? Even if you think you're protecting your own identity, it can be classed as ID fraud (even with made up info)?

I'd have to look that up now that you mention it. Probably wouldn't be able to hold a fraud charge over it in a courtroom because you cannot possibly be absolutely certain the information you are giving will only be used in the intended manner. Giving somebody else's information definitely is and would stick, but using fabricated data might not be in scenarios where the legitimacy of it is not important or there's a trust issue with the service in question.

Ultimately it comes down to what kind of service it is and how it is used. Anything involving money you absolutely have to use real info or it's definitely fraud, while free services it might not be or not even matter depending on what it is. For instance I have a 6 year old MSN account that was registered under an internet alias when I was 16. I still use that for signing up to online services that could potentially send a lot of junk emails to me so I don't have to sort through all the spam to find important messages like bank notifications.

Like I said though, web hosting people should use real info that way if anything happens they can be notified of it.
 
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This may sound wrong to some but free clients should have no preference in the matter, as long as you are providing them with legitimate services you should be able to have their real contact info just like Seraphim said, just in case you need to contact them. I'm guessing this is something that will happen a lot more in the "free" environment than paid web hosting.
 
This may sound wrong to some but free clients should have no preference in the matter, as long as you are providing them with legitimate services you should be able to have their real contact info just like Seraphim said, just in case you need to contact them. I'm guessing this is something that will happen a lot more in the "free" environment than paid web hosting.

You are right on that. free hosting is the one who should use it more but many free hosts do not as it tends to drive away many users. on my host i dont require valid details unless they request shell access then i require a valid copy of their id. i may start a host in the future that requires valid information and such to compare results to how its run now.
 
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