They asked for my “real” name. I said no.
Guest post by Jack Rhysider.
I tried to order a new guitar from [redacted] the other day. But it all went wrong.
First is the shipping address. I use a PMB1 and set it up so I can use a false name to order things online. I don’t like my name being associated with the things I buy.
Next is the billing address. I used Privacy.com2 to create a virtual card3 just for this purchase. The virtual cards don’t have a name associated to it, or address. So when it was time to enter in my billing details the form required a name and address be entered. I tried to skip those fields but they were required. Since the card has no name or address associated with it, I just made up some name and address.
Then of course the checkout process required an email and phone number. So I created an email address using SimpleLogin4 just for this one purchase. Which I will delete or disable as soon as I get my new guitar.
Lastly, a phone number was also required to check out. So I grabbed one of the virtual phone numbers I have on Cloaked.com5 and threw it in, and hit purchase.
I got an email saying my order has been placed. And I saw my card was charged and the transaction was settled. Great.
A few days later I look at Cloaked, and there’s a voice mail waiting for me. They tried to leave a message for the made up name on used on the billing address, they wanted to confirm that person did in fact make the order.
I called them back. Asked what the problem was. They asked, “who am I speaking with?” Well this is awkward. Neither the billing or shipping address name is under my real name. Do I give them my real name, or one of the fake names I used? I gave him the name I put on the shipping address.
He then asked “well who’s this other person under the billing address?”
I said “That’s nobody. That’s just a name I made up.”
Silence. I think I heard him shift the phone to the other ear. “Excuse me”, he said, “nobody?”
“Yes that’s right, the card I used to purchase this guitar, does not have a name associated with. Yet your form field to check out requires me to put a name. So I just made up a name. I mean what would you do? So, there is no such person with that name, but that doesn’t matter since the name isn’t required to authorize this card transaction.”
He then said “Well what about this billing address? You see, the reason your order was halted is because the billing address and shipping address don’t match. So our fraud team halted the order to verify the billing address.”
I said “I see, well, that address also doesn’t exist. It’s also something I made up. Again, the card I used doesn’t have any address associated with it, yet your form field required me to put something in, so I just made something up.”
He said “I don’t understand, how can a credit card not have a name or address associated with it? What bank do you use?”
I said “Ok well. First of all, gift cards9 don’t have addresses or names.”
“Oh so you used a gift card?”
“Not exactly. No. I used a virtual card.3“
Silence. “I don’t understand.”
I took a breath. “Listen, it’s 2025, credit card theft is at an all time high. It’s not safe to shop online with the credit card you carry around in your pocket. How do I know what you’re going to do with my card? Are you going to save it in a database? Sell it to others? Or let it get exposed in a breach? It’s on me to secure my money. So I used a virtual card3 on your site. I created a single use card, just to buy something from your store, which has already settled and money has been transferred and I’m going to delete it as soon as I get the guitar. The service I use to create virtual cards is Privacy.com.2“
Silence. I heard him sigh in frustration.
Then he asked, “So what about this email address is this yours?”
At this point I laughed. “I made that email just to shop on your site. I do have access to it. Again I’m not sure what you do with emails you collect so I made one I can destroy when I’m done buying this guitar.”
Then he asked, “and this phone number, is it yours?”
I chuckled more because, it is very odd to try to confirm my identity that I just made up for this purchase. “I have control and access to that phone number. But I may discard it soon as well.”
He suddenly had a change of spirit. He had a new plan and said “Listen, I’m going to update your billing details with your real details, your real name and address, and send this over to the billing team so they can verify it’s ok.”
I said, “No need to update the billing details, just tell them you spoke with me, and everything was ok.”
He said “No, they are very strict, if it doesn’t check out exactly as they want it, they’ll cancel the order. The billing and shipping addresses8 have to match or they reject it.”
I said “That sounds a bit extreme, but ok, you do it the way you want.”
He said “Ok bye.” and he sounded eager to get off the phone.
The next day I got word that the guitar has shipped and is on it’s way.
Editor’s note
The moral of the story is that a purchase needs two things, payment and a place to send it. Use privacy tools that let you control your personal information, so that you don’t have to share unnecessary details with the hundreds of merchants you interact with every year. Let’s stop treating a shopping cart like a background check and make minimal disclosure the standard.
Privacy is normal, and the more people who use PMBs, aliases, VoIP numbers, and masked cards, the more normal it becomes.
Services mentioned in the article
(none of these are show sponsors, just tools that I also use that can help you protect your privacy when making purchases online)
1 PMB (Private Mailbox): A mailbox you rent from a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA). It provides a real street address with a unit number, so major postal carriers can deliver there. Useful when you do not want your home address tied to purchases or you need signed deliveries. Ask the provider if you can list an alternate recipient name; you usually designate authorized recipients when opening the box. The UPS Store is a CMRA where you can rent a PMB, and there are often local CMRA options in most towns. This is different from a PO Box, which is run by USPS, located inside a post office, and generally accepts USPS deliveries only.
2 Privacy.com: A virtual card service for creating merchant-locked or single-use credit card numbers, setting spend caps, and pausing or closing cards after a purchase. Helps block fraudulent charges if anyone gets access to your number in a breach.
3 Virtual card: Privacy.com is an example of a virtual card service, but there are many services that offer virtual cards, such as Mysudo.com A virtual card is a credit card number you create on demand, often with per-merchant or single-use settings and spending limits. Limits damage from breaches and de-links purchases across sites.
4 SimpleLogin.com: An email-alias service (integrated with Proton.me) that lets you create a unique alias for each merchant. Messages forward to your real inbox, and you can disable any alias that leaks or starts getting spam.
5 Cloaked.com: A multi-purpose privacy platform, that offers unlimited VoIP number generation. It allows you to generate unique phone numbers and emails for each site. Calls and texts forward to you, and you can mute or delete any identity when you are done with that relationship.
6 Email alias: A unique email address you generate for a specific site. You keep control over the inbox while keeping your real address private. Easy to disable later. SimpleLogin is an email-alias provider owned by Proton (acquired 2022) and integrated into Proton’s ecosystem. It powers aliases in Proton Pass and works with Proton Mail while remaining usable as a standalone service.
7 VoIP number: A phone number that runs over the internet. Use one number per merchant instead of your personal cell to prevent cross-site linkage and reduce doxxing risk.
8 Billing vs. shipping address (AVS): Merchants often use Address Verification System checks that compare the billing address to what the card issuer has on file. Mismatches can trigger manual review or holds, especially when using cards not tied to a fixed address.
9 Gift card: A prepaid card generally not tied to your identity. Works at many online stores, though it may fail AVS checks and have usage limits.
Yours in privacy,
Naomi
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