not an expert, but I think that possession of a fake I.D. is illegal. Also, stay away from phony SSN's. With I.D. theft and the sale of SSN's to illegal immigrants on the rise, Uncle Sugar is really touchy about that sort of thing. You can stay anonymous to a certain extent, but eventually you will have to use your real ID for some things.

-- Modified on 7/9/2009 3:29:07 PM

Having a fake ID is illegal. Getting caught with one is a serious crime. Also, you won't be able to check in to any hotel without a credit card that has the same name as your ID.

I'm not going to speak for the ladies here but I can tell you that both of my favs, who have been at this for many ears, use their real name when they check into a hotel. The paper trail that you leave is not as important as the way you conduct yourself. Checking into a hotel is not against the law.  Be discreet with your clients and with the hotel staff.  Drawing unwanted attention to yourself is what will get you in trouble. Using fake identification will only get you into more trouble.

IFAke ID is a definate NO.. NO..

People check into Hotels all the time. Even if they live in the same city for personal reasons .  A great place to meet without giving up personal privacy.

I just bought an AmEx gift card (to use to pay for a TER VIP membership — I'm waiting for TER's clock to reach midnight so my first VIP day will last more than a few hours) and the Cardholder Agreement says only that you have to sign the back of the card and then, when you use it to pay for something, sign the receipt. (It doesn't say what to do if you try to use it online, but someone asked earlier on this board that you can get a TER VIP membership with a gift card.) If you call customer service, they may ask for your info, though.

As for a no-contract phone, I posted a reply to someone else on the subject a few days ago. I've posted a link to that below.

I'm brand new to this site and this hobby, but I can pass this on.  I wanted to sign up for VIP but I'm trying to do as much of this as anonymously as possible.  I purchased a $100 VanillaVisa prepaid card to use, but TER's online billing service, ccBill, declined the card on multiple attempts.  Instead, I sent a money order.

...getting the AmEx gift card. I discovered that TER's payment processor, CCBill, doesn't accept American Express credit cards. I had to buy a different card. I got a Vanilla Bill Payment Prepaid MasterCard. I was able to use it to buy a TER VIP membership after I went to vanillabillpay.com and registered my name, address and phone number. (I used a made-up name and address and the number of my hobby cellphone.) I then entered the same name and address on the CCBill Web page. Where it asks for the name on the card, I just used the same name I gave to vanillabillpay.com. (The card itself is embossed with EASY WAY TO PAY where the cardholder's name normally is.) I *just* went through this process; hopefully, CCBill won't cancel it upon further review, so to speak.

When I was looking for a prepaid card to use to get a TER VIP membership, I noticed the back of the packaging of the Vanilla Visa cards said that they can't be used outside the U.S. TER's business entity appears to be located outside the U.S. I was able to use a Vanilla prepaid MasterCard, which has no prohibition on use of it outside the U.S., to get my VIP membership (see my earlier reply in this thread).

I want to see TER allow more payment options for VIP memberships. The single option is credit cards. Allowing payment of VIP memberships with a money order, for example, will offer a fine upgrade.

Avoid fake ids, they are lightening rods that will draw attention to you. You can incorporate and set up a company whose name you will buy the card under. Incorporate as a company where any person checking you into a hotel should expect that people will be coming to your room, such as "Power Resume Services, Inc" or "Next Management Career Development, Inc". Screen your clients to avoid inviting people that will draw attention to your room. Big agencies check ladies into hotels frequently, the important constant is discretion.

Thank you for the tip.  I wish I had noticed that.  I'm still waiting for my VIP money order to get there via snail mail!