Hiya, Purely hypothetical question about the good old law. Am I right in assuming that by providing false information on an online form when making a purchase (billing address, phone number etc.) this constitutes fraud under ENGLISH law? Don't want to be making false claims on my site
If you actually pay for the product then I do not see what fraud is committed by using a false phone number. If you are tricking someone into shipping you something that you are not paying for that most certainly is a fraud.
Surely it is the duty of the record keeper to do their utmost to ensure that all details are genuine though? What, for example, would happen if I was requested to release records on a client by the police etc? This issue isn't that important, quite interesting to me though.
Fraud by definition causes a loss or damages to another person. If there are no damages (stolen credit card etc.....) then there is no fraud. There may be laws regarding verifying the identity of sellers when buying second hand merchandise. Note: I am not a lawyer.
Keeping accurate records and turning those over to the police if required to is one thing. Verifying the truthfulness of the information others provide is quite another. If there is no fraud taking place, I do not see why you need to verify whether someone gave you an accurate phone number. If you have a reason to question the data, then you might have a reason to inquire to make sure there is no fraud, but without that I hardly see why you would waste your time. On many websites, when requesting my birthday, I give them an incorrect birthday. Frankly it is none of their damn business. Do you think they really need to verify my actual birth date? Of course not. Their duty, if any, is to accurately record what I have entered, not to independently verify my information.
When i sign up for Email newsletters/other random sites i 9 times out of 10 give incorrect phone numbers and DOB..as i do not wish to be rang by various companies..if im ordering things i do give the correct phone number incase there is a problem with my order..other than that i choose what info i do or do not give out..ive always assumed this is my right and not illegal as im not causing loss to anyone..