Hi! I'm wondering if it's legal for me to make a PayPal under a fake name I don't plan on adding funds from a bank account, or hooking up any credit/debit cards I only plan to use it to receive funds from art commissions I do, then use this to purchase things online Would this be legal? Thanks in advance
Really, you really needed to ask that? You want to bowl on up to a financial institution and set up an account by lying about who you are? What bank, anywhere in the world, is going to let you do that? Some may keep your identity a secret if you deposit enough millions but PayPal isn't one of them.
I do not recommend using fake accounts for paypal. Sooner or later, you will regret it. If you really need paypal, set it up properly, using real name (or whatever matches your legal documents). If credit cards are a concern to you, you can get a pre-paid one, or bank with someone that gives you a visa card for a normal debit (savings) account. If privacy is an issue, (for whatever reasons), then look into accepting bitcoin. You will find it is accepted on many websites, you can pay for things online using bitcoin. You do have the potential risk / reward of the currency fluctuating, which is better then the risk / reward of using fake paypal and having funds frozen, and a lifetime ban.
Let me echo what @sarahk and @matt_62 said and add this perspective: it is unwise to set up any new business or money-making enterprise with any shady approach, be it a fake paypal account, a potentially infringing domain name, plagiarized content, etc. Not only will you be looking over your shoulder from Day 1, but what is most likely to happen is that you will spend a lot of time and/or money building up your business/vocation and once it gets "good" you will show up on the impacted party's radar screen (e.g., Paypal) and they will come after you with full force and you will likely lose it all. If you are going to build something, make sure that its foundation is strong and legal so that your can enjoy and profit from it for as long as you want.
Yes.,,but what if you're account get limited and paypal ask your document..? Have you think about this..
If your main concern is anonymity, you can of course use BitCoin, or, at least if there is a bit of money involved, get someone you trust, or hire a lawyer to start this account for you. As long as there is no actual illegalities involved, at least not any with any real amount of prison time, then it will probably not be a problem.
Is the purpose of this just to avoid taxes? Seems like a legit business so why the big issue with having a legit paypal? Have you previously had your account closed?
@jrbiz @pmf123 Its because I'm 16, and PayPal recently closed down the Student Account system so I have no way to receive funds for the small commissions I do (Generally under $5) I'm not trying to be shady or anything
Ask your parent/guardian to receive it on your behalf - but make sure it's their account and you're not operating it.
I think I've read somewhere that one could actually get away with fake name on paypal using the netteller. but i could be wrong. Bitcoin isn't anonymous though, you still can be tracked.. what you need is MONERO (XMR), SDC, ZEC or CLOAK.
Bitcoin in and of itself isn't untrackable, but using anonymizers/TOR, proxies and other security-measures, you can get away fairly easy by using BitCoin for anonymity. Since there is no personal information connected to a BitCoin-container, it's fairly easy to keep it completely anonymous. However, when you try to convert the BC to something a little more practical, that anonymity will be hard to maintain.