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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Posts
    4

    Default Giving False Billing Information When Using a Credit Card

    My question involves criminal law for the state of: Florida?

    Dear Forum,

    First of all, I am not even sure if the situation I am describing here is an offense at all, that's why I also flagged this thread "Other Offenses", since nothing else seemed applicable to me.

    I am new here and I am not even an US citizen, but from Europe. However, the company my question is about is located in Florida.
    I hope you can give me answers, I have been awake all night and was sick because I am a person who is easily concerned and anxious. (Maybe I should seek professional help and I am now just overreacting, I don't know).

    Here's my situation:
    While browsing the internet, I stumbled across a website called clipcash (dot com) that allows you to transfer money from your credit cards onto your clipcash account to use it as payment for clipsites.
    Out of curiosity I registered and I was not even going to use it permanently, I was just curious how it might work. You can add the following amounts to it: 20$, 50$, 100$, 200$.
    I chose 20$ and got my wallet with my two (!) credit cards. I entered my credit card number as well as the 3-digit security code on the back, and also the expiration date.

    I am new to online banking and credit cards, I only just got the two credit cards of mine recently. So, in the field where billing information is required and due to privacy I didn't enter the right name and address but non-existent made up ones. HOWEVER, and this is important: My credit card number, as well as the 3-digit security code and the expiration date were correct, as I wanted it to be charged from my credit card of course and not from anyone else's.

    After that the website gave me a warning saying "This information is recorded in the event of fraud/or dispute. (They recorded my IP address). If caught with fraud or dispute, you will be prosecuted to US law or international law".

    After that I could not log in on this website anymore because my account had been temporarily flagged.

    This is when I got so anxious that I became sick and I nearly threw up. Of course the credit card number I entered was correct and belongs to MY legally owned credit card, but I now wasn't sure if the billing information like address or so could now be a problem and even interpreted as potential fraud or something.

    I immediately contacted the website's support by e-mail, explaining that I accidentally put the wrong billing information and that I wanted to log-in to change that but that my account was flagged now.

    They replied that due to security measures and protection they are sending me a CreditCard Authorization Form which I was asked to fill out, together with a copy of my Government-approved ID and send it back to them.

    I filled the form out, this time using the correct billing information, included a scan of my driver's license plus I even made a scan of the credit card in question (blacking out the security code on the back though).

    After they reviewed it and thanked me for the documentation they unblocked my profile again. However, they said that my other credit card that I used before that was still blocked and if I wished that one to be authorized too, I would have to fill the form out again for the other card, which I also did and I sent it to them, too.

    Also I apologized to them for any incovenience I might have caused and said that I didn't mean to put wrong billing information and asked if everything was in order now and if I can "close this case" and not have to worry about it anymore but they have not replied since (and usually they quickly replied, even within minutes). Them not replying now and reassuring me is what is making me really concerned.

    I am still feeling sick because of all that and wished I had just never came across that stupid website and registered. It is now loaded with 20$ but I do not really want to use it anymore, I just want everything to be in order and to continue as if I had never registered.

    I am trying to calm myself down by saying to myself that since I used my own credit cards to be charged, I do not have to fear any consequences because of this, do I? Both cards legally belong to me, I have bank documents proving that and the 20$ were charged from my credit card, which I already checked. Everything is legitimate from my point of view. Is it also from theirs?

    I have been lying awake all night close to throwing up because terrible images were haunting me about me being arrested for years because of the wrong billing information. Also, I don't know anything about US laws and I'm not even US citizen. I would like to keep my record clean so that I can come to visit whenever I want to. I am about to start a student exchange program in the US at the end of March for 3 months, and I am now even considering not to go at all and rather stay at home because I am too scared that something might happen to me because of that when I am there all alone and my parents thousands of miles away. While I was in the US for the first exchange student term I was also easily worried and anxious that I might get into trouble for things I didn't do and that somebody might be trying to frame me for something they did. Maybe I'm just too paranoid.

    What do you guys think? I would be very thankful about help and opinions!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    19,901

    Default Re: Giving False Billing Information When Using a Credit Card

    Nothing is likely to happen. In order to be fraud, you have to actually have an intent of depriving them of the money by your actions. Tripping the fraud alert itself isn't going to cause it. You can try providing the proof of identity they want, but likely the worst thing that's going to be happened is you being banned from their service. You may find that your own credit card issuers may disable the card if they thing apparent fraudulent activity is going on.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Posts
    4

    Default Re: Giving False Billing Information When Using a Credit Card

    Thank you for your reassurance! Like posted, I entered my own credit card number so that it will be charged from my card, not anyone else's. I just hesitated about giving the billing information due to privacy as for my understanding they don't need to know my address if I just want to give them money from my credit card.

    Is posting wrong billing information itself already an offense as long as the credit card number is correct? From what I read here https://snarfed.org/faking_out_addre...dit_card_forms
    some people actually do that to keep their privacy online.

    Apart from that, I now have given them the correct information by turning in the authorization form they wanted me to fill out and by providing proof of my identity. I just haven't heard back from them which is what is causing me unrest. I don't want to wake up one day finding a complaint in the mail.

    Should I try to contact them again via e-mail and ask for a confirmation that everything is settled now?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    19,901

    Default Re: Giving False Billing Information When Using a Credit Card

    Again, unless you gave misinformation with the attempt to obtain something of value that you wouldn't be entitled to get, there is no "offense" here as far as the law goes. The company may find your shenanigans contrary to the type of person they want to allow on your site, but it won't go beyond that.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Posts
    4

    Default Re: Giving False Billing Information When Using a Credit Card

    Thank you a lot, flyingron.

    The only (hypothetical) question that is left now is, how do they now that I didn't give misinformation with the attempt to obtain something that I'm not entitled to get?

    What put me off was that message popping up after the transfer: "This information is recorded in the event of fraud/or dispute. (They recorded my IP address). If caught with fraud or dispute, you will be prosecuted to US law or international law"

    How would it be interpreted as fraud, if I also gave a wrong credit number so someone else's card would have been charged? Because that's not what I did, as I wrote.

    Thank you, and have a nice day.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    19,901

    Default Re: Giving False Billing Information When Using a Credit Card

    They don't have any loss (they caught your foolishness before they did so), so they have NO civil claim against you.

    Again a criminal charge (which is NOT going to happen here), requires intent. If you gave them a card that was not yours with the intent of obtaining something on their site, that would qualify. Faking your own address isn't as long as you're not trying to get something you aren't entitled to. There's been a few cases where people have listed things like their dog's name on phone bills to try to avoid junk calls/mail/etc.... It's not a crime.

    They can write any threats they want on the website, and in fact, a site is not required to WARN you that they are recording you. For example, this site is recordiong your IP address and every post you make, even if you subsequently go back and remove or edit it. They can see each successive edit. It's kind of neat (I run another site using the same software).

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Posts
    4

    Default Re: Giving False Billing Information When Using a Credit Card

    Thank you very much flyingron.
    I just had a live chat with their support department and could clarify everything. Thank you anyway for your reassurance in this matter!
    Have a good time y'all!

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