Online Fake IDs and Business Inquiries

Fake IDs: If you own an online business you know very well that a percentage of your inquiries through your website will be those of competitors. You probably have been concerned with this and perhaps even aggravated somewhat. Is there a way to catch them?

Yes, in fact we use to catch them all the time, sometimes they try to get tricky! Using very common names and free mail accounts too. Often you can catch them and they try again and again. Now that I am retired I do not mind anymore, usually I simply tell them I am aware of it or do not email them back? You might try that approach.

Additionally all business owners have to worry about fake inquiries coming from college students pretending to be buyers in their inquiries. Generally they do not mean any harm as they are most likely doing business projects. I just believe they should tell us upfront, because it takes a lot of time to answer people. We need better ethics in college.

Did you know if you are selling a franchise, business opportunity or online sales of some type that occasionally you will get government regulators pretending to be buyers too? I think that is the one that pisses me off the most. Think about it your own government wasting your time a lying to you, costing you money and somehow believing they are helping the consumer. Which is exactly what they are trying to do, check and make sure you are a legitimate business.

As a businessperson I find these fake inquiries using fake names just harassment and it is annoying too. I guess that is just the way things are? It would seem to me that they should pay companies for wasting the time of companies? Perhaps they do owe it to the business community. What are your thoughts of such scoundrels? Consider this in 2006.