Put simply, is it illegal to use, say, a gift card online in a simple retail transaction (IE not a transaction involving any future financial obligation), then enter a fictitious name in the relevant field provided the card information was valid? There are still prepaid cards out there that don’t require an SSN, and I’m considering using them to buy software from sites I don’t trust with my actual information.
This of course assumes that the fictitious name is not the name of any real person, nor under any copyright. Just a string of random characters.
Of course it is legal at least in the U.S. There are very few laws regarding the use of names as long as you don’t intend to use them for fraudulent purposes. You can switch your name at any time and use it as long as the other parties accept it. They don’t have to so that is the key point here. As long as they do, you are fine.
There are plenty of people that routinely use names that aren’t on their birth certificate or in any government registry (longstanding nicknames are just one example) and there is nothing illegal about that either. The closest thing the U.S. has to a centralized name database is the Social Security Administration and even that is only enforced for federal government matters. Otherwise, your name is whatever you say it is and what other people choose to accept.
You can have a simple court order done for a legal name change if you intend for it to be permanent but you don’t have to. In fact, using a name routinely before you get the court order is a good way to have the legal name change rubber-stamped with no further reason needed.
For private transactions, feel free to say your name is Jacques Rockinballs III and you are fine as long as they accept it. There is nothing illegal about anything you are describing as long as they take it.
Its not illegal, but you may be losing money if the card stops working or is lost. Someone else with a good reason for the mixed up name might be able to claim their money, but when you have no good reason for the wrong name, they won’t be forgiving.