# If Someone Admits to a Crime on the SDMB **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 25, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-admits-to-a-crime-on-the-sdmb/286655 "2005-01-25T22:53:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-admits-to-a-crime-on-the-sdmb/286655/21 "2005-01-28T06:12:15Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > You probably all have the same IP address. However, unless one or more of you is causing trouble, I’m not even going to be checking the IP addresses. It’s boring and I only do it when I suspect trolling or sock puppetry or other mischief. It would be nice, however, if you dropped a note to one of the moderating staff here, saying that you share a computer with other people. LOL we dont share a computer, we all have our own computers…just the internet connection is routed through my main computer=) since it for some reason that is known only to the powers that be that designed the home networking part of windcrap my computer is god, and the house sings the Doxology, in a manner of speaking. \ ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-admits-to-a-crime-on-the-sdmb/286655/22 "2005-01-28T07:37:55Z")
Does paying for something, anything, with a credit card automatically mean the merchant has the address of the cardholder? Could the creepy Starbucks guy find and stalk me after I buy a latte? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-admits-to-a-crime-on-the-sdmb/286655/23 "2005-01-28T08:16:51Z")
The best answer I can give you is “maybe,” though I suspect “probably” is the closer answer. Your admins and moderators can’t see your credit card or PayPal information, but probably everybody else does. Privacy is just a word in the dictionary. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-admits-to-a-crime-on-the-sdmb/286655/24 "2005-01-29T17:17:49Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Does paying for something, anything, with a credit card automatically mean the merchant has the address of the cardholder? Could the creepy Starbucks guy find and stalk me after I buy a latte? No, all the Starbucks guy has is your name and (usually) the last 4 digits of your credit card number (unless he copies the whole number down before he swipes it). The info from your card is transmitted to a central clearing house which can match up your card number with a balance file from your bank, but only your bank has access to your address and other personal info. Of course, if you pay by check or show the guy your drivers license, all bets are off. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-admits-to-a-crime-on-the-sdmb/286655/25 "2005-01-29T20:00:48Z")
Just to give a true life example: There was a poster on the Talking Broadway All That Chat Board who was posting about Debbie Gibson to the point where it got creepy–talking about marrying her, being with her in heaven, etc. She was doing “Beauty and the Beast” at the time. V.J., the owner of the board, notified the New York City Police, who tracked down the guy to a midwestern state through his ISP. They notified the police in his jurisdiction, who had heard of him (but didn’t know who Debbie Gibson was). Anyway, to make a long story short, the guy eventually posted when he would be in NYC to “meet up” with Debbie Gibson. She was warned, noticed a guy hanging out at the stage door, went back inside the theatre and called the police who were stationed outside, who arrested the guy. It turned out he had priors of celebrity stalking. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-admits-to-a-crime-on-the-sdmb/286655/26 "2005-01-29T20:04:02Z")
Here’s a link: [Stalking Broadway](http://www.talkinbroadway.com/talkin/stalkin.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-admits-to-a-crime-on-the-sdmb/286655.md?page=1)