Do a whois check.

For .com/.org/net's go to:
www.internic.com/whois.html

for .co.uk's
www.nominet.org.uk

wruk999

The full list of country-specific domain registries can be found at:
[norid.no...]

In the case of .co.uk's, you need to specify an address for the certs to go to. If you don't, they will be sent to your ISP.
There are no checks ran on domain registrations, so a falsified name wouldn't be picked up.

wruk999

Although apparently not enforced at the moment, it's best practice to use genuine contact details for domain records. When signing up and agreeing to the Registrar's terms & conditions, you'll be agreeing that the details are correct. By using incorrect data, you're essentially breaching these terms.

The reason for using genuine data is so that the WHOIS is kept valid and up to date - something that it certainly isn't in my opinion. If things should start to change and WHOIS details were checked for validity at some point, you may stand to lose the domain. That's pretty unlikely at the moment though.

Question - why would you want to use false information on the domain record? If it's simply to protect your personal details from being publically available, why not use something similar to 'Domains by Proxy' which is an anonymous service? If you're after .UK domains, you can opt to not have your details displayed.

R.