Originally Posted by GUWonder
Yes, but it may violate the terms of some programs and with several, a sweep to check for duplicate accounts is well within the capabilities of some airlines and hotels.
Don't know about AS, but the risk for getting caught can vary. Sometimes it's nothing more than a mandatory merger of accounts. Other times, who knows.
But the worst that could happen is that they would just shut down both accounts and invalidate all miles earned, right? No criminal prosecution or such? I know I accidentally signed up for 2 AA accounts (I havent flown them in 15 years, and forgot I previously had one, and to this day they haven't done anything about it).