1450 lines
95 KiB
Plaintext
1450 lines
95 KiB
Plaintext
This is another file distributed by M a J i N, on the date of:
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10:08 PM 3/7/2003
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How to Get Lost
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How to Get Lost – And Stay That Way!
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By James Petersen
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This report is for entertainment and academic purposes only. Nothing in it
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is intended to in any way encourage illegal
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activities now or at any time in the future. Before attempting to employ any
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of the techniques discussed in this report, consult
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a local attorney familiar with laws in your area.
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Laws change and the laws regarding the creation and use of alternative
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identity documents have been changing quite rapidly of late. Please be
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careful to review the laws regarding identity creation and use before you
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consider using any of the techniques discussed in this report. Please don't
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break the law.
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I've always admired people who periodically reinvent themselves. Rather than
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be content with living in a rut or rolling over and dying, they manage to
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find just the right cause and reemerge once again as a butterfly of a
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different color. For them the status quo just won't do. Elizabeth Taylor is
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the finest example I've found of a truly resilient individual.
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The information contained in this report was collected over a period of
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three years from more than thirty individuals. These freedom lovers created
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a new life for themselves by vanishing and then resurfacing in a new
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location under an entirely new identity. At first my intention was to
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provide a complete step-by-step checklist that anyone could use to drop out
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of sight but after about a dozen interviews but I quickly discovered that
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each person’s situation is entirely unique.
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So what I’ve done instead is to provide you with a basic framework of
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general strategies and then include other random insights which may or may
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not be of use to you in your search for a new beginning. Before we go into
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specific strategies, we’ll start off with the most important basic rules.
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Rule Number One
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And it really doesn’t matter who’s looking for you. It might be the mob, a
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gang, a revenge-minded ex-spouse or a just plain crazy person. After you
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shed your original identity, some sort of attempt will be made to find you.
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After you go, everyone who knew you well will probably receive a phone call
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from an investigator. At first they will just ask for information. They will
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take any info they can get, but they’ll also be sizing up all your friends
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and relatives for further calls. They’ll use tricks like calling your
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parents and posing as an attorney who has a huge check for you from the
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estate of someone you did a favor for some years ago. Or they may graduate
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to offering generous cash rewards or even using illegal threats.
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By telling no one of your plans, you won’t have to worry about which of your
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friends and relatives might "cave-in" under the pressure investigators will
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apply. Always remember that an individual can’t reveal what they don’t know.
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It seems to be a deep human need to share our adventures and accomplishments
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with others. Call it pride or call it ego. Whichever, it can quickly be your
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undoing. You must keep your mouth shut from the very beginning. It doesn’t
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matter whether you confide in a friend, a family member or a lover. After
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you vanish, they will all come under some level of investigative pressure.
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If they’re not particularly tough-minded, you’re at risk. So make up your
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mind to keep this entire operation a complete and utter secret. No
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exceptions!
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Rule Number Two
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Dump your wheels. It is completely impossible to change identities and keep
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your present vehicle if it’s currently registered in your name. No matter
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how you change the title, it will provide a 24-carat solid gold link
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straight to the new you. Even an amateur investigator will check with the
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DMV and uncover the link in a matter of minutes. (Update: though most states
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no longer sell DMV info to private citizens, licensed investigators still
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have access to this data in all fifty states)
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Sell your current car privately for cash. No checks, just long green. Under
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no circumstances should you trade it in on your new car. Again, this would
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create an obvious link. Think of your old car as an item of identity in your
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old name. After you’ve arrived in your new location you’ll buy another car
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under your new name. I know this will come as a blow to those of you who are
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attached to your cars, but given the free flow of information in our
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society, it’s an absolute must.
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You should know that over the past few years the federal government
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(including the IRS) has begun to use vehicle registration data to help them
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keep track of citizen movements. For some odd reason most people are
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extremely truthful about revealing their address on the vehicle registration
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form. We're now getting used to paying for and receiving our license tag
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stickers and annual vehicle registration paperwork through the mail so we
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are foced into giving them our home address. You should be aware that the
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government is now taking full advantage of this tendency toward honesty.The
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same goes for real estate. If you own any, you'll have to sell them off
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before you vanish. If you have any rental income property, please don't
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delude yourself into thinking you can somehow keep receiving income on it
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after you've changed your identity. Again, it's an obvious paper trail that
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links the two identities to each otherSell the property and clear the check
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for the proceeds through your old bank account. After it clears withdraw the
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cash slowly over as long a period as possible.
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Rule Number Three
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As you create the new you, it’s imperative that you constantly strive to
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reduce any links between your old persona and your new self. Some links will
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always exist. They’re unavoidable.
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Fortunately for you, most non-law enforcement investigators do little more
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than scan the latest edition of the various directories that are their
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bibles. They search the DMV, auto registration, utility records, voters
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registration, public records including court and property records and phone
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records. If you plan your work and work your plan you’ll end up with a
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relatively solid identity that will stand up to a moderate degree of
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investigation. Most skip tracers will spend a few weeks "working" your case.
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After that they’ll become exhausted and shelve your file. Any further effort
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would not be profitable, so they'll usually put your file on the back
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burner. If you’re still undiscovered six months later you can assume that
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you're safe, unless you do something stupid in which case the whole house of
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cards will come crashing down with a loud "thud".
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And remember, one wrong move could resurface several years later to destroy
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all you’ve worked for. Careful planning and execution will make the job of
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finding you so difficult that almost any investigation will run out of gas
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well before they find you. This report will provide you with some rather
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inventive strategies that will effectively cover your tracks and make live
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difficult for anyone on your trail.
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If you’re leaving an ex-spouse or lover, refrain from taking anything from
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them that isn’t truly yours. The last thing you need is an ex-lover/spouse
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on your trail seeking revenge.
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After you establish your new identity and relocate - carry only
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identification in your new name. It’s best to burn all of your old ID
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documents and credit cards. If you don’t - at least hide them in a very
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secure place away from your new residence.
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A brief story with a message. A man killed his wife and vanished. The police
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worked the case for over three years to no avail. Finally the family of the
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dead woman hired one of the best private investigators in the country. He
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asked the police what the wanted fugitive did for a living and when he heard
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he boasted in full voice that he could find the man within ten minutes. He
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asked about the reward. The police replied it was a whopping $50,000. He
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asked that the police chief put it in writing which they did. The
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investigator then called the offices of a popular architecture trade
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publication. Posing as an architect he told them that he was getting married
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and wanted to invite an old college friend but didn’t have his current
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address. The nice lady in subscriptions provided the address in less than
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two minutes. He handed the data over to the police who immediately had the
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man arrested and the clever investigator went home with a check for fifty
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grand for only two minutes work! Even the smallest link can be a disaster.
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Leave your magazine and any other mail subscriptions to lapse. Any attempt
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to change an address will create an unacceptable link.
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You’ll also have to abandon your favorite hobbies and social activities.
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These are other avenues investigators will use to find you. One man was
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found by his alimony-hungry ex-wife when an investigator made the rounds of
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his new home town showing his picture to all the owners of the stores that
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sell those little electric model racing cars than run on slotted tracks.
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They only had to contact four stores before they discovered his new
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hang-out. The next Saturday morning our man came strolling into the place
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completely unaware that he was about to be arrested. For at least the first
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six months or a year stay away from the places you would normally gravitate
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to. Instead, plan to explore entirely new hobbies and activities.
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You’ll also have to change or alter your occupation. An investigator will
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easily find you if you’re in a licensed trade or profession. An experienced
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investigator will know to call all the probable employers in your new town.
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One fellow I knew was a cab driver. When an investigator started to make
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calls to all the cab companies in a town he stumbled on his target on only
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the second call! Don’t make it easy for them.
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If you take the tools of your trade with you, they'll give your pursuers an
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excellent idea of your intentions and where they may find you. It might be
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best to make a show of leaving them behind even though you plan to continue
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on working in that same field.
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The motto is - don’t leave links behind that can lead an investigator to
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you. Make yourself untraceable. It’s amazing to me that so many
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identity-changers overlook little details like magazine subscriptions and
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credit cards. (Don't even think of using your old credit cards at your new
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location - tracking your movements by your credit cards records is a very
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simple process these days.)
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Rule Number Four
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This is a biggie. Maybe it should be number one. Do not leave debts behind!
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Far too many identity-changers find it impossible to resist the greedy urge
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to run up their credit cards before shedding their old lives. This is some
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of the best advice I can give you. Your new life will be much more secure
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with no one on your trail. If you’re the subject of an FBI manhunt, you’ll
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be lucky to last ten days, even if you’re very, very clever. If only the
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local police are looking for you, you might last a few years or longer. If
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no one is actively looking for you – living under your new identity will be
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a breeze.
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Leaving behind even a small debt can cause big problems later on down the
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road. One lady worked for a full year to create a new life for herself which
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was completely exposed by a persistent collection agent who tracked her down
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over a lousy $85 phone bill she left behind! And to make things worse, she
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had intended to pay the bill but didn't as it arrived a few days after her
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departure. Be sure you cover all the bases and get those bills paid in full.
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Skip tracers and bill collectors manage to locate about 75% of their
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targets. Be sure you’re in the 25% they don’t find. Smart identity-changers
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are usually successful while criminals are usually caught after a few weeks
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or months. It’s all a matter of whose looking for you, how motivated they
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are and how carefully you’ve constructed your new life.
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If no one is on your trail, what have you got to worry about? Nothing! This
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is the only way to establish a really sound new identity. With no one
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working from the other end to expose you, you can go about your business
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without much worry. But if you leave debts of any kind behind, you can count
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on having an experienced, determined bank investigator on your trail and
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they won’t easily give up. Some things just aren’t worth the risk. And if
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the bank investigator thinks he detects credit card fraud, you can bet he’ll
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have considerable resources placed at his disposal. This is not the way to
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start a secure new life.
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Rule Number Five
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Burn your bridges. Your old and new selves must be completely divorced. No
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phone calls back to old lovers. No contact with family members. When
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ex-mobsters testify against their former Mafia bosses, the government puts
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them in a witness protection program. They are given completely new
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identities and moved to new locations. Many of these guys have been brutally
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murdered just because they phoned family members directly or mentioned
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something in a letter that could be used to locate them.
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If you search around the web you'll find some very interesting information
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on the federal witness protection program. It includes a checklist that you
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should read. Many people find it very difficult to abandon their old
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clergymen, doctors, neighbors, friends and family members. Once the subjects
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have been briefed and are ready to travel to their new location, they are
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flown there through a minimum of three intermediate locations. They fly
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under assumed names and in each city they are housed in a government "safe
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house". Since hotel records are easily checked, this ensures that they'll
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leave behind no traceable records. After a few days in each spot, they move
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onto the next. It must be a real pain having to travel around the country on
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the sly but through hard experience the feds have learned that this is the
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only really effective way to move someone from one place to another without
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leaving behind a paper trail.
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You might want to explore getting a divorce or filing for bankruptcy (or
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both!) before your departure. If either one is tempting, consult with an
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experienced attorney for expert advice. (Ariza Research publishes a unique
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bankruptcy guide entitled "Bankruptcy Secrets". For more info visit our web
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site at: www.ariza-research.com/bankruptcy.)
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If you ask, the post office will tell you that their official policy is to
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never open mail (except when a letter ends up in the dead letter office -
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where it’s opened in an attempt to obtain a delivery address). What they
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don’t tell you is that every day of the week postal officials turn over tons
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of mail to various government agencies that DO open your mail. Don’t trust
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the mails! If you must communicate by letter, use mail drops and use code
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words or phrases. If you want to report whether or not something took place
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- make up a code that anyone reading the letter would never be able to
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figure out. If you mention your Aunt Jane - that means the task was
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completed as planned, while a mention of your Uncle Arthur means something
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went wrong. It’s sad fact that we live in a country where the government
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snoops on it’s own citizens. (And don't be deluded into thinking that the
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government has to bother with obtaining search warrants or court orders to
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read your mail or listen in on your phone conversations. The so-called
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national security administration ( NSA ) listens in to millions of domestic
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phone calls every day under it's "Echelon" program!)
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If you’re attempting to escape an ex-lover or spouse, resist the temptation
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to call and taunt them. As much as you might enjoy it, "caller ID" is
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everywhere these days and phone company records are an open book to an
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attorney, an investigator or a cop. After your first call, your target can
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now call the phone company and report they've been receiving obscene phone
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calls. The phone company will then monitor your target's line and report
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your number to the police for investigation. When the detectives on TV or in
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the movies are looking for a connection between the victim and a suspect,
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they always turn to the phone records. ("Usage Details") If you must phone
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home at least use a pay phone in a town as far as possible from your real
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location, keep the call short, use one of those pre-paid long distant cards
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(which you, of course, purchased for cash) and don’t make a second call.
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Here's a little piece of information you just might find interesting. Those
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nice folks down at Radio Shack and others sell a device called a "Caller ID
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Blocker". You plug this small plastic device between your phone and the
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connector on the wall. When you make an outgoing call, this little wonder
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blocks caller ID so that no one can determine your phone number. Just be
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sure to pay in cash and decline to give the sales clerk any information when
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he asks. When he asks for your last name, just say "cash". That will usually
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take care of it.
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Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s move on to some actual planning.
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Pre-move Planning
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Successful identity changing demands careful planning and flawless
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execution. Anyone who attempts to change identities with a casual attitude
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or goes at it too quickly is doomed to failure. This all takes time, effort
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and courage to break away from whatever pleasure and support you might
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presently be enjoying.
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The first priorities are to obtain new identity documents and accumulate as
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large a cash grubstake as possible. Once you have your new drivers license,
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find one of those "secured credit card" banks. You put up some cash, usually
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a minimum of $200 or so which goes into an interest-bearing savings account.
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They then issue you a genuine Visa or Mastercard credit card with a credit
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limit secured by the savings account. Some banks do a credit check while
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others don't bother but either way they'll accept almost anyone.
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You don’t get much credit but it does provide you with a genuine bank credit
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card in your new name in less than a month. When you go looking for living
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quarters, it will make you look much more trustworthy and reliable. And it’s
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an excellent form of ID. Without a major credit card, you’re really lost out
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there. During a recent job interview one lady was asked if she had bank
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credit cards, when she showed the interviewer two - she was quickly hired.
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Here’s a list of banks that issue secured credit cards:
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Bank/FirmPhone NumberMinimum Deposit
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Chevy Chase 1-800-937-5000 Ext. 99 $300
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Best Bank 1-800-470-6111 $250
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Community Bank 1-800-779-8472 $300
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Bank of America 1-800-243-7762$500
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Orchard Bank 1-800-688-6830 $200
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First National Bank 1-800-658-3660 $250
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Bank One of Arizona 1-800-945-2000$500
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Chase Manhattan 1-800-482-4273 $300
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Federal Savings 1-800-290-9060 $250
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Cross Country Bank 1-800-262-3610$200
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First Consumers1-800-876-3262$100
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Call several banks and ask a lot of questions. Do they require a credit
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check? (if your lucky you may find one that doesn't bother) Do they have a
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minimum residency requirement (usually one year)? Do they have a minimum
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salary requirement? Do they require that you have an address and phone
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number in your name? Some banks are much more liberal than others. Tell them
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that you’ve recently returned from living overseas and have no credit record
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and need to establish one - that's why you want the card in the first place.
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After your move should someone send you a check, you’ll have a very tough
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time cashing it without the credit card. By the way, try not to deal with
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those storefront "we cash any kind of check" places. The clerks in those
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place are extremely suspicious people. They see a steady flow of scam
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artists, criminals and other low-lifes. How can they cash all kinds of
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checks? It's simple, they make extensive use of on-line database
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verifications. When you cash a check there - they spread your personal
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information all over the place. Not a good thing to do when you’re trying to
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live a low profile life. The police make a lot of arrests in these places.
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Should one of the clerk's computers indicate that there may be a problem
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with your or your check, they will immediately call the police and let them
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arrest you and then sort it all out. Stay away from these joints at all
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cost!
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When you use your new secured credit card, you’ll be steadily building a new
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credit history in your new name. These secured credit card banks report your
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payment history back to the credit agencies each and every month. So to make
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the most of one of these cards be sure to immediately charge up to around
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80% of your credit limit. Then make the payments immediately when you get
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the bill each month. There are only two iron-clad rules here: do not go over
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the credit limit AND do not miss even a single payment. Pay the minimum
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which ensures that you will pay the maximum interest, which the bank will
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just love you for. After one year of perfect payments you’ll start to get
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offers for unsecured cards from all sorts of banks. In some cases the same
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bank that issued you the secured card will offer you an unsecured card at a
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much lower interest rate. At that point your credit will be solid enough to
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qualify for unsecured cards. Apply for two and when you get your first
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unsecured card, mail the secured card back to the issuing bank and get your
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deposit money back, plus the interest!
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There is another way to get a genuine bank credit card in as little as a
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week. You call around to the all the banks in your area asking if they offer
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either a Mastercard or Visa "debit card". If they do, ask them if a credit
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report is required. Due to all the credit card fraud going on, most banks
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still require a credit check. But many aggressive banks, who are
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particularly eager to get cards out there or are new to the game aren’t
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quite so careful. When you locate the right bank, run down there and open a
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checking account. Put as much cash as you can into the new account and ask
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for the debit card. In less than two weeks you should have the card. It
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looks like a genuine card and operates just like one except for two
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differences. Debit card transactions are immediately deducted from your
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checking account instead of being billed. And, more importantly, the bank
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does not report your payment history to the credit agencies so debit cards
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are of no use whatever in establishing credit.
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Accumulate cash in preparation for the big move. Not a balance in your
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checking account, I’m talking about a good old fashioned folding money. Find
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a good hiding place and start piling it up. Slowly if you can afford to take
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the time. Tens and twenties are best. The last thing you’ll do when you
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leave town is sell your car which will provide the cash you’ll need to buy
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another set of wheels in your target location.
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If you have more than $2,000 in cash you may want to rent a bank safe
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deposit box and deposit the cash there. You can return at any time and pick
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up whatever you need. This way you can move wherever you want without fear
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of loss. Be aware that banks are required to notify the government on all
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cash transactions over $500 but don’t usually bother with sums under a
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couple of grand. (Update: banks are now required to file IRS forms on all
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transfers of $3,000 or more. To be safe, keep any transactions well below
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this threshold.) But don’t take chances you don’t have to. The government
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has also stopped printing the larger denomination bills. The largest bill
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now being printed is the new $100. This makes carrying around large sums of
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money more difficult. It also makes it more difficult for drug dealers to
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export money back to their overseas sources. If you can, try and stockpile
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only the new bills. Uncle Sam is slowly but steadily moving toward a dual
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money system with one currency being used at home and another entirely
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different color and style of cash being used overseas.
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Sell off personal items as quickly and as quietly as possible. The more cash
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you have the better. Remember, it will take a full year to establish credit
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in your new name. During that time you can only buy what you can afford to
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pay for in cash. Your entire living standard for the next year will be
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dictated by how much cash you can accumulate now.
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Your new location should either be a city or a large town. Put some distance
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between your old and new worlds. Move at least 800 or more miles from your
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||
old stomping grounds. And it’s mandatory that you move across state lines.
|
||
Do not return to a city you lived in during the past, no matter how long ago
|
||
it was. Stay away from remote rural areas and busy tourist zones. You’ll be
|
||
too obvious there.
|
||
If you plan to visit your new site just to check it out, do not let anyone
|
||
there (such as a future landlord/roommate) see your license plate. Remember,
|
||
it would immediately disclose both your home state and, in most areas, your
|
||
home county. It might be best to fly and rent a car at the airport if you
|
||
can afford to. (remember, don't use credit cards in your "old" name anywhere
|
||
in your future hometown even on a pre-move evaluation visit!)
|
||
One lady I know rented a car in her hometown using a current credit card.
|
||
She then drove it 600 miles to her future hometown and back. This worked
|
||
fine as she didn't let anyone see her tags. (when she went to look for
|
||
apartments she parked her car several blocks away.) The car rental firms
|
||
have no idea where you drive their cars so it's a good way to go (provided
|
||
you don't get any traffic tickets during your scouting trip.)
|
||
If you’re leaving behind a bad situation, avoid relocating to Florida. Have
|
||
you ever watched one of those "America's Most Wanted" TV shows? It seems
|
||
that when most criminals skip bail, they head straight to Florida. Florida
|
||
would be a bad choice, unless you have somewhere discreet where you can
|
||
stay. Avoid any other place where tourism is popular, unless you’ll be happy
|
||
cooped up in an apartment. If you walk the streets, there’s a good chance
|
||
that eventually a tourist from back home will recognize you and report their
|
||
sighting to others. This may sound unlikely but in the real world it's not
|
||
at all unusual.
|
||
There are several interesting alternatives to simply re-locating to another
|
||
city. One fellow I know decided he’d had enough of his mentally unstable
|
||
wife, put together some cash and bought a late-model used recreational
|
||
vehicle with all the creature comforts. He bought it from one of those rural
|
||
dealerships in a backwater little town in Tennessee. He paid cash and used a
|
||
fake drivers license that he bought on the internet for identification. The
|
||
story he told the dealer made sense and meshed well with his fake ID so in a
|
||
few sort hours he was on his way with an entirely untraceable vehicle.
|
||
He wandered around the country staying at public campgrounds for over a
|
||
year, finally landing in Kansas. He found a new woman and some friends his
|
||
own age there and settled down. This strategy worked well for him because he
|
||
needed to "get away" for a year where no one could find him. By creating a
|
||
new identity and then buying an RV in his new name, he had the perfect "hide
|
||
away". And it gave him a chance to travel around the countryside which he
|
||
had always dreamed of doing. You can join one of several campground
|
||
associations which have campgrounds all over the country. KOA is one of the
|
||
largest. Trying to find one of these roving RVers is all but impossible.
|
||
|
||
Hello Sailor!
|
||
Then there’s the "tramp steamer" approach. For a very reasonable fee you can
|
||
book a long cruise on various cargo vessels. They wander all over the globe.
|
||
The accommodations are not all that fancy but you will be well fed and at
|
||
the same time - well lost. No one will be able to find you for a number of
|
||
months. And if you can afford to, you may want to stop somewhere and spend a
|
||
few months. If you have the bread, the south of France is a favorite
|
||
destination for exiled kings and fallen dictators. For a century or more the
|
||
locals have learned not to ask too many questions. Instead they tend to
|
||
focus on the color of your money.
|
||
When you’ve settled on your new home city, remember what I told you about
|
||
keeping your mouth shut. Back during the cold war the Russians were fond of
|
||
spreading "mis-information". It was one of their favorite tactics and for
|
||
good reason. It’s a good tactic that you should use too. While keeping
|
||
absolutely quiet about your real destination, start broadcasting your
|
||
interest in living in some remote location (the Indians call this "leaving a
|
||
false trail"). Spread the word to friends, co-workers and anyone that might
|
||
later be approached by an investigator.
|
||
For example, if you’ve settled on moving to Phoenix, start telling your
|
||
friends about how much you’ve heard about South Carolina. Of course you
|
||
"have friends in South Carolina" who you’d would like to visit. Let them
|
||
know that, come your next vacation or long holiday weekend, you’re going to
|
||
fly out to good old South Carolina. If you’re a good actor you might even
|
||
drop a comment like "if I like it there, who knows - I might just stay!"
|
||
The really smart identity-changers will bolster their future safety by
|
||
actually flying out to the city they told their friends they were interested
|
||
in (buying the ticket with a current credit card) and performing several ATM
|
||
and credit card transactions while there. You might send a postcard home or
|
||
better yet, a letter to your closest friend or relative. This all beefs up
|
||
the "cover story" and creates an obvious paper trail that will later send an
|
||
investigator off on a wild goose chase in the wrong direction. Let the poor
|
||
bastard beat his brains out trying to find you in South Carolina while you
|
||
bask in the Arizona sun!
|
||
|
||
Fly - Don't Ride
|
||
Do not drive to your new location as this would risk a traffic ticket that
|
||
would blow the whole thing as such a run-in with the law would create a
|
||
document that could be easily found in the public records. Instead fly out
|
||
to your new location or take the bus as they'll let you travel under an
|
||
assumed name. Flying under a false name is a more common practice than you
|
||
might think. Well-heeled couples committing adultery do it all the time when
|
||
they fly off for a passionate rendezvous in some luxury resort location.
|
||
It’s a joke as every time a jumbo jet goes down, there are usually a half a
|
||
dozen names on the passenger list that can’t be accounted for. No family can
|
||
be found. If the bodies cannot be recovered it may be years before their
|
||
identity is firmly established.
|
||
(Update: new federal laws require that you present a picture ID before you
|
||
purchase a ticket. The ticket agent at the airport counter will, of course,
|
||
accept a drivers license. You have several options here but the best overall
|
||
strategy here is to use a fake driver license purchased on the internet.
|
||
When you buy your fake drivers license, be sure to choose a distant, low
|
||
population state such as Wyoming, Idaho, Vermont, Maine, New Mexico or
|
||
Montana. The ticket agent seldom sees drivers licenses from these
|
||
sparsely-populated states so will be much less liable to detect a fake.
|
||
You'll also find that if you purchase your ticket using a Mastercard/Visa
|
||
credit or debit card in your new name, they may not even ask for your
|
||
picture ID - but be warned that if you attempt to check in baggage, the
|
||
curbside baggage handlers are required by law to check your picture ID so
|
||
the rule of thumb here is to travel light and cram everything you need into
|
||
a single "carry-on" bag if you can.)
|
||
While you’re traveling, stay away from those cheap hotels. The police now
|
||
regularly "sweep" those places and usually come away with a bus full of
|
||
criminals with outstanding warrants. Getting caught in one of these raids
|
||
could prove disastrous at this early stage of the game. A few extra bucks
|
||
will get you a more comfortable room in a better neighborhood where you can
|
||
rest safely and securely.
|
||
The trip will be a complete waste of time if you don’t already have at least
|
||
an interim new identity established. You’ll need at least a drivers license
|
||
in your new name. When you get to Phoenix, look around for a stable working
|
||
class neighborhood. Unless you’re very well funded, this is where you’ll be
|
||
living at least for the first year. Rent one of those commercial mail boxes
|
||
in your new name somewhere as near as possible to the area you’re interested
|
||
in. Under no circumstances whatever are you to use your old name at this
|
||
point. Most commercial post office box firms offer a phone message service
|
||
which will give you an instant phone number. They may also offer a
|
||
computerized "voicemail" service which will give you your own dedicated
|
||
phone number complete with a recorded greeting in your voice which sounds
|
||
just like a standard answering machine.
|
||
When you fill out the form for your new mailbox, add a second person's name
|
||
in the proper form on the box. They may let this slide (which will give you
|
||
a second name for mailing purposes) or may demand that your friend come in
|
||
and furnish them with a picture ID. Tell them that your friend is in the
|
||
military overseas or is working in Saudi Arabia and so cannot "drop by".
|
||
When you say this have the cash in your hand in full sight. Most of the
|
||
people who operate these places will put profit over rules every day. They
|
||
also know that most of their customers are, in reality, buying
|
||
confidentiality along with the box. (A lot of their customers are involved
|
||
in adulterous affairs and need the mail drop to receive mail from their new
|
||
lady.)
|
||
Buy a newspaper and study it from front to back. Look in the classified ads
|
||
for people looking to share apartments or homes and then scan the used car
|
||
section. Moving in with a roommate is, for a number of reasons, your best
|
||
bet at this stage of the game. This way you can get living quarters without
|
||
having to go through the usual credit/landlord/reference checks. Do not have
|
||
a friend pose as a reference. He would then know your whole plan and would
|
||
be able to expose you or even blackmail you later. Again, your story is -
|
||
you’ve just returned from working overseas and have lost contact with old
|
||
friends. Oh sure you have plenty of good friends but they just happen to
|
||
live overseas (where they can't be easily contacted for a verification).
|
||
Dress up in good taste and answer several of the ads requesting roommates.
|
||
Go around and look at the places, get an idea of costs. If your future
|
||
roommate likes your looks, after a friendly chat, you may be able to move in
|
||
without any paperwork at all. If they hand you forms asking for all kinds of
|
||
background information, take the forms, promise to fill them out and mail
|
||
them back. After you've left, throw the forms away and move on to the next
|
||
place. What you’re looking for is a friendly person who will take you in
|
||
with as few questions as possible. For your sake I hope you have a pleasant
|
||
personality and smile. You're looking for a trusting person who is content
|
||
with choosing someone based on "gut instinct".
|
||
I did this once in Washington DC. The owner of the house interviewed me and
|
||
was so taken with me that she offered to rent me an entire house for the
|
||
price of a small apartment. I lived there alone for a full year. I found out
|
||
later that at the time I showed up she was looking for someone she could
|
||
trust and decided to go with her instincts. She liked my looks and offered
|
||
me the place right on the spot.
|
||
|
||
Open a Checking Account
|
||
Be sure to use a different bank than you used back home. Major banks which
|
||
used to limit their territory to the inner city and suburbs of a single
|
||
city, now have branches all over a state or even beyond. Small banks are the
|
||
best bet as they are less likely to spread your personal information around.
|
||
Stay away from the major regional banks. Take as much cash as you can afford
|
||
with you to deposit. A grand or more would be best. It will impress the
|
||
clerk and smooth the application process. Banks like to take in money. Do
|
||
not deposit any checks that would in any way link this new account to your
|
||
old bank account, name or city. Dress and act appropriately as all this cash
|
||
would look very suspicious in the hands of someone who looked like they just
|
||
might be a drug dealer.
|
||
If they ask for the name of your last bank and your old account number just
|
||
tell them that you had an account in the "Saudi National Bank" in Jidda,
|
||
Saudia Arabia. That should kill any idea they have of running a verification
|
||
check. Banks in the Arab world go by the European rules which means they
|
||
only release account information after an official search warrant has been
|
||
issued by a recognized court.
|
||
|
||
Getting an Apartment
|
||
You might be able to locate an individual apartment with a little bit of
|
||
luck. Most decent apartment complexes are managed by large firms who are
|
||
very suspicious of applicants who are new to their town. They will insist on
|
||
running a rather deep background credit check and will want to verify your
|
||
employment. They will also ask to talk with your current landlord. If you
|
||
tell them that you’ve been living with your parents for several years
|
||
following a bad divorce, they may let you lease an apartment, though they
|
||
may demand several months extra deposit due to your lack of verifiable
|
||
rental history. If your credit is shot, you will either be refused or they
|
||
may insist on a really punishing security deposit of up to two grand.
|
||
It all depends on the rental market. If they need your business they’ll bend
|
||
over backwards to get you into one of their units, providing you look
|
||
reputable. If their occupancy rate is approaching 100%, you’ll probably have
|
||
a very tough time. Check it out for yourself. Again, the better working
|
||
class neighborhoods are best. Avoid the really poor areas as slumlords there
|
||
tend to be the most demanding when it comes to background checks.
|
||
Another advantage of the shared home approach is that you don’t have to deal
|
||
with the utility companies whose records are open books. Getting electricity
|
||
and a phone connected will set you back quite a bit in deposits since you
|
||
have no established credit or verifiable utility history. This lack of
|
||
history will raise a giant red flat with any utility company. They're afraid
|
||
that you won't stick around to pay your bills. When you ask about the rent
|
||
in a sharing situation, they usually say something like "$400 a month plus
|
||
half the utilities and all your long distance phone calls".
|
||
And because investigators use utility records to locate people, the shared
|
||
approach allows you to live invisibly, with your name not appearing on any
|
||
utility records. Talk about being low-profile! Living as a roommate is
|
||
zero-profile.
|
||
|
||
Are You a Doll?
|
||
A note here about attractive women. If you are a woman under age 45 or so,
|
||
with average or above average looks, you have a special advantage here. Did
|
||
you know that there is only one type of fugitive that bounty hunters won’t
|
||
bother looking for. They won't lift a finger to search for attractive young
|
||
women. Why? Because an attractive woman can breeze into any good sized town,
|
||
crawl into a singles bar and quickly locate a guy to "shack up" with. A
|
||
shacked up woman is, in effect, invisible from a public records standpoint.
|
||
The lease and all of the utilities are in the guy’s name. She continues to
|
||
drive on her out of state drivers license, so unless she’s stupid enough to
|
||
go and get a new drivers license, the local DMV has no idea where she is.
|
||
It’s as if she dropped off the face of the earth! Unless she makes a
|
||
mistake, she’ll never be found. Also an attractive woman who needs to change
|
||
her name quickly can simply get married which makes her much more difficult
|
||
to find. It’s a bit more difficult for men.
|
||
|
||
Your Personal Story
|
||
Get your new "life story" squared away. Take a pad and pen and write it all
|
||
down. Read it aloud until it sounds good. Embellish it but not too much.
|
||
Don’t get carried away. Don't try to claim you were a surgeon unless you can
|
||
talk the talk like a real doctor. Try to anticipate any obvious questions.
|
||
With some effort the pieces will all fall into place. If you’re moderately
|
||
bright you should be able to ad-lib any other answers. Then get it all
|
||
straight in your head. Repeat it all until you’re comfortable with it.
|
||
Should someone ask about your divorce or some other area of your past you
|
||
would rather not have to explain, you can always indicate that the subject
|
||
is still painful by saying "I’d rather not talk about it". Most people will
|
||
back off and not bring it up again anytime soon. Over time a strange thing
|
||
will start to happen. You’ll actually start to believe your new life story.
|
||
After a year or so it will fit you like a glove and you’ll have to strain to
|
||
remember the actual life you left behind. It may sound strange but if you've
|
||
never actually done it, but by living a new life you can become an entirely
|
||
new person. Every read about brutal nazi murderers who slaughtered
|
||
thousands of innocent people and then came to the US after the war and lived
|
||
perfect lives thereafter. You wouldn't think it possible but it's happened
|
||
many times.
|
||
|
||
The "Funeral Trap"
|
||
This one is tough. If you want to protect your new identity, you'll be
|
||
unable to attend the funeral of a loved one that dies. Law enforcement types
|
||
make it a point to visit funerals in search of fujitives. Many ex-spouses
|
||
have been nabbed when they came to pay their last respects to a deceased
|
||
parent.
|
||
And you'll need to give some thought to who you want to handle the funeral
|
||
arrangements. You simply cannot become involved. To do so would require
|
||
you're returning to your old home town and attempting to pay for funeral
|
||
expenses with cash which would be very unusual. Many wanted fugitives
|
||
overcome with grief will throw caution to the winds, put on a nice dark suit
|
||
and dutifully show up at the funeral only to be spirited away as soon as
|
||
they step out of their car. You simply can't assume that such a sad and
|
||
somber occasion is safe.
|
||
Even sending flowers can be dangerous (if you bought them with your credit
|
||
card which is a common practice these days).
|
||
|
||
Please take the time to fill out the registration card
|
||
I once knew a nice lady who was, how can I say this, not all that smart.
|
||
When a co-worker offered to sell her a brand new color TV for half it's
|
||
retail price she quickly snapped it up. The seller told her with a wink "it
|
||
fell off the back of a truck!". She just giggled.
|
||
After the set arrived, she was sitting there reading the owner's manual when
|
||
a bright yellow postcard fell out onto the floor. It was a registration form
|
||
that promised that if she registered her purchase with the manufacturer, she
|
||
might win a new car. She filled in the card and mailed it off the next
|
||
morning when she got to work.
|
||
Six weeks later two cops appeared at her door. Not only did they confiscate
|
||
the stolen TV, but they also took her down to the police station where they
|
||
interrogated her until she broke down and told them who sold her the hot
|
||
set. He got five to seven years.
|
||
Do not take any appliances with you that are registered with the
|
||
manufacturer. If you buy new ones, promptly throw away any registration
|
||
cards. These databases are now available to various types of investigators.
|
||
When you take an appliance to a repair depot, they routinely run the serial
|
||
number through their database (many states now require this serial number
|
||
tracking by law - IBM pushed for this legislation years ago when they
|
||
discovered they could locate stolen IBM typewriters by monitoring those
|
||
brought into their authorized service centers).
|
||
It would really be a shame to have your VCR blow your cover!
|
||
|
||
|
||
Getting Rid of Your Car
|
||
There are several ways to shed your old wheels. By far the simplest is to
|
||
sell it privately for cash. Run a small ad in the paper or in one of those
|
||
tabloid style rags that are dedicated entirely to cars. If you can afford to
|
||
take your time, you can go for the highest price possible. Don’t be shocked
|
||
if some teenager offers you much more than you know it’s worth. These things
|
||
happen. Take advantage of the situation. Be aware that teenage boys usually
|
||
have a lot of problems coming up with the cash. Plan to allow enough time so
|
||
that you can take your time. If anyone asks why you’re selling the car -
|
||
tell them that you’re going to work overseas (in Saudi Arabia) where your
|
||
new employer (ARAMCO Oil) will be providing a vehicle.
|
||
If you want to avoid leaving the impression that you’re planning to skip
|
||
town you might want to consider some other alternative ways of ridding
|
||
yourself of your auto. One guy I know drove his car into a sleazy inner-city
|
||
area at night (with a friend following close behind). He parked the old
|
||
buggy on a dark side street. He then abandoned the car leaving the doors
|
||
unlocked and the keys in the ignition. They drove past it one hour later and
|
||
the car was already gone. It didn’t take long. It was probably stripped for
|
||
parts in a local chop-shop particularly if it was a 3-5 year old Ford or
|
||
General Motors product. (these are the models most often stolen in the inner
|
||
city as there is a huge demand for their parts there)
|
||
In the cities along the great lakes and Mississippi river, it’s long been a
|
||
popular ploy to drive down to a pier along the water, get out, drop a brick
|
||
on the gas pedal, reach in and drop it into gear. Off it goes into the
|
||
watery depths, never to be found again. The insurance company pays and never
|
||
manages to solve the case.
|
||
If you’re in a big rush you can usually sell your car to a dealer but don’t
|
||
expect top dollar. You’ll probably get about two-thirds of what it’s worth
|
||
but at least you’ll get a quick check which you can then take to the
|
||
dealer’s bank and cash for - you guessed it - cash.
|
||
|
||
How to Buy a Car
|
||
Go to one of those shifty "we sell to anyone" - "bad credit no problem" car
|
||
lots. They don’t do a lot of in-depth checking of references as they plan to
|
||
re-possess the car the first time you’re a day late with a payment. They’ll
|
||
also charge you the legal limit on the interest. That’s their racket. But if
|
||
you keep up your payments, you build good credit AND have a set of wheels.
|
||
Be careful though, as these sleazy dealers tend to sell junky unreliable
|
||
cars at extremely high prices. Be as choosy as you can. You want reliable
|
||
transportation and at the same time you want a car that is not too similar
|
||
to your old buggy.
|
||
If you buy a used car privately, be sure to ask the seller if it’s OK for
|
||
you to borrow his tags for a day or two so you can go and get the title
|
||
switched and get your new tags. Unless the seller is a jerk this should be
|
||
no problem.
|
||
Car insurance can get tricky here. If you buy from a large new car dealer
|
||
you won’t have a problem. They will be so eager for the sale they won’t care
|
||
about checking on your insurance. They’ll ask which company you’re with and
|
||
then write down your answer. But, if you happen to live in a state that
|
||
requires insurance in order to qualify for the issuance of auto tags, tell
|
||
the dealer that you just returned from working overseas (Saudi Arabia) and
|
||
drove company vehicles over there so you haven’t had insurance in the U.S.
|
||
for many years. An insurance man would see right through you but the car
|
||
salesman only wants to get the deal signed and sealed. He’ll arrange for an
|
||
insurance salesman to come to the dealership and sell you some nearly
|
||
worthless insurance that will satisfy the law but will probably never pay
|
||
you if you file a claim. And, as you’re in a jam here, you’ll be required to
|
||
pay premium prices for it in advance. If you have to, pay up as it’s the
|
||
only way.
|
||
Or if you’re in one of those states where they allow insurance companies to
|
||
sell cheap worthless auto policies (Florida has this ridiculous system),
|
||
you’re in luck. You can wander in and pick up an entirely worthless policy
|
||
for under a hundred bucks which will legally qualify you for the tags. Ask
|
||
your salesman, he’ll work it out I’m sure. Remember, all he has on his mind
|
||
is his sales commission.
|
||
No matter how long it’s taken to prepare your new life, the moment you sell
|
||
your old car and climb into the new one is the moment you will become that
|
||
new person. The car is the key to a new you!
|
||
|
||
|
||
Killing Off Your Old Identity
|
||
The "Flying Saucer" Strategy
|
||
The goal here is to leave behind a complete dead end. Slowly but steadily
|
||
drain your checking account until the balance goes below $100. Then just
|
||
abandon the money. Throw away your ATM card. Bring all your bills current.
|
||
Destroy your credit cards. This is going to hurt but a single credit card
|
||
purchase in your new location will quickly bring investigators right to your
|
||
doorstep. Leave your subscriptions to lapse. File a change of address
|
||
postcard which forwards all your mail to some hotel in another region of the
|
||
country. Alaska is a favorite as it has many tourist hotels to choose from.
|
||
Sniff around the web and you'll find dozens of Alaskan hotels that would be
|
||
perfect for your purposes. This way no mail will be returned to your
|
||
creditors AND any investigation of your movements would send the skip-tracer
|
||
off on a dead-end search of the frozen Klondike.
|
||
A few notes on how skip-tracers and other investigators work. If you owe
|
||
money, your creditor will be dunning you with a constant stream of
|
||
collection letters and phone calls. Most skip-trace investigations are
|
||
triggered by one or both of the following events. The creditor firm gets a
|
||
collection letter returned by the post office labeled as "undeliverable -
|
||
addressee has moved - No forwarding address on file" (which means you moved
|
||
without leaving a forwarding address) or your phone is disconnected when
|
||
they call. This is usually the result of not paying the phone bill or your
|
||
having had the service terminated. Either way, your creditor will know that
|
||
the hunt is on and will promptly release the hounds!
|
||
But if you overpay your phone bill and include a note stating that due to an
|
||
illness in the family you’ll be out of town for several months and want your
|
||
phone service to continue uninterrupted, those nice people down at the phone
|
||
company will keep your phone going until the funds run out which could be
|
||
many, many months. And with your mail forwarded, they’ll never get any mail
|
||
returned. (They will however get a notification of the address change if
|
||
they request it)
|
||
I call this the "Flying Saucer strategy" because the result is just as
|
||
though a flying saucer dropped down from the sky, beamed you up and spirited
|
||
you away. Nothing remains. Your former life is there for all to see, but
|
||
where are you?
|
||
This is by far the best way to go but can only really be used if you have
|
||
the funds to pull it off and don’t have anyone on your trail. An
|
||
investigator will review your case, make a few calls and conclude that you
|
||
had "no reason for flight." The balance remaining in your bank account will
|
||
convince any investigator that you probably didn't intend to cut and run.
|
||
|
||
|
||
The "African Safari" Strategy
|
||
You suddenly develop an intense interest in the dark continent. You let all
|
||
your friends know. As the story goes, you recently met someone who went on a
|
||
safari in Nairobi, Kenya. It was just great being out there with all those
|
||
beautiful giraffes, rhinoceroses and exotic birds. It’s always been your
|
||
dream to go there. If you have vacation time on the books, announce that
|
||
you’re going to take the plunge and make the trip of a lifetime to beautiful
|
||
Africa.
|
||
Call a travel agency and buy the cheapest ticket to Nairobi, Kenya you can
|
||
find. Be sure to pay with your credit card. Buy a return trip ticket (if you
|
||
can afford to) Again, let all your friends know how excited you are about
|
||
your upcoming trip. Maybe you can go out and buy a camera for the trip or
|
||
even a fancy hat just like the ones the big game hunters wear. Apply for a
|
||
visa from the Kenyan embassy in Washington if you want to go all the way.
|
||
Show your friends the visa.
|
||
You’ll probably have to wait six or eight weeks for your departure (sooner
|
||
departures tend to be rather expensive). But when the big day comes you
|
||
drive out to the airport with your camera bag and hat. You stand in line to
|
||
get your boarding pass, check one bag. (which contains some old clothes you
|
||
no longer need) You ask which way to the gate and off you go in that general
|
||
direction. When you get to that side of the concourse you duck into the bar,
|
||
pocket the boarding pass and wait for your plane to depart.
|
||
You then tuck the hat into a bag and return to the parking lot where you
|
||
climb into your car and head off to your new life. Or you can just fly out
|
||
of that same airport to some other destination on a ticket purchased in an
|
||
assumed name with cash.
|
||
Don’t even think about trying to cash in the ticket to Africa. If you do the
|
||
whole effect will be spoiled. It’s important that you leave your apartment
|
||
looking as though you were only gone for a few weeks vacation. If the
|
||
television and VCR are gone, investigators may conclude that you have taken
|
||
flight and will start looking for you in earnest. (If you're really attached
|
||
to your TV, you might purchase an older used unit and leave it behind)
|
||
This strategy is not cheap, but it is effective. Anyone, and I include here
|
||
both experienced investigators and the law, will draw a blank on this one if
|
||
it’s done carefully. Sure it costs quite a bit more than simply walking
|
||
away, but for the money you leave behind a stone cold dead-end trail that
|
||
ends somewhere in the jungles of Africa! What does the investigator do when
|
||
he confirms that you picked up your boarding pass, checked a bag and that
|
||
the ticket was one way? Where does he go from there? If he goes to the
|
||
considerable trouble of actually talking to the clerk who handled your
|
||
departure, she'll report that you were there and obtained your bording pass.
|
||
From there it’s a total dead end.
|
||
Even if he suspects that the whole thing is a ruse, he’ll attempt to verify
|
||
your arrival in Kenya. After some months of correspondence he’ll probably
|
||
discover that you didn’t arrive. But since the plane stopped in London
|
||
and/or Athens enroute you might have deplaned there and since England and
|
||
Greece don’t require visas, he’ll have no where left to look. Those long
|
||
distant overseas phone calls can be expensive and an investigator can’t
|
||
expect the same level of cooperation from foreign officials that he can here
|
||
in the US.
|
||
As a last touch, leave behind a nice color picture book of Africa in your
|
||
top desk drawer where someone is sure to find it. Place another on your
|
||
apartment coffee table. This plan will work perfectly, provided you don’t do
|
||
anything stupid thereafter.
|
||
|
||
|
||
The "Wild Goose-chase Through the Ghetto" Strategy
|
||
On the eve of your departure, take your wallet, complete with old drivers
|
||
license, credit cards and a little cash and just drop it in the middle of
|
||
the street at midnight in front of a sleazy nightclub in the shabbiest part
|
||
of town you can find. Trust me - someone will find it and use the credit
|
||
cards or sell them to someone who will. Anyone trying to find you will then
|
||
be sent on a real "wild goose chase". He’ll see lots of scattered credit
|
||
card activity but it won’t lead him to you - that’s for sure. While he’s
|
||
trying to make sense of it all, you’ll be off to a new life in a distant
|
||
city.
|
||
Or you can shed both your old identity and your old car at the same time.
|
||
Park your car along a ghetto street at night, leave the driverside door
|
||
unlocked, the keys in the ignition AND leave your wallet on the front seat.
|
||
You’ll be killing two birds with one stone. There's always on thing you can
|
||
depend on in this life, the greed of your fellow man.
|
||
|
||
|
||
The "Kill Yourself Off " Strategy
|
||
Now we move on to the really illegal stuff. This tactic is against the law
|
||
so - don't do it! I can almost guarantee you that you’ll end up in jail
|
||
should you try this particular ploy.
|
||
One lady called her local paper, posed as her own sister and placed an obit
|
||
on herself! When they asked for the funeral home that would be handling the
|
||
"showing" she said that, as requested in her will, she was cremated and that
|
||
no funeral would occur. Since she died "after a long illness", she included
|
||
a note in the obit that contributions should be made to the U.S. Cancer
|
||
Society. She then walked into a large hospital and asked where she could get
|
||
a death certificate. When she got to the right person she just asked for one
|
||
on the pretext that her mother had died in a rural area and the police
|
||
needed a copy for their records. Although it’s a minor crime to provide the
|
||
blank form, the clerk handed one over without question (I’ve known several
|
||
people who’ve successfully obtained blank death certificates this way
|
||
despite the legal restrictions). She then filed a fake death certificate on
|
||
herself (another illegal act) and then used the death certificate to file
|
||
for a claim for her death benefit with the Social Security Administration (a
|
||
federal felony) which got her entered into the publicly available social
|
||
security death database. On paper she was then completely dead. Her husband
|
||
collected a cool $100,000 from their life insurance (yet another illegal act
|
||
which took over two years as they had no dead body). The insurance company
|
||
was suspicious, but since the public image of the insurance industry is of
|
||
prime importance, they eventually paid in full.
|
||
She left behind a ton of debt which evaporated when her creditors discovered
|
||
that her estate was penniless. She and her husband met several times a year
|
||
in the Caribbean and during one of those visits, they were both arrested.
|
||
This approach constitutes a series of federal felonies which almost always
|
||
results in a long jail sentence.
|
||
Here’s one obvious strategy that is guaranteed to fail. Insurance
|
||
investigators always have a good laugh when someone fakes jumping off a
|
||
bridge. They leave behind their car, a wallet and a suicide note. Problem
|
||
is, less than a quarter of alleged jumpers actually die and leave a dead
|
||
body behind. Don’t expect anyone to believe such a story. And be assured
|
||
that your life insurance will never pay off on such a claim.
|
||
|
||
The "Canadian Crossing" Strategy
|
||
You charge an airline ticket to Canada on your credit card in your old name
|
||
and fly on up to Toronto or Montreal. Check into a hotel and take a look
|
||
around (it’s a lovely country!) and then rent or buy a car in your new name
|
||
which you then drive back across the border somewhere out west where the
|
||
border is very poorly manned. You should be able to just drive across at one
|
||
of the unprotected crossings on the smaller back roads. The Montana/Canada
|
||
border is a good area for this. You might have to stop and show your drivers
|
||
license to a Canadian Mounty. Either way nothing gets entered in a computer
|
||
so you were never there as far as an investigator is concerned. Take your
|
||
birth certificate with you just in case but don't offer it unless asked.
|
||
Most of the time they won't bother to ask if you sound like an American and
|
||
are dressed well.
|
||
You only have about 2,500 miles of border to choose from. This strategy
|
||
works best during the legal hunting season when hundreds of eager hunters
|
||
cross back and forth into and out of Canada from the adjoining US states.
|
||
This way you go on the record as having gone to Canada but no record exists
|
||
of your return. You come back "laundered" and ready for a new life. Anyone
|
||
attempting to track your movements will be left wondering when you'll come
|
||
back from Canada!
|
||
I’ve also heard of some who have hitch-hiked across with no problems. One
|
||
guy posing as a nature photographer caught a lift from a friendly hunter who
|
||
didn’t relish driving back to Detroit alone.
|
||
Just remember to dress the part. You want to look straight and clean cut. If
|
||
you're young, have long hair or drive a wreck of a car be prepared to be
|
||
stopped and even searched. If you’re crossing during hunting season, dress
|
||
like a hunter. During other seasons you’ll want to dress in a suit and tie
|
||
and be sure the car is spotless inside and out. The make and model of your
|
||
car can get you stopped. Large US made cars are suspect because their trunks
|
||
are large and are popular with drug smugglers. (have you ever seen the trunk
|
||
on a Ford LTD - it’s really huge!) A late model foreign car will do nicely,
|
||
or better yet a rental car is perfect though they can be very expensive when
|
||
you drive them one way because the rental firms charge a very hefty "drop
|
||
off charge" for rentals that aren't returned to the original site.
|
||
If you’re black or Hispanic your odds of being searched skyrocket especially
|
||
if you're younger. You can reduce the odds somewhat by having a wife and
|
||
small child with you.
|
||
Here is a common ploy used by Americans that work overseas. According to US
|
||
tax regulations, overseas workers pay no US federal taxes on the first
|
||
$70,000 they earn overseas provided they do not spend more than 100 days per
|
||
year visiting the United States. So they fly from their overseas worksite to
|
||
Toronto on their passport and then cross the border into the US using only
|
||
their drivers license as proof of citizenship. When they desire to return
|
||
overseas they reverse the process and fly out of Toronto using their
|
||
passport. Anyone inspecting their passport will discover that they spent
|
||
several months in Toronto and nothing more. They spend as long as they like
|
||
in the US and protect their income from taxes at the same time! I don’t
|
||
expect this situation to change anytime soon as the Canadian border (unlike
|
||
the Mexican border) is of little interest to either government.
|
||
|
||
|
||
The "Overseas Worker" Ploy
|
||
You’ll find ads in the larger city newspapers offering to find you work
|
||
overseas. They mostly offer professional caliber positions for engineers and
|
||
doctors. But some are on the lookout for English instructors for contract
|
||
positions in the Far East and particularly Japan. If you’re adventuresome
|
||
this might be just the ticket. It gets you out of the country for two years
|
||
or longer.
|
||
You’ll be required to sign a contract and may be required to submit to a
|
||
complete physical exam with their physician. Be sure that you intend to stay
|
||
overseas for the full period of the contract as an early return may be very
|
||
expensive. Most of these contracts include painful penalties for breaking
|
||
the contract by returning early.
|
||
One note though. Don’t pay an up-front fee to any of these so-called
|
||
employment agencies. Many are notorious rip-off artists. Find the ads that
|
||
just offer listings of the jobs available. And if the position requires a
|
||
degree, call them anyway. They may be shorthanded - you never know.
|
||
Saudi Arabia hires a wide range of instructors. If you have experience
|
||
working in a sheet metal shop, doing auto body work, have done any kind of
|
||
aviation mechanical work or know how to install phones you may be able to
|
||
find a lucrative position teaching our Saudi friends. Saudi Arabia is a nice
|
||
enough place to live and work. The pay is great but don’t bother going there
|
||
if you love booze or movies. Both are against the law there. (That doesn't
|
||
mean you can't get them, it only means it's more difficult and more
|
||
expensive) There’s some booze around but not all that much as booze is
|
||
technically illegal in Saudi Arabia. Don’t even think about trying to
|
||
smuggle booze or drugs into Saudi Arabia. While the Saudis tend to be a bit
|
||
more liberal when it comes to enforcing their strict laws in the areas where
|
||
Americans live, they tend to be really strict about drugs and the penalties
|
||
they hand out are really frightening (how would you like to have your hand
|
||
cut off!?)
|
||
Most of these overseas job locator services will have a number of listing
|
||
for teachers to teach foreigners the English language. Some will require a
|
||
college degree in English but many won't. If you're well spoken you should
|
||
be able to find a job somewhere out there.
|
||
|
||
|
||
The "Cult Membership" Strategy
|
||
Browse around the internet and you’ll find many religious cults who have web
|
||
pages designed to convert people to their way of looking at things. If you
|
||
live in the east, find one out west. If you live out west, find one back
|
||
east. Get as much info as you can about the cult. You want a real cult. One
|
||
that is secretive and strange but not actually dangerous. Send away for
|
||
information.
|
||
You can tell your friends and co-workers that you’re going to join up. Or if
|
||
you can handle the experience, you might want to actually join up, get a
|
||
membership card and the whole works. Then tell all your friends that you’ve
|
||
found "the meaning of life". They’ll think you’re nuts but who cares? Tell
|
||
everyone about how you’re going to visit your new cult friends for a brief
|
||
visit. Go ahead and tell them where the cult is located.
|
||
You go and you don’t come back. In fact, you spend a day or two with your
|
||
new fellow cult members and then split for parts unknown under your new
|
||
identity. Anyone looking for you will easily track you to the cult but that
|
||
will be the end of the line as no further information will be available.
|
||
Cults are notorious for not revealing anything - unless ordered to by a
|
||
court and even then they will have their lawyers legally challenge the court
|
||
order. No one short of a cop with a search warrant will be able to find out
|
||
if you are actually there or not. And even then they’ll probably have to
|
||
fight the cult in court before they get access.
|
||
Also, some cults are famous for regularly moving all over the country in an
|
||
effort to evade investigation and/or media attention. Every cop knows that
|
||
some cults will move the target member before the cops return. It maybe
|
||
illegal but it’s a common ploy with these outfits.
|
||
I know two people who actually joined the Scientology cult in an effort to
|
||
vanish. One warning, the Scientology people can be quite dangerous so this
|
||
particular cult should not be played with. But you can visit them, join and
|
||
then split though they’ll try very hard to get you back. But if you travel
|
||
under you new name after you leave they’ll never find you. If you let the
|
||
Scientologists know your new name, they will pursue you forever. For that
|
||
reason you should join them under your old name and never reveal your
|
||
intention to split to anyone in the cult. You can be sure they will be
|
||
watching you carefully and monitoring your attitude so you'll have to very
|
||
clever. Just convince them that everything is fine and then pick your moment
|
||
and vanish.
|
||
Investigators and skip tracers know that there’s little use in contacting a
|
||
real cult. Their inquires will be ignored and they know that if they become
|
||
insistent or threatening, the cult’s attorney will step in. And cults can
|
||
often afford the best legal talent available so legal threats are of little
|
||
use. Besides most genuine cults have stripped their members of any and all
|
||
wealth they may have had when they signed up. So if you're not sure you can
|
||
withstand their psychological brain-washing - stay away.
|
||
|
||
Run Off and Join the Circus
|
||
Perhaps when you were younger you had a dream about running off with the
|
||
circus. Well now might be just the time to re-visit that childhood dream. An
|
||
old friend recently reminded me that anyone seeking to vanish ought to take
|
||
a look at the "amusements" industry.
|
||
Every year at the same time (usually sometime in the summer) you’ll notice
|
||
various "amusement" companies that breeze into town, set up a smallish fair
|
||
which they run for a week or so and then move onto the next town.
|
||
These outfits almost always need laborers and electricians to help with the
|
||
setup and tear-down. They usually run a small classified ad in a local
|
||
paper. The best tactic is to show up during the last day of their operation,
|
||
ask to see the boss and ask if they need help with their "teardown". If they
|
||
hire you, work hard and don’t complain. When they pay you off, ask if they
|
||
might need another hand out on the road. You can tell them that due to the
|
||
recent death of your spouse you’re free to travel.
|
||
The job they may offer might be that of a "ride monkey". You help with the
|
||
setup and teardown and also man one of the many rides.
|
||
A warning: this is not an easy life. Some of these companies will pay to put
|
||
you up in a local motel complete with a private bath and air conditioning.
|
||
But others will require that you sleep in an un-air-conditioned trailer with
|
||
only a shared mobile shower/restroom. It’s kinda like camping out all
|
||
summer. If you’re really attached to a luxurious lifestyle, the "carny" life
|
||
may not be for you!
|
||
But one thing I can guarantee. You will be properly and completely lost for
|
||
the summer. No one will be able to find you no matter how hard they look.
|
||
Many of these companies don’t ask questions of their employees. Many pay
|
||
their people in cash so you can be sure you’ll be rubbing shoulders with
|
||
other freedom-loving souls. Most will ask your name and then write it down
|
||
without any reference to identity papers. The pay may not all that great
|
||
either as they know that you need this kind of work and so are less than
|
||
generous.
|
||
|
||
|
||
Magazine Subscriptions
|
||
If you scout around any major newspaper's want ads you may find some jobs
|
||
listed under "Magazine Subscription Sales". These companies hire supervisors
|
||
who travel the country in a stretch van with a small crew of teenagers who
|
||
sell magazine subscriptions door to door.
|
||
Be warned however that some of these outfits are out and out scams. They use
|
||
these wholesome looking kids to sell subscriptions (or some other useless
|
||
product) under the guise that the youth is selling magazines so they can go
|
||
to college, for some innocent sounding religious organization or for a
|
||
famous charity (usually one that benefits poor or sick children).
|
||
The hours are long, there are plenty of hassles (this whole approach is
|
||
becoming less and less viable given some recent media attention) but the
|
||
income can be very good and you will be roaming the entire country so
|
||
finding you will present quite a challenge. Once again, these employers know
|
||
that the kind of people this industry attracts aren't the cream of the crop.
|
||
Many pay their staff people in cash and won't even bother to ask for
|
||
identity documents.
|
||
This might be just the job you need if you can find an honest company and
|
||
can put up with the inevitable problems that go along with managing a group
|
||
of teenagers.
|
||
|
||
Your Appearance
|
||
The easiest methods of changing your appearance involve:
|
||
Gain or lose weight (very effective)
|
||
Changing your hair color (effective)
|
||
Changing your eye color with contact lenses (subtle)
|
||
Changing your hair length (effective)
|
||
Covering up baldness with a "rug" (very effective)
|
||
Adding or removing tattoos (very effective if visible when fully
|
||
clothed)
|
||
Plastic surgery (if you can afford it - extremely effective)
|
||
|
||
|
||
Establishing Yourself in Your New Community
|
||
There are those who feel that upon arrival in a new community an
|
||
identity-changer should immediately get in contact with an underground group
|
||
of some sort. Over the last few years the papers have carried stories of
|
||
fugitives being arrested after showing up at one of these supposedly
|
||
clandestine meetings. The sad truth is that most of these groups have been
|
||
penetrated by either the local police or, if the government feels they
|
||
warrant the attention, the FBI itself. You don’t know these people. Why
|
||
should you trust them with your future? There’s a better way. One that keeps
|
||
your story private.
|
||
By far the quickest way to establish yourself in a new community is to join
|
||
a church. The best bet would be to join one of those hellfire-and-brimstone
|
||
"born again" Baptist congregations. Find a medium to small church with a lot
|
||
of younger families. If you’re like me you can’t stand these idiots, but you
|
||
only need to attend for a few Sundays, chum up to several of the
|
||
parishioners and you’ll quickly have several impressive personal
|
||
"references" for immediate use.
|
||
The game here is to pretend to believe exactly as they do. Listen carefully
|
||
during their services. Every church has it's very own interpretation of just
|
||
what "real" religion is supposed to be. What do they concentrate on? Try to
|
||
identify the unique features of their doctrine. Pretend to swallow their
|
||
"line" completely.
|
||
If they have an "alter call" - join in the procession. Get down on your
|
||
knees. After some solemn prayer they’ll ask you to stay to receive some
|
||
literature and have a chat. Tell them that your Grandmother was a Baptist.
|
||
Ask them where you can buy a bible (they’ll probably give you one free!). If
|
||
they mention a Christian bookstore, be sure to visit it and spend some
|
||
money. Tell the clerk that you are new in town and a "new Christian". Buy
|
||
any book(s) they might recommend. Study them and learn the lingo.
|
||
The next week return to the same church and ask to become a member after the
|
||
service. If they don’t offer a church membership card, ask for one. No
|
||
matter how ridiculous their beliefs sound to you, agree with them and listen
|
||
to their explanations with rapt attention. Ask the obvious questions without
|
||
challenging them in any way. Bond with them as best as you can without being
|
||
too obvious. After a few encounters they will fall in love with you and
|
||
think you’re a wonderful person. Chances are some fellow church member will
|
||
invite you over to their house for "fellowship." When they ask about your
|
||
family tell them that your parents are "lost in the darkness". If you have a
|
||
hard luck story (maybe you were on drugs or were forced to join a satanic
|
||
gang) that ends with you being saved by Jesus - they will eat it up!
|
||
Remember, most rational people reject this narrow-minded theology, but
|
||
you’re different. You understand them and agree completely with their
|
||
beliefs.
|
||
Here’s the secret about this tactic: From then on your fellow church members
|
||
will tell others that you’re "nice" because you believe as they do, not
|
||
because they really think that you’re all that nice.
|
||
Attend church social activities. Find someone particularly friendly and ask
|
||
them to refer you to an apartment where you plan to live until you can
|
||
afford to buy a place of your own. Tell them that you don’t want one of
|
||
those sinful apartment complexes. We all know about all the sinful activity
|
||
going on there and you, being a good Christian, want none of that. You want
|
||
a nice clean "Christian" place. If they don’t know any "born again"
|
||
apartment owners, they’ll call around until they find something for you.
|
||
With a little luck this church gambit may just land you a nice apartment
|
||
with a landlord who will be so happy to get a clean-living religious tenant
|
||
that he’ll ask very few questions.
|
||
Be generous with the tithing and other contributions if you can afford to.
|
||
The preacher will always have something nice to say about anyone that forks
|
||
over cash for the church "building fund". Most of these guys are as profit
|
||
oriented as your average used car dealer!
|
||
|
||
|
||
Some Final Random Thoughts
|
||
During the San Francisco earthquake a local newstation was filming a burning
|
||
building. When they swung the camera around to show the crowd, about a dozen
|
||
men broke from the crowd and ran. They were all probably wanted by the
|
||
police (or their ex-wives!) Stay away from cameras.
|
||
Don’t do any unnecessary driving as it exposes you to the possibility of a
|
||
traffic stop by the police. Be aware that for the first six months or so
|
||
your new identity will be rather fragile and might not stand up to close
|
||
scrutiny. As time passes your persona will "firm up" as you build a real
|
||
history in your new name. After a year - you are the new you. During a
|
||
recent interview the director of the FBI revealed that most fugitives get
|
||
caught during the first 90 days but those who manage to live under a new
|
||
identity for a full year are seldom found.
|
||
This all may sound like a very demanding and difficult project. And in some
|
||
ways it is. But hidden in the midst of all this planning and worry is a
|
||
golden opportunity to start all over. There are a thousand ways to screw up
|
||
a life so I can only imagine what happened to your original identity. But
|
||
now you have what others dream of - a real chance to live out your
|
||
fantasies. Seize the chance as it may be the greatest turning point of your
|
||
life. It strange how some identity-changers go on to live happy and
|
||
successful lives while others never get it right and spend their nights
|
||
tossing and turning in the fear that "Big Brother" will soon appear. The
|
||
most valuable thing I can think of to say at this point is that IT CAN BE
|
||
DONE! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
|
||
If you presently have an established career, relocating under a new name can
|
||
be a daunting prospect. One identity-changer was a Registered Nurse. To
|
||
escape her abusive and unrelenting ex she changed her identity and relocated
|
||
to a distant city. Problem was she was in a licensed profession. Her answer
|
||
was to go back to school at age 42. She breezed through the courses and
|
||
challenged many others. Instead of taking three years, she did the whole
|
||
thing in half that time and was licensed under her new name. Now she enjoys
|
||
a good salary and a solid career, the one she loves.
|
||
One recent identity-changer asked that we pass along this little tip. He and
|
||
his wife were planning on starting anew in the US after leaving their east
|
||
European home. They obtained US tourist visas but were shocked to learn that
|
||
they were only allowed to take about $500 each with them in cash. Hardly
|
||
enough to start a new life. To get around this little problem, they slowly
|
||
liquidated their possessions until they had a nestegg of around $80,000.
|
||
Through friends they were able to locate a diamond merchant who sold them a
|
||
nice 14 carat Russian diamond of very high quality for cash. They then
|
||
smuggled the gem into the US in the wife’s vagina. After arrival, the bauble
|
||
was sold for $60,000 in cold hard US cash which allowed them to successfully
|
||
launch their new lives. (The diamond merchant back home wasn’t all that
|
||
honest it would appear!) A diamond will allow you to concentrate an enormous
|
||
amount of wealth into a very small space and is also highly liquid anywhere
|
||
in the world. Others have done the same thing with small but valuable
|
||
antiques (those little wooden Russian dolls have been used by Russians) that
|
||
can be easily hidden in your underwear.
|
||
It’s often hard to keep employment as the social security withholdings are
|
||
reported on a quarterly basis. Many wanted criminals find that they are
|
||
forced to change jobs every three or four months to stay ahead of the
|
||
dreaded letter from the social security people advising their employer that
|
||
one of their employees has two jobs, one in Oregon and the other in Florida!
|
||
One common strategy is to work for a temp service. You use someone else’s
|
||
SSN and an assumed identity. These outfits have so many people going through
|
||
their revolving door that they seldom do much investigating. You can work
|
||
for at least several months. Move around from office to office so no one
|
||
gets too inquisitive. But I would ask you not to use this ploy because it
|
||
gets the actual holder of the social security number in trouble with the
|
||
social security people. It can take a year or more to get such a mess
|
||
straightened out!
|
||
|
||
|
||
Popeye the Sailor Man…
|
||
A freshly divorced friend wanted to get completely and utterly lost. Let’s
|
||
just say that he did not want to communicate with his ex. On a whim he spent
|
||
his last few bucks on a one way ticket to sunny Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
|
||
There we took to wandering the many yacht marinas that dot the coast. After
|
||
a week he managed to find a position doing some renovation work on a boat
|
||
owned by a rich dentist who lived up north.
|
||
It was an ideal job for someone in need of anonymity. In one fell swoop it
|
||
provided him with a steady source of income and a nice comfortable (and
|
||
completely untraceable) place to live. And even better, when the dentist
|
||
would come down for his thrice yearly sailing outing, my friend would "crew"
|
||
for him and spend two weeks sailing the Caribbean. When the owner wasn't
|
||
around he would tell women that the boat was his. They were very impressed
|
||
and responded accordingly. Not a bad gig!
|
||
Also, my friend would take the boat out for day-long cruises which he
|
||
advertised in the local paper. He posed as the owner of the boat and charged
|
||
his day passengers hefty fees which they were only too happy to pay.
|
||
Then one night he hit the mother load. When my friend had a few extra bucks
|
||
in his pocket, he was known to spend a few idle hours in a local topless
|
||
dancing establishment. There he met a foxy lady named Tiffany. He happened
|
||
to be chatting to Tiffany the night before one of his unauthorized cruises.
|
||
When he revealed his little scheme Tiffany suddenly became quite interested.
|
||
He told her that he wasn’t much looking forward to spending the next day in
|
||
the company of several old businessmen. Tiffany said that she would just
|
||
love to take that cruise as she was sure a good looking hooker like herself
|
||
could do some serious business with his passengers (presumably while
|
||
cruising out beyond the three mile limit where law enforcement doesn't
|
||
exist). They put together a deal. Tiffany and a dancer friend would go along
|
||
for the cruise. They agreed to kick back one third of the illicit money they
|
||
made to my friend.
|
||
The next morning six paunchy businessmen came aboard. Then the two girls
|
||
showed up clad only in lovely (though scant) bikinis. The girls were turning
|
||
tricks before they even cleared the port! In all, the two girls earned three
|
||
hundred each, which put two hundred in my friends hot little hand. The girls
|
||
were happy, my friend was happy and the passengers were also happy. (in fact
|
||
they were extremely happy!) And to make things even better the passengers
|
||
provided my friend with a generous tip!
|
||
Today my friend owns his own 50 foot boat. His "Erotic Night Cruises" are a
|
||
big hit - and his wife? She’s still looking for him! This entire story is
|
||
true. Just thought you might find it interesting.
|
||
|
||
|
||
How to Export Your Money Privately
|
||
There are many different ways to take your money with you when you leave the
|
||
good old USA. You could just go and get yourself a bank draft or a cashier’s
|
||
check. This approach is OK provided each one is for less than $3,000
|
||
(bankers now report all transactions over $3,000 to the government)
|
||
Many have used checks drawn on a money market account. This leaves a trail
|
||
behind but that trail dries up when the money market account is closed.
|
||
Using a personal or company check would be very foolish as it leaves behind
|
||
a very traceable paper trail. Secured credit cards are good. You can obtain
|
||
one in the US, deposit a sizeable sum into the secured account and then
|
||
wander the globe spending as you please. You can make purchases freely or
|
||
get cash from ATM machine worldwide.
|
||
It’s best if you can manage to get one in another name by using a bogus
|
||
drivers’ license. Or better yet get one from a Caribbean bank supported by
|
||
an "offshore" account which will provide you with the ultimate in
|
||
privacy/security.
|
||
Traveler’s Checks can be used for smaller sums (less than $3,000 per
|
||
purchase). Purchase too many at a time and you can look forward to increased
|
||
scrutiny.
|
||
One rather resourceful fella I know discovered a very clever way around the
|
||
currency export limitation. He bought a full-fare first class return airline
|
||
ticket to his overseas destination. He then flew there using the first half
|
||
of the ticket. He then changed his plans, cancelled the return portion of
|
||
the ticket and requested a cash refund which the airline was only too happy
|
||
to provide (they tend to take very good care of their first class
|
||
customers!). This enabled him to quietly export several thousand dollars in
|
||
cold hard cash.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Travel Warning Update:
|
||
Several weeks ago I was returning to the US after two weeks in eastern
|
||
Europe. When I cleared passport control I overheard an ominous conversation.
|
||
It seems that an individual who had arrived on the same flight was being
|
||
detained. His sin was a simple one. He had failed to file a tax return for
|
||
the two previous years. He had been living overseas and didn’t feel the need
|
||
to file. But today it seems that the reach of the IRS now includes the
|
||
entire planet! (We’re the only country that still taxes it expatriate
|
||
citizens)
|
||
I had been hearing rumors that the IRS was beginning to put out lists of
|
||
those who fail to file. My sources tell me that the IRS creates a master
|
||
list of names taken from school records. They then remove those who have
|
||
death certificates on file. Next they remove those who filed returns last
|
||
year. What’s left is a list of people who are presumably still alive and for
|
||
whatever reason are not filing returns. I knew the government was doing this
|
||
but until now I wasn’t sure how the information was being used. Be careful!
|
||
Be sure you’ve filed if you expect to enter this country through a main
|
||
entry point.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Another Warning Concerning Travel:
|
||
An old high school friend of mine is well, rather a paranoid type. He has
|
||
never trusted our federal government and today is completely convinced that
|
||
Washington is bent on devouring our personal freedoms. So when he planned to
|
||
take a trip to Europe, he decided that he would defy the US department of
|
||
state by traveling on a fake passport he purchased on the internet.
|
||
He submitted an order with the firm that seemed to offer the best quality
|
||
product. Later that night the local cops kicked in his front door! They even
|
||
brought a dog and a DEA cop with them! Of course they found nothing (except
|
||
for a single copy of the "Anarchists’ Handbook" which they confiscated in
|
||
violation of his constituional rights). What ever happened to our fourth
|
||
amendment rights? It would appear that in our "New World Order" the cops no
|
||
longer need to bother with those troublesome old search warrants.
|
||
A word to the wise: some of the online fake passport companies are, in
|
||
reality, nothing more than sting operations set up by law enforcement. And
|
||
it would be a real tragedy if an innocent person such as yourself should
|
||
fall into their trap, wouldn’t it?
|
||
Also, others are peddling stolen passports which are even more dangerous. If
|
||
you really want to get a genuine passport which can be used to travel the
|
||
world unmolested, take a look around Central America where several
|
||
governments (including Belize, Grenada, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda) will
|
||
provide one for a fee. But be warned, the fee can be steep (anywhere from
|
||
$15,000 to $75,000 or more isn’t at all unusual).
|
||
If you’re only concerned about handing your US passport over to a terrorist
|
||
should you be on a hijacked plane, you might want to contact the nice folks
|
||
at Scope International. They will provide you with a very authentic looking
|
||
"camouflage" passport that appears to be issued by an ex-country like
|
||
Rhodesia, Zanzibar or British Honduras. Since these countries no longer
|
||
exist, their passports cannot be used for general travel but are only useful
|
||
in terrorist situations. (But you should be aware that these phony passports
|
||
will only be of value with terrorists who are ignorant on the subject of
|
||
geography.) Scope International is located in England and be contacted at:
|
||
Scope International
|
||
P.O. Box 2286, Forestide House
|
||
Rowlands Castle, Hants, England P09 6EE
|
||
Phone: (01705) 631-751
|
||
|
||
|
||
Some Oddball Travel Options:
|
||
Travel is always an interesting option (if you can afford the fare). Here
|
||
are some rather strange travel ideas. One might be just the ticket you need:
|
||
|
||
You could do a Kayak tour of Canada
|
||
Ecosummer Expeditions
|
||
(604) 669-7741
|
||
How about dog sledding in far away Greenland?
|
||
Borton Overseas
|
||
(800) 843-0602
|
||
Some other Greenland tours
|
||
Arctic Adventure Aps
|
||
(45) (1) 37 12 33
|
||
(Denmark)
|
||
Go sailing on a real Russian icebreaker
|
||
MIR Corporation
|
||
(800) 424-7289
|
||
Visit nomadic and tribal people
|
||
Turtle Tours
|
||
(602) 488-3688
|
||
|
||
Travel to Brazil and Venezuela
|
||
Wildlife Adventures
|
||
(800) 255-8735
|
||
Ride across Alaska on a motorcycle
|
||
Alaska Motorcycle Tours
|
||
(800) 642-6877
|
||
Drive across the Sahara Desert
|
||
Explo-Tours
|
||
(49) (89) 160-789
|
||
Germany
|
||
Do a 15 week tour of Africa?
|
||
Himalayan Travel
|
||
(800) 225-2380
|
||
Spend five months touring all of South America
|
||
Forum Travel International
|
||
(510) 671-2900
|
||
Spend 37 days exploring Australia
|
||
Trans Continental Safaris
|
||
(61) (88) 423-469
|
||
Australia
|
||
Go on a real safari in Africa?
|
||
Abercrombie & Kent
|
||
(800) 323-7308
|
||
Touring Tanzania sounds kinda nice…
|
||
Borton Overseas
|
||
(800) 843-0602
|
||
Float on down the Yangtze River in China
|
||
Steve Curry Expeditions
|
||
(801) 224-6797
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
And now one final tactic. Once you’re established in your new location -
|
||
burn this report! If discovered by the wrong person later on, it could make
|
||
the finder wonder just what you’ve been up to and you don’t need to face any
|
||
unnecessary questions now do you?
|
||
I hope all this has helped you to move on to a happier new life. A lot of
|
||
time and effort has gone into getting this information into your hands. I
|
||
can only hope you will take full advantage of it. Best of luck!
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Mail Drops/Remailers
|
||
These outfits offer various types of services. Most will forward mail on to
|
||
whatever address you say. Most will receive a reasonable number of phone
|
||
messages and place them in your box and most will receive fax message for
|
||
you. Mail drops are all over the world. To find one in your new city go to
|
||
the library and look under "Mail" in the yellow pages for that town. If you
|
||
feel you have to stay in touch with anyone back home do it through two mail
|
||
drops. One is in the city your friends think you live in which forwards any
|
||
mail received on to you in your real new home city. This makes tracing you
|
||
more difficult (but not impossible). Unfortunately, companies are popping up
|
||
that sell lists of known mail drops to banks and credit card companies. Be
|
||
careful as these drops are probably not all that private anymore. The best
|
||
mail drop is one that you arrange privately. Maybe you know some kindly old
|
||
lady down the street who has little to do and would just love to make a
|
||
little extra bingo money.
|
||
Here’s a short list of available mail drop locations:
|
||
|
||
Mail Box Rentals Mail & Parcel Services Mail-Rite
|
||
595 Piedmont Ave 4032 S. Lamar Blvd. 3500 Parkdale Ave
|
||
Atlanta, GA 30308 Austin, TX 78704 Baltimore, MD 21211
|
||
(404)872-2026 (512)442-1188 (410)383-0007
|
||
|
||
The Mail Center Mail and More Mail Boxes & Services
|
||
1400 E. Morehead St. 6427 W. Irving Park Rd. 1601 W. 5th Ave
|
||
Charlotte, NC 28204 Chicago, IL 60634 Columbus, OH 43212
|
||
(704)358-3585 (312)282-6060 (614)488-1863
|
||
|
||
Mail Room The Mail Depot Mail & More
|
||
2950 Holbrook St. 17366 Harper Ave 601 N. Cotton St.
|
||
Denver, CO 80228 Detroit, MI 48212 El Paso, TX 79902
|
||
(303)986-3941 (313)871-2240 (915)533-6245
|
||
|
||
The Mail RoomMail and More The Mail Bag
|
||
5230 W. 16th St. 1836 W. 3rd St.1283 La Brea Ave
|
||
Indianapolis, IN 46224 Jacksonville, FL 32209 Los Angeles, CA 90019
|
||
(317)244-0117 (904)247-8614 (213)938-0101
|
||
|
||
Mail Mart The Mail RoomMail Alternatives Plus
|
||
6506 W. Capitol Dr. 1024 17th Ave South 461 W. 49th St.
|
||
Milwaukee, WI 53216 Nashville, TN 37212 New York, NY 10019
|
||
(414)463-6245 (615)329-9520 (212)399-0575
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|