by Unknown
• Background design—color, pattern, line (usually for bank checks
and credit card signatures). Erase the signature and the squiggle lines on the checks or cards. If it cannot be duplicated, erase the entire
squiggle area.
• Soundex—a method of encoding the driver’s name and other identi-
fying information into the driver’s license.
• UV Ink—Incite Technologies Corp., 10059 E. Washington Street,
Indianapolis, IN 46229; www.my-secret.com.
• Hologram.
• Machine-readable technologies—bar codes and mag strips (PVC).
• Ghost Image—half-tone duplication.
• Optically variable device (OVD)—an image that shifts positions,
changes into another object, or appears to be moving as you hold it
at different angles to the light.
Mail, Mail Drops, and Remailing Services
The operative or changer may receive mail by placing a mail box in a line of rural route boxes on a country road. The carrier will leave forms to be completed, probably without ever seeing a house associated with the box. (Boxes at abandoned farm houses may also work.)
Mails drops (such as mailboxes) are common for forwarding mail.
In addition to mail forwarding, mail drops usually offer private mail box rentals, shipping and receiving packages for UPS and Federal Express, money orders, photocopying, desktop publishing, 24-hour access, etc. For a higher level of security, rent another box at a mail drop near the place where you relo-cate to and have mail from the first mail drop forwarded to the second drop.
Remailing services receive mail from you and remail it from its loca-
tion to wherever you designate. Some mail drops offer this service as well.
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Be cautious about accepting oddly shaped or colored packages that you are not expecting, as these may be used to mark you by someone surveilling your pickup.
Credit bureaus and government agencies maintain databases of known
mail drops and routinely compare these to credit applications and credit profiles. If your address matches one of these known mail drops, your application or credit report may be flagged for fraud. Using published drops could lead pursuers to your new or cover identity. Check mail drop directories and use one that is NOT published.
A mail drop facility that allows its tenants to use its full street address may add the mailbox number as a suite or apartment number. This is better than using a box number. Mail drops may also be used to forward mail (for a fee) to another address or another mail drop. Some mail drops have 24-hour access. (You might consider having someone else pick up your mail for you.) The government, insurance companies, and credit bureaus maintain databases of mail drops to detect fraud. A commercial address could also be used temporarily.
Storage Facilities and Real Estate Trusts
There are three things that you can do with the stuff that you don’t take with you and don’t want to throw away: store it, sell it, or give it away. The storage option usually involves renting a storage building by the month
and storing your stuff there while you are gone. Usually you must pay the first month’s rent with a small deposit and an agreement giving the storage facility owner permission to confiscate your possessions if you fall behind in the rent.
You must either visit the storage unit during the operating hours or, at an additional charge, you may be able to get a private access code to disarm the security system to enter at any time. These units can range from $50 to $200
per month in most areas.
Real estate can be purchased by a business trust. In a trust with undis-
closed beneficiaries, a statement called a Schedule of Beneficiaries is filed with the trustee. In some states this does not need to be filed with the regis-trar of deeds. Some states allow land trusts. You may create a corporation to act as the trustee.
Utilities, Pay-as-You-Go Phones, and Answering Services
When relocating under a new identity, having utilities turned on using your new name helps establish your new identity. Having a phone in your name
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helps establish credit and serves as proof address. Utility bills may serve as proof of address when opening a bank account.
Prepaid cel phones can be purchased without credit cards, names, etc.
Having a basic ID, an identity thief may set up cell phone service using someone else’s SSN.
Cal er ID or CLID (calling line ID) is used to identify the name, address, and/or phone number of the caller on either landline phones or cellular
phones. Spoofing software can help conceal the caller’s identity or even falsely identify the CLID information.
Line blocking prevents your name, number, and address from showing up on cal er ID and indicates either PRIVATE, BLOCKED, or RESTRICTED. You
will be unable to connect to phones equipped with Anonymous Cal Rejection (ACR), unless you subscribe to per-call unblocking ( *82), which you must pay for in most cases. Per-cal blocking ( *67) blocks outbound Cal er ID on a per-call basis.
Neither line blocking nor per-call blocking prevents your number from
being displayed at toll-free (800/888/877) or pay-per-call (900/976) numbers, which use automatic number identification (ANI). Emergency numbers (911)
are also unaffected by CLID blocking. Large private branch exchanges (PBX) with extensions show up at a single billing number.
Telephone service codes:
TelCo Service
DTMF Code (Tone)
Pulse Dialer Code
Call trace
*57 (number, date, and time)
1157
Call cue
*66 (redials busy)
1166
Per-call blocking
*67
1167
Dial last caller
*69
1169
Call waiting OFF
*70 (On a per-call basis)
1170
Call forwarding ON
*72
1172
Call forwarding OFF
*73
1173
Activate ARC
*77 (Anonymous Call Rejection)
1177
Per-call unblocking
*82
1182
Deactivate ARC
*87
1187
Internet and Internet Privacy
Spam is a scam (usual y). Source Socket Layer (SSL)—secures information
in transit. Encryption of data files—PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is FREE
from MIT:
• http:/ web.mit.edu/network/pgp.html
• www.pgpi.org
• www.pgp.com
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Remove your name from the data file created during setup (e.g., Internet
Explorer or Netscape Navigator). Using Netscape, click on OPTIONS, then
MAIL NEWS AND PREFERENCES, highlight your name, and delete it. You
may replace it with a handle or a first name.
Cookies were introduced by Netscape. They are or it is a small file placed by the remote server on the client side of the network interface (your computer). The first time you visit a site, you get a JavaScript or CGI script message asking for your name. The JavaScript message box results from unseen programming code embedded in the HTML (hypertext markup language)
of the web page. Once you enter your name, another unseen code snippet
writes that information to a file on your computer. When you log on to that website again, another JavaScript routine looks for the cookie and retrieves your name and information stored in the cookie. If your browser does not
allow cookies or you disable them, you will be prompted for your
name on
each subsequent visit. Cookies can track information, such as buying and
spending habits, time spent viewing page screens, etc.
In Microsoft Internet Explorer, cookies will usually be found in the Windows subdirectory Cookies. Open Windows Explorer and open the subdirectory to find them. In Netscape Navigator, go to the Program Files directory or the subdirectory to find cookies.txt. If either of these fails, click Start/
Find/Files or Folders and type in cookie*. * (cookie*.*) and click Find Now or do a File Manager search.
To have your browser warn you before setting Cookies, set the switch in your Options menu. For Navigator, click Options/Network/Protocols, then check Accepting a Cookie in the Show an Alert Before box. You may also click Options/
Mail and News Preferences/Identity. Go to the Your Name box and type in a made-up name, anonymous name, or none at al . Below that, in the Your E-Mail and Reply-to Address boxes enter an alias e-mail address. Microsoft Internet Explorer users should click on View/Options/Advanced and then click Warn before accepting Cookies. (Use this restriction sparingly for your convenience.) E-Mail Privacy
Most browsers allow you to change the Reply to e-mail address. To increase Internet privacy, avoid e-mail accounts provided by your Internet service Provider (ISP), as they often allow marketers, bill collectors, and even private investigators to discover your location. An option is to use FREE e-mail addresses, which allow to access e-mail from any computer with Internet access, such as
• Yahoo.com
• hotmail.com
• gmail.com
• geocities.com
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Advanced Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Operations
Use a computer at a library or other location to access your e-mail without being traced to an Internet Service Provider (ISP). When you apply for these, you will be asked to provide personal information in exchange for the free service. You can use an alias and make up the rest.
Prepaid Internet service is another option. Such service can be purchased with no credit agreement or personal information and used virtually anywhere. These companies usually ask for your name, address, and phone num-
ber for initial sign-up. You can use an alias. If you do not have an ISP, you can login to your free e-mail anywhere in the world using a library, university, or company computer.
Anonymous remailers are another option. When you route your e-mail through an anonymous remailer, the server replaces your e-mail address with one it makes up. It then forward your message to its original destination. Any replies from that destination automatically pass back through the remailer, which then recalls your e-mail address and forward it back to you. (There is a distinction between anonymous and pseudo-anonymous remailers. Neither
is recommended and you can usually tell that they are anonymous.)
Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), created by Philip Zimmerman in 1991, is a pretty good encryption option. It is a data encryption and decryption program that provides cryptographic privacy and authentication for data com-
munication. It is commonly used for signing, encrypting, and decrypting
texts, e-mails, files, directories, and whole disk partitions to increase the security of e-mail communications.
Education and Employment (EIN and TIN)
and Doing Business
Working to secure income is essential. It is estimated that taxes consume up to 35%–45% of a person’s income, making off-the-books employment desirable.
Service industries (plumbing, repairs, cleaning, locksmithing, gunsmithing, computer repair, etc.) are often in demand and often pay in cash. Farming, gardening, and sel ing firewood are also low-key endeavors. Pastors and monks (who live in monasteries) often make a cash income while living by some of the church resources. Many participants in the underground economy keep a foot in both worlds. They engage in off-the-books cash enterprises and report enough income to attract little attention. Some underground economy entrepre-neurs can’t have bank accounts or stay in one location or with one employer for long. It is best to work for private individuals rather than companies, which file 1099s. Temp services and employment agencies can help someone find a job.
Your new identity must create a factious work history that represents
your actual skill sets, experience, and knowledge (but not so close as to leave tracks or a nexus between your old and new identities). You will also need
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references that will check out. You can use an answering service for your old boss and previous employer. You can FAX letters of reference or use a remailing service (which also offers FAX services).
Self-employment is also a viable option. Some businesses require a
retail merchant permit, usually issued by the city clerk, county treasurer, or state department of revenue (or their equivalents). Some regulated professions require a license issued by the state or, in some cases, a federal agency.
Incorporation offers several advantages, especially the limited liability company (LLC). You may also need to file a DBA (Doing Business As) certificate with the county recorder, particularly if you are doing business under a name other than the one the incorporation is filed under.
Some states have strict requirements for incorporation and others are
much easier to do business in. Nevada, Wyoming, and Delaware are often
considered good options for filing for incorporation. In Nevada, for example, the fee is usually about $125 and nominal annual fees. There are no state corporation taxes or personal income taxes, and there is minimal reporting and disclosure and total privacy of shareholders and only the names of officers and directors are on public record. This requires a resident agent or manager and a nominee to serve as officer(s). A TIN is required and IRS Form SS-4
requires the nominees SSN. There are companies that will serve as the resident agent and provide nominee services, such as Laughlin Associates, Inc.
(Carson City, NV) and Val-U-Corp. Services, Inc.
Form SS-4 is the IRS form a business entity uses to apply for an EIN or a TIN. The EIN is the business entity’s equivalent to an SSN and is required by banks and creditors to conduct business. Even a sole proprietorship may apply for an EIN. The IRS requires the person filling out Form SS-4 to furnish their SSN. Be sure to file for a TIN, file tax returns, and pay taxes for employees.
Self-employment is an alternative to a job front. By establishing a business identity, the identity changer can appear to own, be associated with, or be employed by a business.
Traveler’s Checks, Money Orders, and Prepaid Credit Cards
Checks leave an obvious paper trail. Carrying cash to buy what you need
(food, hygiene, etc.) is a good idea, but you can also pay bills with money orders as another alternative to using checks. However, ID is required to purchase traveler’s checks. Any post office will cash postal money orders, but they also require ID.
Using credit cards or debit cards leaves a paper trail, but this can sometimes be used to good advantage to mislead pursuers. It is often preferable to use cash or prepaid charge cards to buy what you need (food, hygiene, etc.).
Prepaid credit cards with the VISA or MasterCard logo can be purchased
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Advanced Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Operations
anonymously, with no name, credit references, proof of income, or identification because they are prepaid. Their value is equal to the amount you pay for them, minus a modest processing fee.
Credit card companies often solicit secured accounts, even from people with poor or no credit. After establishing credit you will be added to secured credit card mailing lists (for more credit cards). Use your new identity address and phone number for these. When you activate the new card(s), you are usual y required to call a tol -free (800) number, which will ask for the phone number on the account or a computer system answering the pho
ne will try to verify the number using cal er ID. You are also prompted to enter your SSN or other identifiers.
Another way of obtaining a credit card is to add a cardholder to an existing account (usually your own), but this links the new identity to your old identity. This also establishes your credit history with credit information services, such as TRW, Equifax, Transunion, etc. After 6–8 months, you will
start receiving preapproved credit card offers.
When applying for credit or credit cards, avoid using mail drops that
may be in a database. Rather than using mail drops, look for someplace that does not specialize as such, but just happens to have a few mail boxes to rent.
They usually require you to fill out a form for the post office, who may sell or trade this information.
Credit Cards and Credit Bureaus
1-888-5OPT-OUT 1-888-567-8688
Keep a list of all credit cards with the phone numbers used to report
them lost or stolen. Use low-limit cards for daily use and high-limit cards for traveling. Limit the number of cards that you carry (usually one or two). Do not provide supplemental identification when using credit cards. The signature on the back is all that is required.
• Equifax www.equifax.com
• Trans Union www.transunion.com
• Experian www.experian.com
Banking Privacy and Offshore Money
Privacy, cover identities, and identity changing are perpetually evolving issues. Vigilance is the key! Since 1970 the IRS has required banks to file a report for each customer transaction of $10,000 or more and on any person making cash transactions over $10,000. This includes their SSN.
With a business account you do not need to endorse deposit checks with
a signature, only a stamp with the name of the business, the account number,
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and/or the words For Deposit Only. When writing checks, a signature stamp may be used. Print the post office street address along with your post office box number on checks when you are required to have a street address.
Sending a sucker check (a check of a nominal amount payable to the target of an investigation) may be used to see where checks are deposited or what account numbers are, such as when a party is attempting to attach an account (following a judgment) or identify the location of assets.