How To Disappear & Live Free

                             100 Ways To Disappear
                                 And Live Free

                              (C) 1972 Eden Press
                                  Revised 1985

                              Typed by Struct Def

                 For other privacy oriented publications, write
                                   EDEN PRESS
                                 P.O. BOX 8410
                           FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA 92708


                                  INTRODUCTION

        To "live free" means to be able to control your own life
        and to avoid violence, or the threat of violence, by others.
        What you do and how you do it will almost always determine
        whether or not freedom will be yours.  But YOU must take the
        responsibility for creating your own freedom.  No one,
        especially the "government" will do it for you.

        To "disappear" means to make it impossible for other
        people to invade your personal world of freedom. Since most
        of such invasion is by means of electronic data gathering and
        cross-referencing, you must be able to short-circuit these
        procedures effectively.

        The most efficient method today is through the use of
        what we call "alternate identification".  If the new names
        and numbers you plug into the networks don't match
        the old ones, you have not only "disappeared", but have also
        been "reborn".  And being reborn means leaving your past records
        where they can no longer affect you and your lifestyle.

        This "disappearing" of individuals is obviously discomforting
        to institutions and governments determined to control
        personal activities in the Land of the Free.  To them
        it appears downright seditious, since in reality their power
        depends directly on the number of people they can control --
        through computerized records, of course.

        To those who actually "disappear", however, the act is
        one of tremendous personal liberation.  Free men owe very
        little to those who restrict opportunities on the basis of past
        records.  An extreme example, which nevertheless applies
        to all of us, is this: When a person convicted of a felony
        has served his full sentence, is he then "free"?  Hardly.
        What he will experience is really a LIFE SENTENCE of second-rate
        opportunity.

        And what happens to the convict, in practice, happens to
        *everyone* who manages to have negative personal information
        placed in his "records".  When it comes to the point of a
        person's having to live with a condemning past and ever-
        narrowing opportunities, it becomes easily understandable
        why he should be willing and anxious to scuttle his labeled
        identity and take on another.

        Becoming a new identity, however, involves many things
        and requires careful attention to detail, as we shall show.
        At the heart of this process, though, is the ATTITUDE a person
        must assume if he is to make it work.  He must forget
        about his "government"; he must become his own government,
        answerable only to himself, with his own rules, laws, and
        systems of behavior.  This is an existential "moment" few
        are disciplined enough to experience, but it can be done.
        The result will be a growing detachment from BIG BROTHER and
        a correspoding increase of personal freedom.

        The individual needn't worry about what would happen "if
        everybody else did this" because they WON'T.  The object is
        for individuals, acting as individuals, to declare their
        mental independence from whatever System is attempting to
        enslave them.  As individuals they are the best judges of what
        degree of slavery they can accept, how far down the road
        they can go before becoming robots for BIG BROTHER.  Simply
        put, it's the Sheep and the Wolves.  The Sheep go to slaughter,
        the Wolves wherever they wish...

        There are numerous intermediate tactics between total
        compliance and complete disappearance, such as refusing to
        give your Social Security number (or giving it incorrectly),
        avoiding taxes, obtaining several foreign citizenships and
        passports, setting up bank accounts in several other countries,
        and planning at least two routes of escape to other countries,
        but in the end you will discover there really is no freedom
        in the world -- *YOU MUST CREATE YOUR OWN*.  You must
        learn how to protect your own rights as you define them. No
        one else will do it for you, *NO ONE*.

        The object of this publication is to suggest ways an
        individual can, in practice, escape his past and secure a
        new future, *on his own terms*.  Individuals will vary greatly
        in how they carry out their disappearances, and it is our
        hope that the ideas we present here are useful towards those
        ends.  We make no claims of completeness or of exhausting
        the subject, as that could be potentially dangerous were
        individuals to rely solely on this information.

        We must stress that everyone should think over his situation
        as carefully as possible, and then pick and choose
        which among our methods are best suited for his needs.  Above
        all, he must begin using his head, trusting his hunches and
        instincts, and thinking of himself as separate, different,
        and even superior to those stuck in the System.  He will
        have to become a Wolf.  He must stand alone to be free.

        --Barry Reid
          January 1978

                                I. DISAPPEARING

    If you need to dump your car, sell it yourself to a private party
    for cash.  Be very careful not to reveal anything to this person about
    your real plans or reasons for selling.  He would be an ideal source of
    information of this nature for snoopers, thanks to the efficiency of
    auto registration systems throughout the country.  The buyer will, of
    course, be an excellent place to dump your *fake* information...

    Once you relocate, should you need another car, pay cash for it
    even if it represents lowering your "status".  Delay registering it as
    long as possible.  By the time you do, hopefully you will have
    established a new identity completely unknown to the last owner of
    the car.

    Changing completely your "profile" of the type of car you drive
    might help reinforce your new identity, too.  If you last had a large,
    domestic, expensive car, try for small, foreign, economy car.  Avoid
    splashy colors and styling, however.  Look dull.  Red cars get more
    attention from highway patrols--a proven fact.

    If you need to move large amounts of personal property and can't
    handle the job yourself, hire some "no name" movers from a city or two
    away, and have them put your stuff in some kind of public storage where
    you control access.  Days, weeks, or months later, have another mover
    transfer your goodies to your new address.  Plan this latter move for a
    time when you feel there might be the least chance of surveillance of
    the storage premises.  *DO IT QUICK*.  Avoid any intervening visits to
    check up on your stored items.  Remember, too, to give false and
    misleading information to the agents who rent the storage space to you.

    Sever all ties with any unions, clubs, lodges, or other organizations
    to which you belong.  Become a "lost" member.  It's best to leave
    these groups "cold", that is, don't go around cashing your interests
    in special funds or private accounts to the point where it becomes
    obvious you're intending to pull up stakes.  Leave a few bucks on the
    books.

    *Never* send in Change-of-Address forms to publishers of magazines
    or other periodicals, and certainly don't leave such a form at the local
    Post Office.  Your mail will be returned to sender stamped, "Moved,
    left no forwarding address", or "Unable to Forward", or words to this
    effect.


    Never become friendly with the landlord.  Hold up your end of the
    rental agreement, and he will undoubtably be pleased to leave you
    completely alone.  Landlords are fertile sources of information for
    snoops, so consider every conversation with them the same as if you
    were talking with the FBI.  In this case, however, you are perfectly
    free to lie, mislead, and deceive all day long with impunity, so DO IT.
    Remember, however, that if you burn him for the rent when you split, you
    will gain not only an unpaid creditor but also an enemy who will bend
    over twice to help skip tracers.

    Life insurance should be cancelled or allowed to lapse.  If there
    is any cash value, take the money before you split.  Insurance companies
    are great gatherers of personal information, so be sure not to tip
    off agents regarding your plans.  Give them believable excuses like
    deciding to go with another carrier or your employer's group plan, etc.

    When you change houses or apartments, be careful not to leave behind
    items that might serve as indicators of your past, your interests,
    hobbies, or lifestyle.  Books and clothing items you no longer need
    should be donated anonymously to the Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.

    If you have grown children make it clear to them they will never
    know where you really are.  Correspond through mail drops and make
    phone calls from pay booths if you must communicate.  Cutting family ties
    can be painful, but sometimes the alternatives hurt more.  Ideally, parents
    should train their children never to give personal information to third
    parties.  Agents and investigators should be told to "get a warrant".

    Don't worry about being tracked down by your photo. Tracing by
    photo isn't done unless you're a fairly notorious person, usually with
    a reward on your head.  You've got to be "worth" the great effort and
    expense.  It *is* possible to trace a person this way, but modern cops
    and dicks don't do it unless there is no other way *and* the search is
    justified.  The FBI admits that at any one time there are at least
    75,000 fugitives in the U.S., so the Post Office photos can't really be
    working all that well, eh?

    It can be super-cool to room in someone else's apartment or home.
    Check the daily newspapers for ads under heading like "Rooms to share",
    "Rentals to share", or "Apartments to share".  This way all records
    relating to occupancy will already be in someone else's name.  You will
    make arrangements with the current occupant only, not the landlord and
    the various utilities.  This arrangement is well suited to someone
    wanting to put lots of "distance" between one identity and another, a
    great way to "get lost", even if only a few blocks away.  Once a new
    identity has been set up--a process that can take several weeks or months
    for someone wanting foolproof identity--he is much freer to appear,
    fully reborn, wherever he pleases.


    Avoid getting involved in lawsuits or failing to respond to citations.
    If you have to split in a hurry, and can't make an appearance,
    you've just bought yourself a possible bench warrant which will be
    happily enforced the next time a traffic officer pulls you over for
    a "broken tail light".  It is a well-known fact that arrests of most cons
    and fugitives are made in "circumstances unrelated to their crimes".
    Stops for traffic violations are number-one such "circumstances"....

    Pets can be a drag if you need to move in a hurry, so consider your
    situation carefully if you simply must have one.  Also, most urban areas
    require registering of certain kinds of animals, especially dogs.
    You can avoid registering them as long as possible, and give totally
    false information when convassing inspector catches up to you.

    If you own or are buying a home, but want to disappear, arrange
    to have an attorney handle the sale and escrow.  Attornies can generally
    be counted on to follow their client's instructions, and are usually
    quite careful about divulging information to third parties (snoops).
    Short of a court order, data relating to their clients is considered
    private or "privileged".  You will want to instruct your attorney in
    the manner of forwarding funds to you.  He will have several ideas
    along this line, such as a trust account, conversion to cash, or deposit
    made out of state or the country.

    There should be no problem in his handling the details of the sale
    once you grant him the power of attorney for this purpose.  Don't be
    afraid to pay him well for his services, as he will remain a known "link"
    between your old and new lives.  Should other methods of tracing fail,
    investigators will put pressure on him.  Since most attorneys enjoy a
    good battle of wits, protect yourself by keeping him on your side.
    Wealthy people have always used smart attorneys to cover their moves,
    and so can you.

    Similarly, if you have recently been the beneficiary of a will or
    have an interest in an estate, notify your executor that further
    transactions are to be directed through your attorney.  Your address can
    thus be kept from public records.  Since may probate matters can drag
    on for years, your present address will have to be known to executor.
    It shouldn't bother him that you wish a little privacy.  If the estate
    in question is of great value to you, you would naturally want an
    attorney to look out for your interests, so this is the perfect excuse.
    Attorneys should be *used*.

    If minor children are involved in your disappearing act, things can get
    complicated if they can't or won't cooperate with you.  You will probably
    be changing identity, so you will have to get them to accept at least a
    new surname.  Be serious about it and they should get the message.  They
    will have to cut off contact with old neighborhood friends, and will have
    to enroll in new schools under their new names.  Since most schools
    require records and transcripts to be sent from the last school of
    attendance, and enrollment of kindergarteners and first graders to be
    accompanied by birth certificates, a little ingenuity and cleverness is in
    order.


    First, birth certificates can easily be faked as there are many
    sources of blank forms.  Check the classified ads in any of the national
    tabloids ("Midnight","The National Enquirer", etc.) under such headings
    as "Certificates" and "Miscellaneous".  The ID cards offered by these
    mail order firms are often accompanied by free birth certificates, too.
    For more information on birth certificates and alternate identities, order
    a copy of "THE PAPER TRIP II", from Eden Press ($19.95).

    In this latter book, you will also get ideas into how to create
    "records" of past activities, methods wchich will work in helping you
    cover your children's tracks as well.  The basic technique is to
    recreate the records you want, provide the address of a mail forwarding
    service as that of the source of those records, and handle all
    correspondence *yourself*.  By using photo duplication of altered
    documents, a little rubber-stamping, or even some "quick-print" offset
    printing, you can easily and rather quickly come up with working solutions
    to some of the most baffling problems in starting a new identity. You
    can have a field day creating all kinds of "backgrounds".  The only
    limitation is your own imagination.  These methods WORK, too!!

    It would usually be a good idea not to give children an advance
    warning they are about to split the neighborhood, as they will be
    quick to tell their friends and schoolmates.  Once on the move, keep
    them from communicating until you arrange for them not to give
    away your location.  Mail forwarding services can help here, too.  Have
    them begin using their new last names right away.

    If you belong to an Automobile Association, let your membership lapse.
    If you decide to rejoin, do it several months later under a new name, or
    join some other Auto Club under the new name.

    If you use a particular barber or beauty shop, give no indication you
    are about to move or make any kind of radical change in your life.
    Talk about the weather, politics, or sports, but keep you private
    thoughts from becoming popular knowledge.  Gossip thrives in these
    places.  The same goes for bars, pool halls, liquor stores, and
    restaurants which you have frequented in the past.  Don't tip them off.

    If you're planning to remain in the same general area, don't use your
    old library card anymore.  Chuck it and apply for another at another
    branch, under another name, of course.

    When dealing with any real estate people to set up you new location,
    use only your *new* name.  Many real estate firms also handle rentals,
    and are thus good sources for tracers if they have a general idea where
    you are, or are headed.  This underlines the need to begin creating a
    new identity *before* you decide to "move".

    When you notify the utilities and telephone company to discontinue
    service, tell them not to send any refunds (if they are due) or closing
    bills until you notify them, as you are relocating and are not yet sure
    of the address.  This way you will not be leaving any leads in this
    fertile field for investigators.


    If you plan to remain in the general area serviced by the same utility
    company or companies, it would be advisable to have service begun
    either several weeks *before* you move (under the new name), or
    several weeks *after* you move.  Snoops would find "connect" requests
    within five to ten days of your move worth investigating, dig?

    If you ship personal property via UPS or common carrier, don't give them
    the address where you intend to locate, not even the city.  Simply
    tell them to ship to one of their pick-up points reasonably nearby your
    new location.  Tell them you won't have definite address for several
    weeks, and that you will pick the stuff up "Will Call".  To put
    a good kink in persuers' trail, collect your items at this latter
    destination and ship again, via another carrier, to a location nearer your
    actual destination.  Do the "Will Call" number again, though.  A cardinal
    operating procedure is never to establish a link between the new and the
    old.  Use blind addresses, aliases and other covers to screen the actual
    transactions.  Time delays work in your favor also, the longer the better.

    If you decide to hawk your possessions before disappearing, be extremely
    careful not to give away your real reasons for doing so (you could be
    going into missionary work in Uruguay), and definitely not the
    destination you have in mind.  You could even pretend you are an
    employee of the person moving, and that the "boss" is moving his business
    to another state.

    A gambit used by many fly-by-night employers, such as carnival
    operators, is to claim that they can never make decisions (write checks)
    without their "brother's" approval and signature.  Gee, they'd love to
    pay you, but their "brother" is tied up out of town until a week from
    next Tuesday....  Meanwhile, the operator splits.

    If you decide to use a pawn shop for certain items, again, be discreet
    and careful not to divulge any information regarding your move.
    Pawnshops are natural haunts for snoops.  Unless you're used to
    dealing with them, it might be safest to sell your items openly.
    Pawnshop operators are very astute observers of people, and you could
    easily tip them off without intending to.  They can sense desperation
    before you even come throught the door.

    Although procedures vary from state to state, it is generally possible
    to trace a person through his vehicle registration.  If you plan to
    take your car with you, as a first measure simply don't notify the
    Motor Vehicle people of your change of address.  Sometime before you
    must pay the registration fees again, either sell the car outright, or,
    arrange a dummy sale to yourself under your new name--a transaction
    that can often be done by mail.

    There is a national clearinghouse for vehicle registrations, which
    means a particular vehicle, if properly registered, can be traced
    through its various sequential owners.  It would be a shame that one's
    love for his car were greater than for his personal freedom, but many
    people will want to "take it with them".  A two-stage dummy sale would be
    much safer, especially if one of the transactions took place in another
    state.  Registering the car in the name of a business could be another
    ploy to consider.  The registration of other personal property, such
    as boats, trailer, and airplanes should be considered in the same light
    as that for automobiles.


    Allusions to "going back East ", or "returning to college" can be
    helpful smoke screens in evading inquisitive landlords.  Never let them
    know where you're really going.

    J. Edgar Hoover stated many times that fully 90% of all arrests by the
    FBI are due directly to the "helpful cooperation" of neighbors and
    relatives.  Need we say more?

    Should you have school-age children and not want them to attend
    public schools, you can:

        a.  Find a suitable private school,
        b.  Tell the neighbors the children are feeble-minded and that you are
            tutoring them at home,
        c.  Tell the inquisitive you are a transient visitor from Mississippi,
            Virginia, or South Carolina, states which have repealed compulsory
            attendance laws,
        d.  Move every three months or so to prevent rumors from spreading
            too far, and/or,
        e.  Keep the children under cover during school hours.

    Don't take the bus cross-country.  Terminals are notorious hangouts
    for snoop informers who appraise bus travelers as "only niggers, spics,
    college beatniks, and other commie types".  (You'd never believe who
    said this, but then again, you may very well know...)

    Keep your home, job, personal activities, and hobbies well separated,
    even self-contained.  Don't let heat in one area endanger any of the
    others.  How? Read on...

    Keep the address of where you actually live a well-guarded secret.
    This is *VERY IMPORTANT*.

    Never carry your actual address on you or in your car.

    Let only those who are trustworthy and have a genuine need know your
    actual address.

    Set up a "legal" address somewhere else, such as a closet at a friend's
    house, containing some misleading personal effects (books on subjects
    you have no interest in, and clothes a few sizes away from your own).
    He can thus point to something if ever questioned; but, of course,
    he hasn't the slightest notion when you'll be returning from India...

    Use this "legal" address for all your ID which you plan on using
    regularly, such as drivers licence or state ID.  Provide it also for
    your employer's records, should it be required.

    If you need a telephone, not only have it unlisted, but have the
    records in a phoney name.  Let only the address be correct among the
    facts you are asked to provide.  A small cash deposit is a small
    price to pay for anonymity.


    Rent your apartment, house, etc., under yet another phoney name,
    if you wish.  Always pay utility bills and rent with money orders or
    cash.  Cash doesn't have your name on it, and you never have to provide
    your correct name on a money order.  Keep a few receipts with your
    current alias written on them in case you still haven't obtained a good ID.
    Virtually any reconizable paper document "with your name on it" can be
    good enough for you to "identify" yourself if stopped for questioning.
    When you are between identities, this is the most convenient way of
    proving you are at least more "substantial" than an escaped convict...

    Receive all your mail at a 24-hour Post Office box.  Use your
    "legal" address to obtain the box, or any "friendly" address for that
    matter.  Once you have the box, and continue to pay the rent for it,
    you can move every day of the week, and the Post Office won't care.

    Instead of a P.O. box you can employ a mail forwarding service.
    They will generally cooperate fully with you in your efforts to keep a
    good distance between you and anyone else, whatever your reasons.  Most
    newspapers carry their ads in the classified section under "Personals".
    With two or more services you can route your mail in and out of the
    country, or from one coast to the other and back again, each mailing
    under a different "code" name.  Houdini never had it so easy.

    For people (and bill collectors) you want to "lose", provide a
    forwarding address out of the country.  You can arrange to have letters
    mailed from foreign countries stating that you have no intention of
    ever returning.  If they are to creditors, tell them to write you off
    and save the collection expenses.

    Another ruse for covering tracks is to write "deceased" on the face
    of incoming mail.  Drop unopened into public mail boxes.  All but
    professional snoops will get the hint.

    By far the most useful method of learning about a person "cold" is
    through his driver's licence, a copy of which any investigator has no
    difficulty receiving.  A postage stamp and the right request gets
    him the information in a few days.  The best way to make sure snoopers
    draw a blank is to change your identity via one of the workable methods
    detailed in "THE PAPER TRIP II", from Eden Press.

    Thanks to computers and credit cards, virtually everyone has lost
    his privacy, but the right maneuvers in the personal identity field can
    liberate an individual rather quickly from such information tyranny.
    Indeed, resorting to methods of "disappearing" are really the only
    feasible ways of evading what amounts to electronic control of your life.
    When you exercise the option of unplugging yourself from the computerized
    data exchanges, you can in fact "start over", or at least regain and
    maximize your personal privacy.  We think it's well worth it.

    It can be good discipline to do without a savings or checking account.
    If you must have one, set it up under a good alias for which you
    will need supportive ID.  A driver's licence or state ID card under
    a phoney name can be obtained using any of the methods shown in "THE PAPER
    TRIP II", and the Social Security "number" you give can be totally fake,
    even made up right on the spot.  Just remember as you recite your "number"
    that it has nine digits, however.  For IRS purposes, the SS# used for your
    checking account is of no value, and on your savings account serves
    only as a cross check for the reporting of interest.  This latter purpose,
    it has been revealed, is of little consequence in that the IRS virtually
    never bothers to verify interest reporting statements sent in by the
    banks.  They have relied on the "basic honesty" of taxpayers...


    A solid set of ID in another name is what can truly be called "freedom
    insurance".  With the growing threat of arrest and prosecution for
    leading a "free" life, it's plainly comforting to have the option to cut
    and run, even if you choose not to.

    Obtaining alternate ID should be done *before* you get into trouble.
    Take the time to do it right.  In an emergency many other matters will
    compete for your time.  In the future first-class ID may become more
    difficult to obtain, too.

    The best ID to obtain is obviously that which is issued directly
    by government agencies themselves.  Using forged, stolen, or counterfeited
    ID is bust in itself.  Privately-issued ID is more lightweight,
    but in lieu of government-issued ID, can serve the same purpose, namely,
    protection from harrassment.  It won't get you a passport though.

    With "legal" ID you will find no trouble in doing many tasks which
    would otherwise prove impossible or extremely difficult at best.  Also
    with "legal" ID the risk of detection is reduced to a minimum.  When
    and if you choose to disappear, you can appear instantly "identifiable".

    With government-issued ID you can effectively erase the curse of a
    jail or prison record.  Tens of thousands of "free" Americans carry with
    them the permanent label of "felon" or "ex-con".  The real crime begins
    only after a person leaves the joint; legal and social ostracism continue
    all their lives.  What better reason to disappear?

    If you had the misfortune to receive a less-than-honorable discharge
    from the armed forces (thousands do so anually), the acquisition and use
    of an alternate identity will be your first step in beginning to live free.
    Even though you may have lost all or most of your G.I. "benefits", you'll
    at least be able to get a decent job--now.  Watch out for fingerprinting,
    however.  Big Brother has your prints, and will be only too happy to
    prove you're one of those "Dirty, rotten, rat-fink, Commie deserters".
    And you thought honest criminals had it bad...?

    Using an alternate identity is another way of covering up bad employment,
    too, particularly if the law was involved in some adverse way,
    such as in cases of theft, embezzelment, etc.  In some occupational
    circles the word gets around efficiently--and fast.

    Many young men of draft age split to Canada during the Vietnam fiasco
    to escape what they considered the illegal obligation of fighting
    an immoral war.  Their return was often facilitated by the acquisition
    of alternate identity.  And who knows when the next immoral war will
    be foisted on us?  It can't hurt to be prepared.

    By obtaining the right documents individuals can rather easily take on
    foreign citizenships, too.  Most countries have much more lax "safeguards"
    against paper penetration of their document systems than the U.S.
    Although superficially the more centralized countries appear to
    have better control of their subjects, it is precisely this
    bureaucratic patina of confidence and superiority that makes their record
    systems more vulnerable to subversion.  If bribes and theft don't work
    (they usually do), then the documents themselves are very susceptible to
    forgery and counterfeiting.  By approaching the right "trade ministers",
    many international businessmen have obtained numerous "legitimate"
    foreign citizenships, passports included.  IT CAN BE DONE, U.S. "law"
    nonwithstanding.


    Many people have made a regular practice of beating creditors and
    collection agencies through the adroit use of aliases and alternate
    identities.  They are living proof that debts belong to yesterday.
    Financially they live quite free--today.

    A quick way up the occupational ladder is to combine mail order
    school diplomas, certificates, and degrees with expert ID.  Not only
    can a clean break with the past be achieved, but a sharp increase in
    income as well.  The only limit here is your imagination and desire.

    Some of the sharpest operators create ID as a physician or clergyman and
    rake in commercial discounts as well as hundreds of free offers and
    special deals once their names get on "preferred" mailing lists.
    Such ID can be of great benefit socially, too.

    Alternate ID is the quickest way to starting all over in the credit world.
    The most atrocious credit record is gone forever when your old name
    disappears.  This is an oversimplification, of course, but what else can
    be said when your aren't "you" anymore?

    Once some form of commercial or consumer credit is established, it becomes
    very easy to obtain all the various forms of credit cards, from bank cards
    to the Travel and Entertainment cards.  Complete plans for starting all
    over in the credit game are outlined and detailed in "CREDIT", from
    Eden Press.