HOW TO BE INVISIBLE THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS ST. MARTIN'S PRESS NEW YORK REVISED AND UPDATED HOW TO BE M\/IC THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PROTECTING YOUR PERSONAL PRIVACY, YOUR ASSETS, AND YOUR LIFE J. J. LUNA This publication is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for legal or other professional advice. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought to address the particular circumstances involved. THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS. An imprint of St. Martin's Press. HOW TO BE INVISIBLE: REVISED EDITION. Copyright © 2004 by Editorial de Las Islas LC. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. 10010. www.stmartins.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Luna, J. J. How to be invisible : the essential guide to protecting your personal privacy, your assets, and your life / J. J. Luna.—Rev. and updated, p. cm. Includes index (p. 279). ISBN 0-312-31906-1 EAN 978-0312-31906-9 1. Privacy, Right of—United States. 2. Identification—United States. 3. Computer security—United States. I. Title. JC596.2.U5L86 2004 323.44'8*0973—dc22 2003058770 First Edition: March 2004 10 987654321 A NOTE TO READERS This book is sold with the understanding that it is not meant to offer or replace legal or investment advice. Laws vary—what is legal in one state may be illegal in another. Laws and procedures also change frequently and are subject to different interpreta­ tions. Moreover, the general situation described in this book may not apply to your particular circumstances. Thus, no action rec­ ommended in this book should be taken without first obtaining the advice and counsel of a trained legal professional. This book is dedicated to an anonymous member of Spain's Secret Police. On January 27, I960, during a brief encounter on a quiet back street in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, I asked him for advice on how best to avoid any problems in the land of Generalissimo Francisco Franco. The advice he gave me has served me well for more than forty years. He said there was only one way to avoid troubles with the authorities: "Make yourself invisible." And so I did. CONTENTS Preface xi 1 How This Book Can Make You Invisible 3 2 U.S. Mail—Serious Dangers 20 3 When Is a "Lie" Not a Lie? 39 4 Mailboxes, Public and Private 47 5 How to Obtain Your Own " Ghost" Address 5 7 6 Repairmen, Home Deliveries, House Calls, FedEx, UPS 72 7 Untraceable Trash, Anonymous Utilities 83 8 Your Social Security Number and Date of Birth 90 9 Your Alternate Names and Signatures 110 10 Telephones and Answering Machines 121 11 Cell Phones and Pagers 140 12 Handheld Two-Way Radios 148 13 How to Find and Use Nominees 157 14 Bank Accounts and Money Transfers 161 15 Limited Liability Companies 173 16 Hidden Ownership of Vehicles and Real Estate 182 17 Personal Computers 197 18 E-Mail and the Internet 211 19 How to Secretly Run a Home-Based Business 232 x CONTENTS 20 Secret Spaces, Hidden Places 240 21 Cool Stuff That Did Not Fit In Earlier 248 22 An Exam, a Secret, and an Invitation 266 Glossary 275 Appendix 276 Index 279 PREFACE Some things change slowly, some things change quickly, and some things never change at all. This certainly applies to those of us who, despite having "nothing to hide," are deeply concerned with keeping our private lives private. The first edition of How to Be Invisible was published in July 2000. On September 11, 2001, my advice about anonymous air travel was suddenly as useless as a telephone directory for offices in the Twin Towers. The anthrax scare produced another change, and, ten weeks later, with the passing of the USA Patriot Act, yet more changes were in order. The results of that law—and of the U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's interpretation of it—are still being disputed in the press and in the courts. More than 30 percent of the information in this second edi­ tion is new, thanks in part to feedback from thousands of readers who purchased the first edition. Some wrote to me in the Canary Islands. Many more posted comments on my Web site, www.how- tobeinvisible.com. A common refrain was, "Your book has changed my lifel" Here are some of the changes from the first edition: TRAVEL You can still travel anonymously, as long as you do not—within the U.S. boundaries—travel by plane or, to a lesser extent, by bus or train. I discuss vehicle ownership and tips about travel, includ­ ing updates on what the police can or cannot do if they stop your vehicle. xii PREFACE BORDER CROSSINGS A survey showed that this information was the only section of the book that readers felt could be eliminated. The only remain­ ing information—that of precautions when crossing into Canada or Mexico—has been incorporated into Chapter 21. E-MAIL, COMPUTERS, AND THE INTERNET Two readers were kind enough to contact me last year and offer their services. One is a forensic computer investigator for the Seattle Police Department and the other is an international expert on computer privacy. The results are scary but if you value your privacy on the Internet, these are the things that you must know. The original chapter covering this subject has now been expanded into two chapters. The first has a series of suggestions for protecting information on a computer that is not connected to the Internet by either a wireless connection or a land line. The second chapter outlines the additional dangers from an Internet connection. Both chapters now stress the laptop's superiority to a desktop computer, even if you never travel. ALTERNATE ADDRESSES Next to questions about limited liability companies, this was the topic that generated the most questions from readers. As a result, I have eliminated some of the more exotic suggestions and have also clarified the way a post office box can be used in conjunction with a commercial mail-receiving agency. Most important, I now list many true experiences from readers who successfully obtained PREFACE xiii alternate addresses in new and interesting ways. Using these true examples, readers will now find practical, easy-to-copy examples for setting up new "ghost" addresses. LEGAL ENTITIES Among the thousands of questions and comments from my readers, only five were about corporations or trusts. I have, there­ fore, limited myself to a few brief comments about these two categories. The overwhelming interest from all other readers was in the use of limited liability companies, especially for titling vehicles and real estate. Many questions had to do with insur­ ance, and some asked about using the LLCs for business and/or banking. As a result, I've doubled the amount of information about the proper use of limited liability companies. RECOMMENDATIONS Originally, it seemed proper to give multiple recommendations for forming legal entities, buying books or magazines, seeking help from private investigators, or finding household help among groups that are known to be of total confidence and trust. In practice, however, this left many readers confused. For example, if you seek the best doctor in the country for an extremely deli­ cate operation, you don't want someone to hand you a "preferred list." You want the name of the very best man or woman in the field, do you not? For that reason, you will find a single recom­ mendation in each category. This is based not only on the opin­ ions of others but on my own personal experience. Although this limits the number of recommendations and they remain, of course, a matter of opinion, I stand firmly behind the ones that I do make. xiv PREFACE LEGALITY Again and again, reviewers of How to Be Invisible have had words of praise for my emphasis on doing everything according to the law Once again, I stress that, with a few minor exceptions, there is no reason not to follow the laws and regulations of the land. HOW TO BE INVISIBLE HOW THIS BOOK CAN MAKE YOU INVISIBLE Fear of jail is the beginning of wisdom. —SEEN ON A BRIGHTLY PAINTED CHAMBER POT IN NIGERIA Even though all may be well with you at the present moment, don't be complacent. Danger can strike at any time, at any place, and from any direction. For example, while I was editing this chapter, the following e-mail came in from William Farrell, an investigator for the Department of Defense and a reader of the first edition of How to Be Invisible: I recently filed a vehicle-fire loss claim with my insurance company (State Farm). I was immediately telephoned by an accusatory and demanding insurance adjuster. Although the local police and fire department have investigated and found the fire cause to be 'undetermined/ the insurance company has put my spouse and I through two interviews and have requested a third! I have also been asked to sign a general release form that would 4 HOW TO BE INVISIBLE allow the bearer access to such information as retail buying records, utility records, phone records, financial records, etc. The adjuster also requested copies of telephone (including cell phone) records, and copies of income tax returns.