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


                                II. LIVING FREE

    Avoid attending church.  If you must, however, use an alias when
    attending, and make contributions in cash, never by check.  If you are
    asked by inquisitive neighbors what church you attend, either name one
    of a different faith than theirs or deny interest completely.  Give
    the minister totally false information about yourself, as these good
    folks are great gossips when approached by snoops.

    Never tell neighbors where or for whom you work.  Give them false
    information on this subject.  If you are paid by check, DON'T deposit
    the paycheck in any account with your name on it.  The best idea is to
    go to the bank on which it is drawn and cash it there.  If you make
    a regular practice of this, avoid becoming familiar with any tellers
    or other bank personnel.  Vary the times and days for visiting the bank.
    Visit different branches of the bank, too.

    Another check cashing tip: avoid getting it cashed at your favorite
    bar or tavern.  FBI agents probably spend at least a third of their
    working hours hanging around such places, as they seem to attract the
    kinds of people they are looking for.  Anytime there is a bank robbery,
    the *first* places the FBI check out are all the bars within the immediate
    vicinity of the robbery.  Don't laugh.  It's true because it works.

    Be wary of answering "personal" ads in newspapers, as well as job
    offers too neatly tailored to the type of work you did before disappearing.
    If the ad calls for replying to a box number at the newspaper, disregard
    totally: it's very likely to be a trap.  Reply only to ads that can
    guarantee not having to give yourself away, such as offers for appointments
    at known companies.  If phone numbers are provided in the ad, call only
    from a pay phone.  There's always a possibility you might be calling
    directly to a bill collector or private investigator who will give
    you enough patter to smoke you out.

    For some really unique ways to find employment, Eden Press distributes
    "HOW TO STEAL A JOB", literally every dishonest way there is to gain
    honest employment.  With the techniques in this book, YOU can call all
    the shots.  Well worth reading even for those who already have a job,
    too.  Someone could be gunning you.  This book will open your eyes.

    On the job, avoid giving background information to fellow workers.
    If you're planning to stay on the job only for a short while, however, make
    an effort to plant false and misleading information in the minds of the
    other workers, such as your favorite pastimes, places you'd like to travel
    to or live someday, and your plans for the future.  Insulate your private
    self by keeping your personal interests and ideas to yourself alone.
    Share the spurious with the curious.


    Don't subscribe to any local newspapers delivered by carriers.
    Buy what you need at a newsrack.  These cute kids have sometimes been
    "helpful" sources of information about people's habits at home.

    Don't be obvious in your living habits.  Turn lights off at a decent
    hour, keep stereo music from annoying neighbors, don't place empty
    pony kegs on the front porch, and don't have pets that stray or annoy.
    Don't do major engine overhauls in the driveway, either.

    Be very careful about who comes to see you at your residence.
    Avoid anything unusual which might spark the interest of neighbors.
    If what you do or the people with whom you must deal are "interesting",
    it might be best to arrange get-togethers elsewhere.  Keep your nest
    clean--good "criminal" advice.

    Avoid using banks except for actually cashing checks given you by
    other people.  Try to conduct your affairs with cash and money orders.
    When using the latter, never write your name on the face or the line
    marked "Payer".  Use fake names, account numbers, or business names.

    For most purposes money orders can be considered "untraceable",
    since the issuing institutions (American Express, banks, US Post Office)
    file the paid orders *by number only*, not by other criteria which might
    tend to give you away.  People and businesses to whom you might remit
    money orders virtually never record this number, either.  They are
    usually happy to be paid by money order and will consider it the same
    as cash.  Individuals wanting to hide income and/or otherwise disguise
    their financial dealings find money orders most useful in shortchanging
    the bandits at IRS, too.

    Undertakers are another source like ministers, in that they are
    good talkers.  If you have to deal with one, be on your guard with what
    you tell him.  If you are called on to provide information for a death
    certificate, give him only the data he actually needs.  It should be
    easy to appear too grief-stricken to want to chat...

    Whenever you need the services of a physician, dentist, hospital, etc.,
    make it standard practice to use an alias and an address other than where
    you live.  Pay in cash.  Recite--don't display--your "driver's licence"
    number and Social Security Number, making sure that they are totally fake.
    Other data requested, such as employer, birthdate, etc., should be
    misleading.  Ignore the "warning" at the top of some hospital forms
    that federal law requires honest information.  We've never heard of
    anyone getting busted for such a "crime" who also paid his bill.  Fraud
    is fraud, but identity is your business.  Medical records are very
    definitely NOT confidential.  How else would life and health insurance
    companies be able to decide so imperiously who "deserves" their coverage,
    and at what rates...?  For most people, medical insurance itself is a
    fraud.

    Don't have milk or other items delivered to you on a regular schedule.
    The fewer people seen calling at you residence, the safer.  Neighbors
    will often notice home deliveries, which can prove to be fertile leads
    for future snoops.

    Avoid membership in political groups or other civic organizations.
    As a rule these groups are filled with super sneaky, nosey individuals
    more willing than not to stab someone in the back if it suits their
    selfish purposes.  Total snakes.


    Arrange to have your mail sent to a 24-hour Post Office box, to a
    mail drop, or a mail forwarding service.  This way the only mail to be
    left at your residence will be the "Occupant" variety.  Make it a rule
    NEVER to sign for certified or registered mail.  Tell the carrier that
    you are not the person named on the receipt, or that so-and-so moved
    months ago.  Where?  Austria..... or was it Australia?

    Avoid having arguments or run-ins with neighbors.  An old, unresolved
    grudge might be just the spark that sends an investigator to your
    new location.  "Getting even" is a passion few people can resist.

    If a snoop is trying to trace you by telephone he may invite you to
    call him person-to-person collect.  *DON'T DO IT.*  Ignore the request,
    no matter what the excuse is.  You might be tempted with some pie-in-
    the-sky lie, but what he's really after is your *location*.  If you don't
    give yourself away in the conversation, he will simply call the operator
    back for time and charges, and while she's at it, the location of
    the telephone originating the call.  She will be only too happy to help.

    If you have to live in a motel, hotel, or nosey apartment complex,
    always make it a point to be ordinaty and outwardly polite to any
    employees on the premises.  Give them no reason to remember you other
    than as a normal person.  Freaky behavior is easily noticed and
    remembered by telephone operators, janitors, maids, superintendents,
    house detectives, and bell boys.  Tips make them TALK, too.

    It's safest not to take in roomers or boarders, even though they can
    help with expenses and provide companionship.  The fact is, they
    can get "too close" to you by picking up all kinds of information
    tidbits which could come back to haunt you should certain kinds of
    third parties start pumping them.  Even though you might feel you
    could trust them, it's very easy for a friend to give you away...
    innocently.

    In changing to a new identity within the same general area, make it
    your policy to patronize none of the commercial establishments you
    did before your name change.  This would include service-oriented
    businesses, too, such as shoe repairs, TV repairs, photographers,
    cleaners, poodle parlors and massage parlors.  If you or a member
    of your family had been assisted by such charity organizations as the
    March of Dimes or Community Chest, make sure that future aid is obtained
    from some other organization.


    If you need to have prescriptions filled often, do two things:
    1) Have them filled by different pharmacies; don't patronize the same
    one repeatedly, and, 2) Never give the pharmacist your correct address
    and/or telephone number.  If you are in need of continuing prescription,
    such as for certain heart conditions or diabetes, consider having it
    filled by mail from one of the large interstate mail-order pharmacies.
    These outfits usually offer greatly reduced prices as well, as they
    are willing to deal in generics, as opposed to strictly name-brand
    drugs.  Check 'em out.

    Try to avoid all contact with law enforcement people.  They are
    like sponges whenever they deal with the public: they take in endless
    quantities of information whether you are the victim or the perpetrator.
    When approached by investigators and spies, they just love to spill out
    all they know, and sometimes get in on the act themselves.  Avoid trouble
    and avoid cops.

    Credit bureaus and department stores will have credit files on you
    if you've used them in the past.  It would be safest to avoid using credit
    in the future, but if you need to get plugged back in the credit scene, it
    would be advisable first to read our own book, "CREDIT", to
    see how credit can be set up from scratch under new identity.  This useful
    book has the kind of inside information one needs to make the credit-
    granting system perform to his special situation.

    If you follow our suggestions regarding delivery of your mail, you
    will naturally never accept any Registered or Certified mail at your
    address.  Since the carrier will never know your identity by leaving
    only mail addressed "Occupant", you can safely tell him who you are
    not whoever is named on the piece of mail he is trying to deliver.  Don't
    be rude or arrouse suspicion; simply help him do his job by telling him
    there is no such person at your address.  If he asks who *you* are, he's
    out of line.  He will return the letter marked "Unable to Deliver at this
    Address", or "Unknown at this Address", or something else to the same
    effect.

    Sometimes snoops will address mail to a fictitious person "care of"
    your last known name and address in the hopes it will be forwarded
    (somehow), and that you will have the stupidity to return it to them
    with your new address (provided by you).  Any suspicious or unfamiliar
    mail with your new address should simply be marked "Unknown", "Return to
    Sender", etc., and deposited in a public mail box for return.


    If the letter doesn't come back to the sender because you kept it
    or chucked it, he may well try again with something more enticing, or
    even pay a personal visit.  Tracing by mail is the cheapest route for
    snoopers, so be on the lookout for any mail you're not expecting or
    seems the slightest bit suspicious.  This will be the opening salvo
    in any investigation to determine your whereabouts. *Watch your mail!*

    Providing any information other that return instructions per above
    can invite disaster, too.  Putting on a fake forwarding address, or even
    a "General Delivery" notice, will tell the sender, when the letter is
    returned, that *someone* at the address on the letter knows more than he
    does.  The "Registered Letter", physical surveillance, or a personal
    visit will be his next move.  You can count on it.

    Be especially watchful for any letters with an "Attorney's" return
    address.  They deserve no more respect than any other letter.  If you're
    not expecting correspondence from your own attorney, it's very likely a
    fake name used by an investigator.  This gambit is many times used on
    third parties (close relatives of yours) in the hopes they know where
    you really are and that they have the "courtesy" to forward the letter
    to you.  This is a good reason for you NOT to tell relatives where you
    can be reached.  If they don't know, they can't tell.

    If you can trust a particular person to forward items to your P.O.
    box or mail forwarding service, at least instruct them to place the
    letter in another (cover) envelope so that no forwarding instructions are
    on the face of the original envelope.  You can decide what to do with
    the mail when you get it.  If you want it returned, do NOT drop it in a
    box in your area--the stamp of the main post office near you will likely
    be on the envelope, much to the glee of the sender.  Either send it back
    to your friend in still another envelope for him to remail locally, or
    use a mail forwarding service in a distant city to remail per your
    instructions.  Again, *BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR MAIL*.  Knowing how to deal
    with your mail is vital to disappearing.  Think first before acting!!

    Avoid drawing attention to yourself.  Don't exhibit "socially unacceptable"
    behavior PUBLICLY.  Cops are programmed to bust anyone who appears
    "suspicious" (different from them).  Jails, psycho wards, and prisons
    aren't exactly "free"....

    Your appearance, possessions and actions should always justify your
    presence on a legitimate (conventional) basis.  This is the best
    way to avoid suspicion.

    If you are stopped and questioned, always be able to give a reasonable
    explanation of why you where there, where you are from, and where you
    are going.  Smile and be "helpful".

    A sullen or hostile attitude triggers the cops for a bust--your bust.
    So go ahead and "Kill the Pigs"--with kindness.  You'll win by keeping
    your freedom, dig?

    Even perfectly legal behavior can arouse suspicion.  Avoid such
    things as solitary walks late at night, or wearing clothing inappropriate
    for the weather.  Store detectives love to follow shoppers wearing
    oversized clothing, too.  The police find it easy, even entertaining, to
    pin stray raps on such "suspicious" characters.  Days and weeks can go
    by before they decide they've made a "mistake".  Really!!


    Examine your daily habits and eliminate any which might possibly be
    regarded as "peculiar", especially if performed publicly.

    Live in a large city where you can have the protection of anonymity.
    Avoid small towns where the only sport is gossip--about you.
    Your business should be no one else's.

    Appear to be lower-middle class in your standard of living.  Don't
    attract the attention given the very poor or the obviously well-off.

    Rent a house or apartment that appears "respectable", but no more
    plush than the average cop can afford.

    If you like to live it up, do it somewhere other than around where you
    live and work.  Try Las Vegas, New York, Jamaica, Tokyo, Fiji....

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    Dress conventionally.  Adopt what you perceive as the broad community
    standard.  Don't be black or white as long as gray has so many shades.
    Blend in.

    Be clean and neat, never showy or gaudy.

    Conformity for guys means neat beard (if any), no long hair or
    freaky clothes.  Biker "colors" are out.

    For the ladies, no sexy, convention-flaunting attire such as miniskirts
    and see-thru blouses without underwear.  The man LOVES to drool
    over "liberated" lassies, and often does more...


    Have conventional answers to common questions such as where you are from,
    where you work, where your family lives, etc.  Be vague, however.

    There's less heat in telling plausible lies than in countering
    with self-righteous silence.  The object is to avoid suspicion, so be
    a "reasonable" person.  Lying is not illegal unless you are under oath
    or perpetrating a fraud.

    When confronted by federal agents or other law enforcement officers,
    you have no obligation to talk to them.  If you do, however, make sure
    you don't lie.  Making false statements to federal officers *is* a bust!
    A good way to turn the "meeting" in your favor, is to inform the officer
    that he should take up the matter with your attorney, whose name and
    address you are willing to provide.  If you don't have an attorney at
    present, tell him you are in the process of obtaining one, and that you
    will so notify him when you do.  This will tell the agent-snoop that
    1) you are a cool customer who knows how to take care of himself by
    knowing his rights, and 2) that for him to deal with your attorney will
    be tantamount to having to take you to court--something he's obviously
    not (yet) ready to do.  Your talking to the officer could very likely
    insure you an earlier court date....if that's what you want.

    It's perfectly moral to lie to someone who asks about things which
    are none of his business.  HE is the one acting immorally.  Don't forget!

    Don't throw wild parties.  Far too many busts come courtesy of tender-
    eared, blue-nosed, fink-ass neighbors.

    Don't make speed, DMT, THC, acid, or nitro in your kitchen.  Window sills
    aren't the safest places to cultivate, either.

    Hold your stereo down to "mood level" late at night.  Not everyone
    mellows out with Led Zepplin or the Stones.

    Your neighbors are the most dangerous people you know.  You can
    include relatives here, too.  They will ALL snitch without compunction.
    "Calling the cops" is fair sport in towns of all sizes, so don't
    antagonize.  Be friendly, stay friendly--but on your terms.

    Be superficially "nice" to your neighbors, but have as little as possible
    to do with them.  Ideally, you don't want them to know *anything* about
    you.

    Even if you observe all these precautions you might still be harrased
    by criminals, both private and public.  Whatever you do, don't
    blow your cover and thus lead them to suspect you.  Keep your temper,
    be humble and polite, and refrain from shouting matches and/or slugfests.
    Remember you are a minority of one.  "They" still have the guns and bars.


    If you're not content, however, to let vengeance be the Lord's, at
    least abide by this cardinal rule of guerrilla warfare: Don't let the
    enemy determine your tactics.  Retaliate at a time and place with
    weapons of your choosing.

    Any activity which might attract unfavorable attention, such as
    writing, nude photography, erotic sculpture, etc., should be done under
    a "nom de plume".  Provide a separate address for any such names.  P.O.
    boxes are fine.

    Never express controversial opinions around home or at work.  If you
    preach, do it in another town or state.

    Avoid being fingerprinted.  Don't apply for civil service jobs.
    The FBI would like to have everyone fingerprinted so they could
    *control* individual lives, but so far they've been stopped.

    Stay out of the armed forces.  Here again fingerprinting labels
    you forever with the only method of positive identification.

    Don't apply for security clearances or seek employment in firms
    which routinely fingerprint.

    Don't take part in mass demonstrations or dissident activities which
    might lead to mass arrests.  Fingerprinting would surely follow.

    The thumbprint required on applications for drivers licences in many
    states (like California) does *not* go to the FBI.  It is kept with
    the applications "on file", and its main purpose seems to be that of
    psychological deterrence.  The states make no efforts to classify the
    thumbprints, and the FBI is not interested in helping.  Applicants who
    wnat to make sure their thumbprints are absolutely worthless will
    press extra hard and make a slight twisting movement with their thumb as
    it is being printed.  The result is a perfect smudge--worthless.

    NEVER order utility services in your real name.  Utility companies
    are the first watering hole for skip tracers.


    Keep your name out of public records, such as business licences,
    permits, tax accounts.  Operate under another name or use another person
    as a front.  It's very easy to file "fictitious firm name statements"
    using minimal ID.

    Always subscribe to magazines and newspapers under alternate names.
    Pay by mail using money orders.  Don't have your name on the money order.

    Likewise, always order merchandise by mail under an alias.  Again,
    Pay with money orders without your name on them.

    Own real estate under either a cooperative relative's name, or a
    fictitious one created especially for the purpose.  Names of phoney
    businesses work well here, as it is perfectly understandable and justified
    for a business to own real property.  Since real estate transactions
    are almost always at "arms length", it is quite simple to hide behind
    your agent or broker.  In this area money talks more loudly than you
    do, so it's not too difficult to arrange things to suit yourself.

    If you have to vote use your "legal" address.  Just make sure you don't
    live there.  So-called "voter ID cards" are a snap to obtain, as no
    proof of identity is required.  The only "security" for the registration
    process is your sworn statement....

    Protect the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of your friends.
    Use a code of your own making to disguise the actual names and numbers,
    or try to memorize what you need to know.  You'd be amazed at how much
    you can remember in this area if you make the effort.

    Try to avoid carrying this coded address book with you.  Cops always
    flash on such items, and so-called "rings" are usually busted this
    way.  A smart thing to do would be to carry a dummy book of names and
    numbers selected at random from the phone book.  Keep your working book
    stashed in a safe place.

    This practice protects you, too, inasmuch as suspicion is cast on you
    should some of your friends be busted and their names appear in your book.

    Don't engage in illegal activity on other people's property without
    their express consent.  Save the dope and skin scenes for places where
    no one else can get rousted besides the actual participants.

    Don't ask questions which intrude on the privacy of others.  Ask
    general questions, not specific.  One might not want you to know *where*
    he works, but wouldn't mind telling you his occupation.

    Adopt the attitude that personal information such as your school
    background, national origin, interests, politics, family income, etc.,
    are NO ONE'S business but your own.  And stick to it!!  Snooping will
    thereby become so difficult that suspicion will be cast on the snooper
    rather than on you.

    When faced with such an inquisitive person, have prepared a set of standard
    answers which you can deliver without discomfort or concern.  But if the
    person is really obnoxious, give him some out-and-out lies, which, when
    "reported" in the right places, will make him look more like the ass he is.


    Don't request receipts unless the amount is large.  Make them intelligible
    only to the parties involved.  Remember that cash still has no names on it,
    which is why Big Brother can hardly wait for the day of the "cashless"
    society.

    One CAUTION, however: Most banks have well established policies for
    recording serial numbers of large denomination bills whenever they are
    deposited or withdrawn in large amounts.  ALL transactions of $10,000
    or more are reported to the IRS.  So play small and remain inconspicuous.

    Payment of taxes of all kinds should be largely a matter of personal
    convictions.  The public debate on "tax protest" is endless, so
    only a few generally-observed practices will be mentioned here.

    The basic rule, in which even the IRS concurs, is pay only what
    you are liable for.  This means taking advantage of any and all loopholes
    to the fullest with the ultimate aim of paying no tax whatsoever.
    Don't forget, however, that most federal prisons have rather distinguished
    populations of tax-evading accountants, attorneys, businessmen, and
    politicians.  If avoiding personal income tax, both state and federal, is
    your goal, by all means study well or seek competent advice.  Texas and
    Nevada still have no state income taxes, in case you're thinking of
    relocating to beat some taxes...

    Sales and use taxes can often be avoided by buying consumer items
    through personal channels such as friends, bazaars, swap meets (some),
    classified want ads, bartering, and business exchanges.  Out-of-state
    mail order purchases are exempt from local taxes, too.

    Sharp practices, such as claiming 10 or 12 exemptions to reduce the
    weekly bite of withholding, or making a deal with your employer to be
    paid in cash (which a great many do willingly) are ways of lessening,
    even eliminating your tax, but can't be recommended if you plan on
    remaining in the same job for over a year or so, or if you don't wish to
    live with a solid alternate identity.

    A "compromise" in the above dilemma is to maintain a minimal tax profile,
    but plan on earning the bulk of your income through non-recorded
    means, say, odd jobs for cash.  Lead a "straight" life for the tax vultures,
    but live "underground" with another trade and/or name.

    In seeking employment you are usually asked for former job references.  If
    you know that some of them will be negative DON'T LIST THEM!
    For the resulting "gaps" in your employment history, have already prepared
    the names and addresses of your former "employers".  They could be local
    or out-of-state, in which case they probably won't be verified except by
    mail.  Of course you will be prepared for this by listing a mail forwarding
    service's address as that of your former "employer".  Merely pay the
    first month's fee and notify the service of your code name--a company
    ("employer").  You will then be able to rewrite you own employment history.
    Oh Happy Day! Gaps can also be covered by using attendance at school or
    travel abroad as alternatives to negative job references.

    For local job references, a good trick is to ask, or pay, a businessman's
    secretary to give all the goody information right over the telephone.
    Provide the phone number on the application, naturally, but remember that
    the number may very well be verified first by a call to Information.
    When it checks out, your application will appear quite honest, won't it?

    Personal references on either employment or credit applications are a
    laugh.  They are virtually not verified.  Provide them, of course,
    but feel no compunction whatever in lifting random names and assumed
    relationships right from the phone book.  A locally known doctor or
    minister is a safe bet, too.

    For credit references bear in mind that outfits like big department stores
    and most credit unions will not give out information to ANYONE on one of
    their customer's or member's accounts.  This means you can use any number
    of these references with impunity when applying for credit as the lender
    will not be able to verify one way or the other if your application is
    true--a fact he will definitely NOT tell you, however.  A complete guide
    to establishing credit and obtaining credit cards is our own book,
    CREDIT!  Very useful, indeed.

    Consider using a typewriter for all your correspondence, as it is not
    only more impersonal, but also impossible to be "traced" to you.  Whereas
    handwriting *can* give you away, typewriting cannot.  Only the machine
    itself can be shown to be the one used for a particular piece of
    correspondence.  Electric machines are even more impersonal than manual
    in that the striking pressure is uniform for all letters.  Manual
    typewriting can show that you have a weak "a" or a strong "k" or "c",
    for example.  Be careful, too, of allowing the keys to clog to the point
    that the enclosed portions of letters begin to fill in.  When the "e"
    and the "o" look alike, it's time to get out the gum cleaner.  Typewriters
    using the newer carbon ribbons do not have this problem.

    As an added layer of protection for your correspondence, consider mailing
    a Xerox *copy* of the letter.  There will be enough distortion in the copy
    to make tracing you mighty difficult.  Should you begin using a typewriter
    regularly, you might plan to trade it in every six months or so for another
    model, different typeface, etc.  They are rather cheap to rent, so this is
    a good possibility, too.  Keep 'em guessing....

    When going from the "old you" to the "new you", it is usually a good idea
    to drop any old hobbies that could provide the basis for an informal
    "stakeout" of your possible activities.  If it is known that you
    can never pass a museum or fishing pier without indulging yourself, you
    have an automatic lead to those who might want to go looking for you.
    Changing activities can be an excellent way of building your new identity.
    Not only will the old ways fade faster, but your new acquaintances will
    provide the support and interest in creating the new identity more rapidly
    and completely.

    Whenever you rent a new place to live, insist on the right to change
    the locks.  Refuse to give the landlord the new key, too.  Many times
    people have arrived home to find a snoopy landlord (lady, too) going
    though personal belongings, papers, etc.  Items and possessions which
    might tend to give someone the wrong ideas about your identity, activities,
    interests, etc., should be stored in locked boxes of sturdy construction.
    Misleading items can be placed innocently in the open.  Be observant of
    items being rearranged or moved, too.  Until you're secure in your new
    location, you might take the precaution of placing hairs on door jambs,
    threads across the threshhold, matches on tops of doors.  When choosing
    locks and keys, select those not readily available in the area.