SURVIVALIST #28 Escaping to Safety (How to Create a New Identity)

Planning your Escape
You know, sometimes you just have to hit reboot on your life just like you do with your computer. What would it take to push the restart button on your life? Would you be able to walk, ride, or drive off into the sunset and never look back? Once you have decided the answer to that question is yes, you are going to have to make a plan. If your plan is to get completely away from your current life, you are going to need a new identity. There is no point in attempting to disappear just to be yourself somewhere else.

Acquiring new credentials
There are lots of reasons to change your identity. It depends on who is looking for you as to how in depth you need to go with your new identity. Unfortunately, this is nowhere near as easy to do as it used to be 20 or 30 years ago. It used to be easy to travel around to a couple cemeteries, writing down the names of deceased children whose birth dates were reasonably close to your own, plus or minus a couple of years. Best practice was to look in small towns where you could do your research easily. This form of identity changing was commonly referred to as “paper tripping.” This can still work for you, but it has gone from being 85% effective to around 20% effective. Your best bet would be to find a child who was born overseas as a military dependent but who then died stateside.

Another method is to get an AAA international driver license. All they want is your money and they are pretty easy to obtain. All you need to do is take the AAA driver’s safety course and present your certificate when you apply for your new license. Image Courtesy AAA.com

You can also change your identity online. Under this method an individual would find an online death database for a particular state; many people born in one state tend to die in another (birth and death records are only cross referenced within individual states).

For example; conduct a search on any internet search engine, for the California death index. Once you have located it, a search is then done to locate a half dozen or so deceased individuals who meet the following criteria:

1.    Birth date is within two years of your actual birth date 
   

2.    Death occurred before 1988 
   

3.    Has mother’s maiden name listed 
   

4.    Is of the same ethnic group as yourself 
   

5.    Not born in California (unless you’re Hispanic) 
   

6.    No SSN number listed   
   

The relevant information is then written down. Once an individual has this information recorded, the next step is to determine if the death of these people has been properly recorded. This information can be found at: ancestry.com.

Next conduct a search in this index to see if anyone reported these deaths to the social security administration. Discard any names that have been registered as deceased. The social security administration has already received notification of their deaths. [Image Courtesy Wikimedia]

Finally, to be sure your new identity will work, perform a search by last name alone, then last name and first name and then first and last name with middle initial; this will ensure they’re not recorded in the database. Sometimes the exact name might come up blank, which can be misleading. On average if you start out with a list of six names, two or three won't have their deaths recorded. If not, start over again using different names. Once you have all the necessary information, you can request a certified copy of the birth certificate by claiming you lost your documents in an apartment fire.

If you choose, you can skip this step and request a name change for the new name you found online. This method works pretty well as dead men tell no tales. You can contact an attorney to help or just do it yourself. Attorneys cost money, but they do know what they are doing. It is pretty easy to look online for an identity change kit. They cost about $150.

It is also a good idea to get as many forms of ancillary ID as you possibly can. If you just hint you want to join AARP they will gladly give you a card in whatever name you tell them to put on it, and library cards, service organization cards, etc., all help you establish a new identity.

Leaving your old life
This is where people usually screw their new life up, by contacting someone out of their past. Once you have made the decision to jettison your old identity and your old life, you have to do exactly that. You can’t get sentimental and email an old high school buddy. You will also need to acquire a completely new set of habits and interests. For example, if golfing was your life previously, it can’t be in your new life. It would simply be too easy to find you.

Making new habits
Humans, like every other type of living organism, are creatures of habit. Once you re-enter the job market under your new identity, don’t talk about things you used to do in your past life. If your new life is in Minnesota, don’t talk about your old life in Texas. You can be friendly with people without baring your soul and exposing your background.

Avoiding detection
This is going to take some practice and if you can alter your appearance it would be wise to do so, especially if you know someone is looking for you. Change your hair style, hair color, grow a beard/mustache, or shave it off. Wear sunglasses, put your hair up, whatever changes your appearance. Credit cards are easy to use and even easier to track. Don’t create a brand new identity then use a credit card from your past life to buy something to send to your new address. {Image Courtesy Shannon Clarke](https://shannonclarkefinalyearproject.wordpress.com/)

Convert all purchases to cash as much as you can. Resist the urge to buy things with credit cards whenever you can. When you enter stores wear non-descript clothing. Don’t wear your favorite Peyton Manning jersey or Chicago Bulls cap. The less flamboyant you look, the less people will notice. If you have obvious body piercings, take them out.

Working off the grid
Once you have successfully altered your identity, liquidate what you can for cash. This is the perfect opportunity to work off the grid and not create a paper trail. It won’t be glamorous but if you don’t have any debt you will be able to work jobs that pay under the table. Lots of employers are open to this since taxes and Obamacare are bankrupting the country and businesses look to save money on whatever they can. Buying things at yard sales and selling on E-bay or to local pawn shops is also a good way to make money off the grid. Image Courtesy ZeroHedge.com

Getting comfortable/Creating your story
As you get comfortable with your new life and identity you will slowly need to craft a story. Something easy to remember without divulging real details about your past or where you are from originally. It would also be wise to practice your answers for when you are asked. You can be polite and friendly without really telling people anything.

Careful is as careful does
Once you have your new identity and life in place you are going to have to remain vigilant. You also need to be careful where you go. Stay away from volatile situations where you could get snatched up by law enforcement, or end up seriously injured in a hospital. Your goal is to remain unnoticed.

Hiding in plain site
Hiding in plain site is an option. When you go shopping, do so when places are packed. Less chance anyone will notice you are even there. Don’t get a cell phone that you have to subscribe to. Get one of those straight talk non-subscription phones at Walmart. You pay as you go and it isn’t registered to you. Like any habit, the more you do it the more comfortable you will become doing it; the same goes for your new life.

Original article by Mark Bunch, published in Survivalist Magazine #28
(Mark Bunch owns and operates a Gun and Pawn Shop, Gun Club in Canon City Colorado and has consulted for victims of domestic violence in how to change their lives for the better)

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