Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
You might be thinking, “Why disappear?” There has long been speculation that the government is playing more of a role in our lives than ever. What we learned about the NSA and the inherent spying in the name freedom is that we are compromised. All Americans are compromised by the digital footprints they have created. Could it be time to erase that footprint?
The latest National Defense Authorization Act has been signed into law. The full package includes the nation’s defense budget among other things. The NDAA has been a part of legislation for a long time, but in recent years it has taken a terrifying turn. No matter what you read about the bill, all you must understand is that it can be used to suspend our constitutional rights. Here’s how:
Sec. 333. Interference with State and Federal law
`The President, by using the militia or the armed forces, or both, or by any other means, shall take such measures as he considers necessary to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy, if it–
(1) so hinders the execution of the laws of that State, and of the United States within the State, that any part or class of its people is deprived of a right, privilege, immunity, or protection named in the Constitution and secured by law, and the constituted authorities of that State are unable, fail, or refuse to protect that right, privilege, or immunity, or to give that protection; or
(2) opposes or obstructs the execution of the laws of the United States or impedes the course of justice under those laws.
In any situation covered by clause (1), the State shall be considered to have denied the equal protection of the laws secured by the Constitution.’
Now, do you still dare ask, “Why disappear?” This law can be interpreted to take someone’s rights and property for almost any reason. That’s why many people believe disappearing is the only way to ensure the security of their belongings in case of a major disaster.
All this aside, you may have other reasons for disappearing from the grid. You may be on the run from abusive people, from major debts, or other hang-ups. Whatever your reasons for going off grid forever, here’s what you need to know.
How To Disappear
What is holding you in place? Are you in love, do you have family, or is there something else that keeps you in place? It all must go away, forever. Do you have that great nephew or cousin you just love seeing? If so, don’t plan on disappearing.
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If you want to do this properly, you must go and never come back. You must go and never contact anyone you know now.
How about those people you don’t want to know? Bill collectors, IRS agents and other people you may owe money. This could be one of the reasons you are disappearing! They will be looking for you. The better move is to minimize the amount of effort and money being put towards finding you.
Pay off as many debts as possible before scooting out. Unless, of course, this is the reason you are running.
Step one is to ditch the cell phone. You have a human tracking device on you, always. It’s tailored to your likes and dislikes. It must go! Live in the world of prepaid going forward. This will sever one of the biggest lines hooked to you in today’s world.
Avoid elaborate scenarios for your disappearance. There will be some sort of search and rescue done by law enforcement. There are very real repercussions based on these resources being used searching for a person that isn’t really missing. If you ever resurface, you could be held liable for those costs. Again, the less people after you the better.
Erasing Any Trace
Cameras will be your worst enemy this day and age. It would be smart to spend some time out of the public eye for as long as you can before moving away from your immediate area. If you can, spend time in a hotel or a cabin for a few weeks before making your move.
The reason being, investigators will follow cameras to try and find you. In theory, they could watch your entire trip out of town if you do it all in the same night. Retailers, government buildings, and basically any structure has some sort of camera on it these days.
By adding a nice gap between the disappearance and the movement you will have more success.
If cameras are your worst enemy, cash is your best friend. Cut your cards up today and stop using them. Anything you are going to buy for your disappearance needs to be bought using cash. When using plastic, you can be tracked at every purchase.
Take as much cash out of the bank as possible each day. Do not make one big withdrawal as it will set off alarms. Cash keeps you under the radar. In your new life, this will be critical.
Tattoos are the catch 22. If you can remove them, do it. If you don’t have tattoos, get some. Get a lot. Especially if you were the type of person who never wanted tattoos. Play all of the cards you hated in the past. If you are truly passionate about this disappearance, you must become someone else, and it starts with your appearance.
Do you hate how you look with a beard? Grow a beard. This is the type of thinking you must nurture within you. Loved football? Now you hate it. Forget about your favorite team and all those shirts and jerseys out there.
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The keys to remember are as follows:
- You can never come back.
- Use cash.
- Change habits.
- Change appearance.
- Understand there will be consequences.
Where To Go
One of the most exciting parts about disappearing is that you will forge a new life in a new place. You should travel far from your home but you should also go somewhere you have never been. We leave impressions everywhere we go. Do not think your visit has gone unnoticed by all. Leave no stone unturned.
Staying with the same theme we mentioned earlier, where would you never want to live? You live there now. If you hate the cold, then move to North Dakota. Disappearing is not about creating comfort, it’s about taking small steps and erasing each print behind you.
Hi, My Name Is…
Forging your new identity is another very important part of your disappearance. As funny as it may seem, your best disappearing act is in fact mostly about the reappearance of a believable persona elsewhere. When you disappear, you will resurface a new person and forget everything you were.
Now, claiming to be something or someone will only take you so far. Eventually, you are going to need ID. At this point, your best option is to seek out an organization providing help to illegal aliens in America. Become an illegal alien. You will be amazed at how much help you will get and how quickly you will get an ID.
Once you have a persona and new ID, you can begin building your new life.
You Can’t Come Back
Whether you decide to dig in and have relationships as your new person will depend on who you were and how much that person is being searched for. Of course, it will better serve your story if you wind up settled and married. The more you build on your persona, the better.
What you must remember is you can never go back. Don’t visit. Don’t call. Not matter what you left behind, it’s gone. This will keep you up at night, but if you are truly committed to disappearing this will be your best option.
Conclusion
In my heart, I hope that this article has been for entertainment purposes only. I can only imagine the condition one must be in to decide to leave everything behind and disappear. Still, it’s possible to do if you think it through and make the commitment.
For a more detailed discussion, be sure to read How To Disappear From The Grid Forever.
Pulling this off takes a tremendous amount of discipline. Ever see the movie “Heat”? The discipline is to not let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner. This includes friends, family, pets, women and electronics. ESPECIALLY electronic. DO NOT buy a phone, burner or not for at least 6 months after you “disappear”.If you really want to disappear and not be found – lose the fingerprints. I mean the ones on the tips of your fingers. If you’ve had dental work done, have ’em pulled so there is no x-ray to cross reference. Tattoos? Remove them. Appearance? Change it. Hair cut, color, and style. Lose 30 lbs or gain 30 lbs. Colored contacts for your eyes. Change your habits, your likes and your dislikes. If you drink Budweiser, start buying Miller. If you frequent McDonald’s, start visiting The King. To be successful at this, you need to make everything about the old you go away. And I do mean everything. The cologne you wear. The toothpaste you use. The brand of shoes you wear. Just like everything else, the more effort you put into it, the better your results will be. About the only thing you can do in this country without a valid ID is vote, so adjust accordingly. Life like a street bum. Like a homeless, alcoholic/drug addict who won’t be questioned when you check into a hotel that caters such people. Live on the streets for a while. Hitchhike. Hop freights. Why listen to me? Because I’ve spent the last 32 years finding people who don’t want to be found. And I’m very good at it. And what I’ve just shared are the things that make my job more difficult.
Unfortunately I dont think this is possible anymore.
If you’re just running from family or obligations, find a state or country that would prohibit visitation or enforcement. If you’re running from something like an abuser then local authorities are probably more helpful than abandoning your life.
If you want to drop off the governments radar…you can’t. Your only hope is to not be looked for. Changing identities, moving suddenly, quick cash withdrawals, these things trigger an automatic glance by otherwise boring regulatory agencies who are looking for crime. You start passing off an illegal ID, you’re gonna get picked up and monitored for fraud. Just because it takes years to prosecute doesn’t mean you’re off the radar.
Honestly the only way to truly disappear is to drop off the grid and live off the land in a large national forest. A few people seem to have done it, but it’s not an easy life and plenty of people die out there just on a vacation.
Just stepping off the grid is not all that difficult…
However, it does take lots of pre-planning.
Trackers (Government, skip tracers, etc.) know where you are now, prep to disappear and leave your current location as your last location. (your very last bread crumb).
*If* you had to have a phone (I would not recommend it), purchase this well BEFORE leaving.
Money is always a good thing, BEFORE you step off, go to your bank and drain your accounts. Tell your bank your company is sending you to (wherever exotic) and you’d like to close all your accounts.
Also, BEFORE you leave go to your local cemetery to find your new identify -you’re looking for someone that was born the same year as you were born (or close to it). Finding your new identity at your new location means leaving an unwanted bread crumb behind.
If you plan far enough ahead, purchase a firearm and some ammo. Well BEFORE you go, notify local law enforcement the firearm was stolen (not lost).
Finally, wherever you decide your new life will be BEFORE you go, take a vacation to your new local, go there during the worst weather. How cold does it get in North Dakota in February? How hot and humid does it get in the Carolinas or Southern California? Basically, know BEFORE you go.
Last but not least, if you R E A L L Y want to disappear, and you are desperate. You can join the French Foreign Legion. Anyone in the world can join (just have to get to Paris to be recruited), but you cannot join the Legion with your own legal name. But be warned, once you join the Legion, you are a slave for France and cannot leave until your 5 year enlistment has ended. The Legion is not an easy life, but of you are serious and you are desperate -well, desperate times call for desperate measures. A small suggestion to those considering or fantasying about this option: Read a book (or two) before you sail to Paris.
Great tips, thanks for sharing them!
Exactly what I meant! The prepaid is used and trashed until you have established your new identity and life. Also, you really shouldn’t be contacting many people in the early days of your disappearance. You will have to commit to a phone line eventually or using prepaids will send up red flags with those who come to know the new you.
We recently watched the CBS show HUNTED. Even a pre-paid phone is traceable. It is amazing how many cameras are at intersections (CCT), even where we live fairly rural, I see traffic cameras all over. Only way to go completely off grid is to have NO electronics, burner phone included. I learned a lot from this TV show and found it jaw-dropping how the government and agencies can and will find you. Big Brother really is watching
I’m quite sure the author is implying that a prepaid isn’t traceable as long as you follow rule#1. How can a burner be traced if you have no starting point i.e. no contact with anyone from the past?
While I didn’t like the way they biased the show (seemed to make everyone go without any cash and have to go to an ATM and couldn’t get more than $100 out, log into a website they could track, etc), I was impressed with the “license plate readers” all over the place and the ability they had to “scan all envelopes” that were sent in the mail.
I agree, getting rid of all your electronics is important, also do not go to any friend or family to stay for a while or stay in contact with them in any way (social media/phone/mail). Besides, what do you need a cell phone for if you are no longer going to call anyone you know?
That said, if you are going to go pre-pay, buy one a year+, at a store hours away from your home, before you plan to disappear (so they can’t readily trace it back to you), and try and find one where you don’t lose the minutes/data after 30 days.
sorry, meant buy one a year+ BEFORE you leave