22 replies to this topic

[Taun]

I was reading an article about people who have 'disappeared'... By that I mean people who became lost and never found...

It got me wondering what a person would have to do to disappear... Not turn invisible - just be untraceable and un-findable... yet still alive...

Here are the first things that crossed my mind:

Things you would have at least a modicum of control over:
- Lose all credit cards/debit cards...
- No cell phone...
- total name change - but not a legal one as it would leave a record...
- Break contact with everyone you know... Family, friends, co-workers, etc...
- Remove all tattoo's or other distinguishing marks...
- Total change of address (obviously)...

Things you would have little or no control over:
- Leave no record of fingerprints/DNA, etc... (police records, military records, birth certificates, etc...)
- Scars, birthmarks, birth defects, voice recordings...
- medical conditions - prescriptions...

Clearly this is hardly worth the effort - unless your very life or the lives of your loved
ones was at stake... Anyone have any other thoughts?

("legal" disclaimer)
This is just a thought exercise and I AM NOT thinking of disappearing (sorry to
disappoint   : )... Nor am I advocating anyone doing this... Should anyone use any of this
information to actually do this I am prepared to lie my butt off and state that I never
started this thread...

[Rlyeh]

Couldn't you just off and leave to some remote location? No one would know who you are provided you don't keep any ID on you or use your real name.

[Mentalcase]

DNA would be the hardest part of disappearing. If you burn your finger tips, you can get rid of your fingerprints. The only way you can be traced by fingerprints, is if you are in the system. Meaning, ever arrested and processed. I suppose the police would lift prints from your home though.

You would need some serious motivation for intentionally disappearing. Your loved ones would assume foul play. I wonder who could live with that on their shoulders!

[Taun]

Mentalcase, on 12 April 2012 - 02:17 PM, said:

DNA would be the hardest part of disappearing. If you burn your finger tips, you can get rid of your fingerprints. The only way you can be traced by fingerprints, is if you are in the system. Meaning, ever arrested and processed. I suppose the police would lift prints from your home though.

You would need some serious motivation for intentionally disappearing. Your loved ones would assume foul play. I wonder who could live with that on their shoulders!

No one I know...  I was just wondering exactly how difficult would it be to just 'drop out of the system'... That's why this was a mental exercise...

[_Only]

I always pictur... I mean, one could always live in the deep forests if they have the proper training.

[Mentalcase]

Taun, on 12 April 2012 - 02:20 PM, said:

No one I know...  I was just wondering exactly how difficult would it be to just 'drop out of the system'... That's why this was a mental exercise...

It could be rather easy if you have enough money. Otherwise, you are more likely to be found. Plus, surviving outside or on the streets would be difficult. Also, if you are on the streets, the police will eventually notice you and question you. Maybe even arrest you for trespassing or vagrancy. If you use someone else's name, you better hope they fit your description and are not on file or do not have warrants!!

[DrunkDwarf]

Your best chance of being able to disappear completely, is to have no-one looking for you in the first place. It would be hugely more difficult if the authorities were looking for you. But if you've done nothing, no DNA/Fingerprint records, and your family/friends don't try to locate you, it would be relatively easy to disappear, live as a homeless person moving from place to place, scrounging to survive, perhaps working for cash in your hand.

Edited by DrunkDwarf, 12 April 2012 - 02:33 PM.

[Goodnite]

I found this great answer from a person on Yahoo answers.....

A little late to be completely untraceable, but I can give you some suggestions.

First, buy nothing in your own name. Every home that's bought and sold is public record. Every mortgage is filed with the title to the land, so every public record company picks them up and publishes the information within weeks of it being filed. Every car that's bought has the name(s) of the buyer(s) sold on mailing lists to every insurance company. Every time you apply for credit of any kind, it goes on your credit report...and those are sold in mailing lists.

That leads to the second part. Contact all three of the credit reporting agencies and put in writing that you don't want your personal information sold. You have to opt out or they assume you don't mind.

From there, only use a cell phone for every contact number you give out. No one publishes the owners of cell phones and no one is allowed to telemarket to cell phones. In fact, in states like Michigan it's not even allowed for a creditor to call you on that phone number unless you've given them permission in writing.

Never get a student loan. There's not as much privacy as you would think with federally guaranteed student loans. The information is sold on mailing lists and given to other banks to market to you. I don't understand it, but it is what it is. If you have a balance on a GSL, pay it off.

Get a post office box for all of your mail. That keeps anyone from knowing where your home is. Most tracing is done these days by address or phone number (since SSNs can't be used anymore).

Pay for everything in cash. Every debit and credit transaction can be quickly traced.

Use a completely fake name on the internet and don't have a static IP address. I can usually trace people in under 2 minutes using a cyber sleuth program if they post something on the internet. The only way around it is a dynamic IP address (Sprint uses them) that only the ISP can identify to an address.

Don't subscribe to any magazines. Don't write checks. Don't apply for any job that does a background or credit check. And most of all, don't tell anyone who you really are. I knew one guy in college who really wanted to join the CIA. He went as far as never having any 2 pictures taken of himself that looked like each other and never let his ears show on any pictures (something about photo ID software that uses ears as a point of identification). So I don't know how far you want to take it, but that's the gist of how easily we can find living people in this day and age.

[karmakazi]

Taun, on 12 April 2012 - 12:38 PM, said:

Clearly this is hardly worth the effort - unless your very life or the lives of your loved
ones was at stake... Anyone have any other thoughts?

I disagree, for me it wouldn't be that hard at all.  I don't have any tattoos or distinguising marks, most of my life I've dyed my hair regularly (I get bored) so most people don't even know what my natural color is, and my fingerprints aren't on record other than a thumb print on a few checks I've cashed, most recent being at least 5 years ago.

I only know about 3 people who would really notice if I disappeared (assuming I quit my job and wasn't expected there) and they probably wouldn't be all that surprised if I did.

So as long as I have my bills paid off and accounts closed, there's no reason for anyone to come looking for me and it would be pretty easy to disappear.  I assume most people have far more entanglement in their lives than I do though.



I had sliced my thumbprint off at one point (worst papercut ever) and though it was smooth and shiny for quite a while it did eventually grow back.

[Taun]

karmakazi, on 12 April 2012 - 03:08 PM, said:

I disagree, for me it wouldn't be that hard at all.  I don't have any tattoos or distinguising marks, most of my life I've dyed my hair regularly (I get bored) so most people don't even know what my natural color is, and my fingerprints aren't on record other than a thumb print on a few checks I've cashed, most recent being at least 5 years ago.

I only know about 3 people who would really notice if I disappeared (assuming I quit my job and wasn't expected there) and they probably wouldn't be all that surprised if I did.

So as long as I have my bills paid off and accounts closed, there's no reason for anyone to come looking for me and it would be pretty easy to disappear.  I assume most people have far more entanglement in their lives than I do though.



I had sliced my thumbprint off at one point (worst papercut ever) and though it was smooth and shiny for quite a while it did eventually grow back.

One of the problems is, once a person has 'disappeared' they still have to eat/make some kind of living... Unless you do bit jobs that pay only cash, or live off of barter... you leave a trace...

Also, to get any kind of steady job, you would most likely have to leave references, employment records, education records... etc...  

I agree a person could relatively easily, disappear from casual observation... but a more thorough search by a determined person/agency could find almost any living person in time...

[Lilly]

Just be a woman over age 50...most people will treat you as if you're invisible without your having to do a darn thing!  

[Rlyeh]

Goodnite, on 12 April 2012 - 03:01 PM, said:

I found this great answer from a person on Yahoo answers.....

I thought by disappear, the OP meant even so your government can't locate you.

[Taun]

Rlyeh, on 12 April 2012 - 04:29 PM, said:

I thought by disappear, the OP meant even so your government can't locate you.

Exactly what I meant... unlocatable by fiends, family, employers, government, anyone...

Essentially a 'new life'... Of course the witness protection plan isn't quite there, as someone in authority always knows who and where you are... But something like that...

[karmakazi]

Taun, on 12 April 2012 - 04:12 PM, said:

One of the problems is, once a person has 'disappeared' they still have to eat/make some kind of living... Unless you do bit jobs that pay only cash, or live off of barter... you leave a trace...

Also, to get any kind of steady job, you would most likely have to leave references, employment records, education records... etc...  

I agree a person could relatively easily, disappear from casual observation... but a more thorough search by a determined person/agency could find almost any living person in time...

There is the possibility of hunting, foraging, and growing food rather than buying food.  There is that whole dumpster-diving movement too.   If you're not using your given name/ssn, then it would be hard to be found.  Otherwise, not so difficult if someone really wanted to find you.

Though I will say I've tried to find my dad and because I don't know exactly where he lives now or his SSN or exact birthdate it's so far been fruitless.  There are a LOT of people with his name who were born in the same city as he was.

[glorybebe]

A bunch of friends were sitting around talking about this once.  Here is what I came up with.  First, you have to have money and get into contact with some one who can set you up with fake documents with a different look, use a wig or what ever needed to change your appearance.  Then in your normal look, book a trip to a large city outside of the country.  Check into a hotel, go out site seeing with your new ID and items to change your look  try to make sure there aren't any CCTV cameras anywhere close.   Take off to a new town, city or country using your new ID.  The hotel will report you missing.  Even if they check the CCTV at any transportation stations, only your new identify will come up and unless you are a wanted person they will not look that hard for you.