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From / Date: |
Question / Answer: |
| 6153. |
Dave
New Ulm, Mn
Age: 37
Jul 15, 2009
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RFID chips
I found this article about RFID chip's a bit disturbing. I think I need to go watch Enemy of the State again.
Submitted Link #1: http://dprogram.net/2009/07/12/ex-ibm-employee-rev...
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| 6152. |
Dorothy
Topeka, KS
Age: 40
Jul 15, 2009
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UPS store privacy (or not)
I have a box at the UPS store for delivery of packages via UPS and FedEx that I would have otherwise received at home. My UPS store has a separate area with a separate door for entrance into the boxholder's area. Normally that boxholder area is open to the rest of the store, but there is a roll-out room barrier that they can open in order to allow 24-hour access to the boxholder area when the rest of the store is closed. I was issued a 3-digit PIN code for the keypad when I opened the account. I *thought* that the 3-digit PIN code was the same for all boxholders. I found out differently yesterday when I had one of those "senior moments" and couldn't remember my PIN code. I had to use the main entrance and get my mail from the clerk, and in so doing, I admitted that I couldn't remember the PIN for the door. She was friendly and offered to go look it up for me. I was shocked (that she didn't have it memorized either), and said, "You mean that it's different for each customer????" Bottom line: If you use the separate entrance at a UPS store to get your mail/packages from delivery to a paid box number, your entry into the store is RECORDED by way of that PIN pad - it is a unique code for each specific customer. If you use the main entrance, you're probably on video at the very least, and if the gate is up, you are also in the memory bank of the clerk who fetches your mail. I'm not sure the UPS store option is as private as I once thought it was (even though that level of privacy is admittedly lower than a privately-arranged ghost address!) Off-topic random thought for the day: If you haven't read 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley within the past 5 years, you definitely should! Those books were written in 1948 and 1931 respectively, and those authors were almost modern-day Biblical-style prophets! In the way that this information relates to one-time pickups at the local UPS store, I can't say, but paid-for boxes, even when set up with a carefully arranged ghost name and/or ghost address, are monitored!
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| 6146. |
Lee
Flagstaff,AZ
Age: 30s
Jul 14, 2009
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My Experience with the Arizona DMV
I purchased one of the LLCs advertised on this site a couple months back and up til now, never used it. In the meantime I did make up a logo and type up some letterhead to state that my
Now is time for me to move and to avoid rental truck, I bought a cargo trailer in cash from craigslist. That was a first for me, but I'd never buy from a dealer again because of how much privacy you can control when you purchase from a private party. Weekly I withdraw from the ATM cash for all expenses and set aside "savings" so that I always have a large chunk of cash on hand without needing to go to the bank for a large sum at once; I recommend everyone do this. The guy signed the title over and had it notarized so I could fill in my "buyer" blanks on my own; he didn't even see my LLC name. I filled in my NM LLC and my maildrop (I rent a small room from a friend and my name is not on the lease). I signed the title with my illegible signature. I left the "printed name" blank which I was going to fill out "Sales Mgr" in front of the DMV clerk if I was asked.
I went to the DMV at 15 minutes to close (thanks to your readers for this tip) and handed the signed-over title to the clerk. She asked if I had any documentation on the LLC information I put in the "buyer" fields. I handed over the articles of organization. She asked if I had anything linking me to the LLC. I handed over my letterhead document that claims I have privileges. Funny, she did not ask me for my driver's license to prove I was the said person in my letterhead document. She had me sign a line consisting of the LLC name, the word "by" followed by my printed name and also followed by my signature. I signed my LLC name, "by Sales Mgr" and my illegible signature. I paid the $16, got the permanent plate, receipt and sticker and the whole process was less than 5 minutes!
Now technically I can be linked to the address I gave them for the LLC because this rented room maildrop I also use for my home address on my personal driver's license and for all I know she pulled this up on her computer, although I'm doubtful she actually did this. Since this is just for a cargo trailer and it was a great learning experience that gives me more confidence when I go in next to title a vehicle, I will be moving the truck that pulls this trailer to the same LLC. I will be purchasing the Alaska ghost address to ensure they will not have any way to link another LLC for another vehicle to me in the upcoming months.
As far as privacy goes, I believe because of the way the insurance companies communicate with the DMV, and the insurance companies will always know who you are, you may not be able to completely hide your name, however if this prevents my name from coming up to a PI or the cops from a simple plate run, its well worth setting up the LLC structures sold on this website. Thanks again JJ!
...
You're very welcome, Lee, and right on the ball when you talk about titling the cargo trailer.
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| 6145. |
Kevin
Chicago, IL
Age: 19
Jul 14, 2009
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ISP Anonymity
This is partly a statement and partly a question -- I guess. I'm reading your book, How to Be Invisible, and the ISP privacy section seemed to me, to be difficult in attaining privacy. It is possible but it requires some work. I recently got a text message from Virgin Mobile and they just told me that they have a prepaid to go broadband internet access service. Here's the URL:
[Enter URL here] (Spam filter wont let me put url here)
Would you recommend these for EASY to attain ISP privacy?
Submitted Link #1: http://web.virginmobileusa.com/broadband...
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| 6143. |
David
Eagan, MN.
Age: 44
Jul 13, 2009
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alternative I.D.
At the end of this year or the beginning of next year, I will be going to the Dominican Republic to get my permanent residence card. I have had my temporary residence card for about seven months now and I live in the states somewhat invisibly even though I have legal residency in the D.R. When I go back at the end of the year to get my permanent residence I will also get a D.R. drivers license which costs about $30.00 USD. I can have a remail address there also but I will return to the states to continue my invisible existence. I have found some very low priced lawyers to work with to get this residence and am very happy with my decision to vacation with a purpose in the D.R.
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| 6138. |
Seth
collbran, co
Age: 50
Jul 12, 2009
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Cap & Trade
Cap and Trade, better known as the "Energy Bill" is one of the most intrusive and privacy destroying bills imaginable.
The provisions of the bill will create an entire new federal building code enforcement arm and massive new federal powers to physically invade your home to see that you comply with new energy use rules to be made up by the Secretary of Energy and enforced by his own private jackboot squads.
By 2029, all new residential homes and businesses will have to use minimum 70 percent less energy than they do today, and your home will not only be physically inspected and certified as meeting the regs, but it will be entered in a federal database, and combined with "Smart Grid" technology, the feds will be able to monitor your energy usage in real time, and shut down your appliances as they see fit.
And that's on top of the whole carbon tax scheme.
Submitted Link #1: http://thebroadside.freedomblogging.com/...
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| 6136. |
Everett
Des Moines, Iowa
Age: 45
Jul 10, 2009
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Name On Online Databases
A way to increase invisibility is removing my name from internet databases, such as background checks and white pages, for the most part, with success. Some, however, do not have this option, for their own reasons (ie Integra Scan). What do you suggest?
I enjoy reading your book and blog.
Thank you for your time.
Everett
...
The only way to absolutely positively become invisible is to move, use another name, and follow instructions in HTBI to the letter.Not easy.
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| 6135. |
Randy
Johnston, IA
Age: 46
Jul 10, 2009
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Rubber stamp for junk mail (#6134)
Be aware of the possible problems using a rubber stamp saying MOVED, LEFT NO ADDRESS (or some variation) on the outside of an envelope. See post #2588 and JJ's reply.
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| 6134. |
Jim
Orange, CA
Age: 71
Jul 9, 2009
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MOVED, LEFT NO ADDRESS
I thought Jack's use of a rubber stamp, (see his answer to post # 5982), "MOVED, LEFT NO ADDRESS" was an excellent idea. So I hurried down to the custom rubber stamp place to have one made. Then I thought, "Shouldn't it say "MOVED, NO FORWARDING ADDRESS"?
I decided to check it out. Jack is very thorough, so he's probably right - still . . .
I did a search on the net and found an article about auxiliary postal markings! I was surprised to find such an article! The title is "Return To Sender 2005: No Mail Receptacle" by Douglas B. Quine.
Here's the link if you want to read the article:
(website address)
It will contain much more information than you ever wanted to know on the subject but is, none the less, fascinating.
Now, I'm an old philatelist so was not too surprised that there are those interested enough to collect these auxiliary postal markings. But I was surprised to find an article, with color examples of these imprints.
Jack is right. The term as used is "MOVED, LEFT NO ADDRESS" however it is usually included as just one of several reasons to send mail back on a "multi choice" stamp.
The article states: " 'Return to Sender’ handstamps must number over a million!" That's good news for us. It would be very hard for anyone to tell a home grown one from an official post office one.
There's more: "The designs themselves also vary within this basic layout. This indicates that a standard rubber stamp has not been produced and distributed to local post offices." So, probably anything will work. But at least now we know why.
Here's another tidbit gleaned from the article that should be kept in mind when returning mail to sender.
"Applied labels are often used to direct mail back to the sender and have the advantage that they can cover the POSTNET barcode (typically lower right of the envelope) which directs the letter towards the destination by automation equipment. This is an important consideration; otherwise the USPS automation equipment will read the barcode and continue to redirect the mail to the original
addressee, creating “loop mail”.
So I also included a pack of 1 1/3" X 4" Avery labels on my shopping trip.
So the simple "MOVED, LEFT NO ADDRESS" works, and so should just about any configuration you can come up with.
But, in the interest of over-kill and my basic insecurities, I decided to go with the big 2" X 4" multi choice version, you know - with the hand outline at the top with the words "Return To Sender" written in it. Plus I now have a nice choice, as befits my purpose, of checking off a box for:
MOVED, LEFT NO ADDRESS
NOT DELIVERABLE AS ADDRESSED
UNABLE TO FORWARD
ATTEMPTED - NOT KNOWN
UNCLAIMED REFUSED
NO SUCH STREET - NUMBER ______________
INSUFFICIENT ADDRESS
NO MAIL RECEPTACLE
and my favorite
DECEASED
Also it looks so damned authentic - even to any postal employee.
All of these have a little square box in front of each choice for the mail carrier, (now me), to check. Another little tip in the article is that a black marker or grease pen is usually used to mark the chosen box. Wow, now we're really getting authentic!
I just figured that the whole thing would have more credibility if it looked exactly like the one many post offices used. And most of them do use a multi choice stamp.
If you choose to do as I did, brace yourself as this 2" X 4" stamp at $41.00 plus $10.00 for the red ink stamp pad is a bit pricey.
Jim
Submitted Link #1: http://www.postal-markings.org...
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| 6133. |
Ray
Los Angeles CA
Age: 50
Jul 9, 2009
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Cap & Trade
I would have expected the buzz in here to be all about the privacy which will no doubt be lost with the passing of
Cap & Trade. Anyone care to share on this subject. Home inspections, forms,
mandates, more inspections, etc. etc.
Being a property owner is losing its luster fast............
...
I haven't taken time to study this, Ray. In part, perhaps, because I am an optomist and assume it may not end up as gruesome as it looks at first glance. Readers, any comments or opinions about this?
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| 6132. |
George
Pomona, CA
Age: 26
Jul 9, 2009
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Student Loan Sinkhole: Case Example of Why to Skip College
The student loan industry has turned into one of the most predatory lending shams in history. What used to be a laughable "good debt" kept at low fixed interest rates has now become a monsterous burden without borrow protections and perhaps the most oppressive of its kind in U.S. history. If you know anyone who is even thinking about going to school, or if you know parents or students who are not convinced that what they borrow today may come back to haunt them for the rest of their lives, you need to let them see this video first!
Submitted Link #1: http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/525/index.html...
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| 6131. |
Randy
Johnston, IA
Age: 46
Jul 9, 2009
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SSN Can Now Be Accurately Guessed Using Date and Place of Birth
Another reason not to reveal your DOB and birthplace, including on social networking sites.
From the article referenced in the post at the link below:
"The accuracy of these algorithms is positively disturbing. Using a separate pool of data from the Death Master File, the authors were able to get the first five digits right for seven percent of those with an SSN assigned before 1988; after that, the success rate goes up to a staggering 44 percent. For a smaller state, like Vermont, they could get it right over 90 percent of the time."
Submitted Link #1: http://www.wisebread.com/your-ssn-can-now-be-accur...
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| 6130. |
Daniel
Minneapolis, MN
Age: 37
Jul 8, 2009
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RE: 6117, how to answer nosy boss
I think the fact that you used a P.O. Box as your home address that sparked his curiosity or suspicion. Anyone else I would tell it's none of their beeswax, however since it's your boss you have to be tactful. I would tell him a secondary ghost address you may use or can set up.
Even though I live with my girlfriend and I'm not on the lease. I always use ghost address's on applications usually a friends house or now presently an homeless drop in center (so homeless can give address's to potential employers). They even have a free voice mail and hold mail for you which I use in conjunction with goggle voice and a prepaid cell phone.
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| 6128. |
Eric
Orange County, CA
Age: 28
Jul 8, 2009
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social engineering
After I locked myself out of a friend's apartment, I went to see the building manager to see if he would call my friend and ask her to let me in. He couldn't find my friend's number in his files, so I just told him a number to call, claiming it was my friend's number. He called it, and the person on the other end claimed to be my friend, and asked him to let me into the apartment. He did.
No harm done this time, because the number really was for my friend, and it actually was my friend on the other end asking the building manager to let me in. But what if I was lying, just trying to sneak my way into the apartment? The building manager did not independently verify the information I gave him, so he had no way of knowing if it really was my friend asking him to let me in.
Could this happen to any of you? Is there an attendant somewhere with access to your house, apartment, storage unit, car, computer data, or anything else sensitive or valuable?
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| 6125. |
michael
trenton, NJ
Age: 40
Jul 6, 2009
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Why a passport?
After reading the passport application, it appears as though I will be giving up all inforamtion to the state department. Why distribute my info to them, when I could get a non-drivers ID from my DMV, and perhaps it would not have my drivers licesense number on it...?
...
The US government does not sell passport information. States often do sell such information. (If that includes mere ID cards, I cannot say.) I assume the ID card will also contain your address, whereas a passport never does.
But if you prefer not to obtain a passport, then don't do it. I give my opinions in my books and on this Web site, but you must make your own decisions.
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| 6122. |
Drake
LA, CA
Age: 34
Jul 5, 2009
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Facebook Folly - Britain
This story is hilarious.
Folks, we know better, but if your family or friends have social networking site accounts, make sure you talk to them about your views on privacy... then show them the story in the link below, and the one in #792, and research "Polar Rose" on Wikipedia, and other sites.
Submitted Link #1: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article66...
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| 6120. |
Dewey Link
N. Myrtle Beach, SC
Age: 71
Jul 5, 2009
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NM LLC
Can you put mortgaged real estate in a NM LLC?
...
Not without guaranteeing the loan yourself, so there is nothing to be gained. It's better to either pay cash or rent. Renting has many advantages!
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| 6119. |
Drake
LA, CA
Age: 34
Jul 4, 2009
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6117 'Answers for the boss'
Allen - That the question is coming from the BOSS doesn't matter at all. I don't care what uniform or badge type they show you - those are just colored (and pressed)clothes, shiny boots, and shaped pieces of metal. Nobody ever needs the correct answer to this question.
Tell him you're straight and married and busy so you don't have time for dinner or other entertainment after work. Look at him dumbly for extended periods of time. Pretend he asked a different question and answer that. Ask extremely detailed and private questions about him and his family, one after the other, rapid-fire. Tell him where he can send presents and bonus checks. He knows your schedule so if there are legal papers to be served he can put them in your Inbox.
Print out whatever is in the computer and hand him that. Better yet, in addition to your P.O. Box, add a Ghost Address to your To Do list, get one in the general area, update the computer files to which you have access, and show him that.
Where you spend time after work hours is none of his cotton-picking business. If he's older than a teenager, tell him you appreciate his understanding in the matter of your privacy and you're going to tell his mother what a fine southern gentleman she raised... Then look at him pointedly.
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| 6118. |
Jim
Orange, CA
Age: 71
Jul 4, 2009
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Agustin's Post #5976 Re. Moving home into a trust
I have copied Agustin's post with JJL's comment:
Post #5976.
Agustin.
Buena Park CA,
May 31, 2009
Holding Title --
I recently purchase a home and made the mistake to hold title in my name and it is public information, what can I do to erase this mistake and hold it as a revoable trust, can you help,thank you. Agustin
... Check with your real estate agent and/or title company to learn how to do this with the lowest possible cost.
Agustin, -- I found myself with the same problem except that I have lived in the same home over 35 years. It will be impossible to "get invisible" completely with that kind of record to hide if I stay here, and moving is not an option for me.
However I'm proceeding anyway to put as much distance between me and the 35 years of information as possible. Transferring the property into a trust was one of the first steps.
I know I can't really erase my history but I can make it look like I've moved and given enough time that should suffice.
A few months ago I created a trust and transferred my property into it. I belong to a very large attorney network and had their trust expert check everything out.
Of greatest concern to me was the possibility of it being re-assessed based on the current value which is many times what I paid for it almost 40 years ago. You don't have that problem as you just purchased your home so re-assessing it will be of no concern to you. In fact it may be beneficial if you bought before the real estate values plummeted in Southern California, (I'm assuming you posted your actual location.)
I'm happy to report that my house is now "in trust" and was not re-assessed. It will take about two years for the trust to reach its full potential as an asset protection - but I didn't know enough to have done it earlier.
It's very hard to find a competent attorney let alone a really good trust attorney. I think I found one.
I was so sick at the time I could barely get around but I did it all myself so I know you can too.
The best time to do this kind of stuff is NOW! If you don't yet have Jack's book "How to be Invisible" get it and don't just read it through - STUDY IT! It has the most competent information in print. I've read every thing out there I can get my hands on and he is by far the best.
Then take action, even if you can do only one thing. Do it. Then do the next thing. You don't have to eat this elephant all in one bite. I procrastinated and am now paying the price.
If you gave Jack your email address he has my permission to give you mine. I'll be glad to show you what I did.
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| 6117. |
Allen
Atlanta, Georgia
Age: 40
Jul 4, 2009
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how to answer to employer
I recently got a new job that I enjoy very much. Fortunately, I control all of the information entered into the employees' records/database, including name, address, ss#, etc. Therefore, I have used my PO Box as my home address without any problems. Unfortunately, one of my bosses has twice asked me where I live. I usually just answer "near the new strip mall", and so far this has worked. I wonder how much longer I can continue to do this without raising some type of suspiscion. I have absloutely NOTHING to hide, other than my privacy! Does anyone know of another good way to answer this question, which I'm sure I will be asked again, keeping in mind that it is the BOSS asking me? Thanks
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