Customer Reviews

Hide Your Assets and Disappear: A Step-by-Step Guide to Vanishing Without a Trace

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

This book does show you how the government finds ways to keep your money, but it does VERY little to show you how to stop them. It tells you to open up an account offshore and move your assets off to that account. Unfortunately it does not tel you how. It doesn't tell you how hard it is opening an offshore account. Or how most banks require ID and references. And how do you move the money offshore without the government finding out, well thats for you to figure out. The guy who wrote this book is a absolute joke. He knows very little about the subject except for how the government attempts to catch you, but gives no real answers as to how to get around it. Most of the information in this book can be found out with very little research, which is what I think this guy did. He claims to be the best detective in the US, but I seriously doubt a Paladin Press writer is anything more than a sorry writer, who lacks the know how to actually attempt anything they write about. This guy claims Belize is the greatest country to live in for little money and without government interference. Has he ever been to Belize. I honestly don't think he has. Belize is horribly crime ridden in the cities. And the nice areas are all tourist areas. Not a great place to live. Don't buy this book, just do a little internet research on offshore banking and you will have more information than is in this book. And you'll probably know alot more than the author on the subject.

I bought this book at the discount counter on a whim -- it sounded like a fun read. I read it cover to cover, and ended up doing something I've never done before: I threw it in the trash.

To be fair, there were some things about the book I enjoyed. It pointed out how much of our personal information is available across so many databases, and how we leave distinctive trails of ourselves in so many ways.

The book could have been a lot of fun for the average person to read, and it could have been concretely instructive for the serious escapist. But its treatment of the main subject was too light and non-specific to serve as a real "how-to" checklist. As for the "fun" factor, the author comes across as a macho boor, with a cliche' attitude towards the government, women, and others that he considers "stupid jerks." Any modern woman would label him as an M.C.P. I felt like I was reading the work of a 1950s throwback, a Mickey Spillane wannabe.

The worst thing to me was the lack of proofreading. I'd guess there was an average of one grammatical or typographical error per page, and I really don't think I'm exaggerating. The guy really needs to hire an editor before he publishes another word.

In summary, the book is poorly written, it isn't very interesting, and it has no redeeming literary or social value. Into the trash it goes.

This book has a much broader range of appeal to the comman person than the title indicates. Everyone is affected by the privacy issues discussed in the book. The terms "hide" and "disappear" should'nt scare anyone off. Mr.Pankau lays out invaluable information in the context of someone "vanishing without a trace", but most of it relates directly to all of us. After reading his book I'm much more aware of the value of my privacy,and the steps to take to protect it in the future.The section on "the best places disappear to" is valuable to anyone thinking of retiring in a foreign country, regardless of "criminal" issues. Numerous countries and areas are rated for livability followed by recommendations and warnings.Mr Pankau's credentials are solid. He is highly respected internationally as an author(two bestsellers), speaker and most impressively, one of the top private investigators in the country. This is a man who has built a solid business and reputation. I trust the advice in this book because I have considered the source. Enough said.

Before 9/11, this was already a joke among people interested in protecting their privacy and assets (e.g., from litigious lawyers). After 9/11, none of the stuff mentioned in this worthless book even remotely works. BTW, the other reviewers are right: he doesn't really tell you *how* to do things anyway!

This is typical of the paranoid presses that publish fantasy escape how to manuals as non-fiction. Once the backwater of sloppy "publishing companies" more and more of these books are slipping into the mainstream. This is a prime example from a major publisher. The author takes you on a tour from start to finish on how you can sneak away and never be found. That tour contains no practical information. You can read this and dream about it. You can learn as much as is in this book, or almost any of the invisible disappearing books, by reading "Learning How To Disappear" by Frank M. Ahearn which is a free article available on the internet. It is short, incomplete, but free. This book is not as good as that article. Most of these authors hold out an illusion that eager readers are more than willing to accept.

Beware of catchy titles. This book covers the topic in a very superficial way. There's really very little new information here that hasn't already been covered by other authors. The title is catchy, and the promotional material sounds enticing, but the book simply doesn't deliver very useful information. If you have already read other books and articles on this subject, you should save your money and and reading time by not purchasing this book. If you know nothing about this topic, then it's a place to start. However, don't expect any eye-popping solutions or revelations.

This is not a how to book. I'm not sure there is enough time or paper to write a concise how to book on this subject. Just from my read I thought it far more complicated to sever all ties and disappear.

It was beyond informative on the intricacy of our goverments financial prowess and technical abilities to track each and everyone of us through the almighty dollar. It was pure scary.
It really brought home to me how much power our government has and how we the people have lost control of the goverment.

The book was filled with stories of hide out drop outs and stupid things criminals do. Very entertaining even if you get no help on your goal to disapear.

This book was written before September 11. On that day everything in the world changed. I don't know to what extent that everything changed but I am now finding out. Avoid this book. It is heavily dated.

If this book wasn't meant as real-world guide, it would make for great parody of the "Disappear from the System!" crowd. At best, nearly all of the information is outdated, and the asset protection stuff will probably do more to get you in trouble than be of any substantial help.

The cover of the book makes big promises, but as I expected, it is nothing but filler material. The synopsis of the book can be written in one sentence: Change identity, move overseas, hide money, and be careful. How? Buy yourself an ID or a passport. That was the most direct advice in the book. The rest is written in broad generalities and suppositions. In summary, this book is just plain useless.