Customer Reviews

How to Be Invisible: A Step-By-Step Guide To Protecting Your Assets, Your Identity, And Your Life

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I used to keep an overseas bank account but I learned it is far more private to keep one's cash INSIDE the U.S. Also, the idea that my name should never be connected with where I live, not on one single document, was an eye-opener. At first it seemed impossible but the author shows simple ways to follow this advice on everything from bank accounts and credit cards to drivers' licenses and income tax returns. I have thirty-two books on privacy and asset protection but Luna's book has more practical information that all the others put together. He deals in facts not theory. My only complaint is that the book could have been longer. I would have liked to read more anecdotes about the author's various clients and how they solved their problems.

To answer another reader's question... about using a US Postal Service PO Box. That is out of the question! Especially after Sept 11th. The USPS is asking for tons of ID and documentation. They are also being very strict (a pain, in fact) about receiving any mail addressed in any way other than to the exact individual's name who has presented two forms of ID.

Mailboxes Etc. stores (now called The UPS Store), however, offer a much better option. They'll still ask for ID, but you can show your drivers license (just before you move) and your US Passport (which shows no address). No, it's not totally anonymous, but it should be plenty good enough for the first level of security J.J.Luna describes in his book.

Mailboxes Etc is far better than a post office PO Box because:

1. No one will realize that you are using a rental mailbox since the address appears to be a simple street address and "suite number" (box number). i.e. 40 E. Detroit Ave., Ste. 300, Detroit MI 48099. How would anyone know that that's a rented mailbox?

2. They are not nearly as strict as the post office about receiving mail addressed to other names of individuals and/or business names -- as long as the "suite number" is correct.

3. They offer many extra benefits like: being able to call them on the telephone and ask them if there is any mail waiting for you, like forwarding mail to you on an item-by-item basis, forwarding mail to you by re-mailing it without giving anyone your actual end address. (I still don't recommend that you ever have mail forwarded to your real home address, however!)

4. You can even register your Drivers License at that address. I did this without any problem. By doing so, I can use my actual drivers license for ID any time I want... and I am never revealing my actual home address... only my rented mailbox address. You can even have that address printed on your checks so that it matches your drivers license. I did that too. Or, better yet, have your checks printed with only your name and no address. I later did that. Or even better yet, follow Luna's advice on using checks on an account owned by an LLP entity with a name that sounds like a person. I have not yet done that. : )

REMEMBER: Use the rented mailbox address for absolutely EVERYTHING.

AND EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY: Use your actual home address (where you sleep at night) on ABSOLUTELY NOTHING -- EVER EVER EVER!

ALSO REMEMBER: The cable tv service will get you every time! The cable tv service, the landline service, the electric and gas, and any other utility that's "tied to" your home address (where you sleep at night) MUST be in some other name. It's ok, probably preferable, if you receive those bills at your actual home address AS LONG AS YOUR REAL NAME, SS NO., OR BIRTHDATE ARE NOT ON THOSE ACCOUNTS. And that should be the ONLY mail you receive at your real home address--only under that/those ficticious name(s).

Obviously, if a PI or the FBI wanted to find me, it would be simple. Just stake out the mailbox rental place until I come in for my mail... Simple. What I have is only "level one security". But since I -- like the average person -- am not a criminal, nor wanted by anyone (that I know of), that's the only level of protection I need.

Therefore, there is also no need for me to rent a mailbox in a far-away state. Mine, in fact, is only one block from where I live. But that's fine. Still, it would be more than somewhat difficult for the average angry person, or criminal, or con-artist, or soliciting business, or lawsuit-happy attorney, or anyone else, to find out where I sleep at night.

It's not Fort Knox security, but it is a lock and deadbolt. And that's all I need...

Thumb through a Loompanics or Paladin Press catalogue, and you'll come across a number of books dealing with privacy and "new-identity" strategies. Don't buy them. If you want serious, practical, and LEGAL ways to hide yourself, or simply to secure a higher level of privacy, *this* is the book for you.

I've read a few other books dealing with privacy, and, sadly, they too often recommend tactics that depend primarily on illegal moves-- moves, moreover, that will simply no longer work--like securing the Social Security Number of a dead person, or the birth certificate. Most of the Mr. Luna's methods depend on perfectly legal strategies, and he outlines ways for people to secure varying levels of privacy, depending on their needs. Surprisingly, a high level of privacy can be obtained simply by using what he calls a "ghost" address (which is NOT a Mailboxes Etc. account!), and making sure that no mail--but none--ever comes directly to your home. All utility bills, drivers licenses, and so forth, go to the ghost address. Perfectly legal. Where Mr. Luna is unsure of the legality of something he is describing, he makes it perfectly clear.

A list of chapter titles will give a good idea of the topics this book covers:

1. How this Book Can Make You Invisible 2. U.S. Mail--Sending It, Receiving It 3. Your "Ghost" Address 4. Home Deliveries, House Calls, Bounty Hunters, FedEx, UPS 5. Untraceable Trash, Anonymous Utilities 6. Your Social Security Number and Date of Birth 7. Your Alternative Names and Signatures 8. Telephones, Answering Machines, Faxes, Radios, Beepers 9. How to Find and Use Nominees 10. How to Use a Trust for Privacy 11. Strange Uses for Corporations 12. Limited-Liability Companies 13. Hidden Ownership of Vehicles, and Real Estate 14. Bank Accounts and Money Transfers 15. How to Secretly Run a Home-Based Business 16. Anonymous Travel by Land, Sea, and Air 17. Computer, E-mail, and the Internet 18. Crossing the Canadian and Mexican Borders 19. Secret Hiding Places 20. Cool Stuff That Did Not Fit in Earlier 21. An Exam, as Secret, and an Invitation

There is also an appendix with the names of people who will act as agents for a LLC.

The book is quite thorough in some areas, less thorough in others, such as Internet privacy. He mentions the use of encryption, "remailers", and so forth, but really gives no information on using them, other than to admonish us, "Don't, they aren't secure." There is, I suspect, much more to be said about computer security, file wiping, and so forth, than has been said here.

Mr. Luna outlines some uses of a Limited Liability Company, although, unfortunately, does not describe how you might set one up yourself, recommending you shell out the $2,000 dollars + to have a lawyer do the paperwork if you need this level of privacy. Some mention of less costly sources of legal guidance (for those of us on a budget!) would have been helpful--it's out there (Nolo Press, for instance).

But, then, few people need very high levels of security, and to belabor this would be to emphasize a small, small part of the book. This is a GOOD book, and INTERESTING book, and a USEFUL book. Definitely worth a look.

I spent several hours reading Amazon reviews of books about privacy. I ended up choosing three books that were highly rated. The two others that I ordered were: Larry Sontag's 'It's None of Your Business' and Scott French's 'Who Are You'.

I would NOT recommend either one. On the other hand, Luna's book is *great* and highly recommended.

First the bad books ...

The Scott French book left a bitter taste in my mouth. It has a juvenile 'James Bond underground' feel to it and seems to be catering to mental midgets who are jumping at the bit to break the law in incredibly stupid ways - creating fake birth certificates, obtaining driver licenses illegally, engaging in credit card fraud etc. Of course, all of this is presented just for 'informational purposes' <nauseating wink wink>.

If you want to commit credit card fraud, and have half a brain, believe me, you don't need this book. To give you a feel for the kind of 'sophisticated' advice that he gives ... he suggests that you can *intimidate* a bank into letting you open an account without your social security number. If you think that Citibank is going to cave in to you when you flash some legal mumbo jumbo at them, then, by all means buy this book. As I said, this was his 'sophisticated' advice. Most of his other advice is both incredibly moronic and very likely to land you in jail.

Larry Sontag's book in contrast is more serious but fairly boring and also a disappointment. The book tends to deal with privacy from a macro perspective (the kinds of institutions in our society that maintain information about you - nothing you probably don't know already), a 'theoretical' perspective (global positioning chips that can be implanted in people) and a technological perspective (lots of information about browsers, caches, cookies etc - stuff you're likely to know about already). There was *very little practical advice* about creating more privacy in your life in the real world.

In contrast, Luna's book is *completely practical*. If you're like me, looking to conduct your business in a more private manner, seeking *some* protection from frivolous lawsuits, then this IS the book for you. Even if you don't own your own business, I would *still highly recommend* it.

First of all, this is a *fun* and easy read. The stories are great but the main thing is that it has some really useful information.

However, the most important thing that I need to convey is that by the end of this book, I definitely got the impression that the author was *both* an expert in his field and offering HONEST advice. In my experience, that is a pretty rare combination.

He's very upfront about saying that an investigator - with *unlimited funds* :-) - will *eventually* track you down no matter what you do. How refreshing!

Some of his advice surprised me - such as avoiding offshore solutions. I like for my thinking to be challenged.

I found specific nuggets of information to be worth *many times the price of this book*. For example, he points out a *very common* misconception about corporations. This particular 'trick' is something that I would guess, a frightenly high percentage of cpas are completely clueless about. It's not really a trick just something that ONE state allows and that none of the other 49 do.

He also has some very useful information that doesn't deal with privacy at all. For example, I *loved* how he suggested beating a traffic ticket. This was taken from a book on that very subject, written by an ex-policeman, who described an approach taken by a handful of motorists, that so floored him that he invariably let them go with just a warning. :-)

Before reading this book, based solely upon the reviews, I was a bit put off by the fact that he recommends an associate for a business service. To me, that seemed tacky. However, at this point, I am convinced that Mr. Luna is a *highly ethical* person (no tax evasion schemes in this book) and the recommendation is just another high quality resource - which btw, you would NOT be able to find on your own. I've researched this particular situation and the cost of the service provided by his associate is definitely less than any other provider that I could find.

In summary, lots of good stuff, very *sound, honest* advice from someone who knows what he is talking about, a few great, totally *unique ideas* I've not read anywhere else ... and as I've said, FUN to read.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This book is meant to be the mother of all books on protecting your identity and privacy. The chapters deal with various topics from dissociating where you live with your name to using trusts or LLCs for important purchases to protecting yourself while online.

Much of the information is very interesting and thought-provoking, and the author apparently makes it clear that "he" doesn't want you to break the law.

However, much of what "he" dispenses as advice may not be practical.

1) Ghost address: the author recommends you go to a small town, far from where you actually live, and look for a place with a few private mailboxes and rent one. I have been trying this for the last 2 months but everywhere I went the owner would look at me suspiciously and then ask me for my license. Maybe it's because I live in New York state... or maybe it's because post-Sept. 11 people are just more vigilant.

2) Using LLCs to buy cars: the author suggests you register your cars in the name of a New Mexico LLC, which won't need your name to incorporate. Obviously, if you go to your state DMV they'll demand to see all kinds of IDs, so the author says you should go to a private licensing bureau. Well, I haven't found a single one in New York or Massachusetts that would allow me to register my car without proof of address. Again, maybe it's because I'm not charming enough, or it could be that this advice and the social engineering skills needed just don't work well these days.

These are just two examples of the kind of advice the author gives. Indeed, to be fair, he warns you early on that achieving even level 1 (of 4) privacy may not be cheap, and definitely not easy. My problem with his methods is, they aren't too practical and require too many steps. I might as well get plastic surgery and move to the ex-USSR republic of Georgia.

"Privacy is destined to become the most valuable commodity in the 21st century." So says the back of the dust cover in this eye-opening book. I've been concerned about privacy for the past few years, and have even used a "ghost address" (one of the author's favorite techniques.) But I never could have dreamed up some of the ideas in this book.

The author clearly knows his business, as he mentions things that only someone who's been doing this for years could possibly know and have figured out. It's inspired me to make further changes in my own life, and to seek out more books on privacy to complement this one.

There are 3 overall things I learned about privacy after reading this book:

1. Privacy is not cheap. 2. Privacy is not easy. 3. Privacy can protect your assets, and may even save your life.

Not the final word on the topic, to be sure. No single book could possibly tell you everything you want to know about privacy. The laws change too swiftly and each of the states has their own set of laws, so it's impossible for one book to cover every possible situation. If you are new to privacy, treat this as a primer, and a very good one at that...>I was prepared to give this book only 4 stars, due to the number of typos and grammatical errors that any competent editor should have spotted, but the book just has so much valuable information and insights into ways to protect yourself that I just had to give it a full 5 stars.

Granted, this book is about hardcore privacy - If you plan on running from the mafia or something, then you definitely need this book. It's probably less practical for normal people, since it's so expensive and inconvenient to be a private individual. For the people that can't justify trying to lead a private life, you're probably safest joining the military, police, or otherwise working for the government. But keep in mind, if you don't lead a private life, you are never more than a few minutes away from destruction.

JJ Luna details exactly how, step by tiny step, you can provide layers of protection to make it more difficult for anyone wishing to do you harm. For Americans, one phone call is all it would take to have you cuffed and jailed. The police can be to your door within 15 minutes...do you trust all the people who have your name, phone number, and address?

I'm not joking with you, this isn't the movies, it's real life, and fact *IS* stranger than fiction. Anyone who lives in a modern first world country already has their head on the chopping block. Did you know that the US has 5% of the world's population and about 90% of the world lawyers? That's bad news if you're wealthy and vulnerable to lawsuits. Well, what if you're poor? Did you know that if you are charged with a crime (not convicted, only CHARGED) you lose your right to work and to rent an apartment? Once charges are filed, you will fail all background checks and you'll be homeless and unemployed for as many years as the legal system takes to get you a trial. If you're wealthy, you'll probably avoid prison, but you'll lose everything. OK, so the governments are scary - what else should you be afraid of?

Well, what about that punk video rental store clerk? He thinks he's a hacker. What would happen if he twiddled around with your rental account so he could get himself free rentals? You think the video store would step in and put a stop to it? WRONG, if they ever admit that their employees are doing that, they'd go out of business...Do you trust the punk video clerk to rent family oriented movies on YOUR account? What would happen if he mailed a copy of your account to your boss, with the videos HE'S rented? I'm sure it'd be very funny to watch you lose your job, your wife divorce you, and one of your children commit suicide...

ANY information that exists about you can be used against you as if it were a weapon. I've been forced to deal with some nasty characters before, and trust me, it makes no difference whether he's Al Capone or the video clerk - you'll lose the life you once knew in short order.

You can still live your life normally after you've protected yourself, you just have to pay attention to the details and never answer the questions people ask you, at least not in a way that helps them cause you trouble. JJ Luna tells you how to do that legally, or at least semi-legally, in an easy to understand way. You won't find any senseless babble in this book!

Other authors tend to pimp their own products or services, but Luna doesn't come across as one of those types of authors. He has very little to say about that unless it's something truly helpful, that you might have a hard time finding anywhere else. In fact, most of the time he's merely referring you to someone he's successfully done business with in the past.

The book is absolutely worthy of 5 stars - JJ Luna seems to be the most honest and experienced author in his category. But, he makes a couple minor mistakes that remind you that Mr. Luna is really just an average joe with above average wisdom. For example, on page 107 Luna talks about how difficult it is to track someone using a ham radio. He says "If you are moving, this will be next to impossible.". The fact is, your location can be pinpointed in less than one second with a homebuilt doppler DF receiver. Many hams have them, and you better not use a ham radio without getting a license first, otherwise 500 angry hams in their winnebagos will be trying to track you down - not good for someone concerned about privacy. That's the only significant mistake I could find in his book.

Stay safe, stay private.

I once wrote a novel called "The Invisible Man." One of the purposes was to get a nodding reader to perk up enough to read the first two or three pages. (As Casey Stengel said, "You could look it up": Putman's eventually published the book when I was still in my twenties with the title "A Perfectly Natural Act.") My anti-hero certainly thought he was invisible. Whether he really was or not is an open question. J.J. Luna's nonfiction hero (himself, and the reader if you follow his advice) is invisible in the sense that he has greatly obscured the connection between his physical self and the world's record-keeping devices. Although such "invisibility" has nothing like the power of the fantasy with which I used to guide myself to sleep at night (instead of counting sheep I would imagine myself invisible), it can be of tremendous practical value in this age of Big Brother.

Why would anyone legitimately want to hide themselves? you ask. Luna, a one-time fuzzy presence in Franco's Spain, gives some excellent reasons: somebody (not just Uncle Sam) might take it upon themselves to go after your assets. An ex-lover or ex-spouse might want revenge. You might get sued (a "legal mugging") or you might just want to avoid the usual harassment from telemarketers and other pests. Or you might just have some questionable assets that you want to keep hidden. Luna makes the point (tongue in cheek, I would say) that he does not advise breaking the law, and that this book is not intended to help law-breakers. (However if they choose to take advantage of his advice...well, his book is only a tool.)

Luna himself has made a living selling and consulting on "privacy." Reading between the lines, I would say specifically that he made a lot of money forming what generically might be called "dummy corporations" and selling them. I admire (I think) such creative self-employment.

Luna describes four "levels" of privacy, each with a bigger price tag. At Level One you'll have "more privacy than 98 percent of the general population." At Level Four "you are duplicating the federal Witness Security Program." Incidentally, if you're planning on hiding yourself from the world in preparation for the commission of some sort of "revenge" crime yourself, you might want to notice Luna's caveat on page 6, a sort of gumshoe dictum: "if someone with unlimited funds is after you, you will eventually be found."

His first and most important rule is (p. 244 and elsewhere) "Do not...ever...allow your real name to be coupled with your home address." To accomplish this Luna shows you how to set up a "ghost address," preferably in another state. He also advises you to never give out your social security number, and relates how you can usually accomplish that. He says you should use your passport rather than your driver's license when you absolutely must identify yourself because it contains less information (no home address, no SSN). Do not use your real name for any of your utilities. Have your cell phone in a different name than your home phone. Cell phones are useful in that they have no set location. For example if you have to call 911, your true address doesn't show. Naturally you don't use the checks from your bank. Your checks will have no name on them and no address. In fact your signature should illegible. (Luna claims on page 80 that "among European businessmen, illegible is the order of the day.") And of course (p. 84) you "Get off voter rolls and never return."

This is an interest read with a lot of good (if sometimes expensive) techniques for improving your privacy. Also, there are sprinkled throughout the texts little tidbits of worthwhile advice. For example here's how to defeat the redial feature on your telephone: When you finish the call, hang up and then pick up the receiver and punch in a single digit. Then hang up. "If anyone checks the &#8219;last number called' all they will find is that single digit" (p. 114). Luna sent money orders to sites on the Web offering fake ID (p. 85). "Sometimes I received a grossly inferior product. Other times I received nothing at all." He quotes a newsletter to the effect that there are no fake ID sites on the Web offering "anything even vaguely worth buying." That info alone (for some) might be worth the price of this book and more.

I would like to make the ironic observation that what Luna reveals about himself in terms of his vocation, habits, likes and dislikes, prejudices, past travels and general world view makes it now impossible for him to stay hidden (should anybody be interested in finding him). However, the man is at least in his seventies, so I suppose it really doesn't matter that much anymore. On second thought, realizing that this Luna is a very tricky dude, it may be that the seemingly veracious personal info in the text is just misleading!

On third thought, it could just be that Luna's long life of anonymity has inspired him to seek out a little fame before he disappears completely. (Insert here a joke about giving Saint Peter a fake social security number.)

I finished this book in less than two days. I found it very hard to put down once I started reading. The author writes well and covers most questions that you have. He also discusses a few of the more dangerous false ideas that people have (i.e. that you can assume a new identity with the graveyard method--NOT anymore--birth and death are cross-referenced in the same state). The two areas where I wish I had more information were concerning tax benefits of the private limited liability companies he promotes, and more information on private mailboxes. For example, he ignores the official US Gov't post office box. I'm sure there is good reason for this, but it was not mentioned in the book, so we don't know the reasons for and against having one. I believe you have to show ID, but perhaps you could open one using a LLC like he mentions several other times in the book? The part about tax information is forgiveable, since that was not the topic of this book. Finally, he refers you to someone who will help you set up a LLC for a fee of $300/3 years and $100 a year thereafter. I feel more comfortable if there are at least TWO references listed, so that I know I'm not getting scammed or ripped off by this 'anonymous' author. All in all however, those were the ONLY complaints I had, and I was glued to every page. The author is extremely thorough and well thought-out in his arguments.

This book is well worth the $$.

Years ago I took some steps to protect my privacy, mostly from some realitives who were always calling me everytime they got arrested, trying to get me to go their bail.
And I registered my car in my grandmothers name, since being under 21, with a few traffic tickets, and a Trans Am, I was unable to get insurance at any price.

A few years later, these two steps helped me evade a confrontation with a person who was very angry with me.

Think about this scenario, you are involved in a car accident, the other driver gets the ticket, but he thinks the accident was your fault, and is very angry. On the accident report, now public information available to ANYONE who walks into the police station, is your HOME address, should he want to confront you.

Or, your car is broken into, by thieves, on your insurance card and registration is your home address.

I also have to comment on other readers statements:

<<<<<<some tactics he lists, that are just hard to come by in American society.
For instance, not supplying your SSN when purchasing a car, house, cell phone or signing a loan for your children's college tuition. Simply NOT GIVING THE INFO in my opinion,is not a legitimate technique to use in these situations. Now having an LLC or trust is more along the lines that I would of thought, but I was hoping to find alternative techniques than these well publicized methods.<<<<<

The author states that anytime you apply for credit, you give up your privacy. Paying cash for automobiles, and other comsumer goods, is just good financial advice anyway.

Simply NOT GIVING THE INFO ---IS--- good advice, I was actually asked for my SS# when I took my dog to get a flea dip,, I told them my dog didn't have a SS#.

also asked for it at an estate auction I attended, and I have to say, having Dyslexia makes it difficult to write down numbers sometimes.

Its tough to buy a house without Equifax, knowing it, but it CAN be done, with a lease-purchase agreement, or simply saving some cash and buying a cheap place to live in a rural area.

I personally know a guy that the FBI could not find, because he is self employeed (Avoiding the "National New Hire Database" created under the guise of catching fathers who dont pay child support.) and has NEVER borrowed any money, (mostly because he had terrible credit a few years ago and no one would loan him any).

<<< Certain events smack of pure fiction, the chapter on crossing the border, for instance. Drive your car to a certain location on the great lakes, charter a boat, and just before dawn ride accross into Canada. Or his advice for how to get into Mexico, which involves wire clippers.>>>>

Riding a boat to Canada shouldnt be any broblem. Paddling a canoe from Minnosota, up into Canada ahould be too difficult.

And as any American knows, Mexicans have absolutly no problem sneaking across the border into the US, nearly one million per year,(Why The US guards South Korea's border, but not its own is a mystery to me) and obtaining false SS #;s and other documents. So how could sneaking OUT of the US pose any difficulty?
But why bother, if the illegal immigrants can get false documents so easily, how hard can it be?

And many states issue illegal immigrants Drivers Liscenses with NO supporting documents, although they might not issue one to someone who 'looks' american.

Now that I have some assets, the steps outlined in the book are very useful.