How to Be Invisible

MAILBOXES, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

By “public,” I mean the boxes you can rent at a government postal service such as the United States Postal Service (USPS).

By “private,” I refer to commercial mail-receiving agencies (CMRAs) such as Parcel Plus, Packaging Store, Pak Mail Centers of America, Postal Annex, PostNet Postal and Business Centers, and The UPS Store. This chapter will show you a fast and simple way to achieve a basic level of privacy and security.

If you do not already have a post-office box, you may wish to obtain one for your personal mail. Then, you could rent a private mailbox from a CMRA and use both your name and a made-up “company name” for business mail, magazine subscriptions, and deliveries from FedEx and UPS.

Until such time as you move, of course, your present street address will be in dozens—or more likely, hundreds—of databases. However, from this moment on, you will never again give out your street address. Then, when you move, and follow the advice in the chapters to come, you will drop below the radar.

However, before you make any changes, make sure you both read and understand this chapter and the one that follows.

POST-OFFICE BOXES

If a choice is available, rent a box as far away from your home as is convenient for picking up mail once or twice a week. The ideal situation—often the case if you have a long commute to work—is to have the box in another town. This is sometimes possible for those who live in “twin” cities. (If you live in East Minneapolis, get a box in West St. Paul.)

ADVANTAGES

First and foremost, you avoid having to give out your street address. In addition:

• If you move to another location in the same area, there will be no changes to make for incoming mail.

• Your mail will be safe from thieves, no matter how long you leave it in the box.

• When you are on vacation, mail will not pile up at the mailbox at your home—a clear signal that the occupants are away.

DISADVANTAGES

The biggest single disadvantage of getting a post-office box is the process you have to go through. Prior to the passage of the U.S. Patriot Act (officially “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001”), it was fairly easy to rent a PO box and retain your privacy. This is no longer the case. Thus:

• You must show two forms of ID, and one of them must show your current home address. (This violates the rule of never allowing your true name to be coupled with your true home address.)

• If you list other persons who will also be receiving mail at this address, they, too, must now furnish two forms of identification.

• If in the United States, you must sign PS Form 1093 right next to this chilling statement:

Signature of Applicant: I certify that all information furnished on this form is accurate, truthful, and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or omits information requested on this form may be subject to criminal and/or civil penalties, including fines and imprisonment.

Fortunately, I know of no holder who has ever been jailed for fudging on the application, as long as the box was never used for any fraudulent purpose. Hopefully, after filling out the form truthfully, you will then soon move. I am not a lawyer but as I understand it, failing to inform the post office of a move is not a criminal offense. If they ever find out—which is unlikely—they will almost certainly just close your box.

IF YOU SIMPLY CANNOT MOVE, EVER

You might consider renting a cheap apartment on a month-by-month basis, and live there just long enough to rent a box and have that address checked out. Then move back home, but keep those rent receipts.

OTHER OPTIONS FOR RECEIVING MAIL AT A PO BOX

Might you have a friend or relative with the same last name? If he or she is agreeable, you could receive mail in their box. Most postal employees have more important duties than to check the first names of everyone in a family.

Another suggestion is to open the box in the name of a limited liability company. Example: Your name is Abraham Goldstein but you wish to establish a new identity under the name of Robert Johnson. Form an LLC named “Robert Johnson LLC.” Then rent a box in your own name (check the box for Residential/Personal Use). There will be a space for other names (currently on the back of PS Form 1093 July 2011), and this is where you list the LLC. Send yourself a few letters from time to time, addressed to “Robert Johnson LLC.” After that, there may be no problem in receiving mail in your new name, even though the ending “LLC” is not included.

Or, for total anonymity along with a new name, find someone whose mailbox you can take over. Either they are moving away or are poor enough so that a cash contribution will allow you to take over their box. (Naturally, you will send their mail on to whatever address they later give you.)

Use this person’s basic name—with a slight alteration—as if it were your own. For instance, if the box holder’s name is José L. Hernandez, just change the first name to Joe, or the middle initial to R. Or, if you are determined to use a different name—say, Veronica Victoria, slowly work your way through the series below, sending letters to this box number and addressed to:

1. Veronica Victoria, c/o José Hernandez

2. V. Victoria & J. Hernandez

3. Victoria & Hernandez

4. V. Victoria

My experience has been that—in many cases—after six months, mail in whatever name will be delivered to the box. When time comes for paying the annual fee, do not of course show up at the counter. Mail in a money order with the name “José L. Hernandez” as the sender.

Here’s one more idea: Third-class mail from the previous box holder may still be coming to the box you’ve just rented. Hmm … might that be as good a name as any for your alternate identity? (If you do, however, make sure you never apply for credit in that name, nor use it for any other fraudulent activity. Also, you might check him out on the Internet, to make sure he isn’t on something like a sex-offender list!)

FULL DISCLOSURE

I do have a PO box that cannot be tracked to any of my home addresses, but I did not use any of the suggestions above. It is probably not one that you can ever use, but here’s what happened:

A friend who lived in the United States for many years decided to return to Mexico. Before she left, I had her go to the local post office and add the name “JJ Luna.” Theoretically I should have had to send some ID with her, but as I suspected, they didn’t bother to ask. I then exchanged some cash for her two keys, and off she went. I send test letters in my name to the box once in a while, and they are always delivered.

The only persons who know about this address are a few of my consulting clients. They had to send me some confidential information, and short of a personal courier, first-class mail is the best way to send it.

COMMERCIAL MAIL-RECEIVING AGENCIES (CMRAS)

ADVANTAGES

The biggest advantage of having a box number with a private agency is that they will receive mail from private couriers and packages from UPS and FedEx. Also:

• You will have a street address, which in some cases is necessary.

• You can often call in while traveling to have your mail sent on.

• They are often open longer, and/or more days, than a U.S. post office.

DISADVANTAGES

• You will have to sign a “Private Mailbox (PMB) Rental Agreement” that includes a sea of small print. Next, if you are in the United States, you will have to fill out and sign the dreaded PS Form 1583a (June 2011). If an agent at the CMRA does not witness your signature, then it must be notarized.

• You will be required to furnish two forms of identification. Item 10 says that a photocopy of your picture “may be retained by postmaster or designee for verification.”

• All major CMRA addresses are kept in commercial databases. This will block your efforts to use such an address on your driver’s license or for any other official use. Also, if you order over the Internet, many firms will refuse ship to such an address.

POSSIBLE REMEDIES FOR PRIVATE BOXES

• Rent the box, then move, without telling the CMRA.

• Choose a mom-and-pop operation with a single outlet. This address may not show up in national databases, and if you “forget” to add your box number once in a while, they should still—being small and thus recognizing customer names—be able to give you your mail.

SUMMARY

If you do not plan to go beyond Level One security, get a private box at one of the CMRAs and have all your mail sent there. Even if they have your home address on file, it will not be given out indiscriminately to the general public.

For advanced security, however, I strongly suggest you avoid CMRAs. Instead, if at all possible, obtain a PO box that does not connect you with your present home address. Use this box number for:

• Personal mail from relatives and friends

• Bank statements

• Telephone, insurance, and utility bills

• Social Security and Medicare (if applicable)

• Any other strictly personal mail

For everything else—and especially if you receive mail in other names, use a private, alternate street address. This “ghost” address is the subject of the next chapter.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Can I use a PO box or a CMRA street address when I open a bank account?

Although your bank statements can be mailed to either a PO box or a CMRA address, they will ask for your home address. Perhaps you will be able to use the address of a close relative. Otherwise, see the next chapter about obtaining a ghost street address.

When I recently renewed my driver’s license, I gave them my address at The UPS Store but without the box number. They didn’t say anything, so should I tell my friends to do the same?

Absolutely not. One of my readers went through this process. “I obtained a new driver’s license using The UPS Store’s address,” he says. “I had to sign an affidavit stating that this was my address. Last night I went to a nightclub that uses an ID scanner. When my card was swiped, I looked to see what appeared on the screen. Much to my nonamusement, my actual address was on the screen, instead of the address on my driver’s license. I would have to guess—as you have stated—that the DMV knew that the new address that I gave them was a mail drop and not an actual residence. Then, somehow, they pulled up my real address and entered it!”

Can I rent a PO box with a single visit?

Post office employees are not consistent. Some of my readers report getting a box on the first visit by showing ID with their home address. Others, however, have had an experience such as this: “I went to the post office to rent a box. They told me I had to fill out the form and they would then verify the information. After that, they said they would mail me a letter. I would then have to take that letter back to the post office and only then could I obtain a box.”

Can I open a PO box without showing my driver’s license (which is from another state)?

Normally, yes. Use your passport and, if asked for a second piece of ID, use a current lease, a mortgage, a voter or vehicle registration card, or a home or vehicle insurance policy. One senior citizen writes:

The clerk used my credit card (she did not know it was canceled) as the second ID. She wrote down my credit card number on the application. Another clerk told her that it was illegal to write the number down. She scribbled it out and said she had gotten yelled at last week by her boss for not writing down the second ID. She then commented that she had never used anything but a license before.

Note: Form 1583A specifically excludes credit cards as identifications.