Creating a New Identity

One of the most essential parts to disappearing is creating a new identity. How you get a new identity will be determined by your reason for disappearing. For example, if you are disappearing because of spousal abuse or testimony in a trial then a law enforcement agency will likely help you get a new identity. If you are choosing to disappear on your own, you will need to change your identity yourself or hire someone to do it for you. If you are going to create a new identity, you need to be very careful.

Nearly everyone faces some form of investigation in their lifetime; whether it is for credit, a job or a business transaction. Even if you are going to stay off the radar and avoid all of these types of investigations you still want your new identity to stand up to the smallest investigation. If someone does a check on you on the internet are they going to find something or absolutely nothing at all. Even finding nothing can make people suspicious.

It can be difficult to fabricate your own identity from scratch, but it has been done successfully. Mainly you need to make sure there are no holes otherwise you will easily fail any investigation. Consider the following steps when creating a new identity.

When it comes to creating a new identity, the first crucial step is to choose a new name. You want to choose something that is easy to use and something you don't mind being called. If you want to make yourself difficult to find, then you might want to consider a generic name. There are several ways you can find a good name.

While it is important that you create a genuine identity, you don't want to assume the identity of a living person. This is a mistake that can easily get you into a lot of trouble. If you copy the identity of an individual who is living, then you will be easier to follow and if a duplicate passport or another ID is found it can cause serious trouble for you.

Depending on your reason for disappearing, you may be able to simply look to your own past for a new identity. There are many individuals in your past who you can use as a basis for your new name. You can use the identity of someone who has died.

For those who have been in the military, you can use the name of a war buddy who either died in combat or is missing in action. You will likely also know a lot about them to help back up your new identity. In addition, since the death occurred outside the United States, the death was likely not officially registered in the town where the birth occurred.

For similar reasons, you can consider childhood friends who may have died young. You will already know enough about them to support a good back story. Again, if they died anywhere other than their hometown, there is likely no record of their death.

If you can't think of anyone personally that died young, you can simply take a walk through a cemetery and look at the tombstones. Some of these tombstones only contain a name, date of birth and date of death. However, the ones that include a parents name or place of death are going to make it easier for you to get the ID you need.

Another place to look for your new identity is the obituary column of the newspaper. For small towns or rural areas this can be a great option since you will have fewer to go through and you will get more details about the individual. You can choose to use the name of anyone at the right age who died in a distant city.

It is pretty easy to find the identity of a deceased person to use so you can even be choosy with which identity you want to take. Be sure to choose an identity that meets your purpose for disappearing, so you want to carefully consider the characteristics of the identity you are thinking of using. Certain surnames come with advantages and disadvantages. If your name is too generic like Smith, then a police officer is sure to look into it. In general, the best names are those from the British Isles or Northern Europe since they are fairly common throughout the United States. In addition, you want to avoid Spanish or Spanish-sounding names as these tend to be investigated due to immigration difficulties.

While choosing a name may seem like a small detail, it is often the one thing that trips up those looking to disappear and start a new life. Consider the education of the individual's identity you are taking. Perhaps they have a college degree that can make it easier for you to get a job. If not, you may need to go back to school. This can actually be a good thing since universities can give you a chance to get used to your new identity while have less scrutiny over your identity.

On the other hand, it is best to avoid identities that have specialized training. For example, you don't want to assume the identity of a doctor since these not only require a lot of identification but also because you don't want to be called upon to use your professional skills that you don't really have. If possible, find an identity of someone who was in the same line of work as you, since they likely also had the same interests as you. However, if you can't find an occupational match you want to find a general background that can be adapted to whatever jobs you need.

Lastly, you don't want to assume the identity of someone who left family behind. These individuals may be collecting social security or other benefits as a result of the death. You don't want to choose an identity that has any type of connection to a living individual as this will only create more problems for you.

Once you have chosen the appropriate name for yourself, you want to make sure you take the time to get used to it before you disappear. Get comfortable with your name by practicing signing your name. Introduce yourself to some strangers using your new name to make sure it feels natural to you.

If you are going to try to legally change your name, you will need to fill out a petition required by your state. On this petition, you will need to list reasons for wanting a name change. You can find the appropriate forms on the courthouse or state's court's websites.

The form needs to be notarized and filed with the clerk at the courthouse. The petition is automatically sent to a judge to ensure it properly and completely explains your reasons for wanting to change your name. If you are an immigrant, ex-convict or attorney then you will need an affidavit of service of notification to authorities along with your petition.

Most of these hearings are fairly straight forward with the judge just asking you a few questions. If you can answer clearly and honestly with your reasons for wanting to change your name, then you should have no trouble getting your request approved.

Once your name has been changed, then you can use the documentation from your hearing to apply for a new driver's license or passport and your new identification will be complete. Also remember to use your new name on any car titles or loan documents. If you do all of this in advance, it will be easier to get a new Social Security card.

The first step is to use your new name to fill out an application for a new social security card. You can get this form online at the Social Security website. Along with your form you need to provide evidence of your age. This can be birth certificates, adoption papers or religious documentation. You will also need to provide evidence of your identity which can be your new driver's license, passport or non-driver identity card. If you haven't changed these documents over to your new name yet, you can provide proof of your recent name change such as the court order from your hearing.

Once you have finished filling out your form, you should take it and the necessary proof of age and identity to your local Social Security office to make a case to an officer. You will be offered a new social security number if you are able to satisfy one of the following criteria:

 You are the victim of domestic abuse, harassment or your life has been endangered in some way.

 Sequential digits in the Social Security number of different numbers is causing confusion.

 More than one person has the same number.

 There is a religious or cultural objection to the sequence of digits of your Social Security number.

 You are the victim of identity theft, and the use of the number continues to endanger you.

This step may only be necessary for those who are running from an abuse situation, but if you want to disappear completely, you will likely want to avoid law enforcement contact. If you contact your local law enforcement agency, you can tell them that your life is in danger unless you get a new identity.

A law enforcement agency will be able to provide you with the documented evidence you need to have the Social Security Administration change your Social Security number.

Most identification in any country comes back to the original registration of birth. Therefore, the first thing an identity changer needs to do is get the birth certificate of the original holder of the identity. In order to do this, you need to know where and when the person was born and ideally their parents' names as well as their mother's maiden name.

Once you have the proper identification, you need to request a copy of the birth certificate. This is common enough that it shouldn't draw attention. In fact, so many people lose their birth certificates for a number of reasons that the US Passport Office provides information on how you can request a certified copy.

There is often a small fee to get a duplicate birth certificate. Once you have a birth certificate, the rest of your documents won't be that hard to obtain. After you have all the documents, then you can start using your new identity.

Once you have a new identity, then you can start your new life. There are five things you need to do in order to properly use your new identity.

When you change your identity and disappear, you will have no credit history and no employment history. There will be no job or personal references to help get you started. You won't even have a record of education or special training. You will also need to be prepared to answer questions about any missing holes in your background.

Practice both writing and speaking your new name. You don't want to accidentally slip and use your old name. Even one slip up can cause issues. You also want to practice using the lies you have developed about your family and personal history.

In order to truly disappear and start a new life, you don't want to fall back on any mannerisms, dress or behaviors that link to your old life. Develop a taste for new foods and don't go to your usual restaurants. Consider taking up some new hobbies. You will also want to consider making small changes to your appearance such as changing hair color or wear glasses instead of contacts.

You should never give any of your former friends or family members information about your new identity or location. Reduce the chances of someone recognizing you by moving far away from those who can accidentally expose your new identity.

Depending on your reasons for disappearing and the method you choose to change your identity, both government and private entities may have a record of your identity change. If you are ever arrested, sued or attract the attention of the media, then your old identity could be made public.

Perhaps the most important thing to consider when creating a new identity is to make sure you are doing it the legal way. This is why you want to know the difference between types of IDs.