For most of us, privacy means an unlisted telephone number. But what about your Social Security number? Your credit card numbers? Your bank account statements? Your personal health data? You may think this information is also secure, but if you've ever ordered anything over the Internet, or if your credit card is on file at the local video store just in case you never return that copy of Titanic, or if you throw out bank statements without shredding them, then this information is now in the public domain and can easily be discovered and used against you by a private eye, a computer hacker, or even a vengeful neighbor or former lover. Once people gain control of even a shred of your personal information, they can gain control of your life. They can transform this information into access to your assets, your loved ones, even your identity. And once your privacy is gone, there's very little you can do to get it back.

J. J. Luna, a highly trained and experienced security consultant, can show you how to achieve the privacy you crave, whether you just want to shield yourself from casual scrutiny or take your life savings and disappear without a trace. He reveals the shocking secrets that private detectives use to uncover information, and then shows you how to safeguard against them.

Filled with vivid real-life stories drawn from the headlines and from Luna's own consulting experience, How to Be Invisible is the essential guide to preserving your personal security. Privacy is commonly lamented as the first casualty of the Information Age-- but that doesn't mean you have to stand for it.

Book is (2000) Hardcover with (258 Pages).

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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...

63 of 67 found the following review helpful:

Sound, Practical, and FunJan 27, 2001
By John Noodles
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.

32 of 34 found the following review helpful:

This is the best - forget the rest (3 reviews)Jun 10, 2002

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' .

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.

46 of 51 found the following review helpful:

Interesting eye opener, advice may not be practicalOct 16, 2002

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.

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