How to Be Invisible: The Essential Guide to Protecting Your Personal Privacy, Your Assets, and Your Life (Revised Edition)

If you are tired of your nosey neighbor, if you want to give your bothersome relative the heev-ho, if all that crazy junk in your box is just irritating, then this field manual on the basics of invisibility is a great start for those of you seeking help. It is also good for those just seeking privacy away from prying eyes. Learn the use of the other name, how to set up those addresses, how to set up organizations to hide your stuff, protect yourself from internet scams, and id thieves, learn what to really do with that cell phone and pager. There are several levels for you to choose from so that you may gradually get yourself to that place where you feel comfortable. Of course nothing is full proof but if someone is snooping, depending on the level you're at, they'll have to really work for it before they get to those dead ends. This is a no brainer with very easy, clear instructions and great examples.

I'll review the book briefly before responding to some of the criticism of the work. I initially read this book nearly one year ago, and have since then put into practice many of the suggestions in the book. For example, I don't carry my drivers license around anymore. The entertainment factor of pulling a passport out is almost as beneficial as the privacy factor. Bank employees, concert security, bouncers, etc. usually look quite strangely at the passport, since most of them are used to reading everyone's drivers license all day. The cost of this small protection was minimal, and now I never have to give anyone my home address unless they deserve it, or I want to give it to them. Anyone who ever steals my wallet or gets ahold of it if I drop it won't find anything except a small amount of cash and useless items. The book contains many other examples of protecting privacy, such as setting up ghost addresses, titling vehicles in LLCs, and not relying on borrowing money to live. The small information on using credit is potentially the most important part of the book. In my work, I daily talk to people who have relied on credit to get them through life. When they come upon a hardship, they lean even heavier on credit to get through the hardship, while waiting for the future to get better. Unfortunately, hardships last longer than a few days or weeks, usually, and continuous leaning on credit will eventually cause the crutch to break. In actuality, this could turn out to be a very long review, if I let it, because the ideas that are presented in the book are all a cause of conversation and reflection. However, for some readers, they will merely read the ideas and develop a thought pattern of saying "I can't do that, it's a lot of work." They will then deem the book impractical, outdated, or useless. It's amazing to me, reading some of the low-star reviews, how misguided most of these reviewers are when reading this book. I assume they have read the book, or else they would presume to review it it, but their arguments sound like they read the concepts and assumed the practice would be too difficult, or they read the practical suggestions and did not have the creativity to use the examples as a starting point, not an ending point. Apparently, one of the most visual and easily rememberable examples in the book is renting an empty broom closet for a ghost mail address. The argument that using an unoccupied broom closet as a mailbox is outdated is absurd. I honestly have not found a broom closet as a mailbox, but I'm sure one could be tracked down and rented. And renting a closet as a mailbox is an example of creativity in protecting your privacy, not a direct order from the author. Step One is not "Rent a broom closet and receive mail there," it's "Stop receiving mail at home." The broom closet and other examples are suggestions to get you thinking of uncommon ideas. (If you don't like the broom closet idea, track down the guy usi

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 sim

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 p

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.