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From / Date: |
Question / Answer: |
| 5630. |
Joe
Missoula, Montana Age: 22 Mar 23, 2009
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RDIF-blocking wallet
I just read your 3-23-09 blog entry about the RFID-blocking wallets. What about airport security? Won't such a wallet set off an alarm?
Submitted Link #1: http://invisible-privacy.com...
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Yes, it will. You have to leave it with one of the items you send through the x-ray machine. (If you are carrying a large amount of cash, just stuff the cash in your pocket before you arrive at the airport security point.)
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| 5629. |
Jennifer
Chicago Age: 23 Mar 23, 2009
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moving and physical addresses
It appears I will be moving to Florida shortly. How should I deal with a request for a physical address when getting a driver's license etc. I'll be using a CMRA as my address but I'm concerned that some entities may only accept this as a mailing address. My old physical address will be out of state so I'm wondering if I will not be able to use it as my Florida physical address because the entity will want to know where I'm staying in Florida. I will be living in a hotel for a couple weeks when first arriving in Florida before moving to my final apartment selection. Will the DMV accept my hotel address? How do I legally satisfy a request for a physical address without giving my final apartment address?
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| 5628. |
Iris
King George, VA Age: 40 Mar 23, 2009
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Storage units & Addresses
Spoke with the guy that runs my local storage business. Told him I was planning on doing alot of traveling this summer. Then asked if they were open to having my mail delivered to their address and then I could pay to have them ship to me where ever I may be. He said no problem as long as I had a storage unit. They do this for other customers. While I don't have a storage locker with them, others may be able to get their local place to do it if they use the storage lockers.
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| 5627. |
Steve
Boise, ID Age: 30 Mar 23, 2009
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re: #5626
I just bought the two e-books referenced (and then some)! I have had HTBI for 2 years and love it.
Moving in a few weeks so the full court press for invisibility is on!
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You will never regret leaving the old address behind, Steve. All best wishes for your future invisibility!
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| 5626. |
Steve
Boise, ID Age: 30 Mar 23, 2009
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Nominee for LLC Bank Account
Am I over-simplifying things by getting a NM LLC and having a nominee file for the TIN or EIN and have them open the bank account? They could also sign checks and follow the same procedure for personal bank accounts to maintain my privacy.
Would that not work? Anything illegal about that?
I figured I would just put a resolution together that made that person the "treasurer" and then remove them from the entity as soon as the bank account was up and running.
What do you think?
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You asked me what I think so I will tell you:
I fail to see much use for a bank account in an LLC name, if your goal is privacy. You will have to reveal a lot of information in order to get the TIN or EIN, you may have to file a separate tax return, and if you are the signer on the checks, then you STILL have to furninsh your SSN and address so what have you gained? FYI, I have a number a businesses and yet I use only personal and nominee accounts. If you have my "Skip College" e-book, check page 94: How to create an invisible owner for your new business. And if you have "Invisible Money," re-read the part about how to use a small bank in a faraway state.
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| 5624. |
Marissa
San Mateo, California Age: 41 Mar 22, 2009
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Good point about the registration
Thanks for the insight, J.J.! Now that you mention it, I think the cop saw the discrepancy in issuing states between my driver’s license and car registration, both of which were in my own name, and started asking questions about where I lived and worked. I didn’t want to lie because that is illegal, and when I told him I worked in California, that’s when I got the ticket. I bet if the car had been registered to a faraway LLC and I said that I owned the company, he might never have asked where I lived or worked. Although driving a Lexus and looking like you own a company surely helps!
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| 5623. |
Marissa
San Mateo, California Age: 41 Mar 22, 2009
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Regarding Expired and Out-of-State Driver’s Licenses
To Casey and J.J. #5605
When I moved to California, I kept my out-of-state license for awhile. Eventually, I was found out during a traffic stop (I unwittingly drove 35 mph in a 25 mph zone), and the cop wrote the ticket as a misdemeanor for driving without a license. He explained that since it wasn’t a California license, it had no legitimacy to him, and he considered it the same as if I had no license at all. The fact that I had valid in-state insurance and registration, that the out-of-state license was current and had no citations, and that I was polite and respectful throughout the interaction did not dissuade him.
Although the CA vehicle code guidelines say driving with an out-of-state license after moving to California should be an infraction only, except in the case of repeated refusal to get an in-state license, apparently the police can use their discretion to write a first offense as a misdemeanor if they choose to do so. I was later told by an attorney that cops are encouraged to inflate traffic charges when possible because it generates more revenue. I did get the charge dismissed, but it was a huge hassle and very nerve-wracking, and I had to get the California license, anyway.
Just something to think about if you are planning to use an out-of-state license. You probably are legally required to have a license in the state where you establish residency. Usually, if you take a job, or do any number of other things, you are considered a resident.
To Iris #5609
I wouldn’t do anything that would qualify as lying on your DMV application. You probably have to sign it “under penalty of perjury,” which makes it a felony if you lie.
To Seth #5612
Given my experience with using an out-of-state license, I would be careful about using an expired license, too. Sometimes it’s not clear what the penalty is. Not long after moving to California, I called the DMV to find out what the penalty was for not getting a California license within 10 days of moving there. The answer? They told me there was no penalty. In retrospect, I think they meant that the DMV does not impose a late charge penalty if you go over the 10 days. Of course, that was not what I’d meant!
Also, I do think that car insurance companies check your driving record every six months before they issue a policy renewal. If they didn’t, how would they know to raise your rates when you get a ticket? So, they would know and object if your license was expired. Plus, if you had an accident and were driving with an expired license, even if you were not at fault, I think you could get in a heap of trouble that would be very counter-productive to protecting your privacy.
A Little Good News: Lots of states, California for one, now allow you to give a physical residence and a mailing address. If you give a mailing address, they print that address on the license and just keep the residence on file. I don’t actually mind the DMV having my home address that much. What bothers me about Real ID is the DMV requiring you to give your home address to other entities to establish residency. I don’t see how that proves residency, anyway. You can have your mail sent anywhere.
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I have been stopped twice in the past five years (although not in California). No tickets were given. My car has plates for the state where I was stopped, but my DL is from a faraway state. The registration is in an LLC name with a Canary Islands address. Both times I was asked if I worked for the LLC. I said no, I own it. (Perhaps driving a Lexus LS is helpful in this case.)
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| 5622. |
Stan
Atlanta Age: 43 Mar 22, 2009
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Trailer for conversions
I think this might be a good start.
Submitted Link #1: http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/detail.aspx?OHI...
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| 5621. |
Jennifer
Chicago Age: 23 Mar 22, 2009
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Car Insurance
Is it standard practice among the privacy seeking crowd to get car insurance in one's real name? My car is titled in an LLC.
I was wondering if there is a way to get the Insurance card to display the LLC name and LLC-ghost-address instead of my real name and personal-ghost-address.
Will I be fine just getting insurance in my real name and personal-ghost-address? Seems like the Insurance card can give away the privacy benefits of an LLC Registration because of the connecting VIN. What do most folk do here?
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Some readers will object to this but what most of us do is to title the vehicle in an LLC (with a ghost address) but to use our own name with the insurance company. The main thing is not to have our name show up when a licence plate is run by a cop, a PI, or a three-letter agency.
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| 5620. |
Stan
atlanta Age: 43 Mar 22, 2009
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Custom built camper
I agree that most if not all of the factory built campers are far too flimsy. Most are built out of toothpick sized wood framing, Airstream, alumilite and a couple of others are built from all metal construction.
Id stay away from skipping containers because of the weight. Most are around 8,000 lbs for just the shell, not counting the trailer, insulation, and fixtures, water tanks etc.
The best base to start with in my opinion, is a refrigerated cargo truck box.
They are sturdy and already insulated very well. But not available with bedroom over the 5th wheel like most campers, although that could be added.
Also enclosed trailers made to haul automobiles are sturdy, but lack the slide outs that are really nice if you're going to spend a lot of time living in it.
Buy a wrecked or hail damaged camper to salvage the fixtures.
And possibly use the title as well, depending on your stats requirements, some allow home built trailers to be titled and some stated do not.
The title could be important as quite a few campgrounds have gotten snotty about not allowing motorhomes or camp trailers more than X years old.
Also, having a semi tractor re titled as an RV is easy in most states, then no CDL is required.
Do not purchase a truck without having a dyno test and a VIS check.
The used semi tractors are normally about the same price as a 1 ton pickup truck, and much safer to use.
Submitted Link #1: http://www.escapees.com ...
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| 5619. |
John
Virginia Beach, VA Age: 39 Mar 22, 2009
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Re: Seth 5614
Seth,
I've been researching full time RV living and decided I will custom build a 5th wheel RV when I get the $$$. The factory units are just not built sturdy or durable enough for long term travel and living, plus they don't have the custom features I want.
I too am looking strongly at converting a shipping container into a trailer, but it would be built for regular travel and relocation if needed. I am still considering how to finish this outside and inside walls and insulate the unit so it looks like a regular RV, is durable, and can handle any season. The key is to look like a regular RV so it blends in and is accepted at any RV park when the need arises to stay ay one.
The other option Is to build the RV from scratch. I need to get some data on material prices and see which option is cheaper and easier in the long run. Either way I want to be part of the "mobile" population in a few years if possible. Building custom gives me the choice to make it a comfortable home on wheels while still building it with the custom features and durability I want.
The other thing you want to look at is a tow vehicle. A regular pickup (3500) won't handle a rig this heavy. You would need an MDT or HDT (Semi) truck to pull it safely. I'm looking at buying an HDT, stripping off all the unneeded fairings and stack exhaust, singling out the rear axle, and building a custom bed so it blends in more and isn't as obtrusive as a full blown semi truck. My major thing is seeing how I can register it as a truck (private, non-commercial use) and avoid having to get a CDL.
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| 5618. |
Steve
Iowa Age: 55 Mar 22, 2009
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re: Real ID and DL
I've noticed several mentions of the Real ID and Drivers License with concern how to avoid getting Real ID and retaining privacy. We have won several major pieces of legislation in the state of Oklahoma against Real ID. There are many bills involved, but one you'll love is the one that requires OK to degrade all possessed copies of driver's photo below usable biometric facial recognition capabilities; even on all backups that are kept anywhere! Watch for a series of articles sourced from the AP (associated press) on "Living in a Surveillance Society" which could hit the mass media as early as today. Our coalition was aggressively interviewed by AP reporters in forming this series; a multi-month process. I offer the site for information relevant to you, not as any self promotion. As always, thanks JJ for your superb efforts in privacy and for tips that protected us on our journey.
Submitted Link #1: http://stoprealidcoalition.com/...
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| 5617. |
brian
detroit Age: 21 Mar 22, 2009
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PO Box application
On the PS form 1093 PO box application form it asks for "Will This Box Be Used for: 1. Organization/Business Use 2. Residential/Personal Use.
Why is the PO asking this? Does it matter which I choose (will it affect anything like how they verify address etc)? Is it better to choose one over the other?
...
If you say "business," the USPS will reveal the listed street address to anyone who asks. ... If you say "personal," the USPS claims they will not reveal the listed street address to just anyone who asks. ... Your choice should now be easy to make, Brian!
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| 5616. |
Lee
Flagstaff, AZ Age: 30s Mar 22, 2009
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Re: Steve #5603 - PO Boxes as a Billing Address
Although my Wells Fargo business account (set up years ago) requires a physical address, I have the billing and mailing address set to my PO box so making online purchases AVS properly with the PO box. Just set your physical address to your ghost address or move and don't update it with the bank. I've also successfully used the company name instead of my real name as the "name on card" and have had no AVS problems. I also have a chase card which I set the address to a PO box (after the account had already been set up). When I buy things online, I use the PO box as the billing address and there are no problems with the credit card going through. However I stopped using these cards anyway in the last couple months because they are connected to me and its none of anyone's business what I buy online. Now I only use Gift cards paid for with cash, registered-online, to make online purchases. For shipping information (regardless of the credit card used), I have successfully used my first initial as the "first name" followed by my middle and last initials as the "last name". This way, if I am ever questioned by the courier, I can prove with ID that those are my initials, yet they can be anything, although they are designed to look like a company name. I've never been questioned yet by a courier when receiving packages anonymously.
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| 5614. |
Seth
collbran, co Age: 50 Mar 21, 2009
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A Cool Alternative to Traditional Housing
There might be an even cooler idea. Buy a 20 or 40 foot long surplus steel shipping container and build it up into a house. Make sure the window cutouts can be bolted back in place for transport. Raise the floor and put fresh, grey and black water storage tanks underneath, with hook-ups external. Add A/C and furnace under the floor, and a generator pack if you like, then insulate and build up the inside as you like.
There's a company doing this as a business to provide disaster housing and cheap housing in rural areas.
A standard shipping container can be shipped anywhere in the world, and can be transported by truck from any port in the world. Set it on a foundation and hook it up to utilities and you have an instant house.
I bought two, a 20 footer that I set on a 24 foot gooseneck trailer for moving, that's been storage, a garage and now a woodshed, and a 52 foot aluminum model (hard to find now) that I use to store stuff (like my Hummer and firearms) at my "summer home" ghost address deep in the mountains of Colorado. Each cost $3000, but that was more than 10 years ago. However, it's cheaper for the Chinese to build new containers than to ship empty ones back to China, so there's lots of them available. My steel one is Russian.
I have a welder friend and we've talked about simply putting an axle pack under the 52 footer and attaching a gooseneck hitch on the front, using the built-in attachment points so it's removable, and turning it into a trailer. Set up with a jacking system, the whole thing can be towed to a location, jacked up, the axle pack rolled out from underneath and the gooseneck removed, then lowered onto blocks. The axle pack and gooseneck can be disassembled and stored inside for transport by commercial truck or ship.
Instant house, anywhere in the world.
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| 5613. |
Howard
Carson City Age: 52 Mar 21, 2009
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Re: Iris & post #5609
Hello Mr.Luna:
... I have done exactly what Iris describes in her post multiple times with quite a few different entities (both government and private) with complete success. Have I ever "broken a law" ... maybe, but whatever the penalties are, were I to get caught(not likely), it is well worth the price for the privacy and security.Thanks for the great work you do, Mr. Luna!
Howard
...
Always good to hear from someone from one of my favorite small cities. Hope they still serve a good noon lunch at the Nugget!
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| 5612. |
Seth
collbran, co Age: 50 Mar 21, 2009
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Home address on Driver's License
The issue of "Real ID" and privacy is a knotty conundrum indeed. Here's one thing to consider: How many times have you been stopped by the police in the last 10 years and been asked for your license? The next question is what is the penalty in your state for driving on an expired license? The last question is whether your auto insurance is still valid if you are driving on an expired license.
In some cases, people who require high-level privacy may want to consider the option of simply not renewing a DL at all. I've been stopped once in the last 10 years because I'm careful to obey the law. The only reason I got stopped is because I illegally passed a vehicle on a double yellow line (he was going 10 mph in a 35 mph zone) when I was trying to get home in the midst of a kidney stone attack. I was in intense pain and needed to get home to my medication, and I did the deed in front of a Sheriff's deputy. I'm not usually that stupid.
But the penalty for driving with an expired license is zero points and a minimal fine, which can be mailed in. So long as the cop sees the insurance card, which is the real killer (a misdemeanor for driving without valid insurance) and will require a court appearance, the license thing is minor.
So, I'm considering getting my next 10 year renewal using my old address (which I still own because the sale fell through) and never renewing my license again. I've already stopped voting, and will not register in my new community nor vote in my old one, just to avoid legal problems.
The real killer for me is my CCW permit, which expires in December. I may be able to renew it at my old address (I can make a plausible argument that I still "live" there since I have the intent to return there (perforce) if I can't sell it, because eventually I'll have to move out of my new rental when I can't pay the rent any longer. But after the next 5 year renewal, I may have to operate under the same principle I operated under for some years after I quit law enforcement and before CCW permits were available: I asked my self when the last time I was stopped and frisked by a cop was. I couldn't identify that this had EVER happened, so I just carried illegally, but very carefully. It's nice to be legal in 34 states now, but the key to carrying concealed is to keep it CONCEALED. If you have to use it, well, "It's better to be tried by 12 than carried by six," so the saying goes.
Anyway, just a thought for those who value privacy more than obedience to petty government intrusions.
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| 5611. |
Hamish
Salem, Oregon, USA Age: 65 or so Mar 21, 2009
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RE: #5598, Private search engine?
Linda, I have been using Ixquick for some time now, and I am pleased with it.
You might want to review posts #2721, #2731, #5316, and #5320. Also, explore the Web site of the European Privacy Seal folks (see link below). Ixquick is, so far, the only search engine (to have applied for and met their stringent technical and legal review.)
Submitted Link #1: http://www.european-privacy-seal.eu
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| 5610. |
Drake
LA, CA Age: 34 Mar 21, 2009
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AIG Execs hunted
"Capitalism is Organized Crime" reads the 'protester's' poster. As Bugs Bunny used to say: What a Maroon! This is an emotion-driven political argument. A skirmish between the classes. And it will probably get worse before it gets better.
I'll bet the AIG executives and other employees would kick themselves today, for not applying the HTBI advice earlier, if they had been readers in the past. This is a lesson for everyone who is a reader and fan of JJ Luna's products. Apply the suggestions - today.
Also, diversified investors didn't get taken as badly as those who admitted to giving their life savings to Bernie Madoff... Hasn't Mr. Luna provided some advice for younger generations on this subject? It's an e-book, got it here somewhere....
Submitted Link #1: http://www.courant.com/business/hc-aigbonus0221.ar...
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| 5609. |
Iris
King George, VA Age: 40 Mar 21, 2009
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Rental agreements & address
If a person can purchase a standard rental agreement from an office store or even find one online; couldn't they fill it in with ghost info and such and use that for proof of residency? For the DL, couldn't one mail in a change of address and then use their registration and the rental agreement as two pieces of ID? I haven't tried either of these, but thought they may work.
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