| #: |
From / Date: |
Question / Answer: |
| 8326. |
Hamish
Saint Helens, Oregon
Age: 67
Dec 16, 2010
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#8324, Private Utilities
When I moved from Salem to Saint Helens, I rented privately from the owner of the house in which my apartment is located. I explained to him my desire for privacy, and why I did not want to disclose to him my SSN. I did provide references, including family members (who do not know my new address). After checking those references, he agreed to rent to me. So my landlord does not know my SSN.
However, unlike my previous arrangement in another town, this time I had to arrange for the electric power to be billed to me, not my landlord. I opened a PMB at a small, local CMRA. I did not have mail forwarded from my former CMRA in the town from which I moved. (I still pick up mail, about once a week, in my former town.)
Armed with my CMRA address and some cash, I then went in person to the office of the local electric company, Columbia River People's Utility District (CRPUD). I did not try to apply on-line or over the telephone. The woman with whom I met and took my application repeatedly asked for my SSN, and I repeatedly refused to provide it, baldly stating that I wasn not going to provide it. She explained why she needed it (to run a credit check), and I stated that I was not going to provide it. Finally she stated that she would need a $200 deposit if I was not providing my SSN, and I reached into my wallet and produced the $200 in cash.
The key here is to be stubborn, but polite. I did not, for instance state that I did not believe her assertions that she needed it to open my account; I only stated that I was not going to provide it. It was plain to me that she was under instruction to obtain my SSN if at all possible. I made it plain to her that I would not provide it.
I did provide a telephone number, explaining that it was for a pager, and that my cell phone is usually turned off (and always turned off when I am driving). (The pager has a toll-free area code, and its bills are forwarded to me from my ghost address in Alaska.)
I suggest, James, that the next time that you move, you should go in person to the electric company, armed with cash, and persist in refusing to provide your SSN. It would be better yet if you could find a private party for your landlord who will agree to pay the utility bills for you.
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| 8325. |
Barb
raleigh, nc
Age: 45
Dec 16, 2010
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cell phones, cryptohippie,
my investigator told me that in order for someone (not including law enforcement) to track a cell phone, they MUST have access to the cell phone first. Is this true?
We use only prepaids.
Has anyone used crytohippie? I need a really good internet proxy.
we had our home and car checked for listening. tracking devices. Both are "clean"
our investigator told us that a person can actually listen to our conversations by several hundred feet if the have the right equipment. Is this true?
is there such a thing as a cell phone proxy?
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| 8324. |
James
Chicago, IL
Age: 30
Dec 15, 2010
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Private utilities
Hey,
First off, thanks for an awesome book, it really answered a lot of questions, but still left me wondering about my utilities being private. I've recently come out of a long relationship, and my ex is less than sane. She has caused me much personal and financial grief over the last several months. I am in the process of relocating, but her sister works for the local power utility company, and I am pretty sure that is how she found me this time. I called the utility co, and asked if there are any other #'s besides a SS# that they can use to turn the utilities on, and they said that is it, totally required. I am aware that you can get utilities turned on with an ITIN for a business, but that is linked to to a SS as well. So, after all the background, my questions is how can I get my utilities hooked up anonymously, and do you know if many utilities actually verify the SS#? A friend said he had given false info before and they simply required a deposit for service.
Thanks,
James
...
Your best bet is to find a nominee.
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| 8323. |
Mike
Orange, CA
Age: 31
Dec 15, 2010
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CA DL Fingerprints
CA DMV takes a thumbprint for driver's licenses. Right thumb, if I remember correctly.
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| 8322. |
Seth
collbran, co
Age: 50
Dec 15, 2010
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fingerprinting for driver's license.
Colorado requires a SINGLE fingerprint, usually the right index finger.
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| 8321. |
Dave
Jacksonville, FL
Age: 26
Dec 15, 2010
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RE: #8319 DL fingerprints
Georgia has required them for over a decade. I think most states require them now.
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| 8320. |
Stan
Atlanta , GA usa
Age: 44
Dec 15, 2010
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DL fingerprinting
Georgia requires prints to get a DL.
All part of the "Real ID" program forced on the states by the feds.
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| 8319. |
Susan
Cleveland, OH
Age: 54
Dec 15, 2010
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Untraceable for 23 years
Here's an article about a man who lived on the run as a "ghost" for 23 years. He got caught when applying for a Drivers License in Texas, where he was fingerprinted.
Wow, you have to get fingerprinted to get a DL in Texas?
While I don't condone his criminal past, the way he was able to live under the radar can provide some hints for readers here.
Submitted Link #1: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20101209/NEWS01...
...
A question for you readers:Does any other state besides Texas require fingerprints in order to get a driver's license?
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| 8318. |
Thaddeus
Cromwell, CT
Age: 47
Dec 15, 2010
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Anonymous Bank Account?
Has anyone purchased this report?
If so, is it the real deal or a scam?
...
I deleted the link, Thaddeus, because I consider it to be a scam. He says you can open a Canadian bank account with a NM LLC. Oh yeah? I've tried that! Doesn't work without first registering the LLC in a Canadian province and you do NOT want to do that!As for opening a personal account without a tax ID or SSN, sure. I've been saying that for the past ten years. And in my INVISIBLE MONEY e-book, I include a free bonus in Appendix A: Canadian Bank accounts for Non-Canadians.
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| 8317. |
Hector
Naples, FL
Age: 58
Dec 15, 2010
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Location-Aware Lifestyle
WIRED MAGAZINE: 17.02
Gadgets : Wireless
I Am Here: One Man's Experiment With the Location-Aware Lifestyle
Submitted Link #1: http://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireless/magazine/17-...
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| 8315. |
John
Los Angeles, CA
Age: 26
Dec 14, 2010
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CMRA vs PO Box
Hello Mr. Luna,
I have a question about CMRA's vs PO Boxes and was hoping you might know or be able to ask your friend at the post office. For various reasons I am unable to get a ghost address at this time. I am looking to get a CMRA or PO Box instead. Is there a difference in regards to privacy? Specifically, I was wondering if the forms that you fill out at the CMRA are given to the Post Office, or if they are simply held on file. Does the Post Office enter the information you put on their forms into a database, or simply hold onto it? Does any of the form information get entered into a database, or is it only kept on paper?
Thank you for your help
...
The forms do go to the post office. As for which is better (or "least worse"), it depend on both the particular post office involved, and upon whether the CMRA is a UPS Store or a much smaller operation.
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| 8314. |
Charles
Washington, DC
Age: 43
Dec 14, 2010
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Digital Game Pieces
Ever wonder what happens with all those new "digital" game pieces you see from fast food places, soda companies and everyone else under the sun?
In order to "play the game" you have to enter your personal info and answer some marketing questions.
Well, McDonald's had all their affiliated servers hacked and all that data was stolen. Names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, gender, preferences, etc.
Was the free medium fries worth it?
Submitted Link #1: http://www.techspot.com/news/41576-mcdonalds-hacke...
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| 8313. |
Seth
collbran, co
Age: 50
Dec 14, 2010
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Renter's insurance and Credit Reports
Insurance companies (at least Allstate, but probably all of them) access your credit report when determining your rates. People with bad credit ratings are considered to be higher risks, though I'm not sure why.
Allstate did this and sent me a letter saying that there are some "inconsistencies" between address information TransUnion has and what Allstate has. They suggested I contact TransUnion to "verify the accuracy" of its information because this "inconsistency" could be an indicator of identity theft. But, they say, there are other explanations, such as a recent move or misspelled street name.
This means two things: First, it seems clear that Allstate is SENDING information it has to the credit bureaus and is asking for comparison verification. I knew this was the case because my new ghost-address PO box appeared in my credit file less than 10 days after I gave it to my insurance agent so they could send paperwork to me. (And that's WHY you use a ghost-PO to receive all official correspondence!)
It also means that I have succeeded in confusing both Allstate and the credit bureaus as to what my actual location is, which is a good thing.
The downside is that I cannot buy renter's insurance for my household goods because in order to do so, I have to tell Allstate what my ACTUAL physical address is, so they can rate the structure and fire protection level.
Doing so would pretty much instantly put my new home address into my credit file, since Allstate obviously provides that information to the credit bureaus.
I have not yet figured out how to get insurance on my personal property without having to attach my real name to my actual street address, so I go without insurance.
I'm still working with my agent to find a way to make this happen, and I'll let JJ know if I'm successful.
This is not as much of a problem with auto insurance because you can use a ghost address as the "garage" address and usually get away with it.
But with homeowner's or renter's insurance, if you falsify ANY information on the application, including the residence address, the policy is void and you'll be paying for nothing because the company will deny a claim if you make one.
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| 8311. |
teresa
lewiston, idaho
Age: 49
Dec 13, 2010
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prepaid cards
paul is correct: greendot, for one, gets all in your business (at least, the one or two i've used).
i've since used gift cards (not in stores that use cameras; mostly for on-line use).
read the cards' TOS/info, too: some can only be used in the US; others w/ foreign payment-processors.
HTH...
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| 8310. |
Paul
Richmond, VA
Age: 38
Dec 13, 2010
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Prepaid Cards (#8296)
There are two basic types of prepaid debit cards. Gift cards are non-reloadable and do not require any registration. Reloadable debit cards require registration of your name, address, and social security number.
Gift card use can be tracked by store surveillance cameras.
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| 8300. |
Hu
Ayutthaya, Thailand
Age: 55
Dec 11, 2010
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Hawala
Hi, here is an article that repeats what you wrote about in HTBI. It is updated, but still explains it like you do. I preferred your explanation, simpler, informative and more entertaining.
Submitted Link #1: http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig11/rounds5.1.1.html...
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| 8296. |
stephen
Billings, MT
Age: 26
Dec 10, 2010
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prepaid cards
I've heard that we should use prepaid debit or credit cards but so far what I've looked at, the registration asks for your name and SSN, but they say they don't check credit. Should this concern me? Can it be tracked back to me?
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| 8295. |
Paul
st. paul, MN
Age: 31
Dec 10, 2010
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Obtaining your credit report
I went to Experian and performed a credit report on myself just to see what would show up. I started asking myself how does a PI or some bad guy get a credit report on me? I mean going through the Experian I had to answer several questions that someone else wouldn't easily be able to answer (at least thats what I would hope). Do they have access to some backdoor method to get credit reports on people?
...
PI's, having state licenses, simply contact the report provider and sign contracts promising to abide by the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act). Auditors are generally sent to evaluate the physical security at the PI's office, who have to prove they can provide reasonable privacy/security for the printed files.
To run someone else's credit report the PI is supposed to have a "permissible purpose" and the Subject's signed consent.
If a PI provides the Subject's report to a prospective employer or someone who is going to make decisions about the Subject's life based on that report, the PI essentially becomes a 'Consumer Reporting Agency'. There are many rules for CRA's.
Audits are frequently threatened and sometimes carried out. Violations bring fines, and threats of Federal charges and jail-time.
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| 8294. |
Robert
Baltimore, MD
Age: 43
Dec 9, 2010
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Foreign Exhcange (Euros)
I'm traveling to Europe soon and plan to take some Euros with me. I already got 100 Euros from my US bank. I would have gotten more but their exchange rate is 10% higher than the lowest exchange rate I found at xe.com.
In the past, I've found the way to get the best exchange rate is to use ATM machines in Europe...but for privacy reasons I don't want to do that anymore.
So where can I buy Euros for cash at an uninflated rate?
Submitted Link #1: http://www.xe.com/...
...
Once in a great while you will find euros for sale from someone who has returned from Europe and puts an ad up on Craiglist for his leftover euros. But other than that, if you are not willing to use an ATM, then you must pay the extra price for privacy.
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| 8293. |
Jason
Norfolk, VA
Age: 23
Dec 8, 2010
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Car Titling/Insurance with NM LLC
Ok, so I've read several answers concerning registering a car with an LLC, especially concerning VA, but still need a little clarification.
In order to register a car in VA with an LLC, it requires a federal EIN obtainable from the IRS. However, to have insurance cover the vehicle, does that need to be in the name of an LLC or can it be in the name of the driver? Which will show up on the registration?
Also, if this car will be driven mostly in FL, should I obtain new plates for it there instead?
...
Yes, I suggest you get Florida plates. The insurance can be in your own name (rather than in the LLC name).
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