Summary
Highlights
Historically, obtaining a new identity in the US was relatively straightforward. People would acquire a deceased person's birth certificate (which often didn't indicate death) and then use it to apply for a Social Security card. This process was detailed in books like 'The Paper Trip' and used by figures such as Kevin Mitnick, who credits it with helping him evade capture for a long time.
Once a birth certificate and Social Security card were secured, a driver's license was the next step. To avoid suspicion, individuals might claim to be returning from a country with left-hand traffic and seek refresher driving lessons before taking their test, borrowing the driving school's car for added untraceability.
Beyond official documents, creating a convincing new identity involved accumulating minor forms of identification like gym memberships or library cards. For those seeking cash-in-hand work, a few official-looking cards with a new name and photo could suffice. Today, these less official IDs can be easily created at home, and social media profiles further enhance a superficial new identity.
In the past, obtaining a fraudulent passport with existing fake government documents was simple. Before biometric passports, one could even use a stolen passport of someone with a similar appearance, or even surgically alter a photo on a stolen passport. Modern biometric passports are much harder to duplicate, but the application system still has flaws, as demonstrated by cases of fraudulently obtained passports.
Today, disappearing has become both easier and harder. While old methods are largely shut down (e.g., deceased birth certificates are now marked), the internet has opened new avenues for identity theft. AI tools can generate phishing emails, call scripts, and fake social media profiles to extract sensitive information, and even create realistic-looking fake documents and images.
For those looking to leave the country by road or sea, enhanced driving licenses used for travel to Canada or Mexico pose a vulnerability. These licenses contain unencrypted RFID tags that can be read and cloned. Alternatively, in certain countries like Peru, corrupt officials have been known to sell legitimate government-issued passports for a relatively low cost, offering a way to obtain a truly new identity abroad.
The hypothetical ultimate method involves using one's current, unflagged passport to travel to a country where legitimate passports can be purchased from corrupt officials, such as Peru. For less than $2,000, one could acquire a registered passport for a new nationality, effectively disappearing and starting a new life, potentially even returning to their original country with their new identity after some time.