How to Go Missing

If you wanted to dissappear and stay missing here are seven steps to do it.

Step one: change your name. Research newspaper accounts of children dying
about the time you were born; note the parents' names and proceed to the
Bureau of Vital Statistics to order a copy of the kids birth certificate.
Take the birth certificate to the post office and apply for a new Social
Security number; if this is a problem, due to new SS regulations, simply
advise the Social Security Administration of your name change and have your
SSN reflect this. Take your new Social Security card and birth certificate
to the voters'-registration office and apply for a voter's card. With
these three pieces of identification, you can apply for a driver's license,
preferably in a larger city. (Be sure and have those documents sent to an
address other than your own, such as that of a mial-forwarding service.

Step two: move to another state. To reduce the possibility of accidentally
running into someone you know, move to an area that people are unlikely to
like Las Vegas or L.A.

Step three: break off all contact with relatives and friends. A skilled
investigator can employ sophisticated pretexts that will decieve even the
most alert person, and those closest to you could accidentally betray you.

Step four: give up any serious hobbies. People with special interests live
in a small world (except for computerists, as hacking and phreaking is a
small world where people don't use real names and phone numbers anyway).
One man whose hobby was target shooting was located when his picture was
printed in the club newsletter.

Step five: change your vocation. Same reason as step four---it's a small
world and someone, someday, may recognize you.

Step six: alter your appearance. This won't fool anyone who knows you well
but should be sufficient to throw off casual acquaintances. Dye your hair,
cut it, or let it grow out; if you wear glasses or contacts, interchange
them; adopt a new clothing style, etc.