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Can you still obtain virtually complete privacy or asset protection without leaving your country? Yes, but the effort may be extremely costly -- not to mention illegal. In the United States, you would have to:

• Sell all US real estate and convert it to cash without losing it for "Bank Secrecy Act" or money laundering violations -- or having it stolen.
• Sell your motor vehicles and convert them to cash, again without committing a "privacy crime."
• Sell your business(es) and convert the proceeds to cash, without authorities questioning you as to your "motives."
• Close all US bank and securities accounts and convert the proceeds to cash, again assuming the same risks.
• When your driver's licence expires, do not renew it. This is illegal if you continue to operate a motor vehicle.
• Resign from all organizations that might have your name on a list.
• Cancel all subscriptions in your real name.
• Cancel all your credit card accounts.
• Allow all your professional affiliations to lapse.
• Move to another state and find somewhere to live with all utilities -- including the telephone -- listed in another person's name. Pay rent in cash, of course.
• Do not register to vote.
• If you work, do odd jobs that can be performed without identifying yourself. Accept cash only ù no checks. If you must accept checks, cash them at a check-cashing service, not a bank. Go to a different cash-checking service each time. It's more expensive this way, but the IRS may monitor regular customers of these services to see if they file tax returns. In following this procedure, you are likely to violate several federal laws.
• Use a series of mail-receiving services to receive all your mail. Pay others to complete the necessary paperwork, then give you the keys. This violates the written contract at most mail-receiving services and may also violate state or federal law. Pick up your mail late at night when no one else is in the mail-receiving service that might recognize you.
• Assume a new identity using techniques in books such as The Paper Trip and The Paper Trip II. Eden Press, PO Box 8410, Fountain Valley, CA 92728; Tel: (800) 338-8484; Fax: (714) 556-8410). Some of these techniques are illegal.
• Stop filing income tax returns. This is illegal if you have income above the filing threshold.
• Use your new identity to obtain a driver's licence in another state, using a hotel or mail-receiving service in that state as your address. This is a federal crime if you obtained your new identity illegally.
• Apply for a passport using your new name. This too is a federal felony if you obtained your new identity illegally. Be sure to leave the section asking for a Social Security number blank. Have the passport mailed to your most secure mail-receiving service. When you receive it, keep it in a safe place, but not in a safety deposit box (see Chapter 7).

• Disclose your SSN only to companies and agencies that are legally obligated to ask for it or to obtain a benefit you cannot otherwise obtain. While non-governmental use of SSNs for identification purposes is essentially unregulated, the only companies that are legally obligated to ask for it are banks, brokerages, and employers, to report income to the IRS. Anyone who pays you more than $600/year as an independent contractor must also ask for your SSN. Organizations not legally obligated to ask for your SSN, but that routinely do so, include insurance companies, credit bureaus, and utility companies. You may be denied credit, service or employment if you refuse to provide your SSN to these companies.
• The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 USC 552a) requires that government agencies that ask for your SSN must provide a "Privacy Act" statement disclosing the legislative authority for the request. You need not disclose your SSN to an agency that does not have such authority.
• Request an alternative number to your SSN be used to identify you. Most states permit an alternative to the SSN to be listed on your driver's licence application or on the licence itself. Some insurance companies will assign alternative numbers as well, if you ask. Many people cite their religious beliefs as justifying the assignment of an alternative number. Several courts in different states have upheld this exception. See, for example, Brunson v. DMV, BS 032384 (Cal. Super. Ct. L.A., Oct. 16, 1997).
• In a doctor's office or other situation where the SSN is requested, some persons leave the SSN entry blank or complete as "N/A". When later asked for the number, they simply say "I do not use it" or "I forgot it."
• Do not permit banks or brokerages with which you have accounts to release information or honor redemption requests over the telephone based on your SSN alone. Insist on having a code word assigned, without which information cannot be released or redemptions made. This avoids unauthorized release of sensitive information or assets by persons who might obtain your SSN from public records or another source.
• Do not use a fake SSN or obtain a "substitute" SSN from a "credit repair service." Using a SSN obtained in these ways violates federal law. It was once easy to "invent" a SSN, but instantaneous SSN verification is now available to banks, utility companies and others. If the number you choose or are assigned belongs to someone else, that person may sue you for any loss he suffers as a result of your impersonation.

Your home and everything in it is vulnerable to surveillance, robbery and burglary. If you own your own home, you may lose it in a lawsuit or forfeiture proceeding.
Avoid unnecessary disclosure of your home address. Use the techniques discussed in Chapter 4 to obtain alternative addresses to list on your drivers' licence, checks, etc.

Do not put your name on your mailbox. This identifies you to curiosity-seekers, burglars, process-servers, etc.

Be cautious of inviting visitors into your home. Anyone injured on your property can sue you. Any illegal act on your property can result in its confiscation. Any visitor can plant an electronic surveillance device that may provide listeners or viewers with a record of your most intimate activities.

If you do invite others into your home, restrict access to bedrooms and other private areas. Make certain sidewalks, driveways, and doors are well-lit and free of obstacles and ice.

Do not serve alcohol to visitors. In many states, hosts are responsible for injuries or damages caused by guests who consume alcohol provided by their hosts and who later operate a motor vehicle.

Understand the risks of home ownership. Renting a home is more private than owning one. Property ownership records are now available in electronic form in most US counties. Several companies offer on-line property searches. For instance, http://www.places4rent.com/ can search property records in 51 states. Where electronic retrieval isn't available, paper records are on file at every US county seat. If you must own your own home, buy it in a rural area where real estate records are not yet computerized. This makes it more difficult for a thief or investigator to find out where you live.

Take advantage of state homestead and tenancy by the entirety provisions. Many states exempt some portion of the value of owner-occupied property from judgments (but not from tax liens or government forfeitures). Texas and Florida have the strongest of such homestead exemption statutes. (See, for example, Florida constitution, article X, s.4). If you are married, you and your spouse should take joint possession of property as "tenants in the entirety," if this form of ownership is recognized in your state. In the event of a judgment against one spouse, but not both, the judgment creditor cannot ordinarily force sale of the property. There are, however, several exceptions, the most important of which is the death of the non-liable spouse, which then exposes the liable spouse to any judgement.

Avoid illegal use of your property. Under city, state and federal civil forfeiture laws, your property can be seized if the government alleges its association with virtually any illegal activity. To recover your property, you must prove it innocent. This procedure has been repeatedly upheld by the Supreme Court. See, for example, Calero-Toledo v. Pearson Yacht Co., 416 U.S. 663 (1974).

Some forfeiture laws provide an "innocent owner" defence for persons who are unaware of the illegal use of their property and who have done all reasonably possible to avoid such use. To prevail in this defence, it is important to establish it in advance. This means taking such precautions as fencing your property, posting "no trespassing" signs, and warning anyone living with you or visiting you that you will not tolerate illegal behaviour.

Understand the hazards of owning property in the name of a legal entity, such as a corporation, trust or limited partnership. Such "artificial persons" can be useful in protecting property against the claims of ordinary creditors (see Chapter 11). However, these devices may be used against you in forfeiture proceedings as evidence that you were trying to "conceal" your assets. Additionally, the courts have ruled that "straw owners" (owners in name, but not in practice) do not have the right to defend their ownership interest in a forfeiture proceeding. For more information, see Brenda Grantland, Your House is Under Arrest (Burnsville, MN: Institute for the Preservation of Wealth, 1993).

Avoid a credit check when you sign a lease. Have your landlord check references instead or offer to pay a larger deposit. This avoids an inquiry on your credit report that may later be traced back to your residential address.

Do not put utilities in your name. Utility records are not confidential and can be traced back to your residential address. Many persons use an assumed name or their or their spouse's maiden name to set up utility service. In most states, it is not illegal to use an assumed name if there is no "intent to defraud." Others rent furnished accommodations where one payment covers both rent and utilities. Do not disclose your SSN if you use an assumed name, as SSNs can be verified instantaneously.

Beware of electronic surveillance devices. "Bugs" can be installed anywhere by anyone. Avoid giving persons who you do not trust unsupervised access to your home. It is impossible for an amateur to detect a bug. If you suspect you are being monitored via electronic surveillance, contact a professional. According to counter-surveillance expert James Ross, one fair test for a firm that claims expertise in this area is to plant an actively-transmitting bug in plain sight and ask the expert to demonstrate that his equipment can detect it. (Ross Group LLC, 7008 Tech Circle, Manassas, VA 22110; Tel: (703) 365-2200; Fax: (703) 365-0363.) Components to construct such a bug are available from Radio Shack and other electronic hobby stores. (For a discussion of telephone taps, see Chapter 5.)

3. Your Vehicle

In all 50 states, owning a vehicle and driving it on public highways is a privilege, not a right. Each state regulates ownership and operation of vehicles and requires that vehicles be registered and that their operators obtain drivers' licences.

Before you purchase a new vehicle, set up a street address at a mail-receiving service. (See Chapter 4.) If legal in your state, use this address to register your vehicle and list it on your driver's licence. In states where a residential address must be listed, some persons obtain their drivers' licence and registration immediately before they change their residential address. However, most states require that persons owning a motor vehicle inform a government authority after they change the location where the vehicle is garaged.

Avoid giving your physical address to your auto insurance company. Instead, give the company your residential zip code (five digits only). Or give the company the address on your drivers' licence. (See #15.) This information, your age and driving record will provide some insurance companies with the information they require to issue a policy. Ask the insurance company to send bills to your mail-receiving service or post office box. (See Chapter 4.)

Do not loan your vehicle to anyone you do not trust completely. If you loan a vehicle to a person who injures someone or damages his property, you can be sued. If your vehicle is used to transport contraband or commit a crime, the vehicle and its contents may be confiscated under federal and state civil forfeiture laws. The Supreme Court has declared that this procedure is completely legal even if you are completely unaware of such use. Bennis v. Michigan, 116 S.Ct. 994 (1996).

Do not "rent" your car or your services as a driver. There are many documented cases where police have forfeited a borrowed car that was used illegally. In another case, a man who accepted $5 from a "friend" for a ride was sentenced to a 10-year prison term. Unknowingly, he had driven his passenger to a drug deal. By accepting money for the ride, the driver became a co-conspirator in a "narcotics conspiracy" and was subject to a mandatory prison sentence.

Do not lend money to someone else to purchase a vehicle. You may be responsible for any damages or injuries that person causes in an accident. In one case, an 88-year old woman lent her 18-year-old grandnephew $18,000 to buy a car. The young man drove the car off a bridge while driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. An injured passenger sued the woman and was awarded $950,000 in damages -- her entire life savings.
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