A guide to becoming untrackable: What do you do about money and identification?

In a post-SHTF world, you need to learn how to blend in and be untraceable. This is crucial if you want to stay safe and protect your loved ones from those who wish harm you or steal your supplies. (h/t to Survivopedia.com)

A prepper’s pattern of life

Your pattern of life (PoL) is the sum of your habits. This means in the context of privacy, you make choices every day that influence how free you are from surveillance or disclosure of sensitive information.

To truly maintain your privacy, as a prepper you need to make some adjustments and even sacrifices.

PoL data can be gleaned from your credit or bank records, IDs, camera systems, automated license plate recognition systems and online behaviors. For example, the National Security Agency (NSA) uses a database and analysis toolset called MARINA to track intercepted internet metadata. Whether you’re a U.S. citizen or not, MARINA tracks what you do as you browse the internet.

Use cash or barter

You can be tracked down through your spending habits, which is easier to do if you’re always using credit or debit cards. To keep people off your trail, always pay using cash or barter when possible.

Rent until you can afford to buy. When making major purchases like cars, firearms, home or gadgets, pay using cash.

Using cash also minimizes the paperwork you need to accomplish.

Set up an emergency fund

As a prepper, you should also be prepared for a financial emergency by having enough money in a savings account.

Below are some tips that can help you save money as you prep:

• Bring a packed lunch to work.
• Eat before buying the groceries.
• Quit hobbies like smoking and drinking.
• Make coffee at home and bring some to work in a thermal flask.
• Have a yard sale. This lets you get rid of old gear that you don’t use anymore. At the same time, it lets you save money for other prepping needs.

Destroy documents with sensitive information

Maintain your privacy by destroying unneeded documents that contain sensitive information using the following methods.

Shredding or milling (dry process)

Don’t use store-bought strip or crosscut shredders since documents destroyed using these items can be reconstructed.

Instead, use an NSA-approved micro-cut shredder. These products cut a document into more and smaller pieces than strip or cross-cut shredders.

Incineration

Use a home incinerator made to withstand the elements with plenty of ventilation. If you’re going to shred documents before incineration, install a screen to ensure that shredded material isn’t blown away by the wind.

Pulping (wet process)

To pulp sensitive documents, you need water, a large water-tight tub or trash bin and an agitator like a drill with a paint mixer attachment. Use material that is water-soluble.

First, add material to the large tub or bin. Add a lot of water, then cover the paper completely. Let it sit for a day.

Agitate the material thoroughly with the electric drill fitted with a paint mixer. Once pulped, the paper will resemble oatmeal.

You can even press the pulp to remove the water and make dry pellets, bricks or paper “logs” that you can burn instead of wood.

How to stay off-grid

Information like your spending habits and the stores you frequent can reveal a lot about you as a prepper.

To truly stay off the grid, you must practice the following:

• Use a different mailing address. If you order a lot of products online, never give away your home address. (Related: What can the homeless teach you about urban survival?)
• If you move, create new accounts, get a new mailing address, sell your old car and buy a new one but register them in the name of LLCs, using ghost addresses in distant states or countries.
• Use an alias. If people ask around, tell them you’re using as alias because you’re a writer and that you must protect your privacy.
• Use your passport for ID. This is important because it doesn’t have your address on it, provided you don’t write it yourself.

As a prepper, you can’t be careless even in a post-SHTF world. Learn more about your privacy as a prepper at Preparedness.news.

Sources include:

Survivopedia.com

SurvivalSullivan.com