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Stay Off the Grid, Win $10,000
DariusD writes "Last summer, Wired writer Evan Ratliff wrote a story about how people erase their identities and start over. After it ran, he tried to disappear — spending 25 days on the lam until a few enterprising Wired readers tracked him down through some brilliant hacking and sleuthing. Now we're going to try the experiment again. Evan, Wired, Loneshark Games and I are working with Universal Pictures to do another, similar contest connected to the new film Repo Men, and this time we want you to go on the run. We need four applicants willing to disappear from their lives from late February to late March. If they can stay hidden for that time period, they'll end up with $10,000 each."
This is stupid. Anyone able to camp for a month could just go live in the bush. Or draw as much cash as you'd need and go hire a camper van for a month if you're a sissy for the outdoors. Double points if you find a way to park your camper van 100 yards from the offices of the guys holding this competition. Triple points if you wear a disguise and use their lobby toilets every day.
I hate printers.
Hiding out in the bush is boring. Well, nice to experience nature, but not the best place to hide, especially if law enforcement is after you. If you're in a county, state, or federal park, you'll likely encounter a fish & wildlife officer or park ranger. If you're on private property, you'll likely get a visit from the local Sheriff's department, when the landowner or a neighbor calls. No matter how isolated you think you are, someone will notice you, and complain.
The best place to hide anything, including yourself, is in plain sight. In a rural area, you may be the only person for miles. In Manhattan, your face is mingled with hundreds of thousands of others, who wouldn't remember seeing you walking down the street. You're no different than anyone else they see.
But, the best way to hide is to not be obvious. Book a hotel room under another name, preferably with all the required credentials. You can be out of sight, and out of mind, without being out of the area.
The 100 yards from the organizers facility isn't a bad idea, but it has to be done right. Sleeping in your car or a camper in their parking lot will raise suspicions. A nearby hotel with a view of the front door of their building is much more advantageous. It's also more entertaining to provide pictures of the staffers entering and exiting, *AFTER* the contest is done. You'll get the urge to brag, and when you send the first picture, it's a matter of elimination to figure out where it was shot from.
As always, know your environment. In the hotel, there may be a main elevator to the lobby, and that would be watched. What about stairways? I spent some time in a hotel for work. The elevators opened in the lobby, in plain sight. From the 2nd floor, you could take the stairs closest to the room to the 3rd floor. From there, you could cross the floor and take the other stairwell to an outside exit, without tripping a fire alarm. I wasn't scouting it because I was worried I was being followed. I was bored and exploring. It turned out that if I took the stairs to the 3rd floor, walked the length of the floor, and took the other stairwell down, it was quicker to get to always empty parking. That was faster than going the lobby route.
Pay attention to available spaces. Can you go in the laundry room, and lock the door from the inside? How about a janitorial closet that's usually unlocked.
At some point, you'll need food. In a high density environment, you won't be noticed.
Sometimes it's easy to leave all traces of yourself in one state, while being in another. Give someone your credit card and cell phone. Have them use the cards, and phone on a regular basis, to give the illusion that you are still there. Loan him your car for the duration. Folks believe I am in one state, and I'm actually in a distant state. My friend with the phone knows my new disposable cell phone number. I wander around, turn the phone on, check my voicemails that the friend leaves, and then return to my "home base".
Where am I today? I could be at a friends house. I could be in a hotel. I may be sleeping in my car in between locations. My IP? VPN'd to the state where I want to appear to be, on a private VPN. If I even begin to believe my location is burnt, I move on. Don't settle in one place too long. Have your bags ready to move within 5 minutes.
Traveling on cash for gas, and sleeping in the car leaves little evidence of my travels. I be anywhere in the US within a few days, and I still look like I'm home. Use your car like the burn phones. Buy one on Craigslist, slap the old plate on, and keep moving. If you're caught driving with the wrong plate, you can produce the bill of sale showing that you just bought it, and say you are going to properly register once you get back to your home state. With the title in hand, it's easy to swap ca
Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.