"How to get the two 'breeder cards' that lead to the acquiring of a driver’s license, passport, Medicare card and so on—in other words, all the documents that make you an 'American' in the eyes of the U.S. Government, whether or not the first two are frauds. Tell the difference between real and fake birth certificates and baptismal certificates. How birth certificates are certified and how they and death records are cross-referenced. Learn the difference between state and county certificates, Social Security numbering schemes, aging documents and the Government can spot a fraudulent card." GR

Publisher: Index
Paperback: 160 pages

This is the most up-to-date volume of lore on America’s big problem with bogus documentation, be it altered, forged or falsified. Explains how birth certificates are fraudulently created, how Social Security cards are faked, how driver’s licenses are forged, and how passports are created for nonexistent persons. “Our estimate puts the number of people who are using some sort of altered identity document at well over 10 million!” say the authors. Goes into great detail on several subjects: provides SSN charts that show what all the numbers mean; includes a state-by-state section showing characteristics of each state’s driver’s license; and features a state list of Vital Statistics Bureaus, noting addresses and the prices to obtain birth-, death- and marriage-certificate information. GR

Publisher: Index
Paperback: 160 pages
Illustrated

A sensible overview of identity-changing, part how-to and part journalistic survey for the armchair disappearee. Based on case histories of successful and unsuccessful disappearances, the author interweaves their motivations (“deadbeat dads,” life insurance scams, debts, fugitives, mid-life crisis) with the nuts-and-bolts: how to “locate” a new identity, “choosing” the right name, “pseudocide” (faking a suicide) and even the best spot to apply for a U.S. passport. Deals with the potential pitfalls of “disappearing” which more technical manuals refuse to address, such as where the money will come from and the safest types of jobs to work at under a new identity. SS

Publisher: Citadel
Paperback: 107 pages

A subject’s mother’s maiden name is one of the key pieces of information that is needed to gain access to all manner of private records. While a Social Security number and date of birth are relatively easy for an investigator to obtain, trying to find someone’s mother’s maiden name can be like hitting a brick wall. It is something that is left out of most do-it-youself background-investigation books. Here is a solution to the problem, with an emphasis on using a mother’s maiden name to obtain an alternative identity, although this is hardly the only reason for obtaining the maiden name. This guide contains invaluable information to the muckraker, private investigator, con man, phony psychic or the just-plain curious. Details a variety of methods to obtain maiden names such as state records, financial institutions, genealogical histories, newspaper records and the subjects themselves. One interesting chapter contains phone scripts in which one masquerades as various semi-authority figures in order to get the subject to give up Mom’s maiden name. TC

Publisher: Index
Paperback: 107 pages
Illustrated

“Do you ever wish you had just one more chance at life—the proverbial ‘clean slate’? Do you want to shake free from those alimony payments and your lousy credit record? With New I.D. in America, you can trade in your old mistakes for a brand-new start. “An anonymous private investigator, the author specializes in helping clients ‘get lost’—permanently—and locating persons who thought they’d never be found. Now his expertise can be yours. You can create a totally new person with a bona fide birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, credit cards, Social Security number—all you need to break with your past. “You can have the reputation of being a successful, influential businessman with a prestigious address and corporate backing, or have an untraceable sheltered business savings account. Create either without fear of being caught."

Publisher: Paladin
Paperback: 120 pages
Illustrated

This is a copy of the document prepared by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General. “The object of this publication is to provide a general understanding of the Social Security Number (SSN) issuance process, how individuals attempt to subvert it and misuse SSNs, and what experience has shown with respect to the investigation of these criminal activities . . . . a reference tool that will provide the investigator with insight into the SSN issuance system and an idea of how violations have been identified and established in past cases. GR

Publisher: Eden
Paperback: 82 pages
Illustrated