How Fugitives Evade Capture and Stay Free
Police and criminal justice professionals have tried to answer this question for years. Fugitives use many techniques to stay one step ahead of the law. Still, there are standard methods used across different cases. This blog examines some of the fugitives’ most effective methods to evade capture.
Using False Identities
Criminals and others avoiding capture often use fake identities. This strategy involves various techniques and methods to create and maintain a new persona.
- Simple Name Changes:
- Often the first step for fugitives.
- They choose an ordinary or unremarkable name to avoid suspicion.
- Entirely Fabricated Personas:
- Creating a new identity involves more than just a new name.
- Includes a new background, employment history, and personal details.
- Fake Documents:
- Driver’s Licenses: Often created with false information.
- Social Security Numbers: Obtained through identity theft or fabrication.
- Passports are essential for international travel, often forged or acquired by corrupt officials.
- Dark Web Resources:
- Stolen Identities: Purchased from illegal marketplaces.
- Fake Documents: Available from forgers and counterfeiters.
- Creating Fake Businesses:
- Establishing shell companies to provide legitimacy.
- Used to justify employment history and financial transactions.
- Using Dead People’s Identities:
- More straightforward to assume the identity of a deceased person.
- Accessing birth certificates and other documents through obituaries and public records.
Other forms of False Identities
- Identity Theft:
- Stealing someone else’s personal information.
- Using that information to create a new, convincing persona.
- Corrupt Officials:
- Bribing officials to obtain genuine documents with false information.
- More secure but riskier due to potential exposure.
- Legal Loopholes:
- Exploiting countries with lax identification laws.
- Using legal name change processes to create a new identity legitimately.
- Technological Measures:
- Deepfakes: Creating convincing fake video or audio recordings.
- Digital Footprints: Erasing or altering online records to match the new identity.
- Frequent Changes:
- Regularly updating and changing identities to stay ahead of law enforcement.
- Avoiding patterns that could lead to detection.
- Supporting Backstories:
- Developing detailed and believable backstories.
- Including fake education, employment, and personal history.
- Network of Associates:
- Collaborating with other criminals who provide support and resources.
- Using connections to acquire new identities and maintain anonymity.
Using false identities requires careful planning and execution. Fugitives often employ multiple strategies to ensure their new identity is convincing and sustainable, helping them evade capture effectively.
Staying Off Social Media
Avoiding Digital Footprints
Living anonymously can be easier than it seems. One effective way is to avoid social media entirely. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram encourage oversharing, which removes any sense of privacy or anonymity. Fugitives understand that any information shared online can be used to track them. We can control the information we share by making informed decisions on how we use these sites. However, staying off social media platforms is the best approach to maintain privacy and anonymity. This includes not only personal accounts but also avoiding any digital footprint that could be traced back to them.
Disabling Existing Accounts
Fugitives often disable or delete existing social media accounts to ensure anonymity. They remove any digital traces that could lead to their location or identity, erasing online profiles, deleting photos, and using tools to scrub their online presence.
Living Off the Grid
Avoiding Conventional Tracking
Living off the grid involves avoiding conventional responsibility and accountability. While some people do this for privacy reasons, many fugitives do so to evade government regulations and laws. These individuals remain anonymous, with no documents proving their identity or place of residence and no contact with mainstream authorities. Living off the grid can involve residing in remote or rural areas, using alternative energy sources, and avoiding any form of digital or paper trail. Despite the risks, this lifestyle is becoming increasingly common. Fugitives often take extreme measures, such as using unregistered vehicles, avoiding established travel routes, and staying in transient accommodations like motels or campgrounds.
Utilizing Safe Houses
Fugitives often use safe houses to avoid capture. Safe houses are secret locations where they can hide temporarily. They are typically maintained by trusted friends, family members, or criminal associates. Safe houses provide a secure place to rest and plan the next move.
Having Cash on Hand
Avoiding Traceable Transactions
Cash is king for those who want to stay off the radar. Cash on hand makes a person untraceable since it doesn’t leave a digital trail like bank or credit card transactions. Fugitives understand that using credit cards, bank accounts, or even digital payment methods like PayPal can lead authorities straight to them. Thinking ahead and saving cash for emergencies can help people stay hidden if they need to go off the grid. They often carry large amounts of cash to pay for essentials and avoid any transactions that could be traced. Additionally, they may use prepaid debit cards not linked to their identity for necessary transactions.
Building a Cash Reserve
Planning to live on the run involves building a cash reserve. Fugitives save money discreetly, often keeping it in multiple locations to ensure they can access funds when needed. This preparation is crucial for sustaining a life off the grid.
Planning Meticulously
Developing a Comprehensive Plan
Creating and executing a plan to get a new identity is no small feat, especially for fugitives. Many go to great lengths to obtain necessary documents, such as fake business licenses, driver’s licenses, and passports. Securing access to these items is meticulous and risky, with many fugitives caught due to failed attempts. Those who plan thoroughly have the best chances of avoiding capture and starting over undetected. This planning often involves studying the routines and behaviours of law enforcement, using multiple safe houses, and having contingency plans for different scenarios. Some fugitives even enlist the help of professional document forgers, and identity theft rings to ensure the authenticity of their new identities.
Preparing for Long-Term Evasion
Successful fugitives prepare for long-term evasion. They understand that staying free requires ongoing vigilance and adaptability. They anticipate challenges and have backup plans for various scenarios, ensuring they can remain undetected for extended periods.
Blending In
Changing Appearance and Behavior
Fugitives often fear being discovered and know the best way to stay safe is to blend in. To do this, they must create a new identity, including a new name, backstory, and appearance. They may change their hairstyle and clothing style and even undergo minor cosmetic surgery to alter their appearance. Even if someone suspects them of wrongdoing, proving it is almost impossible if they have perfected their disguise. Despite safeguards to prevent fugitives from slipping through the net, many still manage to do so by blending in well. Fugitives often adopt the mannerisms and behaviours of the locals in their hiding areas, learning the local dialect and customs to avoid drawing attention.
Adapting to New Environments
Fugitives excel at adapting to new environments. They learn quickly and adjust their behaviour to fit in seamlessly. This ability to blend in helps them avoid suspicion and stay under the radar of law enforcement and the public.
Conclusion
While life on the run may seem exciting, it is lonely and difficult. Most fugitives are eventually apprehended because they cannot keep up with the constant lying and evading. Considering becoming a fugitive, weigh the pros and cons carefully. It is almost impossible to avoid capture in today’s world. However, if you feel strongly about living off the grid, taking critical steps like having cash on hand, planning meticulously, and knowing how to blend in with new surroundings can give you the best chance of successfully remaining anonymous. Living as a fugitive is not for everyone, but it can be done.
If you would like to work with a professional team that can help make your transition to a life of freedom, contact Amicus Int. for New Identity services today.
