# How to best be on the lam? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 16, 2019, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549 "2019-11-16T20:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2019, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/41 "2019-11-17T20:56:36Z")
I can tell you how NOT to go on the lam. When I lived in Thailand, a Danish man was hiding out in Pattaya, on Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard, after robbing a bank back in his home country. He fell in love with a bargirl and gave her the loot for safekeeping. As you may have already guessed, she promptly disappeared, leaving him broke and unable to move on. Interpol caught up with him. The girl and the loot were never found. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2019, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/42 "2019-11-17T21:10:21Z")
These days it’s nearly impossible to rent a house or even get utilities turned on without a credit check. That means living with someone. Perhaps a person that is renting out a bedroom and wanting to share expenses. I’d hide in a big city. Work low end jobs that don’t require employment checks or tax withholding. Don’t drive. Use public transportation. Avoid bars, hookers, drugs or any activity that might get police attention. No credit cards or any bills. Use only cash. That would work for awhile. Maybe even years. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2019, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/43 "2019-11-17T22:42:19Z")
Change your appearance to look third-world, adopt an accent, and get a job at a Trump resort. Nobody will check your ID. 🙂 I earlier suggested Guatemala. Having driven through and stayed a couple times, I do NOT recommend Belize, the poorest nation on the American continents; nor any island refuge, because they’re traps. Staying in the US, or going to any developed state in the Americas or Eurasia, exposes you to increasingly ubiquitous surveillance. Hide in the USA/CDN backwoods? If you possess such survival skills, you wouldn’t be asking. Disappear into a small town? They’ll notice strangers. Vanish into homeless camps? Cops WILL notice you. Take vow of silence at a hermitage-monastery? Only if you can stay in their deepest dungeon. Become another New York subway troglodyte? Join a masked cult? Give yourself to Scientology? Go ahead, try those. Or surrender and enjoy free room and board for a long time. It could be worse. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/44 "2019-11-18T20:26:14Z")
Join a cult? I haven’t shaved in 55 years, but I guess I could relearn. But 50G ain’t going to last forever. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/45 "2019-11-18T22:44:09Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Can anyone fill us in on crossing an international border with a passport? If a fugitive presents his U.S. passport at some airport in Africa or Asia, will it be flagged automatically? How easy is it to acquire fake passports that can successfully pass a modern checkpoint? How does the present situation compare with, say, 30 years ago? It is increasingly difficult. 30 years ago, yes. People did it all the time. And for use in Africa, you could buy passports for fake countries that looked real – “Channel Islands” passports etc. Places you could see on a map, but weren’t actually countries. Now, it is difficult to get out of a country when you are trying to go to Aus or the USA or Europe. Which means that they have good passport checking in most of Asia and at least anywhere flying into Aus/USA/Europe, which means anywhere with modern exit checkpoints. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/46 "2019-11-19T02:27:42Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Shave your head > Grow a beard/mustache, or lose it if you have it. > Head for the Border. > Never go home. I’m not sure hanging out in a Taco Bell is the best strategy. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliothecarius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@Bibliothecarius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliothecarius)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/47 "2019-11-19T08:57:03Z")
Start by reading [this.](https://www.amazon.com/How-Disappear-Digital-Footprint-Without/dp/1599219778/ref=sr_1_1?crid=KM3DDH6SYLX3&keywords=how+to+disappear&qid=1574153515&s=books&sprefix=how+to+disapp%2Cstripbooks%2C410&sr=1-1) In our increasingly Orwellian society, it’s soon going to be extremely difficult to pull it off, especially if it’s the authorities who are after you. Wandering across to Mexico at a shoddily appointed border crossing and living in anonymity there is probably the best bet. In America, probably make a easily moveable home in the deepest, densest woods you can find where no one else would ever wander and where it would be difficult for drones to fly. Or build a time machine and go back to when it was super easy to live with fake IDs or find unexplored places free of nosy people. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/48 "2019-11-19T13:23:39Z")
Driving a vehicle of any kind is probably out. People may not be aware of how ubiquitous [automated license plate readers](https://www.eff.org/pages/automated-license-plate-readers-alpr) (ALPR) are, how easily they can identify a car, and how they are always on, always scanning, and often hidden. Obviously a license plate owned by you is a dead giveaway, but even if the plate is fake, that flags the authorities that here is something worth investigating. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/49 "2019-11-19T14:22:05Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > AirBnB or cheap motel with a microwave and cable that will take cash and not look at your drivers licence too closely and you buy a shipload of frozen food and oats to last a few weeks… I’m sure AirBnB requires you to set up an account online with a credit card and pretty much every hotel requires a credit card for incidentals. So right there you have just left a digital footprint that can be easily traced by authorities. > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > No. The homeless are frequently arrested by the police. > Not so, as it is not a crime to be homeless No, but trespassing and loitering are. As the saying goes, “you can go homeless but you can’t stay homeless here.” I recall reading an article several years ago about a contest where a group of people went “on the lam” nationally while some other team looked for them. The idea being to see who could last the longest. I forget all the “rules” of the game (like if they could take credit cards or if a “reward” was posted to their friends and family for information leading to capture) but even though it didn’t involve actual law enforcement or intelligence agencies, it was exceedingly difficult. One guy lasted months, working an under the table cash job IIRC. Even creating a fake Facebook account so he could friend people to gather intelligence on their search for him. He said it became extremely stressful. Always suspecting people were watching him. Having to avoid connecting with people or places you know. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/50 "2019-11-19T16:40:47Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Join a cult? I haven’t shaved in 55 years, but I guess I could relearn. But 50G ain’t going to last forever. Why, that’s barely a week inside Scientology… ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/51 "2019-11-19T16:58:29Z")
If we follow the criteria in the hypothetical, which is that we have to lay low for only **a few month** s and have $50k, then it seems easily doable. That isn’t to say fun or even pleasant. With that much in cash, I can buy enough top of the line backpacking gear to hide out in the north-central PA forests for a few months and not have to risk more than the occasional foray into one of the small towns there to stock up on necessities. Obviously this would be easier in the warmer months. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/52 "2019-11-19T17:43:00Z")
Joining a real cult is a very good idea. They will house and feed you as long as you abide by their rules. As long as the rules don’t include prostitution or drug use, you should survive. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/53 "2019-11-19T17:53:07Z")
Mexico is probably not the best choice. Recently a man who is accused of murdering two people on Padre Island was caught in Jalisco and returned to the US. They knew who to look for because he was caught on camera in a stolen vehicle on the way south. The countries I wonder about are those that we have genuinely bad relationships with. If an American accused of robbing a bank found themselves in Iran or North Korea, would the authorities send that person back to the US? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/54 "2019-11-19T18:21:01Z")
Growing a goatee and sideburns then cutting them off will change your face better than just growing a beard and shaving it off. Do not just color your hair-use Grecian Formula or Youthair to darken it up a bit while leaving a bit of grey in. This makes it look more natural, and you will look younger. Have a list of places you think you could survive in, then let the dice decide which way to go to eliminate patterns that can be picked up by others. Have someone close to you tell you what your three or four biggest habits are(they may see something you don’t) so you know what to avoid. If you wear glasses get a pair that look quite different from what you are use to. Wear a sweatshirt and/or hat for a team that you have never followed before in a sport that you never followed before, and get to know everything about that team. Fake a common food allergy, and stick with it even in private. Wherever you go rely on transportation that doesn’t require ID, such as taxi or public bus. Stay the hell offline-you are not good enough to hide online patterns that others can pick up on. If you need a place to stay check local weekly newspapers for people looking to rent out rooms in their house because they are the ones most likely to accept cash up front. Stay no more than two weeks, then roll the dice to see where you are going next. Or so I’ve been told. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/55 "2019-11-19T19:48:38Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I have no neighbors. Er, what happened to them, mysterious gumball accidents? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/56 "2019-11-19T20:10:56Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > The countries I wonder about are those that we have genuinely bad relationships with. If an American accused of robbing a bank found themselves in Iran or North Korea, would the authorities send that person back to the US? They may just lock you up for any number of reasons and you would have very little recourse. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/57 "2019-11-19T20:15:55Z")
In a 1960s TV detective episode, the miscreant arranges to be arrested under an alias for a non violent crime that put him in prison in another state for several years. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/58 "2019-11-19T20:42:45Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > … > > The countries I wonder about are those that we have genuinely bad relationships with. If an American accused of robbing a bank found themselves in Iran or North Korea, would the authorities send that person back to the US? Good God I would rather go to prison in the U.S. than take my chances in North Korea or Iran. Unless you spoke Korean or Farsi you would be helpless in those countries, and I don’t think either of them have any interest in harboring criminals from the U.S. Given the options of 1) going into the deep woods and living survivalist, or 2) becoming a human speck in a big city, I would opt for the city. With $50k, I think I could blend in and live under the radar fairly easily for a couple of months. But go without bars, hookers, and drugs? Shit, might as well be dead! ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/59 "2019-11-20T01:17:06Z")
> [@Bibliothecarius](#): > > In our increasingly Orwellian society, it’s soon going to be extremely difficult to pull it off, especially if it’s the authorities who are after you. Wandering across to Mexico at a shoddily appointed border crossing and living in anonymity there is probably the best bet. In my experience, Mexico doesn’t much care who walks in from the north, or even who drives in… for the first dozen miles, the border zone. Troops at zone checkpoints inspected vehicles heading south, looking for weapons mostly. Most northern state borders also featured highway blockades. I wasn’t checked when on a bus. Once in the interior, try not to be too stupid. Avoid expat colonies like San Miguel de Allende; gringos there see too much stateside news like your WANTED bulletins. Don’t stay anywhere very long. Avoid dealers. Carry enough cash; cops bribe pretty cheaply. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549/60 "2019-11-20T01:30:47Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Mexico is probably not the best choice. Recently a man who is accused of murdering two people on Padre Island was caught in Jalisco and returned to the US. They knew who to look for because he was caught on camera in a stolen vehicle on the way south. > > The countries I wonder about are those that we have genuinely bad relationships with. If an American accused of robbing a bank found themselves in Iran or North Korea, would the authorities send that person back to the US? North Korea or Iran would love the newest hostage. An American prison is safer. Murder can occur there too, of course, but people are rarely beaten into comas in American prisons _by the staff_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-best-be-on-the-lam/843549.md?page=4)