Only you can decide the level of security and privacy you want at your home, which is also your living address. It is sage advice to err to the excessively safe side of the scale rather than suffer negative results for failing to protect your privacy and securing your home from unwelcome intruders or predators.
I’m going to assume you want to achieve a higher level of privacy and security because it wise to be protected, safe, and as secure as possible. You can choose to live at a lower level but I advise against it because you never know what the future may bring and it is far better to be safe than sorry.
Here are some examples of things that happen:
Pizza Delivery:
You might feel confident in calling in an order for pizza, even if you give them a Fake Name, but here is a possible scenario:
Suppose a Private Investigator (PI), or any person wishing to track you has your phone number (123-456-7890). They are after your name (Stupid Dummy), and your home address (123 Protected Street). From your telephone prefix, your stalker may know what city you live in (did you use a protected phone number with a different prefix from your local one?). Their next step might be to call every major pizza delivery company in your area (does not work with an out-of-area phone prefix). They know that in most areas, these companies log the phone numbers of customers for faster future orders.
Here’s the scenario:
PI: I want to order a pizza delivered to my home.
Pizza Place: What’s your phone number?
PI: 123-456-7890
Pizza Place: Is your name Stupid Dummy? (YIKES!)
PI: Yes, I’m Stupid Dummy
Pizza Place: Are you still at 123 Protected Street? (YIKES AGAIN!)
PI: Yes … Wait a sec … Something just came up … I’ll have to cancel … I’m Sorry!
Pizza Place: OK … Good-bye!
PI: Good-bye … (Double OOOPS!)
The PI or other person tracking you has found you and knows your name, address, and phone number … you are indeed:
Stupid Dummy
123 Protected Street
Phone: 123-456-7890
SAGE ADVICE: Never receive anything at home … NO Pizza, NO USPS mail or packages, NO UPS or FEDEX deliveries, NO courier deliveries of any type … NOT EVEN IN ANOTHER NAME! Don’t be a “Stupid Dummy”.
The Party:
You throw a birthday party, Tupperware party, or hold some other get together at your home. A few days later, your home is burglarized and you wonder how that could have happened. This is how … 95% of all burglaries are committed by someone you know or someone those people know. Your relatives, neighbors, and friends have brought their spouse, children, boyfriends, friends, etc., with them into your home. One, of those people or more likely, someone connected to them comes back later to rob you after casing your home at the party. Here is another statistic … 99% of residential burglaries go unsolved.
This happened to me, the robber was the friend of the neighbor’s son. Yes, I caught him and he was arrested because he was dumb enough to take an expensive camera and lenses to a pawnshop and use his out-of-state driver’s license as ID in so doing. He did not know I had recorded the serial numbers and given them to the police when I filed my burglary report with them. In that state, at that time, a pawnshop had to report serial numbers for all items pawned. I was further victimized by my insurance company that only covered a small part of the replacement cost of everything I lost to the burglary. I did not get my camera back for over three months and then the pawnshop operator wanted to charge me the pawn fees (which was illegal). When I pointed that out, I got my camera gear back without paying those fees. The burglar was on parole for previous burglaries and after 3 days in jail, was signed out by his parole officer. This was because the jail was full and space was needed for violent offenders! I only became aware of the burglar’s release because my cousin was a Lieutenant in the local police force at the time and he called to let me know. So much for our criminal justice system that released a convicted burglar on parole to … DO IT AGAIN! In fact, I know he did it again, thanks to my cousin the police Lieutenant who let me know about the burglar’s next arrest a few weeks later. My cousin is now a retired Captain and runs his own business enterprise as a well-paid private security consultant.
Consent To Enter By Deception:
The following applies to any home a law enforcement agency would like to search, but for lack of evidence, cannot get a warrant. A van appears from a courier service and pulls into your driveway. The driver, with a package, rings your bell. He asks for a person that does not live there and when you say no such person lives there, he asks to borrow your telephone to “call the company” or to use your bathroom. If you allow him inside and he sees anything that might be illegal, he could return in a few hours. This time he will be with police officers who have a warrant to search your home, based on what the courier saw earlier. You and I are law-abiding people, with nothing to hide. Nevertheless, you should NEVER allow strangers into your home … Just say “NO”. The only way to avoid having someone send you a letter or a package to your home is to live in a home where the address is protected and unavailable. This means it is NOT available in any database, given to any business, or given to any person. Perhaps, not even your closest friends know where you live. That way, if a uniformed courier should appear on your doorstep, or a pizza delivery person, you immediately know they don’t belong. If you see someone through the peephole you do not know, (you do have a peephole?), don’t even open the door! Just because someone knocks, you are NOT in any way obliged to open your door.
Just as an aside, you should always respectfully decline all law enforcement requests to enter your home for any reason, even if you do not have anything to hide. You simply exercise your rights and with courtesy, tell them “at advice of legal counsel, a search warrant will be necessary”.
Home Invasion:
There have been improvements in burglar alarms and door locks over the years so a burglar or team of violent thugs may just ring your doorbell instead of even trying to break in. When you open the door, they force their way in and death can be the worst possible result for you and your loved ones!
RECOMMENDATON: Install a peephole and NEVER open your door to someone you don’t recognize and trust.
Burglars OR Home Invasion Thugs May Impersonate The Police, Or A USPS Delivery Person, Or a Courier Service:
If no one knows where you live, it is unlikely that law enforcement will ever show up at your door as long as you don’t offend any neighbors. Therefore, if you see what appears to be police at your door, and if you have even the slightest doubt about them, DO NOT open the door! Call 911 on your protected VOIP phone to check them out (you do have a protected VOIP phone?).
Unfortunately, this happens a lot.
A protected home address will give you not only protection but peace of mind as well. No longer do you have to wonder who is knocking at your door. If it is someone you DO NOT recognize and because nobody has your address, they have no business there. A uniformed law enforcement officer … Don’t answer the door! A USPS delivery person or courier person in a uniform? … Ignore them because you get your mail and packages at a different and protected address! Several people in leather jackets? … Don’t even think of answering the door!
Do you see how much safer and less stressful it can be when you remove tracking to your living address? If someone unexpected shows up at your protected home address, it could be a wise precaution to be prepared to defend your life, home, possessions, and loved ones … Just in case. Such a person or persons do not belong at your protected address! Being prepared to defend is a “major can of worms” that varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and the subject of another book. Not a book I will ever write but there are many good ones out there to discover. Go to Amazon.com and do a search.
Personally, I prefer nonlethal choices like the biggest can of Pepper Spray local laws allow. I keep a stout cane handy by each entry door, which is faster to wield than a baseball bat. I also keep a loud air horn handy. (see Cheap Security below). That does not mean I don’t legally own Mr. 12 gauge, Ms. 40 S&W, or Senior 9mm. I’m simply NOT going to say anything to anyone about such ownership or lack of ownership for any reason. It’s nobody’s business to know what I have or don’t have! One should consider what’s kept in automobile. Think about what you will keep on your person. What is in your fanny pack, purse, or briefcase for self-defense purposes and in case you need to come to the aid of someone else. People who come to the aid of others are the finest type of individuals out there because they are willing to risk themselves to aid others. The term Sheepdog comes from the guard dog that protects the flock … of sheep. Not everyone is capable of being a Sheepdog but my complements to you if you are such a caring and helpful person. As an Author, my purpose to benefit and help others and that is NOT a Sheepdog activity. If you were being beaten by a thug or robbed and I could personally intervene on your behalf, that would be a Sheepdog activity. The world needs more Sheepdogs who have the physical capabilities, assets, and mind set to help others in need.
Home Deliveries:
Never allow your Given Name to be associated with a delivery to your home address. If you feel that it is important to have a delivery made to where you live, it should NOT be in your Given Name. Courier companies keep a national database of names and addresses and any of their thousands of employees can run a search for your name. Law enforcement agencies know this and have contacts inside these companies as a gray area method to track people of interest. If you have ever received a letter or package at your present living address under your Given Name, the only way to protect your privacy in the future is to move. Once this move is accomplished, future deliveries are in another name or preferably to a protected business address. When you sign for a delivery, you sign your Business Name that looks like a person’s name and it’s best to do so illegibly. My signature has long been a repeatable scribble that is unrecognizable. You should get by with no problems doing this, as long as you do not order expensive items from out-of-state. If you do, you should keep in mind that in states with a sales tax, it’s not uncommon for irate neighbors to call the tax department and report you. They say, “The people next door are buying such-and-such to avoid the state’s sales tax”. Do you know you are obliged to “voluntarily” pay any local sales tax on goods bought out-of-state? One solution for anonymity with courier services could be to have your parcels come into one of their nearby offices and just pick them up there. Unfortunately, while they never ask for ID at a private home, they DO demand photo ID if you stop by one of their offices to pick something up.
I have photo ID in my Business Name (looks like a person’s name … example … John Doe Enterprises). I have everything delivered in a Business Name at protected Business Address that is NOT my Living Address so this kind of thing is not a problem. Do you have a protected Business Name, a protected Business Mailing Address, and an Alternative Identity (or more than one) to use as you see fit? Another way is to use Street Addressing with a protected P O Box so FEDEX, UPS and other courier services can deliver to the USPS who will then accept a package from FEDEX, etc. Of course, you want to have the P O Box rented in your Protected Business Name, not your Given Name, and NOT traceable to your Living Address. You could also use a Protected Private Mail Service in the same manner as a Protected P O Box.
If you must, use someone your friends have used for years and will recommend without reservations. If you have important secrets to protect, this precaution may be inadequate. Private Investigators and Law Enforcement Officers have been known to offer serious money to buy trash from a home office before papers are shredded.
You could employ only long-time members of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Unlike mainstream religions, almost no Witnesses are in jail anywhere unless (as in many countries), they are imprisoned for their faith. These people would rather die than use drugs, steal, cheat, or accept a bribe to sell their employer out. Witnesses do as much as 80 percent of nightly janitorial work in office buildings in major American cities, and are in demand for nighttime janitorial work in clinics (due to drugs present). They do the cleaning in many classy homes and mansions where security is supreme.
The Witnesses rarely have objections to working late at night or early in the morning, because this gives them time for their ministry during the day. Another plus is they work on January 1, July 4, December 25, or any other national holiday. They call their meeting places “Kingdom Halls”, but you can find them in the Yellow Pages under “Churches”. The best time to call a Kingdom Hall is 6:45 PM on a Tuesday, or 9:45 AM on a Sunday (Fifteen minutes before a meeting is about to start). Ask to speak to an “elder”. If busy, leave your number for a call back. When an elder comes on the line, don’t use a title such as pastor, or elder as they do not use titles. Simply explain what you need and add that you prefer a worker who is a “pioneer”. Witnesses use this term for those who put a minimum number of hours in their bible-teaching work. People are Pioneers because they possess an excellent reputation within their congregation. There is no reason to be embarrassed about calling as businesspersons often call Kingdom Halls to inquire about hiring one of their members for a job. If you are hiring a Witness crew for offices where secrets must be protected, just explain your circumstances to them. Tell them to remove the trash and never leave it in the building’s dumpster. Instead, they should take trash with them and dispose of it in some safe manner. Stress the importance of calling you immediately (on your protected phone) if anyone approaches them is interested in your trash. They may charge more than lowest-bidder types, but worth the peace of mind
Baby-Sitter:
Never use a baby-sitter other than someone trusted, like Grandma. If you ignore this advice, you might have fears. If you do have concerns, setup a voice-activated recorder with multiple microphones and you might hear phone calls, boyfriends visiting, or sounds of child abuse. A nanny-cam can see what happens in living color. Perhaps, the sitter is checking out your computer or rifling through drawers! If you suspect the sitter needs electronic surveillance, your fears are probably correct. Better to call Grandma, the Witnesses, take the child with you, or stay home.
Bounty Hunters:
If you ever post bail via a bondsman, and fail to show up in court, a bounty hunter can legally break into your home. There have been plenty of articles and TV programs about this fact. The CBS program, 60 Minutes, has reported on a bounty hunter that unlike law enforcement, can search anything he likes without a warrant. He can break down doors, read your mail, check your laptop, Smartphone, copy keys found, or do pretty much anything! The authorization for this is that anyone arranging bail via a bondsman signs a contract. The bounty hunter is only fulfilling the fine print in this contract. So if any of you readers ever forfeit bail, you best make sure your home address is private. A more sinister danger is that you unknowingly invite someone into your home that has forfeited bail. This could be a friend, neighbor, or a relative. You could be in danger if anyone wanted just stops by to visit. Sometimes, there’s danger in knowing the person bounty hunter seeks. One person interviewed on 60 Minutes told of a couple being held and grilled for eleven hours by bounty hunters intent on getting enough information to track down someone the couple knew. If someone pounds on your door and yells, “Special Agent”, you are about to meet one or more bounty hunters that prefer to call themselves, “bail recovery agents”. Do not be fooled if they wear uniforms and carry badges!
IMPORTANT COMMENT: For most of my readers, your home address is readily available. USPS regular mail, FedEx, and UPS have probably been delivered to your home address and pizza as well. The smartest and safest move you can make to protect your privacy is to move to a protected address.
NOTE: If you live at the highest levels of privacy, it’s unlikely you will be found by anyone. Even a higher level Private Investigator with four or five-figure funding is unlikely to find you. However, if the Feds want you for a serious crime you probably will be found. The only other way you might be found is if you’ve somehow offended or damaged a wealthy person. This would be someone who can afford to dedicate six-figure or unlimited funding to Top Tier Private Investigators willing to bend or break the law.