I recently finished watching the last episode of the CBS TV series, ‘HUNTED’. The show was a contest to discover if any within a group of 9 duo teams could stay undiscovered by a team within .gov who were chasing them. The various teams being hunted (comprised of two people each) only had to remain undiscovered for 28 days and they would win $250,000.
I was intrigued to watch the show and to see where the teams went wrong and to observe how the .gov team functioned/operated to find them.
I was AMAZED to see the same mistakes being made by many of the teams being hunted, because it seemed so obviously apparent that their mistakes would lead the hunters right to them. I was also amazed by a few particularly disturbing techniques that our government agencies are using to track us…
If you have seen ‘Hunted’, the TV show, you likely know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t and have the opportunity to watch it later, it’s an educational experience of do’s and don’t…
The #1 mistake of those being ‘Hunted’
Using a cell phone. The number one electronic gadget to immediately give away their location was their cell phone. Most of us know that cell phones can be easily tracked, and so did those on the ‘hunted’ teams! However they still resorted to using a cell phone at one time or another! Some of them convinced themselves that a burner phone would be safe, however they failed to realize that the government team quickly discovered their various circles of friends and family and were monitoring ALL of their circle’s phones. So when the burner phone called one of their circle of friends/family, the government ‘hunters’ knew it was them!
The #2 mistake of those being ‘Hunted’
Nearly all of the hunted teams felt the need to be around (or with) their circle of friends/family or to escape to one of their circle of friends/family (to ‘hide’). I was amazed at this. Instead of going ‘off grid’ and no contact with anyone else, they evidently felt ‘safer’? with someone they knew or they felt the need to have one of them ‘help’ them in some way. This presented massive clues and places ‘to hunt’ for .gov, and it worked…
The #3 mistake of those being ‘Hunted’
The government has the ability to ‘listen in’ to phone conversations. I have written countless articles here on .gov surveillance, and while being no surprise whatsoever to me, there are many people who refuse to accept that deep government surveillance on American citizens is not only possible but it is occurring all the time (just search NSA on this site for some examples). The government team during the TV show clearly and specifically listens in on ‘content’ of phone calls (not just ‘metadata’) and this helped them catch some of the hunted…
The #4 mistake of those being ‘Hunted’
ATM’s. This may have actually been #2, but I’m just brainstorming here… I was AMAZED how many of those being hunted went to an ATM machine to get cash!! I was also somewhat amazed to see the government teams quickly tapping in to the cameras that are on most ALL ATM machines! Those who were being hunted did not have enough cash at home to suffice for their 28-day ‘hide’, and while most of them knew that the electronic transaction would quickly set off red flags, they still had to get money – and then run away as quickly as they could (which did not always work the way they planned). Lesson learned… Keep enough cash at home!!
The #5 mistake of those being ‘Hunted’
License plate readers. I knew of these, however I had not realized the apparent extent at which license plate readers located at unknown and numerous locations on the highways around major cities, hubs, and other locations – are scooping up EVERY AND ALL license plates that drive by. They KNOW where you’re traveling while on the highways of America. The locations of those who were being hunted would be discovered every time they drove past a license plate reader/scanner.
The #6 mistake of those being ‘Hunted’
Staying within ‘the system’ (transportation, communications, lodging). This generally might be the #1 mistake… while attempting to get ‘off the grid’ many of these teams would still be within the grid so to speak. There were a few teams that truly ‘camped out’, but they were eventually caught by other ‘electronic’ mistakes that they made. They could not resist using their gadgets (ATM machine) or succumbing to a modern desire (one team just had to go out and get ice cream to celebrate). Most of them chose to travel in a vehicle – often a friend’s vehicle (instead of hopping on a bicycle for example and leaving no trace via someone else). Few of them were apparently unable to ‘rough it’ and simply get off the streets and hide/survive for 28 days without having to hit an ATM, call a friend, use their email, etc…
CONCLUSION
Not only did I find it interesting to observe the mistakes made by those being hunted, it was highly revealing (yet again) the extent at which we have zero privacy from our own government. It is nearly impossible to be outside the massive net of surveillance – much of which seems to me to be unconstitutional. But that’s just me… Most people just don’t care.
Ken, nice article. I tuned in to check the show out and got interested. I also found it educational on the hunters approaches. The ATMs: I think that was a contest rule that each team could only have so much money and the money was only available from an ATM, it is a TV show. Without the ATM use the hunters would have had a more difficult time locating people. Emergency only cash in various denominations, yes.
You might be able to use burner phones provided both sender and receiver had burners/numbers and a plan on how long to use a burner, when to dump and switch and a comm schedule. Aside from burners, communication without cell towers would probably be best.
The show was a definite splash of cold water in the face concerning tracking skills and capabilities.
I think you’re right about the runners being required by the rules to get their cash from an ATM. I thought I understood at the beginning that they were allowed $500 and limited to $100 withdrawals.
I have not watched The Hunted, or even seen an advert for the show. Sure sounds like a contest that the average person would fail, though. The majority of people do not understand is just how connected our country’s digitized network really is. Through mostly electronic means, our government has the capability of knowing our almost-every move — if you are connected. Many here realize this, but then we are not ‘the average person’, n’est-ce pas?
Getting away from the digitized network would be the only solution towards a ‘win’ for The Hunted and it would involve spending the entire time incommunicado. This translates to literally disappearing into the forest and adapting to the surroundings for the duration of the contest. Since most are both creatures of habit and have a deep need for companionship/socializing, they ‘out’ themselves in one form or another.
Remember the cop-killer, a Pennsylvanian named Eric Frein, who eluded police for a month? He went into the deep woods of PA and the manhunt took a month or so to find him.
Can you imagine being on the show and winning? The Gov. would be all over you after that.
I am hoping that the military, LEO’s, the Guard, border security,….. will not be on the side of a corrupt government. So I plan to be on the side of law and order – the hunter side. It would be justice to hunt MS13, criminal illegals, cartels and violent prison escapees.
You’d be very mistaken given that LEO’s often blindly follow orders and enforce abusive and unconstitutional laws. Politicians deserve blame but it’s the cops who point guns at people’s heads violating right to ones body and property whether it is harassing and terrorizing people for not wearing a seatbelt, going over some arbitrary number, having a pill or plant, or having a gun without a permit. Cops go after bad guys but they themselves are just as often the bad guys. People say cops are who we call if we need help. That is true because they have a monopoly on force and would actually throw you in a cage if you don’t use their services for certain things. I want security who protects me and my property, not cops who enforce laws of politicians.
The license plate scanners have been around quite a while. Just not very well known. They used to be called AVI. Automatic vehicle inspection placed near truck weigh stations.
Something else not mentioned in the show is that vehicles with a computer have a specific ID. Look at the money in your wallet. Hold it up to the light and you can see a small strip in them.
Essentially if you have a cell phone, money, or a car, if you pass by these scanner devices, you are like a banana being scanned in the check out line at Wally World.
I can’t tell if that is a sexist statement, but leave my banana out of it – the TSA have many that know bananas well. Not all the information gathering is at a distance.
the bar code scanning number for banana’s is 4011!!
@homebody,
it looks like you might become even more of a homebody, or at least avoiding air travel and the groping by TSA. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-06/tsa-warns-local-police-about-its-new-airport-pat-downs
AS a .gov, I hate to burst your bubble, but we can not scan the money in your pocket, wallet, or vehicle for that fact. It does make for great internet rumor though!!! If you have proof otherwise, I would like to see it along with the rest in .gov. It would be a cool tool to have!!!
A few months ago I moved to another country and left no forwarding address or links of any kind to the best of my ability. I wanted to really disappear for personal not legal reasons. I used no credit cards, no cell phones, no automobile rentals, no banking numbers and I have not filed any tax forms either. I traveled thru several countries without using a passport, I will not say how I did that. I have not called back home to talk to anyone either, no communications. I really tried to become a gray man internationally. So far I have received at my new location, my W2s, 1099s and bank statements. I left no forwarding address at the bank or post office. Do not ask about the Visa stuff because I can not say what I did. Now, how in the hell did they find me?
“You are being watched. The government has a secret system, a machine that watches you…”
Many years ago there was a series of books called, I think, “The Paper Trip” that told all the ways to hide from authorities, ex-spouses, creditors, etc. Then new books came out with new ideas. The authorities, ex-spouses, and creditors read those books and know all the tricks. Perhaps someone called a relative or neighbor who knew where you went. Once that info is out, it is in all the databases.
A close friend’s mother passes away last month. Her mother had specifically warned her not to tell ANYONE that she had died because she didn’t want her son’s creditors to come after his share of the estate. So there was no obituary, a closed funeral service with only 5 invitees. But everyone talked, the son, the hospice nurse, the funeral director, the offers at her banks… Within a couple of days everyone knew.
No joke, did you use ANY form of public trans? bus? plane? train? boat??? Face ID at ALL of them, worse overseas, bad here, am told of a link to wally world’s sys., and no makeup will not defeat face ID the IR sys looks at your bone structure too. Am told face ID sys is in place on freeways, wearing a mask is a auto tag so don’t try that. If you think you can hide check out the Utah data center.
Lots of luck on this one.
I am an Infrared analyst…you cannot scan bone structure with IR
They didn’t have to find you…because evidently they never lost you. Now how in the heck did that happen. Because there is no such thing as international to them, it is just one small world and their ability to track is bigger than all of us. thanks
I got to say they have their ways. I left on a motorcycle riding trip and to move where only my mom knew my name and that I headed out west somewhere.
When I got to New Mexico from the Colorado border, I was stopped by state cops. There was an APB nation wide to find me because my daughter was exposed to rapid kittens the week before in Farmington, Ill. and 3 counties around the town were quarantined. My daughter went through 14 rabies shots.
Now this was back in 1974 without the surveillance they have today. They had networks checking make, model,year and plates of car only on every road they patrolled… by every officer patrolling every state and city out west, and they found me to save my daughters life within two days of the rabies testing on the kittens. I was grateful they found us.
Never heard of the show, but then I don’t own or watch TV. The cash access problem is an interesting one. A small cache of money, extra meds, 1st aid kit, etc. might be of help, however any safe deposit box or mail drop would almost certainly be covered by security cameras – are there any places without that can be kept long term such as lockers in a transit station or Y.M.C.A ? Come to think of it I don’t think there are any public facilities that could be guarantied anonymous. A well disguised, secure stash would be best but difficult to install and retrieve discreetly. The possibility of accidental discovery or destruction would mean it would have to be untraceable and only contain things or cash you could afford to lose. Getting caught and losing out on $ 250,000 over ICE CREAM ? Good grief!
I’m thinking bowling alleys might be a location for a stash. Public place that has many visitors who carry equipment cases into them, blending into the crowd following a large group shouldn’t be too hard. Open during late hours too, so outside cameras would be at a disadvantage looking for your features. The locker itself usually requires some I.D. to register though – perhaps a trusted individual can do this for you.
Just spitballing here.
I read somewhere awhile ago that if you smile the face recognition cameras can’t tell who you are. Also wearing sun glasses.
Who Me?, OMG, you just answered a question for me that no one at DMV would!!!
They have a new rule when you get your picture taken for your license that you CAN’T SMILE!!!!!
I asked them, “Why”? And they said they don’t know!
Holy crap! Grrrr…….
On a side note about the show: Dave Kobler (AKA: Southern Prepper 1) was asked to be on the show Ken is referring to. I am glad he decided against it.
But yeah, to me, it’s just a smack in the face, letting us know that we’re screwed
Well, call me cynical, I figure this is a .gov sponsored show. They know the public knows (many may not care even if they do know) about these ways for the .gov to track us. This was just a great exercise for the .gov and a way to practice their other, as yet unrevealed, ways to track us.
As an observant, practicing cynic, the first thought I had about the show was, “Zog propaganda.” The purpose is to reinforce the idea that “you can run but you can’t hide; we’ll get you eventually. Just shut up, pay your taxes and step lively into the boxcars when ordered to do so.” Where the show fails the reality test is in assuming the hunted parties will remain passive. Now, what would the show look like if the hunted parties were allowed to turn the tables and pursue the hunters, maybe neutralize them. Now, THAT would be worth watching.
@Frank, Imagine the ratings for that TV show!
I hear what you’re saying and agree with your sentiment.
It’s a TV show, with someone that gets caught because they wanted an Ice Cream…. Really???
And how many others get caught because they do “stupid” things?
All 6 examples that Ken gave were because someone can’t stay from electronics????? Really?
Put the Dumb Phone in the trash for a month…. Heck, ya might just find out you really see what’s going on around you rather than reading it a Text from the one standing next to you.
$ Quarter Million to disappear for a month….. UGH!!!!
FYI, if you have a Computer Screen or a Dumb Phone with a camera/microphone/speaker; “they” CAN turn on that camera at any time and see your pretty face AND hear you, even if you have turned the Comp/Phone off, the electronics are still on in that unit and CAN be activated. Why do ya think the new phones have a non-removable battery anymore???? Ya literally cannot turn it completely off. Something to think about if you keep your phone next to your bed.
One more, every vehicle that has On-Star or the like can be tracked, plus “they” can listen into your conversations in the vehicle.
Smile, you’re on Candid Camera.
NRP
You can always leave bread crumbs with electronics in the wrong direction.
I actually turn off the modem in my computer (Disable option under Wireless Networks). I don’t know if that works with newer computers, though, and I’m pretty sure it doesn’t with cellphones.
Disabling the network card under Wireless networks is available on newer computers as well as old. But this is a software disable not physically disabling the hardware. While that will generally work for remote access, modern computers, laptops and handheld devices use multiple redundant connections. Most newer devices have a Wireless Network card, Bluetooth ” limited range” and a Cell modem built in. each of those devices would need to be disabled and in the case of all cell phones and some Tablets/Computers the Cell modem Cannot be disabled.
There are ways to protect your systems and devices from being traced or tracked but its generally above and beyond the skill set of most Americans. Well, as we all know, Most americans don’t really care enough to try anyway.
when not in use is it not as simple as wrapping your cell phone in aluminum foil..of course as soon as you unwrap it and use it you are on the grid…someone mentioned it earlier…but you need two burner phones to stay under the radar… one for yourself and one for anyone who you call…in a shtf situation nothing like mud on the license plate
Blackberry Phones are “reported” to have built in software, that if by chance the camera, mic, or anything else is turned on – NOT by the owner/user of said phone. The owner will be notified.
Its interesting, and Blackberry has always tried to be the best when it comes to security.
I’m not telling everyone to run out and spend cash on a blackberry, but, it might be worth looking into if you are very concerned about the peeping .gov
So what happens to the duo who is caught?
Is it a “friendly” we’ve got you or what?
Perhaps another name for the show is
Big Brother Tag (and we’re always it)
Crazy times folks…
TOLD YOU SO !!!!!check my post on March 3. GOOD ON YOU KEN FOR THIS ONE ,,,,,
When I desided to leave gov employment I was shown in no uncertain terms that I was a pawn in the game ,there is NO WHERE I CAN HIDE that guys with shiny shoes don’t show up sooner or later ,all I can do is make things a little harder ,so what the hell here is were I am, let’s play nice and we can have tea and chocolate ,i’ll try to not be worth the work to be bother
Bottom line ..no place to hide .
Smile your on camera
Oldhomesteader
Ahh, yes, sounds like the days old when a stranger would call for dh and ask to speak to him. No modern id on the phone, so you could see the number.
Coffee at the local truck stop or ???, was he interested in going out of the country?? No matter where we lived they always found us.
Yep,the trick is to be the two of clubs and not the Ace of Spades in their card deck…if ya get my drift
@no joke, perhaps nano-technology chip. That ain’t no joke!
I had seen this show advertised a few weeks ago and meant to watch it. I guess I will have to catch up with the show On-Demand.
I knew that the government had many resources to fall back on. It’s not surprising that they can catch pretty much anyone. Many people were at the Boston marathon at the time of the bombing and the government still caught the guilty parties, I was impressed with that feat.
I also remember reading that the reason it took so long to find Bin-Laden was because he refused to stay anywhere that had any electronics. No phones, no tv, nothing. The government found him after identifying a courier and followed him.
Darker and lighter makeup. The dark goes on the cheek bones and other highlighted areas. The light is the other areas.May help the facial recognition, and wear a ball cap. It’s a tv show so I don’t think that they could use the satellites to pick out a person by the way they walk or calculate height from the sun angle and shadow.
Forget satellites…they had drones.
I just watched part of one episode and it gave me the creeps. I probably SHOULD watch the rest, but I won’t. I could far too easily imagine myself in that situation, trying to escape from .gov hunters.
It’s obviously set up for the cameras, but still.
I have to believe there were restrictions on the players (like the $100 ATM withdrawal) Nobody could be as dumb as some of these folks. For example, when they found a safe place why not hunker down, why keep jumping around from place to place exposing yourself to all kinds of tech? Your right Ken some of the things these folks did like staying with friends or family was just asking to be caught. It seemed to me the ones that tried to go somewhat off grid actually did the best. But I have to admit it was enlightening.
The rules of that game were those being hunted had to move 5 miles every 48hrs….
Never saw the show, and never will since I don’t watch TV and all the Hollywood BS. In fact, I never even heard of this show until I read about it here on today’s post. I did look up the rules on the internet and realized that it is a bunch of Hollywood BS and a total slam dunk for the hunters. The fugitives don’t have a chance from the start. In a real live hunter vs fugitive scenario there are no rules except survive at all cost.
After reading who the hunters are (U.S. Marshal’s, professional detectives (read bounty hunters), former FBI fugitive chasers, US military, all with their contacts and technology), it makes me think our government is doing everything they can to flesh out every bit of wiggle room they can so no one will ever be able to escape from their grasp. After over 100 years of chasing real fugitives, and with all the technology available today one would think they had all the angles figured out by now but apparently not so they set up a game and fish for as many people they can to play the fugitive role to see how many holes there are left so they can close them all. They are just practicing. With all the rules, it’s a total slam dunk for the hunters. Retrieving the money at the end is a total set-up from the start in the favor of the hunters.
One thing good about this… the “rules” are the weak spots of the hunters so in a real fugitive situation, just break all their damn rules and stay off their grid. Dump the electronics, steal some money and food and hunker down out of their 316 mile box grid. There are ways to do that.
What’s with having to stay within a 100,000 square mile grid? It sounds like a lot but 100,000 square miles is a small 316 mile square box. This, along with all the movement and money restrictions does not leave much wiggle room, even for the Gray Man much less for plain Jane or Joe poo the ragman fugitive. And, what’s with having to use an ATM card issued by the hunters and not being able to receive money from other sources or not being able to take your own cash money, or not being able to hunker down for more than two days? I wouldn’t be surprised if they put trackers in the ATM cards. And… to add insult to injury, the producers/hunters can change the rules at their whim.
Crabbe nebulae and old homesteader,
It’s Pysch manipulation of the TV viewing masses. Letting people think they can escape and then showing them getting caught so close to the end.They will “let” someone win.
Remember the running man movie? Last season’s winners were really last season’s”losers”!
Was on that side long time ago…
It’s not about them catching you. It’s about are you worth them expending time and assets.
If you are on their radar and they want you they WILL EXPEND THE ASSETTS.
The key is to stay off their radar If ya can…Right Old homesteader?
.BHJ YOU NAILED IT!!!
All new debit cards have RFID chips in them now.
If you have a SIM card in your phone…
Take it out and look at it.
Its identical to the “new” gold on your “new” ATM card.
Those… are RFID.
As far as the phones, I was a hack that blocks data usage. And it seems to work, very simple. Fold a piece of duct tape back on it self, adhering both sides together. Sticky to sticky. Make the piece long enough to fit the size of your phone, cut trim.
Lay it in side of the phone cover for back side of your phone and reassemble case. In the past 6 months I have had no data useage. There is a matrix of metal fibers in duct tape, that blocks a low frequency signal that is always on. Whether you have your phone on or not, always communicating with the towers.
When I want to insure it is totally off. I put it in a small copper tin, back in the tool chest. It gets no phone calls, texts even if I’m sitting under the tower. Yes I’ve tested it. Even with it on it cannot get a signal.
I found the show enlightening, some things I knew and some I didn’t. But now I do and in my travels today I began making notes on my local map. Cameras, pretty much all along 75. And at all intersections getting on or off. And from what I’ve found out they are all capable of facial recognition. All the major intersections in my area also have cameras.
Now I’m trying to identify the license plate readers.
I watched the show with my brother and we were intrigued from the start. The contestants made lots of mistakes that we saw early on and called out like we were playing a drinking game. We were however very disappointed by the final episode with the reveal of the final two stipulations for winning. We were lead to believe throughout the season that all you had to do was last 28 days which we both saw as “too easy”. But then they revealed the bank withdrawal of the prize money which instantly tips off the hunter teams on your location, and the foot race to the escape plane. We were glad both teams won, but were prepared to be grievously upset with the show if either team were caught. I called it early on within two or three episodes that the entire point of the show wasn’t to show viewers possibilities for outrunning the law. It was more about .gov flexing their muscle and showing off their shiny tools. Bragging rights basically. However, the true question should be, what other tools do they also have that we still won’t know about for another 10-20 years. The tools on this show were just the ones they’re willing to divulge. And even with that, many of the tools were under utilized.
I would go off grid and live out of a homeless shelter using an alias!!!! Three meals and a cot. No need for money and if you need some cash, just panhandle. Also make sure and wear a hat and look down as you walk around the streets. This would prevent any facial recognition cameras from capturing you!!!
Any Questions????
That would work in a non-game scenario, however the TV crew following you around might give you away!
True, the film crew was probably leaking information to the Hunter Team.
My wife and I were first introduced to this who through a friend of the same ideals as us. We were intrigued and started watching online, then once we caught up we finished on regular tv. We also noticed many of the same things that Ken has discussed above. At first I thought, well how hard is that, grab a bunch of cash, some food, survival supplies and get lost in the woods, no contact, no nothing. Most people die out there before they are ever found, it would turn into a rescue show after not too long. However, as the show progressed some things stuck out as odd. In my ideal world, I would do most traveling under the cover of night and mostly on foot if possible. However, the fugitives always seemed to call it a day around 4:30 pm and find a place to spend the night, odd. Also as many have pointed out here, they were apparently not allowed to carry their own money, another benefit for the hunters. Then the final episode came and it dawned on me, this is a game show and they don’t want to give the $$ away! I was so frustrated and upset that those two couples were either good or luck for the 28 days to only have the hunters notified of their last location and it was basically a race. They could have just done that from the start!
Ok, so what I noticed and was surprised about. I saw several weaknesses of the hunters. They relied heavily on social media and the fugitives were highly active on social media prior. Huge weakness, for both sides, however for myself I have never had a facebook deal or #tweet thing so good luck searching for posts there. Would have been nice to see a couple not have any social media footprint. The hunters were very over confident which would make slight of hand movements easy to pull on them which several of the teams were able to do. The technology was a little surprising, facial recognition, listening to phone conversations without so much as a warrant (again TV show so who knows), and trespassing on “private” property. However, given that 90% of the time these people are trying to track down real bad people I wouldn’t really care what they did as long as they keep me safe. Looking at this from a “I want the underdogs to win” I was appalled that they could do things like that.
Finally (then I will end my rant), I have been paying attention to how long it takes to find real criminals who mean to get away and more often than not it may be 2 to 4 weeks to track people down who do not want to be found, probably because they (the bad guys) don’t follow rules which makes it more difficult on the hunters.
Probably won’t watch again though, the end really put me off and turns out it is just a game show with things going on in the background that we don’t see to make for good tv watching.
Keep yer’ stick on the ice….
As someone in the IT field, the way they accessed the contestants Social media accounts is only possible in 2 ways. With a Warrant or with Permission of the Contestants. As this was still a game show with a semblance of “Former” government and LEO I have to assume they made the contestants give them access to there basic social media as part of the contract to play. I do not think they would have accepted anyone that was already disconnected or even had a minimal online presence. They needed that data to mine for clues.
I totally agree with you there. They had to have permission, from pretty much your entire family, especially to scour your home. They would have actually had to get out in the field and look for someone without an online presence of any kind or very minimal. Would have been interesting to see however.
I have no cell phone and I have a blog that mainly focuses on herbs and gardening. No TV, no cable, and I watch pig butchering videos on Youtube. 🙂 I think it would be hysterical to watch someone trying to get information on me from my social media use.
Oh, and I go to this off-the-wall preparedness blog a couple times a day. That must be a fluke.
Electronics are a important part of everyday life. But you can get lead lined bags that we use to use to put high speed film in going through Airport scanners.
Search on Ebay for this envelops and have a few on you.
Collect everyones phone, smart watch, anything else that can access WiFi and put in the bag.
Never used an ATM , don’t have a debit card, don’t have a TV , don’t get radio or cell reception. Our rfid c/c never leaves home and seldom gets used .Try and use cash as much as possible and actually found a clerk that could count change back correctly, so there is hope for this generation I guess. Don’t fly on airplanes or ride trains either. Do not use Facebook or any other social media.I taped a small note on my computer , I hope I didn’t cover the camera port.
Staying out of the limelight is not a bad thing , but I am sure I am on a list in Utah .Being a “gray”person is almost impossible in this day and age . Perhaps I am a darker shade of white.
You do understand you that you just left a electronic footprint by posting here!!!!!
I remember: A case where a man tried to fake his own death in the Yosemite back country. The trail ran cold at a rock fall east of Tuolomne meadows. 6 weeks later he was found alive trying to use his credit card to board passage on a cargo ship out of New York. he was trying to skip out of paying ex wife and child support in California.
A mental patient escaped a state hospital and stayed hidden in the most crowded location within San Francisco for almost 3 years until he was caught re-offending. (he was a serial rapist) This guy was smart enough to blend in a large crowded city so it should scare you.
A man tried to hike across the Western Divide from East to West when he went missing. He was celebrating his surviving open heart surgery and recovery. Officially , he is still missing. Unofficially, a fellow ranger kicked a pile of bear scat and found a zipper with khaki cloth attached. (missing hiker was wearing khaki hiking shorts last seen.)
Lastly, Randy Morgensen was a ranger out of Kings Canyon that went hiking one day in late season. If anybody has a clue where he went, contact the LA times. One of their investigative reporters wrote a book about his disapearance.
To stay hidden, you have to be willing to cut all ties and go back to technology that is pre 1950’s. I am not sure if that could be done these days. One thing I like to do if I am tracking somebody is to look inside their last place where they lived, cooked and ate, books and magazines they read etc. this tells me where they went shopping, what they like to do when not at work. This is why cops go through garbage cans. Tracking people is fun but it is tough on the family life.
One fellow stayed hidden for decades. He was an deserter from the military (US) and he lived in Australia. He established his alternative identity by reading The Day of the Jackel written by Fredrick Forsyth (retired employee of MI6)
The original book outlines an established method of creating a new identity right down to cruising the grave yards and looking at headstones to find a name and date of birth that is roughly consistent with his own. This was a fellow that never intended to collect Social Security or tap into his savings. He came out of hiding when he heard his adult son was trying to establish contact with him.
i saw this from day one and the main thingi got from this is that not only does it show how little privacy do we have anymore but it also shows how terrorists can hide and move from place to place and just big of holes we have in our systems
this would be easy to defeat and win this all one would have to do is leave a really serious false trail one way and go the whole other way
like this leaqve all kinds of books magazines and searches and a pc about holing up in the woods so the think your gonna hole up someplace in the boondockers
and go head into a big homeless camp and NEVER EVER AT ANY POINT USE THE INTER NET OR CELL PHONE
By the way, there are other means of tracking you that were not discussed. That would blow the OPSEC for agencies like the USMS……..
But what about all the millions of illegal aliens ” living in the shadows” ?Why it’s almost like the authorities don’t want to find them ! Stay off their radar , or be prepared to live like an illegal alien in your own country. Not much of a choice. This Trump guy better just be the first step on a long road back to the Constitution !
Saw the first episode and parts of a few early ones. Quickly became apparent that it was a game show, not real. I think that the fundamental message that the show was trying to get across was, “If the government wants to find you, they WILL find you.” There are a few exceptions but most of those (DB Cooper?)probably died in the back country.
Yes if someone really wanted to hide for a few months, it would be easy enough (unless you “follow the rules”, and if follow the rules, you aren’t really they type who needs to hide for a few months) but sooner or later they will slip up and contact a friend or relative or use a credit card or ATM and the hunt is on.
I just think that there is so much other stuff going on, that “.gov” is not really interested in the little people like me, and if there is, not much I can do about it, so I just keep on preparing for those situations I CAN do something about.
RS
I missed that show, but they way it was described, none of the contestants were experienced in covert survival. I don’t know what they were allowed to carry when first taking off, but I would have food rations, Lifestraw, mag lighter, and a knife and hide/live in the woods. I have seen too many fake reality shows that don’t allow real situations or they are created by the producers for entertainment. I’ll try to see it next time it’s on.
Dh & I watched about 10 minutes of the first showing, said enough for me. This program is like all so called “reality shows” not worth my time. I have better things to do, and it also gave me the creeps.
If any of you have watched the “HUNGER GAME” series of movies, this TV show is their version, thank goodness minus the killing off of contestants. Enjoyed the movie(s) for the story line, this show..yuck!
Dh watched the 1st & last show of this series, while I read on the computer.
One thing I’ve been curious about and it seems appropriate to bring up now, if i turn off my GPS in my cell phone, can they still track me? I only turn on the GPS if I’m navigating, so it’s always been a question I had.
Thanks all!
If you read the WikiLeaks that was released today (about the CIA’s equivalent to the NSA and all of the apparent hacking software that they use on ‘smart’ devices), then the answer to your question is likely, yes they can still track you 🙁
Thanks Ken… love the site!
(Even if “They” are watching every keystroke and hearing every word)
cell phones can be tracked by proximity to cell towers via the Cellular modem as well as via WiFi through the wireless NIC. GPS apps on a phone will actually use both of those to generate your location in a City when LOS to GPS sats becomes blocked.
If your phone is turned on it can be tracked. They ping the phone using 3 tower sites. This information is then used to triangulated your location. The only way to get around this is to turn the phone completely off.
@ GrayMan & This guy (unfortunately) in Cali
Hate ta tell you this, the newer phones that you can-not remove the Battery from can NOT be turned “totally” off, it is always on.
Only way to stop the ping/tracking, set inside a fully enclosed metal box (Faraday Cage). OR have one of the older phones you CAN remove the battery.
NRP
NRP and all,
RE: phone privacy….
Amazon sells Faraday phone case/bag it is material lightweight products vary $8-$20 highly recommend!
Peace all 🙂
I thought it was pretty interesting. Wife found it too suspenseful and had to quit watching (that or she got bored, lol). The technololgy and ‘real time’ speed was revealing – a person would have to pretty much stay away from leaving in any vehicle and stay off streets to get away. Was surprised to see no one used a motor boat to remove themselves away in one hour head start.
We started watching it, but the people did so many things wrong so often, and yes much of the same, we couldn’t take it anymore and had to quit watching. We kept thinking, idiot, why did they do that?!?! lol
do not watch anything on tv . find other avenues of information .
The thing that confused me in the last episode was – how did the hunters jump to the conclusion that the runners were flying out, so they knew to look for airports or other plane friendly places? Did I miss a few sentences along the line?
one of the .gov people “luckily guessed” that they would be flying out near the boarder – edge of the territory, and also “luckily guessed” that they might use planes that land on water. so, they searched for sea planes and/or any plane near water. One plane left by water, while the other plane was a leer jet. They had that “lucky heads up” prior to the teams extracting the cash from the banks. When they got a “hit” that the teams were at the banks, they were already headed in their general directions.
Coincidence? Nah… Fake TV. Pfft… Who wants the .gov searching their homes anyway? If we did this show, we’d all be on their radar for life. Well… I’m sure we’re already on some list… Aren’t we all? Carry permit, drivers license. Bank account. 401k. Pay checks. yep. Birth Certs the list goes on, and on, and on, and on… Hello 1984
read a news article yesterday, which stated that the “new” cell phones will be having batteries/sim cards which cannot be removed. Guess when the battery dies, you chuck the phone.
anyone know if so?
If they can assemble the phone. The phone can be disassembled. Ask any 14 year old. They can fix ALL electronics. LOL
the show is fake and scripted like everthing on television . wake up people . you are living in a predictive programing hell .
i saw this from the beginning and you are right about the mistakes these people made BUT that said thats ALSO GIVING THE BAD GUYS tips on how to avoid getting caught
me if was in a situation like that i would lay down a fake trail one way and go the other way