Do you think anyone has successfully faked their own death?

[KeithTalent]

I know what you're thinking, if they had done it successfully, how would we know? Well it could be a situation where it worked, then the person eventually died for real and it was all figured out then.

I've always wondered how you would go about doing this in real life. Thoughts? I think Batman did it once, or maybe that was Ra's al Ghul. :hmm:

KT

 

[Maximilian]

With the amount of people that just believed this thread with zero backup...

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2406784

Yeah probably.

 

[mmntech]

I'm sure there's plenty of people who have faked their own death and gotten away with it. If you've been missing for a minimum of seven years, you're declared dead in absentia. Though it's probably a lot harder to pull off today than it was just 10 years ago.

 

[IronWing]

Donnie Osmond

 

[KeithTalent]

With the amount of people that just believed this thread with zero backup...

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2406784

Yeah probably.

Hmm, good point. So start with having someone post an RIP thread online. Good plan.

KT

 

[Rakehellion]

I'm sure more people have succeeded than failed.

 

[KeithTalent]

I'm sure there's plenty of people who have faked their own death and gotten away with it. If you've been missing for a minimum of seven years, you're declared dead in absentia. Though it's probably a lot harder to pull off today than it was just 10 years ago.

Yeah, probably true. Too easy too find people through technology these days.

Donnie Osmond

:hmm:

KT

 

[TwiceOver]

I would think the hardest part is securing an alternate identity that is good enough to get a job. The rest is just hopping around from town to town until the heat wears off.

 

[IronWing]

:hmm:

KT

Prove he didn't.

 

[manimal]

happend quite a bit after WW2. Lack of widespread records and few rules made it easy post war for people to start over in differnt countries.

I grew up in brazil and the old weird guy down the street was a nazi. My dad told me to stay away from their house.

Nowadays with widespread fingerprinting and records its harder. A surface identity with a ID and SS is easy but once looked at by enforcement its easily recognized as fake.


People can disappear all the time. If someone is looking for you it probably wont work.

 

[KeithTalent]

I would think the hardest part is securing an alternate identity that is good enough to get a job. The rest is just hopping around from town to town until the heat wears off.

Yeah, the job thing could be tough. I guess there would be heat if you had debts or something, but what other heat would there be?

KT

 

[Bulk Beef]

PCResources

Oh wait, you said successfully...

 

[KeithTalent]

happend quite a bit after WW2. Lack of widespread records and few rules made it easy post war for people to start over in differnt countries.

I grew up in brazil and the old weird guy down the street was a nazi. My dad told me to stay away from their house.

Nowadays with widespread fingerprinting and records its harder. A surface identity with a ID and SS is easy but once looked at by enforcement its easily recognized as fake.


People can disappear all the time. If someone is looking for you it probably wont work.

Ah yes, the South American Nazis. That is all quite fascinating.

KT

 

[TwiceOver]

Yeah, the job thing could be tough. I guess there would be heat if you had debts or something, but what other heat would there be?

KT

I imply "heat" as being anyone looking for you. If you have family and fake your death or just "disappear" they are going to be looking for you. Cops looking for you. Etc.

I guess I didn't consider the "faking death" part in my head I was thinking more about just disappearing.

 

[Fritzo]

Well, we haven't found Elvis yet, have we?

 

[KeithTalent]

PCResources

Oh wait, you said successfully...

Heh, before my time, but very interesting. Lot's of familiar names who don't post here anymore.

I imply "heat" as being anyone looking for you. If you have family and fake your death or just "disappear" they are going to be looking for you. Cops looking for you. Etc.

I guess I didn't consider the "faking death" part in my head I was thinking more about just disappearing.

Yeah faking a death could be difficult; would need a body.

KT

 

[TwiceOver]

Heh, before my time, but very interesting. Lot's of familiar names who don't post here anymore.



Yeah faking a death could be difficult; would need a body.

KT

There's just too many ways to identify a body unless you could fake someone into thinking they saw you jump into a lava pit.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I died but, I got better...mostly.

 

[KeithTalent]

Well, we haven't found Elvis yet, have we?

Didn't you see Bubba Ho-Tep?

I died but, I got better...mostly.

Sorry for your temporarily loss of yourself.

KT

 

[Imp]

Easier to get declared "legally dead" by just going missing and assumed dissolved in the sewage system or at the bottom of a canal.

 

[compuwiz1]

Get a dummy that looks like me, toss self looking dummy in ocean, in front of a great white, everyone thinks I'm dead. Prosper!

 

[AznAnarchy99]

One of my neighbors did for about 10 years. Then the FBI caught up to him and arrested him and his wife for insurance fraud.

This was them.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/16/santiago-carrasco-rosa-carrasco_n_1521646.html

Their house stood out on the street. It was beautifully remodeled compared to everyone else. Every time I passed by I always thought to myself that they had money lol.

 

[KeithTalent]

Easier to get declared "legally dead" by just going missing and assumed dissolved in the sewage system or at the bottom of a canal.

Probably true. The job thing, as mentioned above, would be hard though.

Get a dummy that looks like me, toss self looking dummy in ocean, in front of a great white, everyone thinks I'm dead. Prosper!

Need to fill the dummy with ketchup packets too.

One of my neighbors did for about 10 years. Then the FBI caught up to him and arrested him and his wife for insurance fraud.

This was them.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/16/santiago-carrasco-rosa-carrasco_n_1521646.html

Their house stood out on the street. It was beautifully remodeled compared to everyone else. Every time I passed by I always thought to myself that they had money lol.

Haha, wow, that is awesome.

KT

 

[Markbnj]

I think it's difficult. Any lie is difficult to maintain, and maintaining one over a long period of time is really hard. Look at Whitey Bulger for example. He disappeared for what... like ten years? But eventually someone noticed something odd. If you could really convince people you were dead they wouldn't be looking for you, but it's still likely you'd do something to trip up over the long haul.

 

[KeithTalent]

I think it's difficult. Any lie is difficult to maintain, and maintaining one over a long period of time is really hard. Look at Whitey Bulger for example. He disappeared for what... like ten years? But eventually someone noticed something odd. If you could really convince people you were dead they wouldn't be looking for you, but it's still likely you'd do something to trip up over the long haul.

Well yeah, but Whitey was pretty famous, at least in certain circles. It would definitely be hard for someone like that to do it. For an average Joe I feel like it would be a little bit simpler.

KT