Protection - Anonymity

Protecting yourself has layers. The first is anonymity. If you are not obvious about preps, appear to be just another sheeple, blow off other's talk about how bad things are getting, you will probably not be suspected of being an "Evil Food Hoarder", or worse (in the public eye), a survivalist.

For example, when buying a quantity of anything, pay cash (not a debit or credit card!) and do not use any type of ID in the process. This rules out club stores like Costco that track your purchases with your club card. Remain totally anonymous. I was stunned when I found out Costco tracked all my purchases (so does Safeway). It is uncomfortable to know that the authorities can find out we have a bunch of food stashed. I can see it now: after TSHTF, they declare us as "Evil Food Hoarders", and steal our preps "for the greater good". "The greater good" means feeding themselves while they go about the business of being "in control". I am hoping enough time has passed that last fall's purchases are falling off the radar. We are taking steps to mitigate these possibilities.

Do not store your preps where a neighbor can see you access it. Back your vehicle into (or up to) your place then haul it in on the QT, after dark if necessary.

Keep your preps to yourself. Hide them. Ours are on shelving in the insulated garage, but covered with various stuff ranging from some homemade cupboard doors (scrap 1/4" panels on hinges) to frilly curtains the wife made. The garage looks a bit messy, but normal with no sign of preps: lawn mower, work bench, a few miscellaneous boxes of stuff and some camping gear (in plain sight, though part of our preps).

Go about the business of prepping with your mouth shut. People remember the littlest comments at the worst possible times (like kids). When they are hungry and scared, they will recall you tried to talk them into prepping. This is not good. [More on this later.]

An old friend of mine one day commented that he thought I was doing a good thing (prepping) and wanted me to keep him posted on what all I was getting. Uh oh - I thought the hair on the back of my neck was gonna stand straight out. I let it drop and didn't said another word about prepping to him. Seven months later we were chatting about the cost of fuel when he asked how the prepping was going. Not good.

We are moving a few hundred miles away in a month or so. Our new address will be kept very quiet. We are still working out how to do this.

When I was first stocking up on 22 ammo I bought 10 bricks at a time at four different stores in the same chain. I paid cash and selected the checkout clerk carefully: a young lady obviously not paying close attention to anything. I got away with it then, but in the future I will buy only two or three bricks at a time using the same method. Things are different now...

Avoid calling attention to yourself and what you are doing. Act casual about it. Be anonymous.

Another example: Sam McCool is my pen name, each part borrowed from old time personal heroes of mine. In this way I hope to help others learn from my mistakes and do a better job of prepping for themselves without calling obvious attention to myself.

About finding other preppers: When you think you may have discovered another closet prepper, start very slowly with a light and casual prepping type comment. It shouldn't take much to figure out if they are or not. Even before this, consider what the upside is for you if they are a prepper. Generally speaking, the fewer that know you are a prepper, the better. That of course leads to another whole, and large, can of worms.

Be anonymous.

The second layer of protection is Stealth, third Evasion, fourth Formidability, the fifth is Guns, ammo and practiced skill.