I have read 'How to disappear', i don't think it would be very useful here. It's written by two private detectives to help people evade stalkers or family violence. It specifically recommends against breaking the law. In any case it would be a bit out of date by now.
Everyone here making AI 'social profile' systems take note of this and add it as something to track. Will come in great for the marketing feature list.
Yes, there's got to be people farmers who grow various fictional people over time for use by ___. Create and shut down employers who pay the fictional people, rent apartments left empty in their name, maybe ding up a credit report to look real, arrange for someone who matches a look to appear in a paper under the name being farmed, kind of like Sim City but in the "real world" like Pokemon Go.
I thought shelf companies were so you could quickly get a new company going (as it's all pre-registered), so you have an established history, which some organisations - such as banks - value, or so you can access a type of company no longer available[0]. They're not fake companies; to the extent companies are "real", they are real. They're just dormant.
You're probably thinking of letterbox companies. Shelf companies are kept by lawyers, accountants and the like so they can provide them to clients without them having to go through an incorporation process. In some jurisdictions it's a way to not have to wait a year or so until you can pay out cheap dividends.
> It specifically recommends against breaking the law.
It's so kind of them.
Otherwise yes, any trick that ends up in a popular book would probably not be that useful for people actually trying to flee from law enforcement. Or it would be some super vague advice in the tune of "don't leave traces of you being there".
There's a rather rich literature about 'OPSEC', i.e. how to hide from powerful enemies. Breaking the law is commonly the right thing to do, could be to expose corruption for example.
