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Keeping
your mail private
Most people would assume that if they are not involved in crime or terrorism their mail, phone, car, home and office are likely to be of little interest to the government or bureaucrats. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Even if your own affairs are 100% legitimate, it is virtually certain that among your friends and business acquaintances there will be someone whose business or personal life are very far from straight and legal. Unfortunately, through the activities of others you could find your phone records being examined, a tracking device fitted to your car, bugs installed in your office or your mail being scrutinised. It sounds outrageous but it is not so difficult to understand the potential risk when you consider that in a complex investigation the police and government do not - as a rule - know in the early stages who is a criminal or an accomplice and who is a totally innocent individual. During this process of elimination all sorts of nightmares can arise which can create major headaches to someone who through no fault of there own has come to the attention of the relevant authorities.
When people find themselves the subject of unwanted attention it is usually because of a connection to someone they never suspected was a drug dealer, terrorist or insider dealer. Although you could find yourself subjected to a variety of surveillance techniques there are ways to protect yourself. We will examine mail security first. Most of us take it for granted that if we send a letter from point A to point B it will arrive at the other end without being tampered with. In addition most people believe that if it had been opened they would know. Unfortunately, this is not strictly true, mail can be interfered with in a multitude of ways; a friend who worked for the Intelligence services informed us that several types of mail surveillance are currently employed. He confirmed that mail is regularly interfered with by both authorised parties such as the government as well as non-authorised companies such as private investigators. Gaining access to the contents of a letter is achieved using techniques which employ varying degrees of sophistication.
The most basic official investigation is called 'a mail cover' where the postal authorities are instructed to either photocopy the envelopes of all letters to a certain address, or alternatively note the post marks in a book and with return addresses if any. Surveillance can lead to all sorts of problems, it is only through this type of procedure that either the criminal is caught or the innocent individual is excluded from the investigation. At the next level mail is scanned by various means, either by using bright lights to look through the envelope or by using solvent to render the envelope transparent, which makes the contents readable, the solvent then evaporates leaving no trace. Going a stage further, investigators can open letters discreetly, in the case of a private investigator, this is usually a very serious offence because most countries have laws specifically to deal with interference with the mail but if the person skilled they are unlikely to be caught and you would never realise the letter had been tampered with. The normal route to gain access to the contents of a letter is to gently open the seam at the side of the envelope, this can often be peeled apart and resealed without detection, the other route used by experts which requires considerable practice is to use a slither of bamboo to roll up the letter and pull it out through the gap at the top; amazingly a skilled investigator is often able to replace it back in the envelope and an iron is that run over the envelope to remove any curling of the paper.
If you suspect your mail is being interfered with we can
supply a test kit which enables you to prepare envelopes before
they are sent, as test letters, if both you and the recipient
have a test kit they can be security checked in both directions
using this system. Tampering will quickly become apparent
and be easily detectable. The cost of the kit including everything
required is £125 / $250 / €159 and comes complete
with the ultra violet security tester and special markers
that are invisible to the naked eye. We also provide details
of where the various aids to mail security can be obtained
in your country and the common early warning signs of an investigation.
Of course, it is vital to keep in mind that if someone is
monitoring your mail the odds are more than even that they
are probably tapping your phones as well! If you find yourself
in this position take an objective look at the people you
associate with and try to figure out what is going on because
this type of surveillance operation are never undertaken randomly.
If a monitoring operation has been undertaken by the police
or security services - for the purpose of serious crime detection
or investigation - they will almost certainly get the person
they are trying to nail. We are not talking about the odd
offshore account or a bit of cash in hand work, but a high-level
investigation for serious offences. In these circumstances
a person has only two options, accept the worst or stop doing
whatever it is that triggered the investigation. If they do
not break the law from that point on then things may start
to settle down, obviously the investigation should be viewed
as a serious warning. Unless you are a career criminal, finding
yourself in this situation means it is time to seriously rethink
your activities. Avoiding a stint in the slammer has to be
the number one priority for anyone with any degree of commonsense.
As far as operating offshore is concerned
when it comes to crime why bother? By going offshore and structuring
things correctly anyone can make a tidy fortune legally! Moreover,
without the risk and worry attached to running an illegal enterprise.
Even selling tax free tobacco is legal if setup correctly.
Just search on google.com "Cuban Cigars USA" and
you will finds loads of companies who ship to the US, they
are not breaking the law but the buyer is!
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A few security tips to protect your mail:
- If you think your mail is being interfered with or solvent
has been use to read it through the envelope send a test
letter. All you need to do is put a sheet of carbon paper
in an envelope - buy a stock it's getting obsolete -
and send it to yourself. If the mail is under surveillance
it won't come back because the carbon paper will turn the
paper black as soon as exposed to solvent, anyone sniffing
around will then know the game is up. If you can’t
find carbon paper I am told toner works pretty well. I haven’t
tried it but it sounds plausible. Sources for Carbon
Paper:
- Buy some visible Scotch tape to secure the side seams
of the envelope, these are the main points of attack,
the easiest and most discreet place to open an envelope
is at the side seam and it can be hard to detect. Try
it, you will be amazed how you can open it, read the
contents and glue it back up without any obvious sign
the envelope has been tampered with. Scotch Tape stops
anyone trying it.
- Buy some security envelopes, they look outwardly normal
but are virtually tamper proof. Any stationers should
have them but a particularly good one is the Tyvek
Security Envelope which is both tamper proof and tear
resistant.
- Do not use self-seal envelopes they can be easily opened
and resealed without trace. If you decide to use them
apply Scotch Tape to the seal.
- Gluing down the flap prevents an envelope being steamed
open
- Send a test letter occasionally. Examine the envelope
carefully when it comes back. If you don't know someone
out of your area who can mail it back to you give us
a call, we can arrange for a letter to be sent to you
from virtually anywhere in the world, it will be secure
when it leaves so you can check it on arrival. This is
always a good test because mail from abroad is more likely
to be scrutinised but that in itself is rare because
few countries check ordinary letters. If however your
local PO is instructed to watch your mail they will definitely
flag a foreign letter. The cost of this service is $10
/ EUR7 / GBP5
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Worldwide
Mailing Address Services
Mailing Address Services or Mail drops are also known as
letterboxes, mailbox rentals, accommodation addresses, re-mail
services and mail forwarding services. These services play
an important role in protecting your privacy. We can arrange
the mailing addresses or mail drop virtually anywhere, they
are useful to create the appearance that either you are actually
in the particular location yourself or that your company is
operating from there. This has a number of advantages, especially
if for example Spain is your target market and you combine
a Spanish mailing address with a local Spanish phone number.
This is a popular method used by lots of our British, German
and Irish clients to determine if their business which already
runs successfully at home would operate in Spain too. Assuming
everything runs smoothly they then have the option to move
to the sun knowing they already have a source of income. In
essence whether your plans involve relocating to Spain, Portugal,
Italy or France the basic system is the same and the risk
of moving abroad can be greatly reduced. One of our clients
even decided to actually run a maildrop in Italy and because
he already owned a holiday home advertised for clients in
a magazine. Initially his Italian friends checked his mailbox
and forwarded the mail but within a year he had 44 clients
some with phone lines, hosting and lots of other services.
The business grew fast (there are not many good maildrops
in Italy) and at the end of 12 months was on target to make
over EUR20, 000 profit per annum. Not a huge fortune admittedly
but easily enough for him to be semi retired and leave Belfast
permanently.
At one time we produced a list of all mail drops currently
on our files. Regretfully this is now rather pointless because
of the sheer number. Secondly, some organisations such as credit
reference agencies created databases of mail drop addresses
which greatly diminished their benefits. The other issue is
the Internet try going to www.google.com and
searching 27 Old Gloucester St London WC1N 3XX you
will see hundreds of firms. This is a great maildrop and has
been around for about 100 years but low profile it certainly
is not! To try and keep things discreet we now promote the
main locations without giving out the actual address except
to clients. Regardless of where you need an address we can
usually arrange something in almost any country of your choosing. The
cost of a mailing address service tends to vary depending on
the particular location. If you require an address in a country
other than those below let us know because we have hundreds
more on file in over 100 countries worldwide.
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AFRICA
South Africa
- Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg Standard service includes:
- Street Address
- Phone numbers and fax numbers are available at extra cost
Mail Forwarded Weekly
Cost: US$699 / £350 / €435
per annum
Minimum deposit: US$70 / €50 or £35 - included.
Postage and Forwarding fees are deducted from the deposit.
Summary: A tried and tested service with the option of either
a PO Box or a street address. Benefits: The address is well away from the EU
or US making it ideal for serious privacy seekers.
Click here to contact us for more information
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ZIMBABWE
Harare
Standard service Includes:
- Street Address
- Telephone number and fax numbers are available at extra
cost
- Mail Forwarded Weekly
Cost: US$699 / £350 / €435
per annum
Minimum deposit: US$70 / €50 or £35 - included.
Postage and Forwarding fees are deducted from the deposit.
Summary: Available but not currently recommenced due to the
political instability, which is disastrous when combined with the unreliable
postal services and rampant inflation. If on the other hand you want somewhere
people expect to have trouble communicating with you it can be ideal.
Click here to contact us for more information
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ASIA
Hong Kong
Standard service Includes:
- Street address
- Telephone number and fax numbers are available at extra
cost
- Mail Forwarded Weekly
Cost: US$995 / £500 / €625
per annum
Minimum deposit: US$70 / €50 or £35 - included.
Postage and Forwarding fees are deducted from the deposit.
Summary: A tried and tested service. Currently we are unable
to locate a low cost service in Hong Kong, which provides an acceptable level
of service.
Click here to contact us for more information
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Japan
Standard service Includes:
- Street address
- Personal phone numbers with worldwide
forwarding or voicemail with an outgoing message in any
language are also available at £195/US395/€250
per annum
- Mail Forwarded Weekly
Cost: US$700 / £350 / €425
per annum
Minimum deposit: US$70 / €50 or £35 - included.
Postage and Forwarding fees are deducted from the deposit.
Summary: Choice of five addresses. All provide up to date phone
and fax facilities - if required - with your own private lines. Messages can
be re-faxed, forwarded as e-mail attachment, or sent by SMS
Click here to contact us for more information
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South Korea
Standard service Includes:
- Street address or PO Box number
- Mail Forwarded Weekly
Cost: US$700 / £350 / €425
per annum
Minimum deposit: US$70 / €50 or £35 - included.
Postage and Forwarding fees are deducted from the deposit.
Summary: This service was added to our list in 2005, several
clients over the last three years inform us that it has proven very efficient.
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Philippines
Standard service Includes:
- PO Box, no private phone or fax numbers are available
although the mail drop will receive faxes at $1.50 per page.
- Mail Forwarded Weekly
Cost: US$700 / € 399 / £350
Minimum deposit: US$70 / €50 or £35 - included.
Postage and Forwarding fees are deducted from the deposit.
Summary: Well established and reasonably well priced.
Click here to contact us for more information
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Singapore
Standard service Includes:
- Street address or PO Box
- Phone number and fax numbers are available at extra cost
- Mail Forwarded Weekly
Cost: US$700 / £350 / €425
per annum
Minimum deposit: US$70 / €50 or £35 - included.
Postage and Forwarding fees are deducted from the deposit.
NOTES: In Singapore, we have a variety of addresses available.
Clients inform us they have found Singapore to be a reliable Far East location
for mailing facilities. It is also worth considering that Singapore has great
potential for offshore banking.
Click here to contact us for more information
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Thailand
Standard service Includes:
- Street Address or PO Box
- Private phone numbers and faxes are not available in Thailand
at the current time
- Mail forwarded Weekly
Cost: US$700 / £350 / €425
per annum
Minimum deposit: US$70 / €50 or £35 - included.
Postage and Forwarding fees are deducted from the deposit.
Summary: In Thailand we can provide a variety of addresses,
some will receive faxes, and others offer a messaging service.
Click here to contact us for more information
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AUSTRALIA
AND NEW ZEALAND
Standard service Includes:
- Street address
- Personal phone numbers with outgoing
messages recorded in any Language of your choice and fax
numbers with free forwarding by e-mail are also available
at £195 / US$390
/ € 250 per annum
- Mail Forwarded Weekly
Cost: US$500 / £250 / €315
per annum
Click here to contact us for more
information
Minimum deposit: US$70 / €50 or £35 - included.
Postage and Forwarding fees are deducted from the deposit.
Summary: We offer a wide choice of addresses in virtually
all main cities - 82 in total! - all offer up to date phone and fax facilities
and a variety of methods to receive messages e.g. re-faxing, sent as e-mail
attachments etc. In most Australian and New Zealand locations we can
arrange a local telephone line with either voicemail or worldwide forwarding
within 24 hours. The annual cost is generally US$400 / GBP200 / EUR250 plus
a deposit against call costs. As you would expect Australia and New Zealand
are innovative when it comes to communications facilities, as a result they
are one of our most highly recommended locations.
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Europe
We offer a vast range of mailing address facilities with
every conceivable service in most European countries, all
offer similar basic services but many are unique in one way
or another.
All of the addresses in the locations below are priced at
US$699 / £350 / €460 per annum. The minimum deposit
of US$70 / €45 or £35 is included in the price.
The list indicates the additional services and facilities currently
available in each country:
Facilities are available in several other European countries and some more exotic European locations, for example, Corsica, San Marino, Monte Carlo etc. Please contact us if the country you require does not appear on our list.
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THE
TOP FOUR VIRTUAL OFFICE / MAILDROP DEALS
Switzerland:
Swiss address and private live phone number with worldwide forwarding or
if preferred just voicemail. The service is for 12 months and includes forwarding
a handful of letters every month and some inclusive minutes for the phone
line. The total cost is only £495 / $995 / €625 the pair
Click here to contact us for more information
London:
This package comprises a London address
and private live phone line with worldwide forwarding or
if preferred just voicemail. The service is for 12 months
and includes forwarding a handful of letters every month
and unlimited cal forwarding to the countries on the list
below at ZERO cost. The total cost is only £395 / $795 / €495
the pair
Australia |
Liechtenstein |
Austria |
Luxembourg |
Belgium |
Monaco |
Canada |
Netherlands |
Denmark |
New Zealand |
France |
Norway |
Germany |
Portugal |
Gibraltar |
Puerto Rico |
Hong Kong |
Spain |
Ireland |
Sweden |
Italy |
Switzerland |
Japan |
USA |
Click
here to contact us for more information
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Canada:
This package comprises a Canadian address and private
live phone line with worldwide forwarding or if preferred
just voicemail. The service is for 12 months and includes forwarding
a handful of letters every month and some inclusive minutes
for the phone line. The total cost is only £395 / $795
/ €495 the pair
Click here to contact us for more information
Caribbean:
This package comprises a Caribbean address and private
live phone line with worldwide forwarding or if preferred
just voicemail. The service is for 12 months and includes
forwarding a handful of letters every month and some inclusive
minutes for the phone line. The total cost is only £395 / $795
/ €495 the pair
Click here to contact us for more information
United Kingdom
Address and private live phone number
(or voicemail) diverted anywhere worldwide for 12 months £395 / $795 / €495
the pair. This facility is an excellent buy because in 80
of the leading countries of the world there is no charge
for forwarding the calls. Among the countries are the locations
below.
Australia |
Liechtenstein |
Austria |
Luxembourg |
Belgium |
Monaco |
Canada |
Netherlands |
Denmark |
New Zealand |
France |
Norway |
Germany |
Portugal |
Gibraltar |
Puerto Rico |
Hong Kong |
Spain |
Ireland |
Sweden |
Italy |
Switzerland |
Japan |
USA |
Click here to contact
us for more information
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