How to Fake Your Own Death

Whether you're running from the authorities, leaving home, or just seeking a fresh start, sometimes faking your death is the only way to escape your current situation. Check Step 1 for advice on how to stage your death without raising too many suspicions.

Consider whether this is the right choice. Faking your death is illegal in most places. Is your current situation truly dire enough to warrant pretending to be dead? Could you simply leave instead? Are you exaggerating the situation? Are there alternative solutions? You should only resort to this option if you truly believe faking your death is the only way to start anew or escape, and if no other choices remain.

• Understand the consequences of faking your death. You will lose all contact with friends and family. Reaching out to them could result in them alerting the authorities or betraying you at the last minute. If you must tell someone, choose a trusted friend and never, under any circumstances, inform the police, family, or anyone else.

Stop using anything that could be used to track you. Remember that once you fake your death, you can no longer use email accounts, membership cards, phones, or any personal information from your previous life. This may be the most difficult preparation you need to make before staging your death.

• Money plays a crucial role in starting a new life, so you should gradually withdraw money from your account until the day you fake your death, leaving behind things like credit cards and other documents. Withdrawing all your money at once could raise suspicion. However, if you're short on time, take out a large sum while leaving a small amount in the account to reduce suspicion.

Pay attention to small details that could sabotage your efforts. Avoid suspicious behavior before faking your death. Additionally, do not use your personal computer or phone (unless you can change the SIM card) afterward; these can be used to track you once you're gone. Furthermore, others may notice if they go missing.

Determine how you're going to die. Suicide might be the easiest option. Even though it may be hard for loved ones to accept, if your 'death' is ruled as suicide, innocent people won’t be accused of murder. Also, suicide is easy to carry out: authorities will not review CCTV footage or personal records if they believe you took your life rather than disappearing mysteriously.

• Choose a 'suicide method' that leaves no body or makes it difficult to find the body. A common method is jumping from a bridge, leaving behind a farewell note. The police will be less suspicious, even if they haven't found your body.

Execute your plan. Leave a 'suicide note' before disappearing. Leave the city as far as possible, and start your new life, free from everything.

Delete all contact information for your old acquaintances. Unfortunately, most people who fake their death fail when trying to collect the insurance money they hoped for, or end up getting caught speeding. To succeed, you must completely disappear.

• Start by hiding somewhere for a few weeks, like a cheap motel. Stock up on food and stay tuned to investigative shows on TV to see when the police decide to stop looking for you. When you absolutely must go outside, make sure to disguise yourself.
• Eventually, you'll need to go somewhere to begin your new life.

Create a new identity. After faking your death, you'll need to create a new identity for yourself. Perhaps a gambler and poet in Vietnam decided to leave behind the family tuna canning factory and move to Australia to work in the automotive industry? Or maybe a bartender in a small town must seek opportunities in a big city like Ho Chi Minh? Define your new identity and start preparing:

• New name. Practice signing your new name, introducing yourself with it, and getting used to it. Choose a name that sounds genuine, such as Nguyễn Anh Tuấn or something similar.
• New style. What do you want your new look to be? Pick clothing that contrasts with your old style to create a fresh appearance. You should dress in a way that your own mother wouldn’t recognize you if she saw you on the street. Grow a beard, shave your head, change your hair color, wear leather – do whatever is necessary to establish a completely new look.
• Your backstory. How will you describe your past to others? How will you introduce yourself? How can you leave behind your previous identity when meeting new people?

Create a fake ID. After establishing your new identity as Trần Thanh Hà, you should either find or create fake documents to begin your new life.

Go somewhere no one recognizes you. Unless you have convincing fake documents, flying may not be the best option. It’s better to travel far away by hitchhiking or taking the bus to save on costs.

Work in secrecy. Paying taxes will become difficult, so you should work secretly and keep moving to ensure your safety. Consider taking a job as an immigrant laborer. You can head south and seek employment in places like plantations or farms, where you can work under the radar. Keep moving through rural areas.

Avoid drawing attention to yourself. You should not seek to become a public figure. Instead, live quietly and simply, limiting social interactions and concealing your true self. When people start getting close, it’s best to relocate.

• Avoid tourist spots and popular landmarks, as these places often have cameras recording your image. You may also run into tourists who recognize you.
• Wear a hooded jacket to conceal your face if you prefer not to be recognized.

• You need to prepare everything in advance before "disappearing". Starting a new life will be easier if you plan ahead, ideally a year in advance. Here are a few simple examples:
  • Important documents (ID card, passport)
  • Find a suitable place to begin your new life, carefully and methodically. Avoid using Google to search for a new residence.
  • Make a well-thought-out escape plan. If considering self-harm, ensure that your final words and disappearance remain undiscovered for several days or a week after you’ve relocated. At that point, you should be in a different country or continent with new documentation and a fresh plan. Traveling by boat allows for more freedom of movement on the water compared to flying. You can also take the train if there are railways connecting countries. Ticket sellers will only check your passport and rarely require registration.
  • Prepare a new job or even some opportunities to help establish your life in the new home for a while.
• Cut all ties with your past. Even if you change your appearance, people may still recognize you.
• If you’re underage, you might find it difficult to carry out your plan due to your dependence on your family.
• Make sure to arrange a place to stay, or you might end up sleeping on the street.
• Changing your appearance can help, but you don’t need surgery. Simply altering your hairstyle or hair color can be enough to make you appear different.
• Don’t break the law. The police might track you down, leading to much bigger problems.
• Finding a job can be tough, so if possible (especially if your disappearance is mysterious), you should change your legal name and prepare new records, etc...
• Begin your new life. This is an opportunity to redefine yourself completely.
• This will be easier if you don’t have many close friends and family.
• If you regret your decision, you should confess. If you explain to loved ones, they will likely be more understanding and might even feel relieved that they no longer have to worry about you.
• Think about your friends and family and their feelings before going through with this. If you’re caught, they will be angry. They’ll have to endure the pain while you’re out there living a good life.
• Wear color-changing contact lenses or sunglasses. This can make it harder for others to recognize you.

• Don’t do this just for money, as the plan will likely fail, and your family will suffer a lot for your selfish actions.
• If you’re caught, it could lead to serious misunderstandings, as not everyone will understand why you decided to fake your death.
• Phones have tracking devices. You should use a new phone.
• Avoid drawing attention to yourself.