Information

It's time to take another trip into the Un-Zone, where truth is stranger than fiction, because fiction has to make sense in the end. Well, most of the times. Unless you deal with the surrealistic or the magical-realism genres. Nothing make sense, which is the entire point. Making little or no sense is making sense. At least with fantasy, there's a perfectly logical reason for everything. Like powerful wizards. Or elves. And you cannot forget the hobbits. I digress.

Today's post is about gathering information and how easy it is. After you read this post, you might look at things a little bit differently. How you respond, well, that depends on what type of person you are. All of the stuff written in this post is based off of information available online and in other forms. Including listening. This is going to be an interesting post.

We all have information. It takes different disguises depending on the situation. For instance, take a look at your birthday. On most occasions, it is just that. An important date in your life, but something it's information you freely share with your friends, acquaintances, Department of Motor Vehicles, credit card companies, employers, well, nearly everyone you meet in some way. In these situations, giving out your date of birth is something you will do freely. You might even use it for a password, a practice that you should not do as it makes it infinitely easier to get at truly SECRET information. It might be used to verify you are who you claim to be.
On the other hand, what about your Social Security Number? It could possibly be called the closest thing to a universal identification number in the United States. You might freely give it for employment purposes or on important forms, but you would never tell some random person your Social Security number if they asked. Or would you?Obtaining someone's SSN is one of the hardest things to do. It's a common test to give to spy trainees. Actually, they're not called spies, but "intelligence officers" or something similar. You only have the normal things found in wallets like driver's licences, money, credit cards, etc. Normally, the ID and other stuff is fake. Only the money is real. No other props. Few obtain this information. Even as a trained spy, it is hard to get. However, it is possible.
The best ruse is the "The Numbers" ploy. You go to a bar, have a few drinks, then engage in a conversation with a person near you. Then you say, "Hey, I found out something cool today!" The chosen person will follow along and ask you what is so interesting. You mention that Social Security Numbers follow a pattern. Pull out a Social Security Card. Go through the actions of "This group means I was born in and this means I was born in this year..." and so forth. After you do this spiel, you say, "Show me your Social Security Card. I bet you a dollar (or any suitable sum of money) that I can tell you where and when you were born." After you give a wrong answer, most people will prove you wrong. How? By telling you their place of birth, their birthdate, and their Social Security Number. Some might even show you their card also.
As with anything involving gaining the confidence of a person, attitude is everything. You can have a believable story with all the right supporting material, but if you don't look the part, it will not work. You must look and sound believable. Many credible stories have fallen apart due to a betrayal of some sort. The nervous twitch. Wrong emotions. Funny looking clothing. The Mossad (Israeli Intelligence agency like the CIA) in the 1970's used to send agents as businessmen, but they were always spotted. Every single time. Why? The agents wore sneakers with their business suits. That and they were excessively anal about receipts for everything. A former Mossad agent said this was also due to the agents being Gallicaners (Eastern European backgrounds) instead of "outsider" Yekkes (Western European and everywhere else). They weren't cosmopolitan enough. Another digression.

OK...so you want to find out other stuff. Where and who do you go to? The underground information broker? The common informant? Nope. You go to the local bars and clubs. What the...? You go to bars and clubs. The bar is where everyone who hates their job goes to for therapy. It's best if you work as a team. This will be made apparent.
First, you locate your target--military base, defense contractor, criminal organization, etc. Give yourself sufficient time to get acquainted with the location you are in. A week or so is good. Ask questions on where the best bars are. Places to eat. Find out where people at target location go to. The tourist persona or "new person" always works well in most situations. Visit the bars once or twice to see what the vibe is like. Level of dress, what sort of people frequent there. You don't want to look like an outsider once you start gathering information.
Second, you follow people at said target after work. Preferably Friday night. It's Happy Hour and odds are, they're going to a bar. Note what cars they are driving. This will prove to be helpful much later.
Third, you enter bar and fit in. Have a drink. Chat with the people there. At least with some of the people you have followed. You will note that after a few drinks and a little attention, they will blab. What they're working on. Gossip on secret projects. Stuff that they're NOT supposed to be talking about. While they're distracted, some other team members are snatching IDs and other usefull items. They open briefcases and take papers. It's amazing what people put in their purses and briefcases and wallets. Plans. Passwords. Supposedly "secret" stuff.
Fourth, while the people inside are sufficiently distracted, a group of people are in the parking lot. They are swiping license plates (and numbers) off of cars. Stickers, parking passes, and other useful things to gain access to said target. One person should be near the exits to tell others if targets are leaving.
Fifth, after an hour or so, you leave with the goods. This depends on several factors. But an hour or so at a bar is long enough not to look suspicious.
Sixth, depending on the time schedule for the mission, repeat a few times.

Um...what if you don't like bars and you have qualms about being dishonest? Don't fret. Do nothing and just listen to conversations. Like everything else, you have to be convincing as to why you're there. At a bar? Buy a drink and sip it. If you're in a store, walk around and every so ofter, stop and look at an item. Look like you're shopping. Look like you're a tourist. Or stand outside and pretend you're smoking. Who hasn't seen a person standing outside smoking a cigarette? It's natural to see people if you're standing outside an apartment, house or a building of any sort. Any way you do try, you'll hear enough conversation to make out what's happening with people. Just remember to fit in and not bring too much attention to yourself.

Well, I think I've been reading too much. Hope you've enjoyed this post. That's all for now.