There is no such title as a spy, but there are spies. When I was a special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations stationed in Turkey, technically, I was a “counterintelligence agent.” As such, my job was to spy on my opponents, and they spied on me.

You will never see an advertisement to become a spy, but the skills spies use can be beneficial to you in certain circumstances. Therefore, I am going to give you a few tips.

To be a good spy, it is essential that you know the secrets of keeping things from becoming known by others. After all, a spy must be able to send information and complete tasks without getting caught.

Nothing is quite as useful in helping a spy do the job as his or her disguise. Many people enjoy wearing masks and other disguises at Halloween, but when worn by a spy, his/her life depends on the quality of the disguise. There are several ways in which you can conceal yourself, and different outfits may be appropriate at different times, depending on your need to hide.

Blend in with the Crowd

You will want to choose a disguise that will not stand out in the crowd. A spy should blend in with those around him. For instance, if you are in another country, a t-shirt with the American flag would look too suspicious and would blow your cover. Consider your environment when choosing your look. Showing up dressed in the wrong outfit or for a different occasion is a surefire way to get you noticed!

What to Wear

The clothing you wear will be the first decision to make when creating your spy disguise. If you are working in an area where no one knows you, your outfit may be enough to keep you unnoticed.

During war, a good disguise involves dressing in the same uniform as the side you are spying on. This happened a great deal in past wars. Since both sides of the war had similar backgrounds, spies could easily stay undercover by just changing their clothing. However, impersonating the enemy could get you killed. Women who were spies were never much looked at as suspicious since they were female. Most did not see women as threatening, which the other side took advantage of to help themselves win battles. Also, many girls took to dressing as boys just to join the war. They did not do this as spies, but they used disguises to get what they wanted.

For you, simply knowing what is worn in certain areas and dressing the part will be enough. Like those of old, specific uniforms may be enough. Someone in a UPS, Fed Ex, or even a janitor’s uniform can get into almost anyplace. Merely wearing a construction hat and vest works well too.

The Importance of Accessories

When you dress for any occasion, your clothes are typically not the only choices you make. Most prefer to accessorize as well. If you are going to an office to conduct surveillance, a suit, tie, and briefcase might be appropriate. If you are going to a construction site, you would never wear a suit. The key here is to know the environment in which you will operate and dress accordingly with the right accessories. For attending church, you will likely need a Bible. For a wedding, you will want to select a pair of shiny shoes and a tie.

Accessories are an essential component of a spy’s disguise. Likewise, you will want a head covering to prevent being seen in many areas, and different hats to change into might come in handy. I have done surveillance where I change hats if I thought I might have been noticed. Other everyday items to accessorize with include eyeglasses and a cane.

How To Pick Locks. (Who Needs Keys?)

You may find this shocking, but picking open a standard "tumbler" lock, (like the one on your front door), is pretty damn easy when you know how it's done.

And in a "meltdown" survival situation, (once the smash-n-grab crowd has stolen everything not tied-down), the food and water and secure shelter will all be behind locked doors, (which explains why Special Forces are often trained in lock picking... and why they carry a set of lock pics with them).

It's a lot of fun learning this skill, (it doesn't take long)... and kinda nice to help out that buddy locked out of his house after the wife discovered what really happened on that "no money down" real estate seminar in Vegas.

>> Check Out "Lock Picking Kit" Here. <<

What to Do if You Are Well Known

Over the years, many spies have been caught spying on those closest to them. It is usually not wrong to realize that close family, friends, or household helpers are behind the spying that is being conducted. Not everyone agrees with their family and friends all the time, which can actually lead to spying. In these circumstances, you will need to be very careful while spying to gather information without getting caught. Very good disguises will need to be created when spying here. A change of clothes or accessories will not be enough.

You should first consider your hair. The style you wear it, as well as the color of it, can make it known who you are. Spies usually dye and cut their hair to give it a totally new look. An alternative to this is wearing a high-quality wig that does not look fake. This is the better choice if you are changing between more than one look often. If you plan on maintain your spy persona for a while, a more permanent option such as a cut and hair dye will be better.

You may have seen in movies where people go from being young to old, or from skinny to fat as the story moves along. In real life, I have never gone to this extreme for spy or undercover work. To get these much different looks, you would need makeup artists and specialized techniques. Yes, they do these things in the Mission Impossible movies, but I am not aware of anyone who has done this for real. As I mentioned, hair can be colored. You can even add some weight with the use of layered clothing or padding. I am now a part-time actor, and I honed this craft from what I learned as a spy and undercover agent. A spy can be seen as an actor, but the stakes are much higher. In the end, if an actor screws up, they get another shot, whereas a spy typically only has one chance and can be locked up or killed if discovered.

This article just gives you a few more things to add to your bag of tricks. You never know when a good disguise will get you out of a bad situation.

Click Here For Brutal and Easy-to-Implement Self Defense Moves Taught by Derek Smith