Live Stoner Chat Stealth and social engineering. For the veteran's here who have been growing more than 5 years....

[Mariano Gomes]

So I noticed this form doesn't have stealth and social engineering methods and does and dont's. Maybe some members on here who have had experienced getting into close calls or outright getting caught could share their experiences on how to minimize this. Not everyone on here lives in canada, california or any of the other legal states and even though those states are legal trump gave the go signal for the pigs to come in... Sooo maybe the vets can drop some wisdom on how to hide the grow tent. How to deal with people. how to order stuff online seeds etc. So our community will grow and busts would be lessened. I noticed a lot of people from here and on different forums just suddenly drop out and ghost. And a follow up thread would come up with someone or they themselves talking about getting busted. Maybe we can tackle this indept and be smarter. I think everyone should know by now that loose lips sink ships.... but maybe there are other reasons for getting caught. Like is ordering from amazon safe to get supplies etc?

 

[KapScot]

So I noticed this form doesn't have stealth and social engineering methods and does and dont's.

I think you're right and, even tho I come from a country with draconian ideas about cannabis, I don't think that's a bad thing. The legalisation and regulation in the US, Canada, Australia etc has driven Cannabis to the forefront of local and national news, and while medicinal cannabis users in Washington are getting good CBD rich strains over the counter we here in the UK are being told by (some of) our daily newspapers that cannabis is addictive, will give us psychosis - and is still considered a 'gateway drug' leading honest god fearing people to a life of drug addiction [it would be funny if it weren't a commonly repeated journalistic theme).

There isn't really a 'stealth section' in the Forums - but there are a number of problem solved type questions that crop up in both the Indoor Growers and Micro-Growers sections, but since these can often be 'hidden' within other threads it can be difficult to find the info. I think rather than look for a section on stealth - you want to ask in the Indoor Growers or New Growers any questions you may have that are unique to your situation.

So how do you hide a tent?... put it in a shed... er build it a box.... er..?

In my opinion the most important stealth features are silence and smell.

Silence :

Nice quiet fans so that neighbours aren't wondering what the humming sound is at night - personally I think this is just being considerate to neighbours because I know that noises at night can sound louder due to the lack of ambient noise. Use quiet fans - acoustic ducting - silencers.

The other type of silence. Tempting as it is to brag about how well a grow is going don't tell your general friends and let them know anything you smoke is 'home grown', don't tell your good friends about it either unless you really do trust them (like one of our neighbours has spare keys in case of emergency and knows I grow for personal use) so I have no problem there. Keep on good terms with your neighbours if that is an issue, you'd be surprised how many will have smoked in their lifetimes and how many really don't care as long as you are a good neighbour.

Smell :

If stealth is an issue be prepared to spend as much (if not more) on filters and fans as you do on lighting. There's nothing more obvious than walking into someones house and playing guess how many days she's been flowering. Larger fans and filters can be run at slower speeds to reduce noise and maintain filter airflow.

Everything else is just gardening

 

[Proph]

My opinion on this may not be the most popular, but as with anything in life, you should know what you're getting into, and have a plan, before you get into it. This should be done by the person with questions, as everyones situation is different.

Most people put tents in closets or spare rooms. There really isnt a way to hide a tent with a carbon filter, exhaust fan, and all the chords and such. You can build boxes for exhaust fans to lessen the sound, but some dont have tools.. You can order seeds to a safe address, one thats not where you grow, and use throw away prepaid visa cards or bitcoin.

Ordering supplies is the same as ordering seeds. You can order whatever you want, they have no idea what you are doing with it, and they arent spending the time or money to find out. No smell.. So sell.. No tell.. Thats the general rule that most home growers follow.

The feds got the green light to go after those selling.. As in dispensaries.. They are not sending city cops or feds to seize the random 3x3 tent in a closet in a residential neighborhood. Not yet at least, lol.

Just remember the simple stuff.. Turn the location tagging off on your camera, use different user names for every forum or social site, hide your ip, no faces in photos, lie about your location on social sites, ect. There are plenty of ways to protect oneself.. But no smell, no sell, no tell, should cover most.

 

[Mariano Gomes]

Thanks guys great tips. If any of the people who have been doing it for years and have experiences getting caught and how to avoid it the advice may help a lot of people. I like barry cooper's series on never get busted but I think it might be outdated now.

 

[Engineered Grower]

My opinion on this may not be the most popular, but as with anything in life, you should know what you're getting into, and have a plan, before you get into it. This should be done by the person with questions, as everyones situation is different.

Most people put tents in closets or spare rooms. There really isnt a way to hide a tent with a carbon filter, exhaust fan, and all the chords and such. You can build boxes for exhaust fans to lessen the sound, but some dont have tools.. You can order seeds to a safe address, one thats not where you grow, and use throw away prepaid visa cards or bitcoin.

Ordering supplies is the same as ordering seeds. You can order whatever you want, they have no idea what you are doing with it, and they arent spending the time or money to find out. No smell.. So sell.. No tell.. Thats the general rule that most home growers follow.

The feds got the green light to go after those selling.. As in dispensaries.. They are not sending city cops or feds to seize the random 3x3 tent in a closet in a residential neighborhood. Not yet at least, lol.

Just remember the simple stuff.. Turn the location tagging off on your camera, use different user names for every forum or social site, hide your ip, no faces in photos, lie about your location on social sites, ect. There are plenty of ways to protect oneself.. But no smell, no sell, no tell, should cover most.

You are so right, @Prophetiko !

I use a VPN to hide who and where I am located and never ever use my location turned on.

 

[CR00]

Great topic.

I'd like to hear opinions on ordering from amazon as well. It's interesting, Target knows you are pregnant before you do based on your spending. I'm sure the same could be said about your intent in regards to what is purchased on amazon.

In regards to ordering seeds - how many seeds is too many within a purchase being shipped to the US? We read plenty of reviews and even some referencing the total dollar amount spent but not necessarily how many seeds were purchased. Is 10 too many? 20? 30? 100? Perhaps the 'stealth shipping' option from each respective seed bank plays a part in this.

I'm not sure I've seen any good sites on properly using bitcoin for complete anonymity either. Not to mention that you need to report some level of bitcoin usage on your taxes (in the US). (Although I believe that the tax issue is more of a hassle then it is a recognition of buying seeds.) But I have a feeling some people are signing up on coinbase and sending bitcoin directly to seed banks from coinbase (yikes).

VPN usage and Tor browser usage for anonymous online browsing.

I've seen different threads and feedback on shipping seeds direct to your grow location. Many say not to do that and to have it sent to a business (your work?!) or someone elses place (which, let's be real, directly competes with 'no tell').

 

[Mariano Gomes]

Actually the reason they started using bitcoin for seedbanks unlike the dark web is because the credit card company got orders from the federal government to stop transacting or paying anything connected to cannabis (ever since legalization google it). Since dispensaries only deal in cash and can't keep bank accounts. It's funny that regulation and legalization added red tape to so many things that were once easy. Plus trumps term is looking like they will start cracking down again in the US. So they don't have a choice in terms of payment. But yeah google and amazon ad analytics is scary. Everything from youtube to amazon to google is showing me cannabis related products due to analytics. I think as long as we are customers and part of their system of making money it an open secret and safe. BUT in the future if the same people and corporations who have been suppressing weed start using their powers I think companies like amazon will be forced to bend,

Great topic.

I'd like to hear opinions on ordering from amazon as well. It's interesting, Target knows you are pregnant before you do based on your spending. I'm sure the same could be said about your intent in regards to what is purchased on amazon.

In regards to ordering seeds - how many seeds is too many within a purchase being shipped to the US? We read plenty of reviews and even some referencing the total dollar amount spent but not necessarily how many seeds were purchased. Is 10 too many? 20? 30? 100? Perhaps the 'stealth shipping' option from each respective seed bank plays a part in this.

I'm not sure I've seen any good sites on properly using bitcoin for complete anonymity either. Not to mention that you need to report some level of bitcoin usage on your taxes (in the US). (Although I believe that the tax issue is more of a hassle then it is a recognition of buying seeds.) But I have a feeling some people are signing up on coinbase and sending bitcoin directly to seed banks from coinbase (yikes).

VPN usage and Tor browser usage for anonymous online browsing.

I've seen different threads and feedback on shipping seeds direct to your grow location. Many say not to do that and to have it sent to a business (your work?!) or someone elses place (which, let's be real, directly competes with 'no tell').

 

[Madness]

From my experience of almost going to federal prison because of a crazy girlfriend that I got away from...

-Don't tell anyone that isn't your best friend, and even then be careful. MAKE SURE YOUR GF OR BF ISNT A SOCIOPATH!!!!

-Use a VPN for all browsing on your phone that has to do with cannabis. VPN's aren't that expensive, I recommend nordvpn.

-Go to a local hydro store to buy supplies and use cash(I have bought off of Amazon before and luckily for me it didn't matter for my case at the time because they either didn't find it out or didn't look)

-make sure you have a carbon filter or else the smell will be VERY noticeable and you will start to get used to it and not notice it as much even though it is clearly very strong. If you don't use a carbon filter the smell can seep into your clothes(if the grow is in your house/room)

-DONT BE LAZY!!!!!!! -i can't stress this enough. As in, if something is off make sure youre paying attention. Make sure everything is all together such as carbon filter and fan aren't leaking air through the tubing, no light leaks, etc

-try not to keep any records of anything. Now I do keep a notebook which I really shouldnt. If you can I recommend getting an app that had a password protecting the information you have within it.

--make sure location is off while taking photos or going into your grow area(if it isn't at your house)--im not sure if iPhones are the same or not but with iPhones you used to have to screenshot the photos you took because it always had a location tag

- dont tell people you have home grown nug. Even if you tell them it isn't yours they might believe otherwise

-send seeds to somewhere else besides to where you are growing. Ask a friend that already knows and you can trust if you can send them there. ALWAYS GET DISCRETE SHIPPING
- my last seed pack that I received a month ago was opened by customs. Of ciurse I used discrete shipping and taken out of breeeder packs. Customs opened it and it was a G-13 labs gray beanie. The seeds were tucked underneath the flap of the beanie and they never even saw them. Now that's what I'm talking about tight there!(order from attitude)

-use Bitcoin on your seed orders. Once I realized how to use Bitcoin I won't turn back to use anything else. The ultimate discreteness.

-after you are done tending to your garden...SHOWER. now this isn't the case all of the time but when I'm in my flower room at mid flower and messing with the plants my fingers, hands, sometimes clothes start to smell like the plants especially if I'm touching them. Showering can help displace the smell that is on you.

Every scenario is different but I definitely recommend these tips and a lot of others that have been said as well. You always have to be worried about what people know with what you do. Once you get comfortable is when something really bad can happen.

 

[Ydijadoit]

Excellent thread. I grew for years, right next door to a cop. Always smiled n waved... When he moved, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Literally one week later, another cop moves in across the street, and this one had a nice Shepard, that was fully trained. Local drug task force, no less.
All trimmings got dried crispy, and went in the blender. Pounds of it. We would go for a walk every couple nights, and sprinkle the ground up trim like pixie dust, all over the neighborhood, with special emphasis on the neighbors yard. Puppy was happy, we were happy. I have no doubt the entire block reeked of weed to our four legged friend. Who's a good boy?
I ran two carbon filters. A Can75 in my room, out to a plenum box in my garage, with a Can100. NO smell, ever. The two extraction fans were run on separate breakers, and the larger one in the garage ran on a UPS power supply, in case of a power outage.
No tell. That's the big one, and I believe (without proof I can show you), that that is the cause of 90% of busts. A secret is only a secret until the second person knows it.
Don't look like a stoner. Ditch the dreads, shave once in awhile, and look just plain boring. Keep your place clean, turn down the music, and disappear into the mass of minivan driving humanity. No stickers on your car, no ty-dye shirts, etc.
Never open the door. I don't know the laws in other countries, but in the US, this is huge. If the police knock at the door of a suspected drug house, they don't have warrant. If they did, they'd be knocking with a battering ram and flash bangs. They are like a fucking vampire, once they literally stick a toe in your door, you are fucked. Close the door on their toe? Assaulting an officer, and away we go....
Every person should watch a two part video on YouTube. It's called "don't talk to the police". Two men give the lecture, one a law professor, and the other a retired detective, with years of grilling the shit out of people. Seriously, invest an hour or so in your future.
I'll add more to this as I think of it, but my fingers are getting tired from typing on a phone!
Stay safe!
Kyle

 

[Padawan1972]

You are so right, @Prophetiko !

I use a VPN to hide who and where I am located and never ever use my location turned on.

All posted is great sound advise...I do have a question about VPNs...if you get a VPN now...hiding you ISP locating from now on...what about all the other times BEFORE the VPN..I guess it would depend on server if it dumps ISPs once user is logged off. Not sure how that works..IF any law enforcement did hang out ...can they see older post with ISP? or can they only see it when active on site? make sense?..If they can see older ISP...should one get a new Nickname when they get a VPN?.