A former spy has opened up about one of the most grueling aspects of his secret job.
Jack Beaumont (not his real name) is a former agent in the clandestine operations branch of the French foreign secret service, known as the DGSE.
Speaking to the news.com.au podcast, I have news for youBeaumont explained that the job required him to have five false identities at all times and detailed the incredible effort it took to maintain them all.
“If it’s an ID that you’re using to try to recruit a human source, and it’s a long-term manipulation, then the ID has to be pretty strong,” Beaumont told podcast host Andrew Bucklow.
This meant that each fake identity had to have a different social media presence and address.
“Each of these IDs must be taken down, if necessary, within 24 hours,” he said. “So you can’t just rent an apartment because you’ll leave a payment trail.
“You have to find somewhere in Paris or in the countryside where you have some empty flats and then you will make them yours.
“You’re going to change the name on the mailbox, you’re going to change the name on the doorbell, and then you’re going to put some cameras.”
Beaumont said he then had to familiarize himself with the locals in each area, so his false identities would stand up to scrutiny if people came to check.
“People around this address must know you,” he said. “They need to know that your face is associated with that name because if someone wants to check it out, they’re going to come to that address and ask at the coffee shop or the pharmacy with a picture of you asking, ‘Do you know this person?’ ‘
“So those people have to know you by that fake name and be able to say, ‘Yeah, I know him, he lives around the block.'”
This meant that Mr Beaumont had to put face time into spreading his bogus story.
“You need to spend some time in your fake area and talk to the cafe owner, and make sure they actually remember you with that fake ID, bringing your bulls to life,” he said.
He said that if any of his false identities were compromised, he would have to create a new one immediately.
“These five identifiers allow you to do 10 to 15 different approaches and missions at the same time,” he said. “And when you burn one, you immediately recreate the fifth so you always have five different IDs to fall back on.”
Mr Beaumont, who worked at the DGSE for more than 10 years before resigning due to the mental toll, also detailed the effects the job had on his social life.
“They [DGSE] Basically, I’m telling you to name five friends you can trust and talk to [about what you do for a living],” he said.
“They do background checks on your friends and then give you the green light or not to talk to them.
“But the problem is when you go to your friends and say, ‘This is what I actually do, and ‘The Company’ (DGSE) had to do a background check on your life,” they usually don’t take it very good friends
“Anyway, you end up losing your friends because they think you’ve been lying to them for years and that you checked their background and private life without permission.”
Beaumont has since left the DGSE and now lives in Australia with his wife and children.
Last year he wrote his debut novel, a fictional espionage thriller called The French which is a bestseller in several countries.
You can listen to the first part of his two-part interview right now on news.com.au I have news for you podcast, with the second episode premiering on Monday.