So this is pretty genius. Back in the 80s, a gentleman from San Francisco discovered that by camouflaging his van as a work vehicle, he could park in loading zones, deter thieves, and gain access to all sorts of cool places to explore and photograph that he probably wouldn’t be allowed into otherwise. The “company” that his van (and later his SUV) were supposedly a fleet vehicle for was called Telstar Logistics, and to complete the illusion, he accessorized the SUV with “yellow stripes on the tailgate, a cryptic vehicle number on the sides, and a police-style spotlight,” then later added “a logo from a defunct 1950s-era nuclear energy mutual fund.” As his corporate alter-ego grew, he “ordered hundreds of smaller Telstar Logistics stickers, and bought some custom-embroidered Telstar Logistics t-shirts for myself and a few friends. I started to give away Telstar Logistics pens as holiday gifts.” More shots of his vehicles are here.
So what did all this corporate camouflage get him besides some nifty pens and ticket-free parking? Well, ever since I did a photo blog on the Mojave Spaceport airplane graveyard earlier this year, people have been writing to ask me how I got inside. The short answer is that I knew someone who did me a favor and the place is locked down like Fort Knox and no you can’t go in too, but companies with business at the Spaceport are allowed inside — companies like Telstar Logistics! (Here are photos they took.) Telstar’s “photo survey unit” has also gotten access to the top of the Golden Gate bridge and several abandoned Cold War-era military bases around the Bay Area.
So now that his decades-long subterfuge has been exposed (by him), what do you think — should he be locked up forever as a law-flouting urban terrorist or celebrated as an explorer-photographer who came up with a harmless creative solution to his access problems?
Comments (13)
Comment
- subscribe /
- give a gift /
- terms of service /
- about /
- contact us /
- write for us /
- ad info /
- subscriber services /
- press /
- privacy policy /
- rss /
© 2012 Mental Floss Inc. All Rights Reserved. Mental Floss is a registered trademark owned by Felix Dennis. mentalfloss.com is a trademark owned by Felix Dennis.
Disclaimer: All submissions made to mental_floss become the property of Mental Floss Inc and may be used without further permission by the submitter and without compensation to the submitter. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not submit anything to mental_floss.
Not sure if it is wrong or not, but it sure is creative. I love it.
posted by Rissa on 12-23-2009 at 11:28 am
Celebrate him! He did no harm, and (if nothing else) has exposed a fundamental flaw in virtually all of our security protocols: we automatically defer to anyone who seems legit and sounds like they might be more important than us.
posted by Jon. on 12-23-2009 at 12:14 pm
The IRS might have something to say to him about fraudulently running a business as well as any number of other government organizations.
posted by Troy on 12-23-2009 at 12:21 pm
Funny! We have a company called “GrahamCo”. I’m CEO, husband is CFO, and our boys are shareholders. We run our house like a business – checks and balances – and have considered buying pens, t-shirts, etc with our logo as Christmas presents. The IRS can’t say anything as long as he’s not actually doing business – kinda like us!
Re Captcha: the Dunnell – a defunct Scottish band?
posted by tinkerschnitzel on 12-23-2009 at 12:57 pm
I think the security measures at each location should be reexamined (did he have a harder time after 9/11?) but he did no harm. Suppose he was technically committing fraud, though….
posted by Kate on 12-23-2009 at 12:58 pm
Just like Michael Keaton said in “The Paper”, a clipboard and a confident wave will get you into any building in the world.
I found that to be so true when I worked for a company filling and fixing vending machines. There were some stops that weren’t on my route which were supposed to be very secure. When I had to go to those places, I would just waltz past security because it looked like I knew what I was doing. Whenever I ran into anyone I would just hold my clipboard up only showing them the back and say “hi” and be on my way.
recaptcha: walloon er–I didn’t know walloons had hospitals
posted by Wayne on 12-23-2009 at 1:39 pm
Kind of scary since I work in a supposedly secure building. Maybe not so much.
posted by Hyacinth on 12-23-2009 at 2:45 pm
Walloons inhabit Wallonia, and other parts of Belgium, Leuxembourg and the Netherlands…….. They have hospitals, railway stations, all the same stuff as minnesotans and, oh. Californians and whateveronians have.
So do Flemings.
posted by soubriquet on 12-23-2009 at 3:07 pm
This guy should start a auditing/consulting business. He could test security at various places. Auditors sometimes walk around their client’s offices to see if anyone will ask for credentials or they start pocketing items, use unlocked computers, etc. to prove to their clients that they need better security.
I am not sure if he should be prosecuted because he was never caught at these places. Technically he probably violated laws on trespassing and fraud. However I do think he is creative and just proves how sometimes people are very trusting.
posted by Gina on 12-23-2009 at 3:15 pm
I’ve been following the activities of Telstar Logistics for some time.
I had a sign on my LandRover, some years ago, that said “National Geophysical Survey”, and a yellow flashing beacon, and “surveying” sign in the front window, when I was driving unsurfaced roads and tracks where recreational off-road drivers were often unwelcome, that sign, and a high-vis jacket and hard-hat, also the ubiquitous clipboard got me by with a smile and a nod, maybe a brief conversation about the weather..
It allowed access to industrial sites, and abandoned mines, quarries etc, that I was looking at with a view to off-road motorsport use……
No actual fraud, nor lying was involved, just a misdirection of people’s perceptions.
Telstar Logistics, however, is the master.
posted by soubriquet on 12-23-2009 at 3:16 pm
I think it’s great! I don’t think he should be prosecuted for one minute. He not only explored areas he wouldn’t typically be allowed to explore, but he photographed the whole thing for everyone else to enjoy!
Besides, if we as a country (or a business, for that matter) can’t ensure our own security, then I would rather find out this way than how it was found out after 9/11.
posted by treenuh on 12-23-2009 at 4:26 pm
Interesting story. I just wanted to comment because the recaptcha is Brassing entrepreneur – seemed appropriate!
posted by C on 12-23-2009 at 10:03 pm
I dont think he should be punished in any way, but i think that our leaders should take note of this, it is worrisome that anyone could do this; what if this guy had been a terrorist or something?
posted by Daniel on 12-24-2009 at 2:18 am