On foot and public transport

If you’re on foot, you should also first identify whether you’re being followed. Try to keep an eye on your pursuer without looking back. You can use the reflective surfaces of store windows. Try to note any characteristics of your tail, particularly things they can’t change as easily as clothes, such as height and weight. Also pay attention to their shoes. While they are following you, it might be easy for them to quickly shed a coat or add a hat, but they are probably not going to have time to change their shoes.

Once you are certain you are being followed, you should also make steps to change your own appearance. “Keep moving and possibly ditch your jacket or put on a baseball cap - little things like this make a big difference. The person who is following you has built a mental image - any variation you can acquire to develop the ‘change’ is a throw off,” says Devine.

Read more how to loose your tail and how to avoid the company behind the wheel