The trick the book mentions is to use the identity/credentials of a real person who practices in another city. The ex-con fellow also used artifacts like (as I recall) a keychain with frat letters on it, etc.
Some in the computer security world do a lot with "social engineering." I'm sure a search would turn up much. Some people go around intentionally hacking people, instead of computers.
If that sounds weird, many managers and PR people do that all the time... They don't want slaves, they want robots. Your emotions and dreams are buttons.
The second season of "Patrolling with Sean Kennedy," on google video, is a hilarious, brilliant look on how normal people can just fade into the corporate urban jungle. Not in some amoral/evil way, but so some places won't hold your nonconformism against you.
During the earlier tech boom, I knew someone who got his girlfriend a job at some company like Oracle. She had no idea about this tech stuff, but he was there at the interview with her, and said something like "Follow my lead, just play along," and she was hired.
Personally, I just sit at the keyboard and type what a programmer would type... ;)
Tayssir