History Main / ConvenientlyUnverifiableCoverStory

** When Sansa Stark is undercover and disguised as Littlefinger's bastard daughter "Alayne Stone," her cover story is that her mother was a Braavosi noblewoman who died giving birth to her and entrusted her to the Faith (a religious order), and that she was raised by septas. Her "father" gives her some religious books to read and to quote from, commenting, "Nothing discourages unwanted questions as much as a flow of pious bleating."

** When Sansa Stark is undercover and disguised as Littlefinger's bastard daughter "Alayne Stone," her cover story is that her mother was a Braavosi noblewoman who died giving birth to her, and that she was raised by septas.

** Prince Aegon VI Targaryen is thought to have been murdered as a baby, but he turns up alive and it turns out he was switched with a peasant baby to keep him safe -- at least, that's what his guardians told him growing up. His distinctive Targaryen silver hair is [[DyeOrDie dyed blue to hide his identity]], with his explanation being that his late mother was from Tyrosh (a Free City famous for its cultural tradition of brightly colored hair dye) and he dyes his hair in remembrance of her.

** Prince Aegon VI Targaryen is thought to have been murdered as a baby, but he turns up alive and it turns out he was switched with a peasant baby to keep him safe, and raised in secrecy -- at least, that's what he was told. His distinctive Targaryen silver hair is [[DyeOrDie dyed blue to hide his identity]], with his explanation being that his late mother was from Tyrosh (a Free City famous for its cultural tradition of brightly colored hair dye) and he dyes his hair in remembrance of her.

* According to ''Literature/{{Allegiant}}'', [[spoiler:Natalie Prior was not born Dauntless; she was born in freaking ''Wisconsin'', asked to join the community in Chicago by the Bureau partially because of her "undamaged genes", and partially to serve as TheMole. How did no one find this out? The Bureau wiped the memories of everyone in Dauntless to make them believe she had always been there]].

* In Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's ''Literature/BrothersInArms'', Elli Quinn spots the bad guy partly because his cover identity is from a planet wrecked by a tectonic disaster. Indeed, it's implied that only amateurs use that planet for a cover identity any longer, as every professional intelligence agency in the Nexus considers 'survivor of Frost IV' an automatic red flag requiring double-checking.

* ''Literature/GenocidalOrgan'' by Project ITOH. A terrorist sets off a backpack nuke that destroys Sarajevo. This proves useful for an underground movement dedicated to resisting the [[BigBrotherIsWatchingYou all-pervasive surveillance]] that has grown up as a result.

* On ''Series/GhostsUK'', Lucy claims to be Allison's half-sister with a photograph of their father to prove it. She's really a con artist using a faked photo, figuring Lucy won't notice the World War II fortification in the background is faked. It's a good plan and nearly works...if not for the fact Allison is able to speak to the ghost of a British colonel who was stationed at that very fortification and can relate it's in the wrong spot, unraveling Lucy's scam.

** In the ''Literature/TalesOfDunkAndEgg'' prequel short stories, it's implied that the titular Ser Duncan the Tall's story of being knighted by his now-deceased hedge knight master on his deathbed may have been a lie; with Duncan as the only witness to his death and all.

Designing a good cover story is one of the most difficult and crucial parts of going undercover for TheMole. Lack of research into the details and customs of the identity they're assuming can be a [[CrossCulturalKerfluffle dead giveaway]] in casual dealings, and even the best falsified documents backed up with hacked databases and bribed records keepers can eventually be cracked with enough research and cross referencing. What a lot of moles end up doing is sacrificing authenticity for security by creating a [[ContrivedCoincidence conveniently]] unverifiable cover story. This cover story creates or [[DeadPersonImpersonation assumes]] an identity whose background can't be verified or disproved, by claiming to come from a place or period with no personal records or witnesses. Commonly, it's a [[DoomedHomeTown burned down]] [[ParentalAbandonment orphanage]], though being the "lone survivor" of an accident, or coming from a place that suffered a natural disaster or been in a civil war are also common. Potentially non-tragic unverifiable cover stories are coming from communities that shun modern things like hospitals and birth certificates, or where the hall of records has been destroyed. It can be a very convenient option for [[UndeadTaxExemption supernatural beings or people from other worlds trying to establish an identity]] in human society.

* Subverted on ''Series/TheAmericans''. Philip and Elizabeth are Russian sleeper agents and as such much of their fictional past is composed of these types of events. However, the Russians are savvy enough to add elements that can be verified. While Philip has no "living relatives", Elizabeth has an "aunt" living not far from them. The "aunt" is actually another Russian agent whose job is to provide their back stories with verification should anyone check up on them. She pretends to be slightly senile so people do not try to ask too many questions.

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'': Kazutano, an illegal immigrant living in Japan, once claimed his birth certificate was burned during the UsefulNotes/WorldWarII firebombings. He's too young for that story to be at all credible, though.

* In the early ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels, it's mentioned that all one really needs to do to create a totally new identity for one's self was travel a hundred miles and make up a new name and backstory. If you can look and act the part, people will believe it - in a fantasy world depicting an era where virtually everyone lived their entire lives within fifty miles of the place where they were born, nobody will be able to verify anything, and you're unlikely to run into anyone who knew you previously to contradict you. This is how Lily Weatherwax became Lady Lilith de Tempiscire in ''Literature/WitchesAbroad'' and Henry Sluggs became Enrico Basilica in ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}''.

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* ''Podcast/Case63'': Dr Knight is a psychiatrist working with Peter, a patient who claims to be a time traveler from 40 years in the future. She doesn't believe him, thinking he's instead lying or delusional. In their very first session together, Dr Knight suggests that, if true, Peter's story could be verified by doing a DNA match with his currently-living mother. She expects his story to be conveniently unverifiable, assumes Peter will say no, they can't intervene in his parents' lives because that could stop them getting together, creating a GrandfatherParadox. But to Dr Knight's surprise, it's a SubvertedTrope--Peter ''encourages'' her to go talk to his parents, explaining that their origin story as a couple is actually a StableTimeLoop that hinges on Dr Knight's interference.
-->'''Dr Knight:''' But if I contacted your parents, that would alter the future in some way, right?\\
'''Peter:''' True.\\
'''Dr Knight:''' They wouldn't get to know each other and you wouldn't be born, we wouldn't be--\\
'''Peter:''' --we wouldn't be having this conversation.\\
'''Dr Knight:''' Correct.\\
'''Peter:''' In four weeks--not sure of the exact date--but precisely because of the fact that you ''will'' believe me, you will contact my parents. And this story of an American psychiatrist who called my parents talking about their time-traveling son who hasn't been born will seem so funny that my dad will go ''looking'' for my mom. They'll go out for some beers and they'll start to date. They'll become boyfriend and girlfriend, and I'll be born. All thanks to you, Doctor. I'll grow up listening to this story--the story of the American psychiatrist who brought my parents together.
[[/folder]]

* In the "Vicki's Adoption" episode of ''Series/SmallWonder'', Ted and Joan had Vicki write two letters, in different styles of handwriting, claiming that Vicki was born in the Seychelles (hence her being named Victoria), her birth parents had died while traveling (see StereoFibbing), and she was raised in a convent before being brought to the United States.

* In ''Series/You2018'', Cadence claims her name is "[[Creator/AmyAdams Amy Adam]]," which sounds like it ''could'' be a real name, but is, as Joe notes, completely impossible to look up.
-->'''Forty:''' Was "[[Music/BritneySpears Britney Spear]]" already taken?

---> '''Hazel''': Years and years ago, back in Idaho -- before you were born. I just never got around to mentioning it.\\

* During WorldWarTwo, in France, it was a common tactic for Resistance fighters to use false identification using places whose civil records ended up destroyed on 1940 during fighting.

* Franchise/StarWarsLegends:

** Gara Petethol took on the guise of Lara Notsil, a farm girl from a remote planet bombarded by her former superior Admiral Trigit. There really was a Lara Notsil who died in the attack, but records were so spotty that Gara easily modified them with her own information, and claimed that Trigit had [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty taken her prisoner as a sex slave]]. However, as time goes on she runs into the downsides of the trope, as the lack of real information leads others to suspect her real identity even as she starts BecomingTheMask. There’s also a complication when it turns out the real Lara’s brother is alive, but fortunately for Gara he’s greedy enough to cooperate with her Imperial contacts to continue the ruse.

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. Seska explains her AlienBlood as coming from a bone-marrow transplant from a sympathetic Cardassian after she caught a disease in a Bajoran refugee camp. As they're stranded on the other side of the galaxy, Chakotay has no means of verifying this. However, the Doctor has the entire knowledge of the disease in his program, and he can verify that this explanation doesn't explain her BizarreAlienBiology. Seska turns out to be a Cardassian DeepCoverAgent subjected to surgery to make her look Bajoran, at least on the outside.

** In yet another episode, Martian Manhunter, the team telepath, has to help fight off the nightmares the VillainOfTheWeek is causing in his teammates. Each team member is connected to each other by a doorway, allowing them to help out psychically, for some reason, he never can enter Hawkgirl's mind because the door is blocked by SomeKindOfForcefield. This keeps it consistent with the later revelation that she's immune to telepathy, but the hint is hidden as it's placed at the climax of the villain's fight with Batman AND because Hawkgirl's nightmare has been allowed to persist for so long that she cannot focus on waking up, allowing the viewer to believe the problem isn't Hawkgirl being immune to telepathy, but the situation becoming so critical at this point, Martian Manhunter is struggling to get through to her.

* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'': When the plot requires as many people as possible to genuinely believe the commoner protagonist was actually born into a noble family, her noble identity includes being the SentIntoHiding daughter of a deceased noblewoman. The noblewoman's widower, meanwhile, is among those actively and knowingly participating in the cover-up.

* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': Sauron absolutely plays the evil twist version. At some point after the War of Wrath, he takes the identity of Halbrand and tries to atone for all of his wrongdoings. He tells Galadriel that he is from the Southlands, having fled after his homeland got destroyed by the orcs. They both arrive is Numenor where Galadriel learns that Halbrand might be the descendant of a royal line. She confronts him over it and Sauron in disguise dos tell her that he found the pouch with the bird on a dead body. On his defense, Sauron really just to have a peaceful life as a blacksmith in Numenor and warned Galadriel he is not the hero she seeks. He gives in Galadriel's insistence and just roll with her believing he is a king, reenacting his lust for "order". When Galadriel learns of his true identity, she is understandably heartbroken.

* In the ''Series/{{JAG}}'' episode [[Recap/JAGS09E16PersianGulf "Persian Gulf"]], international terrorist Sadik Fahd (Creator/BernardWhite) comes to America and takes advantage of the hospitality of Fardad (Creator/AnilKumar). Supposedly Sadik Fahd was a friend of Fardad's family in UsefulNotes/{{Iran}} around the time Ayatollah Khomeini took over. It could be the truth. Or it could be that Fahd took the identity of an actual friend of Fardad's family who might be living somewhere else in the world, or might even be dead. Or it could even be that there is no such family friend but it's easier to believe than if Fahd had taken on the identity of an actual relative of Fardad's. There's really no way for Fardad to verify, other than his gut feeling. And unfortunately for the young man, he falls in love with the terrorist, who hates homosexuals enough to kill them as soon as they outlive their usefulness to him.

* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': Viserys upholds his decree that his daughter Rhaenyra is heir until his death. However, his wife Alicent, the only one in his chambers before he died, [[spoiler:misinterprets his last words to think he means to put their son Aegon on the throne]]. When the movement to put that in action begins the next day, lords who were loyal to Viserys and/or Rhaenyra express disbelief that they're supposed to go along with it based on a claim only Alicent can verify.

* [[https://news.ansible.uk/a130.html According]] to Creator/FrederikPohl, when Creator/LesterDelRey used to claim that his real name was Ramón Felipe Alvarez-del Rey (or sometimes [[OverlyLongName Ramón Felipe San Juan Mario Silvio Enrico Smith Heartcourt-Brace Sierra y Alvarez del Rey y de los Uerdes]]), he would insist that the reason he had documentation in the name of Leonard Knapp was that his ''actual'' birth documents were "destroyed in the little known great Nebraska forest fire, or the devastating Minnesota earthquake, or whatever it was".