x-spy Jack Beaumont reveals how he maintained five false identities at once by Emily Pidgeon A former spy has opened up about one of the most grueling aspects of his secretive job. Jack Beaumont (not his real name) is a former operative in the clandestine operations branch of the French foreign secret service, known as the DGSE. Speaking to news.com.au's podcast, I've Got News For You, Beaumont explained that the job required him to have five false identities on the go at all times, and detailed the incredible effort it took to maintain them all. "If it's an ID you use to try to recruit a human source, and it's a long-term manipulation, then the ID has to be quite solid," Beaumont told podcast host Andrew Bucklow.That meant that each false identity had to have a social media presence and a different address. "Every one of those IDs have to be, if necessary, dismantled in 24 hours," he said. "So you can't just rent a flat because you will leave a trace of payment. "You have to find some place in Paris or in the countryside where you have some empty flats and then you're going to make them yours."