SCP-XXXX
rating: 0+x

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: Reports of "homeless ghosts", or cases of identity theft in which the name of the claimant does not match that of the victim, are to be investigated for possible instances of SCP-XXXX-1. Suspected or confirmed instances of SCP-XXXX-1 are to be monitored for any changes in behaviour. Targets of SCP-XXXX are to be encouraged to willingly enter containment and should be housed in standard humanoid containment units, though no practical method of enforcing this currently exists.

Investigations into the source of SCP-XXXX are ongoing.

Description: SCP-XXXX is a form of mail delivered through postal services worldwide. SCP-XXXX is always addressed to a residential property that has a single occupant, though the name on the letter will not match that of the resident. The anomalous properties of SCP-XXXX will activate when the individual living at the target address (henceforth referred to as the Target) opens the letter1 and then leaves their home.

Once triggered, an instance of SCP-XXXX-1 will manifest inside the targeted property. SCP-XXXX-1 is a humanoid entity of variable age, race and gender, and will believe its name to be that of the addressee on SCP-XXXX. Immediately following its manifestation a restructuring event occurs in which all facets of the target's identity, with the exception of their name, appearance and personality, are assumed by SCP-XXXX-1; reality is altered in such a way that the target is completely replaced by SCP-XXXX-1 in all memories, documents and records. No way of reversing this effect has been found.

The restructuring event includes minor physical alterations necessary for SCP-XXXX-1 to fully assume the identity of the target; for example the locks on the doors to the property are altered to match keys in the possession of SCP-XXXX-1, and details on bank records are altered to match bank cards carried by SCP-XXXX-1. SCP-XXXX-1 then fully assumes the life of the target, and displays no behaviour to suggest it is aware of its anomalous nature.

Short term effects on the target (one to three months) typically include homelessness followed by suicide. Approximately six months after the manifestation of SCP-XXXX-1, surviving targets will begin to display intangibility and translucence which will increase in severity until they are no longer detectable by any means.

Interview with a target of SCP-XXXX

Interviewer: Doctor Imogen Glaswel
Interviewee: Michael Thornton
Notes: Thornton was found homeless in Leeds, UK approximately nine months after exposure to SCP-XXXX, and displayed Class III Intangibility. Opening statements removed for brevity.

Glaswel: Can you tell me when you first noticed something was wrong?

Thornton: I'd gone to the shop to get lunch. I work- I worked from home, so I used to walk down to the shop every day to get lunch. Get me out of the house a bit, you know.

Glaswel: Right.

Thornton: I'd been going to that shop every day for over a year. The staff on the till acted like they didn't recognise me, which I didn't think anything of at the time- it's a shitty job, you know. I just figured they were stressed out or something. But looking back, that was probably the first thing I noticed.

Glaswel: Then what happened?

Thornton: I went home. My cat was usually waiting for me on the windowsill inside, but as soon as he saw me he bolted. I went to open the door but my key wouldn't work. After about a minute of fucking around with the lock trying to get it to open, someone inside opened the door. Some woman.

Glaswel: Did you recognise her?

Thornton: No, never seen her before in my life. She started yelling at me, "what the fuck do you think you're doing," that kind of thing. I asked her who the hell she was and asked me who I was, trying to break into her house. I thought she was nuts.

Glaswel: What did you do?

Thornton: I grabbed her, tried to pull her out of my house so I could get in. She started screaming and trying to hit me. I guess one of the neighbours saw and called the cops, because they showed up a few minutes later.

Glaswel: I have a copy of the incident report here. They arrested you?

Thornton: Yeah, fucking pigs believed the crazy bitch who claimed to live in my house over me. Plenty of proof she did, apparently. Locked me up for a day before they released me. Didn't say much to them. They clearly believed that woman over me, so I didn't want them to think I was nuts and have me sectioned2.

Glaswel: Did you try and call anyone?

Thornton: While I was locked up? No, I don't know peoples numbers. They're all in my phone contacts, and they wouldn't let me check it.

Glaswel: And once you were released?

Thornton: I tried to call my friend Ian, but he didn't answer. I texted him after and got that automatic "I'm driving, do not disturb" message. He texted me back later asking who I was because he didn't have my number in his phone. Then said he didn't know anyone called Michael when I told him. Tried to call my dad after that, but he didn't recognise me either. He hung up pretty quickly, doesn't have much patience.

Glaswel: I assume you got the same results from everyone else.

Thornton: Yeah… do you know what this is? Can you fix it?

Glaswel: Let's continue with the interview. What did you do next.

Thornton: Right, right. I- yeah, I went to find a cash machine. Only money I had in my wallet was the change from lunch the day before, but my goddamn card didn't work. Kept saying my PIN number was wrong or something. I went into the branch but they said my account didn't even exist. I left pretty quickly then, didn't want more police to get involved.

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