ARE YOU BEING
BUGGED?
Our private investigators and
staff technicians have expertise in all areas of technical surveillance
investigation and electronic eavesdropping detection. We have provided debugging
services to officials at the highest levels of government and corporate
espionage advice to senior executives of large public corporations. Here
is a guide that will better inform our customers on the possibilities of
eavesdropping.
FACT:
Room and phone bugs can be purchase don eBay for around $30 dollars! FACT:
Audio transmitters intended for covert use to gain information is
illegal! Period! Question:
My phone is clicking and sounding strange!
Answer:
This may only be a faulty line connection or it may be damp from
moisture. Question:
I head that there is a phone number that you can call to verify if
you have a bug on your phone.
Answer:
Non-Sense
Without question we are
in the age of information. This information equates to
knowledge, power, and money. It is often being verbally and
electronically shared with others for specific reasons or to
achieve a desired purpose. It is precisely at this point in time
that information is most vulnerable.
Needless to say, if you
have information that is valuable to you it is potentially of
considerable value to someone else. A business competitor, a
jealous spouse, an attorney in a divorce case, a disgruntled
employee, an ambitious subordinate or partner, a vendor or
sub-contractor, an adversary in union-management negotiations, a
player in a possible merger or buy-out, or an unscrupulous
private investigator hired to spy are all potential persons
seeking information which could be extremely damaging to you.
Currently, security
groups estimate that the yearly loss attributed to information
theft has topped $60 billion dollars and continues to rise
unabated. Presently it is very common to see civil suit claims
or divorce demands in the high six-figure range. In such
instances information is indeed worth its weight in gold.
Consider that last year
federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies had over
20,000 new cases of unlawful eavesdropping reported or
discovered by them. But their successful investigatory and
prosecution rate of case closure was about 2%. And it is
believed by many in the security industry that these cases
represented just the tip of the iceberg! But even with just
20,000 cases that translates to a lot of valuable information
stolen from persons and businesses without them even knowing
that their information was taken, let alone who stole it, until
it was too late and the damage was already done!
Finally, and most importantly, if you even
“think” that you may be the victim of electronic eavesdropping you need to
contact us immediately! If something is wrong enough to give you suspicion then
it needs to be checked. After all, you don’t purchase life insurance after you
die or automobile insurance after you have had an accident. Then why wait until
after your valuable information is lost and the damage done to seek to protect
that which is of considerable value to your business or yourself.
Bug - A hidden microphone, usually
connected to a radio transmitter. Also, may be wired directly to a listening
post.
Bumper Beeper - A radio transmitter which is attached to a vehicle for use as a
beacon or homing device for tailing.
Carrier Current Device - Transmits a signal, modulated by audio, along a pair of
wires (electrical or phone line) to a compatible receiver. The signal travels
along the wires with very little radiated from the lines.
An impressive array of electronic equipment is available for use in invading
your privacy. Practically none of it is marketed for this purpose, but it takes
only a little thought to realize that most of these devices can be used for
illegal bugging and/or wiretapping. Most toy stores carry inexpensive
walkie-talkies that are ideal for a quick and dirty room bug. The eavesdropper
simply installs the battery, tapes down the transmit button and hides the
walkie-talkie in the target room.
Another inexpensive room bug is the "FM Baby Monitor". Not only can mom use it
to keep an ear on her little one, but since it has a transmit range of about
three blocks, it makes a nifty bug also.
One of the most common telephone bugging attacks is the hookswitch bypass. When
a telephone has been bypassed, it becomes "hot on hook". This means that even
though the phone is hung up, it intercepts all room conversation and passes them
down the phone line to a listening post. The cost of components to perform this
little trick? About 45 cents.
We have barely scratched the surface of what is readily available for bugging
and wiretapping. In the following pages we present some equipment that can help
you detect and locate these threats to your privacy. Our equipment is geared
toward detecting and/or locating commercially available bugs and wiretaps
planted by your friends, lovers or business associates. If your problem is with
the
FBI or other three letter agencies, our equipment probably won't be of much help
to you. We also recommend that you educate yourself about the techniques of
bugging and wiretapping to help you understand the threat.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS:
Contact Mic - A microphone that picks up sounds by amplifying vibrations
from a solid surface such as a door, window or wall.
Harmonics -
Multiples of a basic frequency. Their presence indicates a clandestine
transmitter.
CELL PHONE BUG: One of today's most
common threats. Cell phones can be modified to use in capturing conversation.
DIGITAL RECORDER: Big Threat, hard to
find, they are very common in today's eavesdropping world.
Hookswitch Bypass - A modification to the telephone instrument so that room
sounds are picked up and passed down the phone line to a listening post even
with the telephone handset hung up. Turns the telephone into a room bug.
Hot mic - See
Hookswitch Bypass.
Jammer - A
device that produces noise in hidden microphones, so that conversations are
unintelligible to the listener.
Mail Cover -
Interception of mail by the Post Office for a government agency.
Parallel Tap -
Connected across both wires of a telephone line. Usually used to activate a tape
recorder. DC resistance ranges from 10 megohms to 35 megohms. May also be a
radio transmitter, in which case, a separate battery is required for powering
the
transmitter.
Parasitic Device
- A type of eavesdropping device that pirates its operating power from a source
such as the telephone line or house
wiring. It requires no battery of its own.
Series Tap -
Usually a radio transmitter. It obtains its power from the telephone line to
which it is attached. It is installed in series
(in line with one wire). Generally has a DC resistance of 70 to 300 ohms. Can
also be used to activate a tape recorder.
Spike Mic -
Similar to a contact microphone, but has a metal spike that is driven into a
wall, etc. to pick up voice vibrations.
Tap - See
Wiretap.
Wired Mic - An
installation where a microphone is connected to a listening post by a pair of
wires.
Wiretap -
Clandestine interception of a telephone conversation. Operates when the phone is
in use.
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