Is Someone Tracking Your Vehicle?

There are typically 2 ways that someone can track your vehicle. The first is a typical GPS tracker which uses cellular technology. These devices can be either hardwired into your vehicle or concealed from underneath. They are typically configured to report the location when the vehicle is moving and does not send out a constant signal. We use both a physical search and a signal collection while we drive the vehicle for about 30 minutes. We can take that collected data and determine if a GPS tracker is on your vehicle. The other way is someone that plants an AirTag type device. Not all of these devices will alert you if they are on your vehicle. These are low level Bluetooth devices that utilize your phone as well as other phones around your vehicle to report the location. Our equipment is capable of detecting both of these devices.

Have You Been Bugged?

How do you determine if there’s a bug in your home, and why should you care? Here are a few instances where we recommend bug sweeping:

Others Know Your Secrets

Does it seem that others know your confidential business or professional trade secrets? This is the clearest sign of covert eavesdropping. Information theft is a multibillion-dollar underground industry in the US. Losing secrets is often subtle, so trust your instincts. When your competitors know private information—or when the media spills it—take this situation seriously to determine if your home is bugged.

Someone Seems to Have Entered Your Home

Professional eavesdroppers often break into a target’s home or business and rarely leave obvious proof. It may seem that nothing is missing. A “less-than-professional spy” will dig through a target’s residence for hours, although rarely neatly. The most common “rummaging” targets are the backs of desk drawers and the bottom of a file.

A burglar’s redesigning habits might not stop there. Residents might notice that something in their home doesn’t seem right, such as rearranged furniture. Look out for electrical wall plates that appear to have been moved slightly or “jarred.”

Electrical outlets, switches, smoke alarms, and lighting fixtures are excellent places to hide eavesdropping devices. Remove the wall plates. When bug sweeping, look for debris under the outlet. Also, eavesdroppers may change power outlets and light switches. Note if someone repositioned any screws holding the wall plate.

You’ve Received Gifts from a Vendor

Be cautious of accepting gifts from salesmen. Imagine that one of your vendors just gave you any type of electronic device such as a desk radio, alarm clock, lamp, small TV, boom box, CD player, and so on. Many of these “gifts” are actually Trojan horses which contain eavesdropping devices. Be very suspicious of any kind of pen, marker, briefcase, calculator, “post-it” dispenser, power adapter, pager, cell phone, cordless phone, clock, radio, lamp, and so on that is given as a gift. That little gift the salesman left for you may be a serious hazard.

Items Have Been Tampered With or Added to Your Home

Take a careful look around your home. Do the smoke detector, clock, lamp, or exit sign in your office or house look crooked? Do they have holes in their surface? Do they seem more reflective than you remember? Items like these are common places to hide covert eavesdropping devices. When these devices are installed at a target location, they are rarely installed straight.

If you don’t live alone, it’s possible someone else has adjusted your house’s layout. Be sure to ask, but if no one you live with knows why furniture has been moved, this is cause for concern. Eavesdropping devices are often placed beneath or inside furniture (couch, chair, lamp, etc.) If you’re familiar with your home or office, you might notice even a fraction of an inch of furniture movement, so take advantage of your spatial awareness. Pay attention to furniture imprints on rugs and lamp shades. Eavesdroppers are frequently in a hurry and don’t put furniture back in the appropriate spot.

Also watch out for things like this that “just appear,” or when there is a slight change in their appearance. If certain types of items have “just appeared” in your office or home, but nobody seems to know how they got there, this is always a serious concern. Typical items to watch for and beware of are clocks, exit signs, sprinkler heads, radios, picture frames, and lamps.

Drywall Dust or Debris

If you see white dry-wall dust on your floor, this is definitely a cause for concern. This may signal that a pinhole microphone or video camera may have been installed nearby. It will appear as if someone has dropped a small amount of powdered sugar either on the floor, or on the wall.

You may find similar grit that has fallen from the ceiling tiles. Once you investigate, you may even notice that it seems your ceiling tiles have been cracked, chipped, gouged, drooping, or improperly fitted ceiling tiles may also be visible. This is a good clue that someone may have planted a covert video camera or eavesdropping device in your office or near your desk.

Check for ceiling cracks or chipping. Amateur and badly trained spies fracture acoustic tiles. Cracks, nicks, gouges, or stains should never be seen in executive areas. Damaged ceiling tiles should be replaced and the cause documented. In such circumstances, a TSCM specialist should investigate the area around the chipped, broken, or damaged tile for eavesdropping devices.

Suspicious Vehicles Nearby

If you notice “Phone Company” trucks and utility personnel near your home or office, stay alert. Seeing the same or similar vehicles more than three times may indicate a concern–at least according to the U.S. State Department training course on counter surveillance.

Vehicles with a ladder or pipe rack on the roof are often utilized as listening posts. Also, avoid cars with tinted windows or blind spots (like a service van). A Geo Tracker, Suburban, Blazer, Trooper, or Cargo Van could be a listening post vehicle. Look for cars with tinted windows or hidden back seats.

Keep in mind that the eavesdropper may move the vehicle, so glance around. Eavesdroppers usually stay within 500-750 feet of the target.

Suspicious Arrivals

Be wary of repairmen for telephone, cable, plumbing, or air conditioning showing up unannounced. Eavesdroppers often fake a utility outage to sneak into a facility and subsequently correct it. They install listening devices while repairing “the problem.” Power, AC, phone, and false fire alarms are common outages.

Your Door Locks Don’t “Feel Right”

If your door locks feel like they’re strangely sticky—or if they break when you use them—then someone may have lockpicked their way into your home. Lock picking, manipulation, or bypassing is a common sign that someone has snuck in and placed a bug in your private space. Stay safe and always use sidebar biaxial locks (such as ASSA or Medeco). Use double-sided deadbolts on all doors, window bars on all windows, and a door bar on all non-entry doors.

If you need a bug sweep, Mr. Taylor has over 26 years of TSCM experience and uses the latest high-tech equipment when bug sweeping. If you’ve experienced any of these scenarios, contact Allstate Private Investigations for a bug sweep throughout California.