What can the average person do
to discover phone taps?
The Private Citizen's Guide to Detecting Amateur Wiretaps
by Kevin D. Murray - CPP, CFE, BCFE
STOP!
Don't buy that wiretap locator gadget from the mail-order catalog. It's not effective. Don't call the experts to check your phone lines. Not yet.
If you are the average person. If you're not involved in industrial espionage or government intrigue. If you suspect an acquaintance, neighbor, or even a family member of being the culprit. You stand a good chance of discovering the eavesdropping device yourself.
Basic wiretaps are just that - attachments to the telephone wires.
Be a Spybuster
Most amateur taps can be found just by looking at the wiring. There is no need to touch. In fact, you should never touch or tamper with unfamiliar wiring, or wiring which does not belong to you.
Know What You Are Looking At
Household telephone wiring generally contains four pieces of wire in one cable. The cable is usually round. The inner pieces of wire are colored: red, green, yellow and black. The red and green wires carry your calls. The yellow and black wires may be used for a second phone line, to carry power to another telephone device, or not used at all. You will not normally see the yellow and black wires attached to the red and green wires (a possible sign of a wiretap). Try to visually inspect every foot of this wiring.
Know What You Are Looking For
Look for attachments to the wiring - either at wire connection locations or spliced into the cable. Attachments include: voice recorders, electronic parts on a small boards, small boxes and different looking wiring leading to other areas. You might even find evidence (stripped or damaged cable) of a wiretap which has been removed.
An electronics or spy store catalog can provide a pictorial guide to the amateur wiretapping / eavesdropping devices you might find. Check on-line using search terms like "spy shop" "digital voice recorder" "wireless microphone" "surveillance camera" etc.
What If... ?
If you find anything that arouses your suspicions, don't touch it. Photograph your find immediately. Do not confront your suspect. Contact your local telephone company, or law enforcement agency for further assistance. Remember, you still need addtional evidence to tie the eavesdropper to the crime if you want to prosecute or sue. With only the physical evidence of a wiretap, they will just deny your allegations.
Be sure to read our "Spybuster Trick #303 - Spoof the Spook, or... Test for Leaks Yourself."
If you don't find anything, it does not automatically mean that you are wiretap free. A previous tap could have been removed before your search, or the tap may be well hidden. If your line is clean it is possible that your conversations are getting out in other ways. Consider these possibilities: room bugs, false friends, or perhaps the person you are talking to: is wiretapped, is using a cordless phone, or is in a place where people nearby can overhear the call.
Revenge Via Dirty Tricks
Leaving the phone off-hook (next to a playing radio) can fill an eavesdropper's recorder with useless noise. You may even make the machine run out of recording time.
Prearrange phone conversations in which you pass false information. You can drive eavesdroppers nuts by pulling the right strings.
If you are worried about a bugging device that might have been placed inside your phone, replace it with a new one, fresh from the store. Seal the screws which hold the new phone together with Krazy Glue® so that it can not be opened and tampered with in the future.
Continue to use your regular phones for general calling. When you need to make a confidential call, use a digital cellular phone.
Caveat
You can never be 100% sure about your telephone privacy. However, with a little knowledge you will have the edge over the amateur wiretapping crowd.
©1989-2008, Kevin D. Murray
Murray Associates, PO Box 668, Oldwick, NJ 08858
908-832-7900
www.spybusters.com
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