It is easier today than ever before to use electronics to eavesdrop on another person. The devices are inexpensive and easy to use. You can always hire a professional investigator who specializes in bug sweep services. Or the following are a few other ways to find these devices in your home or office if you suspect you’ve been bugged.
Conduct a Visual Inspection
A professional will always do this first. How long this takes will depend upon how many possible hiding places there are. Keep in mind, the devices used to pick up audio are very small. They have a diameter not much larger than a dime. They are wireless, and can be planted just about anywhere.
Where to Look for an Audio Bug
When searching for an audio bug, they are usually located near a place where people talk the most. One common area for a business is a conference room. A conference room will likely have a large conference table which is an ideal place for a bug to be stuck on underneath, far enough away from a person’s chair that it will go unnoticed. Even people who clean the room are not likely to discover it.
The basic technique of a visual inspection is to look in areas that are close to a speaker’s voice, but not in plain view. With your home, it can be tricky. The person who planted the bug is likely to know where you do the most talking, so search in the vicinity of these places.
How a Counter-Surveillance Technician Can Help
If you want to make sure that your home or office is free of bugs, a technician can do the visual inspection for you. Because they have more experience, they will do a more thorough job. In addition, they can use electronic equipment to perform a sweep of frequency transmissions. Wireless bugs not only pick up voices, but they are also transmitting constantly. A technician will be able to use a spectrum analyzer to detect any signals transmitting from your home or office, and pinpoint the location of the transmission.
How to Find a Hidden Camera
Spy cameras are larger than audio bugs, so when they are used they must either be disguised or placed inside something. Examples of a disguise might be a pencil sharpener or a digital clock. In many instances, these items are functional, and may have been something that was received as a gift. Because cameras are so well hidden, it is sometimes necessary to contact a professional to sweep for cameras.
Cameras need a power source, and this means a battery. What this also means is that the camera will be giving off heat. A counter-surveillance technician can use an infrared scanner to detect the camera’s heat inside of an object. If the camera is transmitting a signal, the same technique used to find an audio bug can be applied.
Keep in mind that most electronic spying is illegal, but that doesn’t stop people from doing it. If you really want to make sure that your home or office is clean, the best course of action is to hire a company or private investigation firm like ours that offers bug sweep services.
Bruce Robertson
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