Hearing Voices?
During a recent commercial radio interview, BPI’s Principal technician was asked about interesting bug sweeping inspections. One particular matter came to mind.
A mature woman who lived alone in a two-level residence in an affluent location telephoned BPI Perth. She had just returned home following a visit to a psychiatrist. She had been referred by her concerned son and daughter.
The elderly woman had informed her son and daughter that she had been hearing a man’s voice in her two-level residence during some afternoons. Given that she lived alone, this caused her fears for her safety.
We responded post haste and set about a structured technical surveillance counter measures inspection after searching both the lower and upper levels for any signs of the mystery man. The instruments were unpacked and prepared for use. The ground level was found to be absolutely clear of any possible threats. We moved on to the upper level. That’s when it became very intriguing.
During the course of scanning the upper level, a good quality radio frequency detector, monitored with headphones was introduced to an office/study area. Within a few minutes a reasonably strong radio frequency presented on the monitor. Applying direction finding techniques, we were able to find the greatest signal strength alongside an air conditioner mounted on a wall. It was then that a man’s voice became audible through the headphones.
The client was summoned and the headphones were given to her. “That’s him. That’s the voice. See I’m not going mad.” The voice was coming out of an electrical wall socket used to power the air conditioner!!
Further focus on the voice identified it as a radio announcer, presenting his scheduled afternoon broadcasted session.
Now how could this be? A wall socket transmitting commercial radio!
As a follow up and aligning with our commitment to continuous education, we contacted the English manufacturers of our radio frequency detector to learn that this was a known, but rare occurrence.
We were informed that it was likely that there would be two kinks in the cable running from the wall socket to the electrical meter box. Somehow the distance of the kinks apart created a basic antenna receptive to a particular commercial radio frequency and our instrument detected it in the form of a man’s voice.
We have since our enlightenment, detected radio broadcasted voices and music flowing out of power points in two or three other houses.
Multiple Trackers – Low Energy Bluetooth
We were not so long ago contacted by a woman who suspected that her motor car was being tracked. She had been in a failed relationship with man.
Soon after arrival our instruments were deployed in the close proximity of the woman’s motor vehicle. A sweep of the vehicle interior revealed a very weak Bluetooth signal.
However, an inspection underneath the rear of the vehicle substantially strengthened the Bluetooth signal (2.5 GHz). Wearing surgical gloves, time for a close fingertip search.
We located and retrieved five (5) active Apple Air Tags that had been taped under the rear bumper. Never before had we seen so many tracking devices deployed to one motor vehicle.
The air tags were photographed in situ and then removed. From serial numbers inside the air tags, we were able to achieve a good indication about the identity of the alleged perpetrator.
Teddy Bear
A search of a vehicle with a quality radio frequency detector revealed a frequency likely emitted by an Apple Air Tag, Samsung Tile or one of the many other low energy Bluetooth trackers on the market. The signal was slightly stronger in the front of the cab than the rear seat area, although the strength difference was barely discernable.
We searched every possible part of the vehicle. Inside the dashboard, under and within the front and rear seats, in the engine compartment and the rear boot. All cavities and recesses were searched. We almost turned the vehicle inside out. Where was it? We had to find it. We knew it was close by, but where? That’s when we focused on a miniature Teddy Bear placed in a recess on the console in front of the gear lever.
With the bear taken out of the vehicle, the signal was gone. The instrument however when positioned close to the bear, ten meters away from the car, indicated the presence of a tracking device.
An Apple Air Tag had been inserted into the Tiny Teddy bear through a small slit and the slit discreetly sown up. There was just enough space within the small bear to accommodate the Apple Air Tag.
A Quick Solution
We were deployed to the suburban premises of a construction related firm to conduct a bug sweep. The company occupying the premises had submitted many construction related tenders and in some cases for hundreds of thousands of dollars in value. However, despite their sound credentials they rarely were successful. They were often beaten by the same competitor by a relatively small margin.
We were briefed by a senior administrator and literally within fifteen minutes our non-linear junction detector located a sophisticated GSM listening device in a power board supplying power to the administrator’s bar fridge. The device had likely been in place for several years and was positioned in the room where conversations about various tender offers took place.
Improvised Bug
A young woman separated from her husband was concerned that her movements were being monitored. She had been away on a short break with a companion and suspected her activities were being monitored.
BPI Perth were summoned to conduct an electronic sweep of the woman’s luxury motor vehicle which was parked at her companion’s home. An effective radio frequency detector supported by our non-linear junction detector and a probing fingertip search located a mobile telephone with two power-banks strapped to it, taped into a deep cavity well out of sight in the rear trunk area of the vehicle.
We believe that the device was set to receive and transmit conversations within the motor vehicle as well as provide vehicle location details. The client was shocked, yet relieved that we had located the improvised bug.
Spy Camera in Air Conditioning Vent
An inspection of a residence in Perth’s metropolitan area was requested by a woman whose husband had left her for another woman. He had access to the residence for several months after the separation before our client had a locksmith change all of the door locks and re-program the external CCTV security cameras.
During our inspection of the main lounge room, our camera lens detector identified the reflection of a CCD chip supporting a functioning camera lens. Closer examination verified that the reflection sourced from a spy camera covertly placed inside an air conditioner ventilation grille.
We explored the cabling connected to the camera and found another camera fitted within another air conditioning vent, in the master bedroom. A bundle of cabling, two covert cameras and transmitter were removed from within the ceiling.
Smart Systems and a Smart Eavesdropper
A woman who had been separated from her husband and living apart for about 12 months was suspicious of her tech savvy husband and his potential to have bugged her house to eavesdrop on conversations therein or monitor their movements.
The suspicion was heightened when the woman and her child daughter for the first time in six months had just finished watching a Netflix movie when her estranged husband telephoned. He wanted to speak with his daughter. When he did, his first comment was, “Seen any movies lately?” This occurrence put our client on guard.
We undertook a comprehensive physical and detection-instrument inspection of the residence and grounds. When queried about smart speakers in the home, the woman informed that her estranged husband had remote access to her smart IOT enabled air conditioning installation. He could therefore remotely monitor a whole lot of information about activity within the residence such as knowing when the house was likely occupied.
Smart speaker privacy controls can be deficient. With the concordance of our client, and for her peace of mind, we switched off the WI-FI component to break the link between the controller and the home systems router so that private information could not be transmitted to locations outside the residence.
