It would depend on the type of phone.
For BlackBerry, Android or iPhone – without getting too much into a legal gray area – there are a few different ways to tell. If you don’t mind being “a little bit paranoid” or controversial, follow these steps below!
Step 1) Pull up your contact list and look for any contact who you haven’t communicated with lately but who ostensibly should be in touch; call them to see if they pick up. Alternatively, send text message. Note the time that this “check point” was conducted and compare it with future communications for differences in timing. Also be sure to check for an increase in carrier charges at this time because it could indicate that your phone is being tapped.
Step 2) Have a friend from outside the US send you an SMS with their area code. If you can’t do this, have them call you and when they hang up, see if your phone company has a post-call survey that asks if your service was satisfactory or not.
Step 3) Quickly turn off Bluetooth on your device and go to Settings > Wireless Controls > Mobile Networks > Network Operators . See if there is a different carrier listed here, but hidden. If you find one, someone could be using it to intercept your data. So change it back pronto!
Step 4) A third way would be to run a packet sniffer from an operating system other than Windows… This will allow for more granular searches than Windows does.
Step 5) A fourth way to do this would be to use a packet sniffer/protocol analyzer, like Wireshark , which is for Windows and Linux users. You can download it here . However, unless you are familiar with this already or have someone who IS familiar with it explain the output, you may not know what you’re looking at.
Once your phone has been determined “tapped”, take out the battery if possible (not all phones allow this) – because the tap only works while plugged in – and make sure that your contacts change their behavior accordingly; i.e., never discuss sensitive info over SMS again!
Phone might be tapped if you hear strange noises coming from it when it’s in your pocket.
It can also be a warning sign that your phone has been hacked by some kind of virus.
If someone has tapped into your device, then there are several things that you can do to rectify this private problem. To begin with, take a look at the apps on your phone and remove those you don’t need or trust already. Secondly, as an added measure to be sure that everything is working properly again make sure to restart the device in offline mode (hold down for 10 seconds). If you’re still hearing sounds coming from the phone after all these steps then take it to a repair shop and get it looked at.
More thorough steps you can take:
– Keep an eye on your phone bill, if there are calls to different countries, strange numbers you’ve never heard of before, or strange charges for services that have never been used then your phone might have a virus.
– There are several apps that allow users to check what information your phone is sending out and you should download them. They will scan your phone for suspicious code and if they find it you will be able to see what the code is.
– You should also check up on any information that you sent out yourself without realizing it since hackers can access anything that you’ve shared with others (private pictures, emails, conversations, etc.)
– If there are changes in your behavior then you might want to consult someone about this especially if your privacy or time seems to be intruded upon or monitored by someone who shouldn’t be.
– If you do suspect that something is wrong with your phone (besides having a virus) then delete all of your chat logs online and make sure only to communicate using secure apps like Telegram . Use Facebook Messenger or Whatsapp but make sure not to use it when you go offline.
– If the problem persists, then you should contact your service provider and let them know about the issue.
There are a number of ways of telling if your phone is tapped, however the only sure way to know is to capture all data packets at runtime.
We created an Android app that will send you push notifications whenever it detects an anomaly in your data traffic. It doesn’t matter what network you’re using – the app solves this problem from end-to-end by intelligently isolating and extracting only user’s mobile apps’ traffic for deep inspection and analysis with zero packet loss.
Seeking expert opinions on the rest!
If your phone has been tapped, it would be nearly impossible to detect with any certainty. The CIA have come up with technologies to mask the sound of what a phone is transmitting – this means that they can listen and record you through your own device without alerting you.
Another way the CIA could tap your call would be by installing at remote bug or microphone real close to where you use your phone. This may not be a high-tech process anymore because it can laser cut just about anything these days, so anything’s possible really…! What we do know is that surveillance experts always believe there are ways of hacking into any system – so if your call is being monitored then I’m sorry but chances are, it will be very difficult to find out.
Find an extension cord and plug it in the area around your phone and any other nearby electronic devices.
To make sure that a particular phone line is tapped, find an extension cord, plug it into the tap’s wire at one end, then follow from end to end on the outside of the house until you penetrate. Expect to be charged for this service if you’re not on “the job”. If you do this without permission or warrant and don’t have reasonable suspicion of criminal activity going on inside your abode, don’t expect it to go well in court.
Before your suspicious suspicions get the best of you and make you paranoid, take a moment to look for some more mundane explanations for the phenomena.
It’s possible that it’s just coincidence, or someone nearby is on their phone and using it in a hands-free mode like speakerphone. It could be static feedback from radio stations, or an anomaly with your own phone signal (i.e., “co-channel interference” when two transmitters are broadcasting on the same frequency). Most cell phones will ring if deliberately tapped lightly in order to provide tactile feedback and also act as an audible confirmation of successful acquisition by another user – so if you have been carrying your mobile device around with you all day without hearing any new calls come through, this is a good sign that you’re not being tracked.
It’s quite unlikely that someone has tapped your phone while you’re not aware of it. If you are trying to determine if your phone is tapped, there are a few things to consider.
-Is the ringer on? Because tapping into a line that makes noise is pretty noisy and might be noticed by potential recipients. So first make sure it is off or near the speaker volume max setting (again this would need to be done outside).
-Are you using wi-fi instead of data or 4g services? Wi fi signals can hop from one signal source to another in order for connections on devices with multiple radios, so any connection could potentially be an attack vector – if you’re using our phone solely as a wi-fi “hotspot” then you’re probably safe.
If your phone is currently in use as an actual phone (and wasn’t recently used for data services) then it’s most likely not tapped.
-Does the ringer suddenly go off when you make or receive a call? This could be due to lack of charge in the battery, or it could be due to someone who knows what they’re doing tapping into your line. The latter is pretty unlikely unless you are an incredibly high profile target. If someone at your location starts typing on a computer keyboard while you make/receive a call, this represents another potential attack vector because many phones use keystroke audio – meaning it sounds like someone typing as you talk.
-Do loud noises happen near the phone? This is another potential attack vector that we’ve seen used outside of hacking into a mobile phone line. It usually involves using a very loud sound (a short burst from a speaker for example) and aiming it at the target’s cell phone.
The idea is that the phone’s microphone will pick up the sound and transmit it to the target’s ears. The benefit of this approach is that you can be miles away from your victim when he/she hears the gunshot-like sound (the downside is that it usually requires being in close proximity to your target). If you hear loud noises via your phone’s ear piece, it might be best to disconnect the call (if possible).
-Is the screen dimmed? This is another potential indicator of someone nudging into your line because some phones have a dimming feature that automatically turns off the screen after X minutes of inactivity. If you wake up your phone and notice that the screen is dimmed or turned off, then you might be under attack.
-Is the volume of the phone muted? Is it on silent mode? This also could indicate that someone is poking around your phone’s settings to turn down your ring volume before trying to tap into your line. The benefit of turning off the volume would also allow attackers to turn off your speaker or headset temporarily without you realizing it.
-Is the phone plugged into a power source? If you keep your phone on, and all of a sudden the battery goes dead as if someone pulled out the plug – this might be another indication that something is going on with your line, especially during calls (because phones typically don’t get that much power from USB or wall adapters).
-Is the phone warm to the touch? Similar to above, if you’re using your phone normally and it suddenly starts getting warmer – there might be something going on. Keep in mind however that smartphones / cellphones do generate quite a bit of heat when doing intensive tasks such as running rich graphics, playing music and/or videos, etc – so it’s easy to mistake that heat generation with someone trying to attack your phone.
-Is the battery draining quickly? On the flip side of above, if you’re using your phone at full blast (and pretending like nothing is going on) then it might not be a bad idea to check your battery consumption.
-Smudge marks or objects on the charger and phone
-Changes to your voice, line quality, signal strength
-Strange sounds.
The fact that your phone is tapped can be determined by who it’s being tapped by.
A government agency monitoring a high-profile criminal could easily tap into their phones. A terrorist group wanting to know what the FBI knows about explosives, weapons or proscribed biotoxins could do so as well. Hackers have potential access, plus people with physical proximity and sophisticated equipment rigged for data extraction at the physical layer–which can sometimes be a cable threaded through pipes underground, let in through a home ventilation plenum or under door cracks–might also decide to eavesdrop on your cell phone conversations.
Often these people will get away with it because they don’t want you to know your conversation was intercepted. But does it see yourm phone is tapped?
Using a phone tap detector can help. The key factor in determining if your cell phone is being recorded by a device tapping the line is finding out if there are any signs of electronic surveillance or wiretapping being carried out.
Detecting phone taps is not an easy task. It can be very difficult unless you know what to look for and where to find it. But if you suspect your cell phone is tapped there are some signs and indicators.
Here’s a look at how to tell if your phone is tapped:
1) Check the LED indicator
The green light on your phone’s handset should be lit up when you use it. If the light goes out, stays on all the time or flickers occasionally, this may mean that your cell phones is tapped and microphones are active even when call isn’t in progress. The person doing the tapping might also keep a microphone trained on you just to be sure.
2) Check the wiring on your phone
Examine the wires hooked up to your phone. If something looks suspicious or any extra wires have been added that weren’t there before, this could mean that someone is tapping into your telephone conversations.
3) Use a cell phone tap detector
Phones that are tapped will not be able to detect the presence of a cell phone tap detector. These devices can be plugged into your home telephone line and they will immediately detect if someone is eavesdropping on any calls made from the house. Most cell phone tap detectors are easy to use and come with simple instructions. They can also determine exactly where the listening device (or bugs) is located within the building.
4) Check your phone bill
If you notice that there are random long-distance or international calls added to your bill, this could mean that someone has attached an eavesdropping device to your home telephone line. Alternatively, the person doing the tapping may have physically planted a bug somewhere in your home.
5) Listen to your phone line for clicking or humming sounds
6) Check for bugs in your house
Even if you do not notice any suspicious wiring hookedup to your telephone, it might be possible that someone is still recording all of your calls using a bug instead. To check for this bugging device, listen carefully after the phone has rang. If you hear any clicking sounds, this is a possible indication that your phones are tapped and someone may be monitoring or recording everything that you say on the line.
7) Use an RF detector
Some electronic counter-surveillance devices will detect bugs using radio frequency (RF). This type of detection works best when you suspect that there is a listening device located close to the area where you will use the equipment.
8) Use an ESD (electromagnetic shielding device)
An electromagnetic shielding device can be used in your home to detect if any wiring has been tampered with and it will clearly indicate whether or not someone is eavesdropping on your cell phone conversations.
9) Place your hand on the wires coming into your house
If you notice that there are any unusual vibrations where the telephone line enters your home, this could be an indication of tampering or bugging devices being attached to the outside lines. This kind of surreptitious activity is unlikely in most cases but it pays to be careful.
10) Call your phone from another phone and listen carefully
At times, a simple call from another line can instantly expose a tapping device or a bugging device. If you make the call and you hear any noise on the other end it might mean that someone is listening in on your conversations without you even knowing it.
While there are no definitive ways to know if someone is “tapping” your phone, there are a few things you might think about. Keep in mind cell phone companies could always be the ones who have tapped it especially if they want to sell you more or get ahead of any competition.
Monitor outgoing calls and texts – If an owner consistently makes calls to the same number(s) and texts out only to similar numbers on a regular basis then that’s still not proof but should make him/her raise their eyebrows. For instance, a hospital would call all patients every morning at 8am, but this would not feel suspicious because the entire city or state has been conditioned to expect this call from that hospital for years.
