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.
