Help Needed: I suspect a listening device in my living room

[n123]

Hello all,

 

Can you please help: I strongly suspect a listening device has been planted in my living room (long story).

Can you advise a device to help find and trace this listening device?

I live in the UK*

 

Thank you in advance! Have a nice day

[boggy77]

not sure how to help but would love to hear the long story

[Haro]

Why do you suspect 

What made you think that there is something ?

[Guest]

I suspect it's not wireless, as someone would have to come into your living room and charge it or replace the battery, so maybe it's a good idea to look near (in) electrical sockets, light fixtures and smoke detectors?

 

[spartaman64]

if its the police just have a friend come over and say ok ill give you the cocaine at x park at 11pm this saturday deal? deal. and then see if the police shows up

[n123]

A family dispute, and this person has access to my house. And they have hinted they can hear certain conversations I thought were private.

[n123]

I don't know if its wireless or not, I know he's not very tech savy but then again he could have bought a high-end spy device from the internet

[Dedayog]

1 minute ago, n123 said:

A family dispute, and this person has access to my house. And they have hinted they can hear certain conversations I thought were private.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bug+scanner&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

 

[Haro]

Just now, n123 said:

I don't know if its wireless or not, I know he's not very tech savy but then again he could have bought a high-end spy device from the internet

I'm sorry no offense but didn't you stop to think maybe they are trying to get to your head and are just tricking you 

[Guest]

Just now, n123 said:

I don't know if its wireless or not, I know he's not very tech savy but then again he could have bought a high-end spy device from the internet

Quote like this so I can see your replies 

 

It's also a good idea to check all devices connected to your router and block or remove any that are suspicious or unknown. 

[n123]

I had a quick look on some 'spy sites' who sell devices that claim to detect such listening devices, but I have no experience in these things. I know this board has some really smart people, hope we can find something and catch him

 

[n123]

1 minute ago, TofuHaroto said:

I'm sorry no offense but didn't you stop to think maybe they are trying to get to your head and are just tricking you 

I thought this initially, but I want complete confidence nothing is there. I should be able to have a private conversation without being eavesdropped. 

[Haro]

1 minute ago, n123 said:

I thought this initially, but I want complete confidence nothing is there. I should be able to have a private conversation without being eavesdropped. 

I mean i can't Necessarily think of a product but @Dedayog suggested something so maybe have a look at it 

[n123]

1 minute ago, Konrad_K said:

Quote like this so I can see your replies 

 

It's also a good idea to check all devices connected to your router and block or remove any that are suspicious or unknown. 

Can you please direct me to an online guide that explains how to do this?

 

Also, i suspect its a radio-tune in listening device. I.e. he has to 'tune' into a specific frequency to listen in, but then i think, that would only be useful if you are in close distance, therefore I now also suspect he's using an internet connected device. Makes sense, you can listen in from anywhere then.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, n123 said:

Can you please direct me to an online guide that explains how to do this?

 

Also, i suspect its a radio-tune in listening device. I.e. he has to 'tune' into a specific frequency to listen in, but then i think, that would only be useful if you are in close distance, therefore I now also suspect he's using an internet connected device. Makes sense, you can listen in from anywhere then.

Just type in the ip adress of your router and go to the configuration, it depends on the manufacturer. You could also just change the wifi password, that should kick off all wireless devices on the network.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, n123 said:

Can you please direct me to an online guide that explains how to do this?

 

Also, i suspect its a radio-tune in listening device. I.e. he has to 'tune' into a specific frequency to listen in, but then i think, that would only be useful if you are in close distance, therefore I now also suspect he's using an internet connected device. Makes sense, you can listen in from anywhere then.

https://www.howtogeek.com/204057/how-to-see-who’s-connected-to-your-wi-fi-network/

You could probably just go to 10.0.0.1 and check there.

[n123]

Thanks for the replies guys, its much appreciated!

[Dedayog]

Just now, n123 said:

Thanks for the replies guys, its much appreciated!

When you find the device, please show us what it was and how it was working.  Incredibly curious.

[Kisai]

3 hours ago, n123 said:

Hello all,

 

Can you please help: I strongly suspect a listening device has been planted in my living room (long story).

Can you advise a device to help find and trace this listening device?

I live in the UK*

 

Thank you in advance! Have a nice day

In order of possibility:

1) Eavesdropping (in a literal sense), check outside windows, or neighboring line-of-sight. Things that are made of metal such as Eaves, Ventilation and copper pipes, are all conductors of sound.

2) Fixed Electronic surveillance, this involves taking the plate covers off all the outlets, lightbulb sockets, telephone plates, cable, fiber, ethernet, smoke detectors etc. The most likely devices to have something would be smoke detectors or lightbulb sockets since they're usually in a position to see and hear everything. 

3) Battery-powered transmitter, in which case the receiver would be within the range of the transmitter, probably within 100ft. The transmitter would likely be inside an object. These can be detected with other equipment, since they generally will be transmitting on a low frequency.

4) Computer, TV, smartspeaker, etc with software on it to transmit over the internet.

5) Your smartphone has been compromised, or the sim has been cloned.

 

Now in terms of "likeliness" of any of these. 5 is more likely than any of the top 4 if you're actually involved in criminal activity. Just on the basis of how smartphones work. for 4 to work, the device either needs a microphone or speakers that can be turned into a microphone, and that's usually a little more involved. It's literately easier to just put something in the USB port for power that looks innocuous, like a bluetooth dongle. 3 Is less likely unless the transmitter is operating over wireless (eg LTE) in which case it would be expensive for whoever deployed it. 2 and 3 is not usually possible unless someone has regular access to the building, in which case there will be evidence. 1 is a slim possibility but exists more in the "your neighbors can hear you" context of wooden apartment/loft/townhouse/condo's than any practical use case.

 

Given that a listening device needs to both transmit and requires power, that's pretty much how you go about finding it. So you need something that can tune any radio frequency and something that can detect heat signatures. Turn the power off to the house, and look for heat sources that don't power down with an IR camera. Use the RF detector to look for things that are transmitting with no power. If it's a powered bug, it will only start transmitting when the power is on.

 

If you find nothing, then either the person is trying to get into your head, or it's a more practical "the neighbor's are spying on you"

[LogicalDrm]

-> Moved to Off Topic

 

This thread is really close to grey area as discussion about spying devices is like talking about piracy.

 

I would recommend you contact law enforcement about this. Any listening device installed by non-law enforcement is disruption of privacy and therefore legal matter.

[Monkey Dust]

Fake a call to the national lottery and see if the animosity evaporates?

[Bombastinator]

On 5/22/2020 at 9:08 AM, n123 said:

I thought this initially, but I want complete confidence nothing is there. I should be able to have a private conversation without being eavesdropped. 

If there is a listening device it’s probably wildly illegal.  If you find one and can prove who planted it that person would go to prison in most developed nations. Messing with your head is more legal though.  Every inch as evil, but more legal, usually. 
 

with a listening device the data has to be collected then transferred.   This would be sneakernet, through manual collection of a storage device, or some sort of radio relay (which would require some electricity and possibly WiFi connection)  there is also laser detection via detecting vibration of glass or other hard surfaces but it’s very difficult and expensive.  Cheapest thing might be to hack a computer with a working microphone and use it as sort of an audio keylogger.  Just as illegal.  Google and whatnot only get away with it because of language in their contracts.

 

I have heard of devices designed to detect active microphones but I don’t know how they work.

[dalekphalm]

On 5/22/2020 at 10:04 AM, n123 said:

A family dispute, and this person has access to my house. And they have hinted they can hear certain conversations I thought were private.

Yo if you're legit serious about this, get off LTT and go to the Police immediately and tell them what you suspect and why. Placing a listening device in someone else's home without their consent (let alone knowledge) is super illegal, unless you're police and have a warrant.

 

Unless they live there, and you're a minor (and they're an adult/your guardian) - in that case, they probably have the legal right to record minors in their care.

 

However, if they are family and do not live there (even if they have access via other family, or they have a key, etc), then that's almost certainly illegal.

[Andreas Lilja]

On 5/22/2020 at 10:15 AM, itswillum said:

https://www.howtogeek.com/204057/how-to-see-who’s-connected-to-your-wi-fi-network/

You could probably just go to 10.0.0.1 and check there.

Can't they ARP spoof? 

[Guest]

8 hours ago, Andreas Lilja said:

Can't they ARP spoof? 

Maybe, but it's worth a try at least. It may not be connected via wi-fi at all