A cautionary tale...
Australia - Lesley Broadbent did not feel safe anywhere... she believed she was under constant surveillance... To try and put her mind at ease she hired a private eye company, with the help of her daughter, Cheryl Metcalfe.
Two female private investigators and a man allegedly claimed they found a "listening device" in Ms. Broadbent's roof, after a bug sweep of her Nambour house.
The trio was yesterday committed to stand trial in Maroochydore Magistrates Court, accused of planting the device.
The court heard Kathleen Joan Kitchner, 53, and Corinne Martell, 46, first went to the Nambour home on June 4 this year, and went back with Shane Martell for a second bug sweep a couple of days later.
After climbing into the roof, Mr. Martell emerged with a device he said had been found somewhere above the kitchen, the court heard...
The court heard Ms. Metcalfe began to get suspicious when the investigators failed to hand the device in to police and refused to return phone calls.
Ms. Martell said the company, Private Eyes 007, seemed perfectly legitimate at first. "They were professional, they had credentials and professional equipment with them, I wouldn't have thought anything else," Ms. Metcalfe told the court. (more)
Tricks of the trade...
While most private investigators are sincere and honest, a few are fraudsters. The "plant a bug, to find a bug," trick is fairly common. Combined with other scare tactics, it is used to assure unnecessary additional inspections and sales of countermeasures gadgets, CCTV cameras, etc..
Even sincere private investigators can provide ineffective eavesdropping detection services, inadvertently. Eavesdropping detection is a specialty. When handled in a Jack-of-all-trades fashion, it is rarely successful, no matter how good the intentions.
Please, if you are seeking assistance to solve a personal electronic surveillance matter, hire a specialist. To find candidates in your area use google.com; search term: TSCM [+ your city or state]. Carefully evaluate your candidates. Trust your instincts.
Businesses and governments have an even greater need for a specialist – the issues are more complicated, the stakes are higher. Finding a bug is not the goal; discovering an espionage attack while there is still time to prevent damage is the goal.
Employ the most experienced specialist you can find. Ask fellow security directors for recommendations, and don't be afraid to 'fly in' the best people. Importing security consultants is commonplace. High stakes demand the best preventative measures.
Resource for locating information security consultants, eavesdropping detection specialists and counterespionage consultants:
• International Association of Professional Security Consultants
Still need help, or a second opinion? Call me. ~Kevin
