Caught on Spycam: Lawmaker Pours Water into Colleague's Bag

A Republican state legislator in Vermont awkwardly apologized on the House floor on Monday after she was caught on hidden camera repeatedly pouring water into a Democratic colleague’s tote bag. 

State Rep. Mary Morrissey said she was “truly ashamed” of childishly targeting state Rep. Jim Carroll, who dealt with a soaked bag on numerous occasions over the last several months, in what he called “torment.”

“I have given my sincere apology to Jim directly and publicly and will be working towards resolution and restoration through our legislative process,” Morrissey said in front of fellow lawmakers. more

Spycam in Aircraft Toilet - Who's to Blame?

A law firm tried to blame a 9-year-old girl for not noticing an iPhone camera a former American Airlines flight attendant secretly taped to a toilet seat.

American Airlines has replaced the law firm that told a judge a 9-year-old girl was negligent in not noticing there was a camera phone taped to the seat in an airplane lavatory.

The change in lawyers came after Wilson Elser said in a court document that any harm to the girl could be blamed on her “fault and negligence” for using the lavatory, “which she knew or should have known contained a visible and illuminated recording device.” 

An airline spokesperson confirmed Friday that the Wilson Elser law firm is no longer defending American in a lawsuit filed by the girl’s family.

A former American flight attendant is accused of luring girls to use the lavatory after taping his iPhone to the toilet seat and explaining that the seat was broken. Estes Carter Thompson III, who was fired by American, pleaded not guilty this week to attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of images of child sexual abuse. more

Burglar Steals $20K From Business Specializing in Security Cameras

Pro Systems is a communications company in South Nashville that has been around since the eighties and specializes in security cameras. But when employees arrived at work just weeks ago, they found their fence cut, and about $20,000 worth of items stolen.

The company, of course, reviewed their own equipment and handed over surveillance footage to the Metro Nashville Police. Within hours, officers were able to identify and arrest the suspect seen on the business’ security cameras.  more   in other surveillance camera theft news

And The Darwin Award for Spying Goes To...

VA - The Stafford County Sheriff's office has charged a "Peeping Tom" who was allegedly spying on women in a locker room at Onelife Fitness on Garrisonville Road in Stafford, Virginia.

The alleged peeper, identified as 41-year-old Brian Anthony Joe of Woodbridge, was charged after falling through a ceiling in the women's locker room at the gym and landing on a woman below. He was then cornered by patrons at the gym until law enforcement arrived. more

Gouverneur Vetos Protective Video Surveillance for Nursing Home Residents

MI - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer opted not to sign a bill allowing nursing home residents to install surveillance cameras in their own rooms...

In a statement opposing Whitmer’s pocket veto,  Sen. Jim Runestad, the bill's sponsor, mentioned the story of 75-year-old Norman Bledsoe, who was severely beaten in May by a 20-year-old patient receiving COVID-19 treatment. Bledsoe suffered four broken fingers, broken ribs, and a broken jaw after the attack.

“Without the benefit of video, no one would have known the truth of how Mr. Bledsoe was injured,” Runestad said in a statement. “The governor had a chance to sign this bill and help stop the type of abuse we’ve seen in nursing homes for years. Instead she chose to turn a blind eye, and now seniors pay the price.” more

Don't Click on Links Like This... but click on this one to learn why. (blahaha)

A subset of Three UK users have received an SMS message warning them about text message-based spam – complete with a shortlink and textual urgings to click it and learn more.

The definitely-not-smishing-honest message was received by Reg reader Chris, and he was not very chuffed with it. He told us:

"They send an unsolicited out-of-the-blue SMS which asks you to 'click' (not tap) on a link. When checked out in a sandboxed environment this goes to an insecure http-only page which warns of suspicious text messages and a video telling recipients not to tap on any links. Awesome!" more

The offending message is reproduced in all its glory below:

Bosnian Leader Brags He Illegally Wiretapped - (WWHT)

Opposition parties and Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TIBiH) have filed criminal charges against the Serb member of the tripartite Bosnian state presidency member Milorad Dodik, whom they accuse of illegal wiretapping based on his own statements.

The charges were filed after Dodik told the parliament in the mainly Serb entity of Bosnia, Republika Srpska, on May 20 that he often listened in to telephone conversations between representatives of the opposition parties, saying it was normal practice.

Dodik stated that he was eavesdropping on the representatives of the opposition by phone, that every government was eavesdropping on the opposition, and he recounted the content of telephone conversations of opposition members...  more

'Zoom-bombed' | Salary Cuts Call Eavesdropped on by Rival Company

Staff at national news outlet The Independent were on a ‘confidential and sensitive video’ Zoom call to learn about salary cuts and furloughs when it was ‘zoom-bombed’ by an employee from a rival media organisation. more

Mark Di Stefano, a reporter with the Financial Times, allegedly entered meetings held over the video conferencing app by the Independent and the Evening Standard.

Stefano, according to the Independent, brazenly joined the meeting by using his work email address. This caused Stefano’s name to appear on the call, although his camera remained disabled.

The journalist reportedly joined for 16 seconds before logging out but returned soon after by logging in with his phone number.

Not long after the call, Stefano sent out a series of tweets describing topics that the Independent says were discussed during the staff meeting.

Stefano described information on everything from pay cuts to the outlet’s issues with falling ad revenue. more

Related News...
DHS Reportedly Concerned Zoom May be Vulnerable to Foreign Spies 
The feds are concerned that Zoom’s security flaws could make the popular videoconferencing platform vulnerable to foreign spies, a new report says.

An intelligence analysis from the Department of Homeland Security found that Zoom’s explosive growth and its well-known security problems make it a “target-rich environment” for government spy services and other hackers, ABC News reported Tuesday.

“Any organization currently using — or considering using — Zoom should evaluate the risk of its use,” the department warned in the analysis, which was reportedly distributed to law enforcement agencies around the US. more
...and much more.

Spycam Story # 834 - Deputy Danner Investigates Rectangular Turd

FL - Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies following up on a tip ... led to an investigation and arrest of a Dunnellon man for video voyeurism, according to a Citrus County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit...

Upon observing the interior of the portable toilet, the deputies could observe a black box-type object floating in the water, the report stated. (a la Caddyshack pool scene)

Deputy Danner was able to safely retrieve the object from the toilet. Deputies noted the item was a portable Brickhouse security camera. They were able to remove the subscriber identity module (SIM) card (more accurately an SD card) located inside the camera.

Deputies observed multiple files on the SIM card and opened one. At the 16:39.48 timestamp mark deputies observed a white male subject wearing a collared white, red, blue and green striped shirt with white/khaki shorts affixing the camera to the inside of the toilet...

Deputies confirmed he was wearing the same clothing found on the file located on the SIM card where he placed the camera in the toilet. more  (You can't make this sh-t up. Perp gets the Darwin Award from us for filming himself.)

Spy Fail: Alleged Huawei Spy Caught Disguised as 'Weihua' Employee

If you're going to steal trade secrets for your employer, you might want to do a little more to hide your identity than simply rearrange the letters of your company's name.

That's apparently all one Huawei employee spy did to disguise himself during a late-night attempt to steal technology from a U.S. competitor.

Needless to say, it wasn't exactly successful.

This hilarious new detail emerged as part of the United States government's indictment of the Chinese firm on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to steal trade secrets. The indictment lays out how the company sought to steal the intellectual property of six different U.S. tech companies — though not every attempt was particularly sophisticated. more

January's Hot Mic Moments... so far

Leaked audio appears to catch Trump demanding the firing of Marie Yovanovitch: “Get rid of her!”
“Get her out tomorrow," a voice that is apparently President Trump’s says in the recording. more

Hot mic catches Pence telling Netanyahu 'He's unstoppable' “We are contending. He’s unstoppable, like someone else I know,” the vice president was overheard telling Israel's prime minister. more

Trudeau's hot mic comments cause consternation in Canada... Trudeau was caught on camera at a Buckingham Palace reception for NATO seemingly trash talking President Donald Trump. more

“You Called Me a Liar”: CNN Hot Mic Catches Warren-Sanders Blowup more

Biden heard on hot mic joking with Sanders about his arm gestures at debate. more

Patrick Cantlay involved in classic hot-mic fail at Sentry Tournament of Champions... Patrick Cantlay can expect to receive a stern letter from PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, and it won’t have anything to do with his pace of play. This one will be for “conduct unbecoming a professional.” more

Steve Kerr went BALLISTIC on a ref during the Warriors' game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night -- and the whole profanity-laced rant was caught on a hot mic!!! more

It turns out it was Virginia State Senator Dave Marsden who called gun rights advocates "children" on a hot mic at a public meeting over the weekend. But calling them "children" was just the beginning. Things just got worse. Much worse. more

Five 'hot mic' moments that got leaders in trouble... more

"If you don't have something nice to say about somebody, don't say it." ~my mom
"Always assume you are being recorded." ~common sense
"Been there. Done that. Have the T-Shirt." ~hackneyed phrase

Dude, you gotta be a government before you shoot spies!

FL - A man is facing charges after authorities say he fired shots at children he thought were spying on him from canoes outside his home.

Deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office

said they were called to the home in the 1500 block of Murphy Road in Pierson after the victims said they were fishing in a lake when 30-year-old Michael Adams fired several shots their way...

Adams was arrested and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail on two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. more

Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant Says Pilots Streamed Secret Bathroom Live Feed into Cockpit

A Phoenix-based flight attendant has sued Southwest Airlines for retaliation after she reported two pilots for live streaming secret lavatory video onto an iPad in the cockpit. 

Renee Steinaker says...she saw an iPad mounted to the jet’s windshield where she could see the pilot in the restroom. She says the co-pilot then told her that the cameras were a new “top secret security measure” which Steinmaker later determined was not true.

She claims that the pilots also left the aircraft unattended after landing the flight, and “left a loaded firearm unattended in the cockpit” which violates FAA regulations. more

The two pilots, both based near Southwest's Dallas headquarters, have denied the allegations in court documents. So has the airline, which dismissed the incident as an "inappropriate attempt at humor" in a statement. more

UPDATE:  A statement by the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association this week:

"Southwest Airlines has never placed cameras and never videoed anyone in any lavatory, and the pilots on Flight 1088 did not video anyone. The incident, which occurred over two years ago, was a poor attempt at humor where the pilot took a selfie video from the chest up, fully clothed, in the lavatory of a completely different airplane months before Flight 1088 and then replayed the exact same selfie video on his iPad when Ms. Steinaker came into the cockpit." more

Security Fail Photo of the Day

Spycam Brings Down Austrian Leader - A Cautionary Tale

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called Saturday for an early election after his vice chancellor resigned over a covertly shot video that showed him apparently promising government contracts to a prospective Russian investor.

Two German publications, the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and the weekly Der Spiegel, published extracts Friday of a covert video purportedly showing Strache during an alcohol-fueled evening on the Spanish resort island of Ibiza offering Austrian government contracts to a Russian woman, purportedly the niece of a Russian oligarch and interested in investing large amounts of money in Austria.

In his resignation statement Saturday, Strache apologized but said he was set up in a “political assassination” that illegally used surveillance equipment. more

Hey Politicos. Better learn how to detect spycams.

Colombia's Court - Let's meet at Club Nogal, we know it's not bugged.

Colombia’s constitutional court said on Sunday it had been meeting outside its normal offices citing suspicions that the high court is bugged.

In a pair of messages on Twitter, the court also said it would ask the National Police and the Prosecutor General’s Office if their equipment and personnel are used for possible wiretaps...

Several magistrates confirmed to newspaper El Espectador that they believe that also their phone conversations are being intercepted after several personal conversations were leaked...

“We met in Club Nogal because there are no microphones there,” an anonymous magistrate told the television network. more

I wouldn't bet on it, especially now that you told the press where you meet. ~Kevin

Tunnel Spy Traps Himself: "But it worked for El Chapo."

A man in northern Mexico had to be rescued after he accidentally trapped himself in a hole that he dug so he could spy on his former girlfriend in violation of a court order to stay away from her, authorities said Sunday.

The Sonora state attorney general’s office said the 50-year-old man had spent days digging the hole in Puerto Penasco, a town on the Gulf of California, only to become trapped and require assistance to get out...

The newspaper El Universal said the man dug a tunnel under the woman’s house. It said the woman told police that over the course of a week, she had heard scratching noises but assumed the noise was cats.

But when the sound grew louder, she investigated and found her former partner of 14 years trapped below, the report said. She said she ended the relationship because her partner was very jealous. more

The Case of The Very Dumb Spycam Man

CA - A detective identified the man charged with filming dozens of cops in a police station restroom by recognizing his shoes, according to newly revealed court documents that allege his spying was more widespread than previously known...

He took note of the distinctive dress shoes in the stall next to him, and later that day, detectives confronted Sergio Nieto, the clerk who was wearing them, according to the documents.

Nieto admitted he’d been filming officers as they used the toilet and said he’d also spied on people in the bathroom of a 24 Hour Fitness at The Promenade at Downey shopping center. more

Tired of Smartphone Security Vulnerabilities? Go Dumb!

Punkt - The MP02 is significantly more complex than the MP01, so we have teamed up with BlackBerry to keep it secure. BlackBerry adds enhanced security to the device at the point of manufacture, which means the MP02 is hardened and highly secure. With BlackBerry’s integrated software components, the MP02 will be built with security from the start so you can trust that your data will be safe. more

The new Nokia 3310 2.4” polarized and curved screen window makes for better readability in sunlight. Remember when you could leave the house without a charger? Well, with the Nokia 3310, you can. It comes with a long-lasting battery, so you can talk all day, or leave the phone on standby for up to a month. When needed, a Micro-USB port makes charging simple. more

The Light Phone 2 is a 4G LTE phone with a beautiful black & white matte display. It's a more reliable, durable, and practical phone than its predecessor. It brings a few essential tools to the Light Phone, like messaging,  an alarm clock, or a ride home, so you can leave behind your smartphone more often... or for good. We call this experience 'going light'. more (An indiegogo project at the moment.)

Another dumb phone, the Alba Flip fits right between the borderline-brain-dead dumbness of the Light Phone and the smarter-than-you’d-think trickery of the Nokia remakes. Plus, it's a flip phone, which you've got to love. The Alba Flip is not designed to be a basic phone. Alba are a brand designed for those who struggle with conventional mobile phones, either through technophobia or because of visual impairments. more (Warning: 2G only which is becoming harder to rely upon as it is phasing out. In the U.S. that means T-Mobile 2G.)


And, the dumbest one I've ever used... The BM70 is the smallest phone which supports 4G network. With built-in Micro SIM card slot, it can store 250 contact numbers. Not only a mini cell phone, also a Bluetooth earphone more (Only $12.99, and yes it really works.) ~Kevin

If you don't go dumb, go smart, and smarter.

Judge Nails Husband for Spyware and Eavesdropping on Wife's Calls ...with her attorney ...twice!

A federal judge has levied sanctions on a tobacco heiress’ estranged husband for destroying evidence related to spyware that he secretly installed on his wife’s phone and used to listen in on her calls, including conversations she had with her attorney. 

It was the second time that a judge has hit Crocker Coulson, who is locked in a bitter divorce with Anne Resnik in state court, with spoliation sanctions for destroying evidence of bugging Resnik’s phone. more

Last year...
A man locked in bitter divorce proceedings with a tobacco heiress was caught bugging his wife’s phone and listening in to her conversations with her attorney, an infraction that a Brooklyn judge said should cost him any claim on the family’s wealth. more