Spy Rule #629 - Don't Order Bugs Using Company Email

Eavesdropping charges have been filed against a central Illinois schools administrator who allegedly planned to secretly record a closed session of the school board.

The News-Gazette reports Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz alleged Thursday that Samuel Byndom used a device disguised as a pen to record an Oct. 28 closed session of the school board. The 35-year-old Byndom is Urbana District 116's assistant superintendent of learning and instruction.

Click to enlarge.

Rietz said Urbana police have been investigating Byndom since a school district employee found an email order confirmation on a school district computer for a voice-activated recorder pen from a company called "SpyGuy."

Members of the school board members went forward with the closed session after learning about the recording device order, but searched the room before starting. They found the device and removed it. more

Spy Shop Bat Man Shows No Brotherly Love

NJ/PA - The superintendent of a Cumberland County school district is facing criminal charges after allegedly attacking a Philadelphia surveillance equipment store employee with a baseball bat.
Michael Knox, the superintendent of the Fairfield Township School District, faces charges of aggravated assault, possessing an instrument of crime, making terroristic threats and simple assault, court records show.

According to NBC 10 Philadelphia, Knox allegedly had a business arrangement with the shop to spy on his wife for an unknown matter. He thought the store was doing a bad job with the surveillance, NBC reported, leading him to attack an employee inside the store. more

The Secret Shoe, or The Bonded Sole

(via maxim.com)
We're not suggesting that you infiltrate an enemy's ranks to take down a hostile foreign power, but if you ever want to dabble in some international espionage, have we got the shoe for you.

A dressy Derby Shoe made from fine deerskin may seem less critical than a working knowledge of close quarters combat or Russian. Still, "The Secret Shoe" from Oliver Sweeney is here to satisfy all your covert spy needs... and then some.

The luxury footwear provider teamed with VeryFirstTo.com to stash inside this unsuspecting-looking shoe two hidden compartments that can each hold three gadgets at a time.

Derby Shoe has provided 12 for you to pick from: the world's smallest phone, a tiny video camera, a mini Swiss army knife, a tracking device, a money capsule, "the world's most advanced contactless payment ring" and more.

There's also room for a house key.

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Another badass feature you'll make use of if you're ever zip-tied and about to be tossed off a helicopter (there's a chance) is the laces. They're made of Kevlar, which means they can double as a friction saw that's strong enough to cut through wood and plastic. more

If your organization isn't picking up the tab for this, you'll probably be interested in the selling price. $1307.50

Still interested?

That's $1307.50 
...per shoe. ~Kevin

The Real Whole Spy Catalog

A confidential, 120-page catalog of spy equipment, 
originating from British defense firm Cobham and circulated to U.S. law enforcement, touts gear that can intercept wireless calls and text messages, locate people via their mobile phones, and jam cellular communications in a particular area.

The catalogue was obtained by The Intercept as part of a large trove of documents originating within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, where spokesperson Molly Best confirmed Cobham wares have been purchased but did not provide further information.

The document provides a rare look at the wide range of electronic surveillance tactics used by police and militaries in the U.S. and abroad, offering equipment ranging from black boxes that can monitor an entire town’s cellular signals to microphones hidden in lighters and cameras hidden in trashcans. more

The original Whole Spy Catalog.

Spy Shop Sales Soaring Ahead of Valentine’s Day

Valentine's Day is the time of the year when couples all over the country profess their love.

That is, unless you suspect your significant other of cheating. But you don’t have to go on a reality show to find an unfaithful spouse.

“You can actually buy the equipment out right and do it yourself and have that equipment forever,” Spy Guy Allen Walton told NewsFix.

Walton's been selling spy gear for the last seven years, and he says when it comes to this hallmark holiday, his store sees a spike in business. more

10 Gadgets That Will Make You Feel Like a Spy

1. Mini Camera Camcorder Video DV DVR Hidden Web Cam

2. SPY DVR Camera Camcorder Eyewear Sunglasses
3. Voicelok Voice Authenticating 8GB USB Drive
4. Spy Camera Tie with Wireless Audio Recorder with Remote Control – 4GB DVR Built-in
5. Mini Gadgets Inc CD60 Wireless Camera Detector
6. Spy Tec STI_GL300 Mini Portable Real Time GPS Tracker
7. Sport Treavy Lock N’ Load Gun Alarm Clock target Alarm Clock creative Clock – Black
8. US Mint Quarter – Micro SD Card Covert Coin – Secret Compartment US Quarter
9. Seek LW-AAA Thermal Imaging Camera Lightning Connector for iOS Devices, Black
10. Traveling Bartender 7 Piece Set by Brouk & Co. more

Beijing Bans All* Hidden Surveillance Equipment

Beijing authorities have initiated a ban on all secret surveillance equipment in the city amid increasing pressure from the central government to crack down on spying activities.

The decision was issued jointly by the city's Administration for Industry and Commerce, Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and Beijing National Security Bureau, which added that purchases of these devices–such as surreptitious cameras installed in glasses or walking sticks to secretly record photos or videos of people in bathrooms and changing rooms–could lead to serious criminal liability...

Chinese media outlets reported that the majority of buyers are private detectives and investigators, debt collectors and lawyers looking to collect evidence for their cases. There have so far been 91 official investigations into illegal surveillance in Beijing this year. (more)

* Except their own, we presume.

Chinese-Made Bugs in Demand in Vietnamese City

Bugging devices smuggled in from China are widely sold in Ho Chi Minh City though lawyers say their use is illegal. 

Also available on eBay.

A shopkeeper named Duong in an alley in District 3 offered a Thanh Nien reporter two bugging devices smaller than a matchbox for VND900,000 (US$43).

“They can hear clearly within a 15-30 meters radius,” he said, offering a 12-month guarantee.

One needs to buy a prepaid SIM card, an unregistered one which is also widely available illegally so that it cannot be traced, insert it into the device, and call to activate it, he said.

A call to that SIM card then will pick up sounds from around the device.

Another bug costing VND1.6 million automatically sends signals to one’s phone number when there is any noise in the vicinity.
 
But their prices vary largely around the city...
A company, only identified as N.N., rents an office building in Vo Van Tan Street to provide bugging services. 

Tai, a representative, said a full package of calls, messages, history of web browsing and online chats, images from a ’s mobile phone, and the location of the target costs VND10 million a year and VND3-4 million the second year. 


He said it only takes 15 minutes to install a software on the target’s mobile phone. An Internet connection is needed to activate the software, and once that is done all information from the phone is sent to the customer’s email. A contract is signed to offer a guarantee, he said. 

Several companies like Tai’s operate in the city, labeling themselves as detective agencies. (more)

Proof Spying is Mainstream - The Walmart of India has a Spy Section

India - Naaptol with its “shop right, shop more” slogan has just announced its own list of the top 10 spy gadgets of 2014. And it’s just the start of the year! 

They come in all shapes and sizes. Spy gadgets camouflaged as pens (Rs 2999 for 4 GB); sim card phone device ear bugs; and even cloth hooks spy cameras. 

If that’s not enough, check out the video recording button camera. No one might suspect that it’s not part of your suit! You have an option of hidden cameras that fit in a car key-chain, the world’s smallest digital mini camera that is slightly bigger than your eye, motion sensor padlocks, anti-theft whistle key-chains, wall clocks that hide a CCTV camera, mini USB-shaped reader digital camera flash drive. (more) (store)