PokemonGo - A data-gathering opportunity for spies.

A retired senior Russian intelligence official is warning his colleagues in the spying game to stay away from PokemonGo.

Alexander Mikhailov, a former Major-General in Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB (the successor to the Soviet KGB), says the game poses a serious national security threat in the hands of oblivious government officials or military personnel.

“Imagine, that these ‘animals,’ appear not in a park but in a secret location where the user who is a soldier or a security official takes a photo of it,” he tells RIA Novosti... “It is unlikely that intelligence agencies will pass up the chance to exploit this data-gathering opportunity,” he said...

So far at least four New York City police officers have been filmed catching Pokemon, around the city. more

Why Every Business Needs a Spycam Detection Program & Recording in the Workplace Policy

The American Family Association (AFA) has renewed its call to #BoycottTarget after a man was reportedly arrested for recording girls trying clothes on in a dressing room at the store's branch in Bedford, New Hampshire.

Last week, 22-year-old Zachery Bishop was arrested by the Bedford Police Department following reports that a man was videotaping young girls undressing inside Target's dressing room. In response to the report, AFA president Tim Wildmon released a statement calling on the 1.3 million people who have already signed the #BoycottTarget petition to invite one person each to sign it also, The Christian Post details.

"Over the Independence Day holiday and throughout the month of July, we're asking all those who have signed the #BoycottTarget pledge to work diligently to get just one other person in their circle of influence to sign it as well," said Wildmon in his statement. "We want to give another boost to the boycott against Target's unsafe and family unfriendly bathroom and fitting room policy." more

Get your Spycam Detection Program & Recording in the Workplace Policy here.

Nanny Cam Solves 2013 Home Invasion Case — 2016 Justice Served

A judge sentenced a New Jersey man to life in prison Wednesday for a brutal home invasion beating caught on a nanny cam, after listening to the victim describe how the attack left her with physical and psychological scars...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/25/home-invasion-millburn-camera/2458129/

(Judge) Wigler added an additional five years to Custis' life sentence for the child endangerment conviction. Custis won't be eligible for parole for more than 60 years.

Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for the Newark resident based on a criminal past Wigler termed "rather staggering." It included 38 arrests and 17 felony convictions before the 2013 attack in Millburn, a suburban town several miles from Newark...

"Half-measures of leniency haven't worked to deter this defendant," (Assistant Essex County Prosecutor) Semper said. "He has almost as many arrests as he's had birthdays." more

Not the World's Smallest "Camera" but... Possibly the World's Smallest Camera Lens

Tiny 3D-printed medical camera could be deployed from inside a syringe.

Getting inside the human body to have a look around is always going to be invasive, but that doesn't mean more can't be done to make things a little more comfortable. With this goal in mind, German researchers have developed a complex lens system no bigger than a grain of salt that fits inside a syringe. The imaging tool could make for not just more productive medical imaging, but tiny cameras for everything from drones to slimmer smartphones.

Scientists from the University of Stuttgart built their three-lens camera using a new 3D printing technique. They say their new approach offers sub-micrometer accuracy that makes it possible to 3D print optical lens systems with two or more lenses for the first time. Their resulting multi-lens system opens up the possibility of correcting for aberration (where a lens cannot bring all wavelengths of color to the same focal plane), which could enable higher image quality from smaller devices. more

Spycam, Blackmail and a former Waffle House CEO (surprise ending)

Mye Brindle, a housekeeper for Joe Rogers, former CEO of the Waffle House restaurant chain, was indicted on Friday, for allegedly trying to extort millions of dollars from her boss. 
 
Her lawyers, John Butters and David Cohen, were charged as well. According to the Associated Press, all three were indicted for secretly videotaping Brindle and Rogers having sex in Rogers’ home, and then trying to blackmail him with the recording...

Records indicated that the video, made with a spy camera Brindle received from a private investigator, did not show that Brindle did anything against her will.

Secretly recording someone in their bedroom is considered eavesdropping, which is a felony in Georgia.

Brindle, Butters, and Cohen are all charged with conspiracy to commit extortion, conspiracy to commit unlawful eavesdropping, and eavesdropping, each facing a sentence of up to five years of incarceration. more

Video Voyeur Spycam Incidents Still Running at High Levels

AR - Police in Greenwood, AR arrested a man on Sunday after he was accused of recording women in a restaurant bathroom, says a 5 News Online report. Authorities were notified after a 10-year-old girl found a hidden cell phone that had been recording video in the women’s bathroom at El Palenque. more

AR -  A Lowell man pleaded not guilty Monday to charges accusing him of secretly recording in a men's bathroom. more

DE - Police in Milltown, Delaware, are investigating a hidden camera found in the women’s bathroom of Moe’s Southwest Grill that contained video clips of over 100 women and even an little girl. The bathroom camera was discovered after a restaurant employee overheard a man discussing the camera. The camera was found fastened to a garbage can in the women’s restroom. Along with the camera a power source and a memory card was discovered. more

FL - Authorities found cameras disguised as wall-mounted coat hooks in at least three public bathrooms in and around the Florida Keys, according to a new report. Over the last week the hidden devices were discovered in the women’s room of a Circle K outlet, the girls’ room in a park at Anne’s Beach, and the women’s room at Harry Harris Park, police said this week. more

FL - Authorities arrested David Newell, 55, after a female friend of the jail informant told officials she had rented a room from Newell but moved out after she said she found cameras within the walls of the room. Authorities obtained a search warrant Thursday morning for Newell's Southport home, where they found camera wires in the walls and a camera in Newell's closet. Investigators say they also found a large, underground room in his backyard. more

OH - He'll be back in court next Tuesday. Bond for 65-year-old Jerry Rowe is being kept at $20,000. Rowe was arrested last week after cameras were found installed in the bathrooms of five women at the Steeplechase apartments where Rowe was a maintenance worker. According to the sheriff's office, one of the cameras captured Rowe installing it. more

10 types of spy cameras that could be watching you right now - No. 6 is a surprise

Camera technology has advanced a lot the past few years. They keep getting smaller and smaller, making it possible to conceal them any which way.

Spy cam manufacturers have been creative in producing some of the most cleverly disguised (and tiny) camera/DVR systems, complete with HD video, motion detection, large storage card support and remote controls...

1. USB flash drive spy cameras
These cameras look like your regular USB storage sticks, but think again. They have a hidden camera inside! It’s not unusual these days for someone to be carrying USB sticks around so spotting them can be a bit challenging.

So how can you tell? The camera lens for these USB stick cameras is usually located on the posterior end of the stick, opposite the USB plug. With this form factor, this spy cam will blend seamlessly in an office or classroom.

See all 10 here.

The Friendly Maintenance Man's Spycam

Apartment maintenance man Jerry Rowe was a nice, friendly guy who carried around treats for residents' dogs. Residents of the Steeplechase Apartments were surprised Thursday when word spread that Rowe, 65, had been arrested and charged with hiding a camera in the bathrooms of five female tenants. 

...The investigation into Rowe started Wednesday when a woman saw a camera in a vent in the ceiling of her bathroom.  The Friendly Maintenance Man's

She called the Warren Co. Sheriff's Office and deputies said they found images of Rowe placing the camera in the vent on the camera. Lt. John Faine said five women were captured by the camera...

Faine said he believes Rowe had one camera that he moved from one apartment to another. However, he cannot rule out that there may be other cameras at this point in the investigation. more

Think Video Surveillance is Just for Crime Prevention? Think again...

Sure, surveillance video can be used to “catch the bad guy” and deter incidents. But it can do so much more!

Download the Top 10 Values of Video Surveillance by Pivot3 to see how you could be leveraging your video for strategic business purposes beyond security.

See how video can help you:

• Defend against fraudulent liability claims
• Avoid fines from non-compliance
• Improve the value of other business systems to your organization
• And more!

Spycam Found in Hospital Bathroom

Harris Health Systems is confirming that a hidden camera was found in a staff restroom at Ben Taub General Hospital. 

Hospital staff turned the camera over to Houston police.

Harris Health Systems oversees the county's public hospitals, including Ben Taub.

Kese Smith of the Houston Police Department said Thursday that the camera was found concealed inside a fifth floor restroom at the hospital which is used mostly by staff but is also sometimes accessed by the public.

It was not immediately known what kind of camera was found or how long it had been in the staff restroom. more

2016 - The Smallest Camera in the World

No matter how small, a good TSCM inspection service can find them.

Med Students Caught Cheating with Spycams & Smart Watches

A top Thai medical college has caught students using spy cameras linked to smartwatches to cheat during exams in what some social media users have compared to a plot straight out of a Mission: Impossible movie.

Key points:

• Thai students caught using spyglasses to send images of exam questions to accomplices
• Accomplices sent answers back to students' smartwatches
• Students paid 800,000 baht ($31,000) for equipment, answers

Arthit Ourairat, the rector of Rangsit University, posted pictures of the hi-tech cheating equipment on his Facebook page, announcing that the entrance exam in question had been cancelled after the plot was discovered.

Three students used glasses with wireless cameras embedded in their frames to transmit images to a group of as yet unnamed people, who then sent the answers to the smartwatches.

Mr Arthit said the trio had paid 800,000 baht ($31,000) each to the tutor group for the equipment and the answers.

"The team did it in real-time," Mr Arthit wrote. more

Spycam Lawsuit: Employee Known Video Voyeur - Store Manager Did Nothing

A Colorado Springs woman is suing Reebok International, a Reebok Outlet Store, and a teenage store employee over a Peeping Tom incident... Christina Selvig said she caught a glimpse of Austin Kyle Baker looking over the top of the wall into her changing room...

She immediately informed the store manager who did nothing more than take her name and number and promised to get back with her the next day, which didn’t happen.

Selvig wasn’t sitting around waiting for action on the store’s part, she had already informed the police, who also didn’t take her complaint that seriously initially, chalking the incident up to an accident.

...three days later, Baker confessed to spying on Christina, in addition to several more women. An investigation revealed that at least one other employee was aware that Baker was a video voyeur, and continued to allow the behavior.

Law enforcement told her that he had turned over his phone... Forensics came back with footage of her, as well as deleted videos of other women. more

Here comes another big pockets settlement. If your company offers employees, visitors and/or customers "expectation of privacy" areas, you better begin doing your due diligence. Start here.

FutureWatch – If Walls Have Ears, Why Not Eyes?

Researchers have developed a sheet camera with a flexible lens array which could be wrapped around everyday objects, turning them into cameras. The project, which uses elastic optics, could also see the development of credit card-thin cameras which a photographer simply bends to change the field of view.

While we've previously seen researchers miniaturizing cameras and lenses so they can be used in new situations, the team from Columbia University has taken a different approach. Led by Shree K. Nayar, T.C. Chang Professor of Computer Science at Columbia Engineering, it looked at producing a sheet camera which would enable any surface to capture visual information.

Using traditional fixed focal length lenses in such a lens array would mean that as the array sheet is bent, gaps are formed between the lenses' fields of view, meaning information is missing. As such, the researchers set about designing a flexible lens array which also adapts its optical properties when the sheet camera is bent. more

The Voyeur Who Bought A Hotel To Spy On His Guests

A historically interesting essay in The New Yorker, and a cautionary tale.

Erin Andrews was not the first victim of hotel voyeurism, and she won't be the last. more

The Erin Andrews $55,000,000 verdict: Can it happen to your property?

by David C. Tryon - Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLC

If you own or manage a hotel or inn, the Erin Andrews $55,000,000 verdict probably caught your attention. You wonder, “could that happen to my hotel?” Yes it can...

One fact which has not been widely reported is that Andrews’ room was allegedly on a “secure floor” – a designation which likely has varying meanings to property owners and guests. Barrett was able to use his immediate proximity to tamper with the peep hole on Andrews door at an ideal time – allowing him to see from the outside in. A disturbing reality is that anyone can do this with a readily available $60 (or $12.99) device. Barrett then videoed Andrews nude in her room without being detected by the hotel staff. He later posted the video on the Internet, which subsequently went viral...

So, what steps can you take to prevent something like this from happening to your property? Start by having a very direct conversation with your staff about your security measures. Assess what efforts you have in place and if those efforts should be enhanced. Ask yourself these questions... more

PS - Hotels are not the only vulnerable targets. The term "property" easily expands to include: country clubs, gyms, schools, hospitals, and more. In fact, all corporate locations offering rest room / maternity room / changing room / shower and locker room facilities to their employees and visitors is at risk. 

The best first steps to protecting yourself and your company:
1. Have a written Recording in the Workplace Policy in place.
2. Train security and facilities employees how to conduct inspections for spycams.
3. Conduct in-house spy camera inspections periodically, and document your efforts.

Spycam Lawsuit: Female Oil Rig Worker Sues for $1 Million

It looked like a normal clothing hook -- small and unsuspecting, mounted on the back door of her sleeping quarters on the Transocean Deepwater oil rig.

But to her, for some reason it just didn't feel right.

"The rooms are pretty bare and minimum, so when you notice something that's different, it kind of sticks out to you."

Though 26, she'd been on plenty of rigs before. In fact, she'd spent much of her life dedicated to working offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. But she says she'd never seen something like this.
"It was out of place."

She dismissed the weird feeling and thought to herself, "Well, it must just be extra storage."
That was a Friday in August 2015. Four days later, the hook was gone. more

Laker Rookie Secretly Filmed Teammate Admitting Cheating

A shocking video surfaced of Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young,

filmed by his rookie teammate D’Angelo Russell, admitting that he cheated on his fiancée Iggy Azalea.

The video shows Russell talking to Young saying, “You was 30 and she was 19?” referencing a woman the 30-year-old Young met in a nightclub...

According to Hollywoodlife.com the 25-year-old Azalea plans to now call off their wedding plans. more

Brussels Suicide Bombers Planted Hidden Camera...

...At Home Of Top Belgium Nuclear Official

...Belgium’s federal prosecutor confirmed that on November 30, police seized footage that appeared to show a high-ranking Belgian nuclear official in an anti-terror raid. The surveillance video was discovered in a bust that resulted in the arrest of Mohamed Bakkali, who was charged with terrorist activity and murder in connection with the Paris attacks. His home in Auvelais may have been used as a hideout...

On Thursday, we get still more chilling evidence to suggest that this is all the work of the very same Belgium-based terror cell. According to Dernier Heure, it was the Bakraoui brothers that planted a hidden camera in the bushes and captured the 10-minute surveillance video of the senior Belgian nuclear official coming and going from his home. more

A European security official told the AP the terror squads are being trained in battleground strategies, explosives, surveillance techniques and countersurveillance — “next-level” methods Stewart said will help them avoid capture and kill scores of innocents.

“They’re doing pre-operational surveillance, attack planning and clandestine communications,” Stewart said. “That kind of 
advanced tradecraft gives them capabilities that are beyond what we’ve seen.” more

Can Pro-Level Spy Gadgets Get Any Cheaper?!?!

 I was just alerted to this by one of our Blue Blaze Irregulars. ~Kevin

from the website ad...
Conduct your own espionage or just take some spontaneous home videos with this Spy Watch. Disguised as a chronograph style watch, the 8GB Spy Camcorder can take AVI video and photos. The watch features push button control video and camera settings, and a USB connector disguised with a screw-down crown. When you’ve gathered your evidence, upload to your computer with the included USB cable. No one will ever guess that your watch was really a Spy Camcorder!



Records Audio and Images - Built-in microphone - Camera lens at 6 o’clock position - Records AVI video and takes still JPEG pictures - 720x480 or 640x480 video resolution

Functioning Timepiece - Analog display - Decorative sub-dials - Secure buckle clasp - Band dimensions: 20mm x 7.5” - Case dimensions: 40mm x 15mm

Good to Know - USB port for easy uploading to a PC or Mac - 8GB of storage - Rechargeable lithium ion battery - Full product dimensions: 40mm x 7.5”
Memory: 8GB Internal
Diameter: 40mm
Limit of 5 per person more