A Guide on Efficient Counter Surveillance Equipment

Do you ever feel like someone is tailing you? Like you can’t see them, but you just have a feeling that they’re following?

In most cases, it’s just your brain playing tricks on you.

However, sometimes it can be genuine. It might be your pet watching you, a person, or even a camera following your every move.

Indeed, thanks to advancements in tech, consumer-grade spying devices are available.

If someone with a hidden camera wanted to watch what you do in a hotel room, at home, or at work, they could.

Even your phones can be turned into surveillance devices.

Fortunately, the same technology that provides surveillance also offers counter surveillance.

If you think you’re being watched, it might be wise to get one of these counter surveillance devices to confirm or alleviate your suspicions.

What Does Counter Surveillance Mean?

The best way to understand what “counter surveillance” means is to start by understanding what surveillance is. 

What’s the Difference Between Surveillance and Counter Surveillance?

When you walk into a protected building, you’ll typically see CCTV cameras, and these are used as video surveillance — tools to prevent crimes such as terrorism and theft.

Source: Freepik

There are other types of surveillance as well, but those forms are all used to gather and document information about an object, location, or person.

If you suspect that you’re wrongfully under surveillance, you’ll need to implement protective measures, and this is where counter surveillance comes into play.

Typically, you’d expect these devices to be designed only for law enforcement, and, if you’re thinking about high-tech counter surveillance tools, you’d be right.

However, there is consumer-grade counter surveillance gear available for personal use. 

Types of Counter Surveillance Devices 

Listening Bugs 

One of the most significant threats when you’re dealing with confidential information is it leaking.

Is someone listening to your conversations? You’ve probably watched a few movies about espionage, but have you ever wondered if it could happen to you?

LawMat Hidden Camera Detector

Espionage isn’t limited to Fortune 500 companies or governments — it could affect anyone. If a competitor were to place eavesdropping devices in your boardroom, they could record every conversation during meetings. 

To be safe, you might want to get a bug detector like the LawMate RD30. Remember, you can never be too cautious when dealing with confidential information.

The RD30 can detect wired and wireless bugs in the 20MHz to 6GHz frequency range. It’s sufficient for most listening bugs, as their average transmission frequencies range from 20MHz to 3GHz.

However, since the RD30 has such a broad sweep, you’ll need to turn off all communication devices in the room before you begin scanning.

Another option would be to invest in a white noise generator — it won’t detect listening bugs, but it will emit a sound that masks your voice, making it hard to record your conversations. 

RFID Blocking 

Some credit cards, driver’s licenses, and passports are equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) chips. This means it’s possible to activate these chips with an RFID reader and transmit sensitive information from the cards — something researchers have demonstrated happening in the past.

Special RFID-blocking wallets can stop this from happening. But, is it worth investing in an RFID blocking device?

Not typically, as a hacker is unlikely to follow a stranger in the hopes of remotely collecting sensitive information from their cards.

You’ll be fine without an RFID-blocking wallet. And even if a hacker were to use RFID skimming to collect information from you, the most they’d probably get is your name or country of origin. 

GPS Detectors 

Your phone has GPS, and you’ve probably used it to figure out the distance to a location, routes in and out of an area, traffic, and so on.

But have you ever considered how a similar system could be used to track your location?

Source: Freepik

If someone were serious about tracking you, they could do it remotely via malware or by physically installing several GPS trackers on items you carry around — your bag, briefcase, or even your car.

There are several ways to confirm whether you’re a target of GPS tracking.

One option is manually looking for the tracking devices on your belongings. However, this is a lot of work, and not reliably comprehensive.

A better alternative is to use a GPS detector. They’re inexpensive and will pick out any GPS device in the vicinity by searching for radio signals — which means that you’ll have to turn off all other nearby electronics to keep them from interfering. 

Hidden Camera Detectors

Hidden Camera Detector

Hidden cameras were initially designed for law enforcement, but over time manufacturers also began producing consumer-grade versions, such as nanny cameras.

It was a welcome move, especially for people at risk of abuse or any other threat — they could use the hidden camera to record events and gather evidence.

However, as you’d expect, people would figure out other uses for hidden surveillance cameras.

Something that has been the case in countries like South Korea, where hidden cams are now used to record women in their private spaces.

But this problem isn’t only unique to South Korea. In 2019, a young man attempted to record women on a Sydney beach with a camera disguised as a bottle.

Unfortunately, most hidden cams are used to target women, but there are also instances where they’re used to record private meetings.

If you’re holding a confidential discussion, a hidden camera that can record both audio and video could expose information.

This is where hidden camera detectors come into play — they pick out any camera, regardless of how well it’s been hidden, by detecting radio frequency broadcasts they emit.

There’s also the option to install hidden camera detector apps on your mobile phones, but these aren’t as useful as counter surveillance tools.

If you search for hidden camera apps and read the reviews, you’ll notice that they are inconsistent — they’re effective in picking out certain cameras, especially those with night vision capabilities, but struggle with other types.

Hidden Camera Detector

What Is the Best Anti-Spy Camera Detector?

If you think your meetings are being surveilled with hidden cameras, the best counter surveillance tool is to get a hidden camera detector.

Here at The Spy Store, we have several options available.

These include:

Did you know? The CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, claims that he covers his laptop’s webcam when not in use.

Why do you think that is?

Incidents involving hacked cameras are quite common, and involve people using them to record your activities. Knowing this, you may want to think of ways to counter this problem.

You can start by covering your camera, as most people do. Also, be sure to update your antivirus software, secure your router, and avoid opening suspicious links.

Remember that a cybercriminal can install hidden cameras or other listening devices to record your activities. Not all are after money — some are after blackmail content.

This is why, here at the Spy Store, we offer a wide range of counter surveillance equipment to use to keep yourself safe.

We understand the lengths that people are willing to go to in order to get sensitive information. If you think you’re under surveillance by either hidden cams or listening bugs, contact us and we’ll help you pick the right device for your surveillance problem.

Featured Image: Freepik by master1305