When is Using a Hidden Camera Illegal?
A general breakdown regarding when it is okay to use hidden recording equipment, when you could be breaking the law, and what makes a hidden camera illegal.
Bug Sweeps 101: How bug sweeps work, what they cost, & more
I wanted to write a post all about bug sweeps: How much they cost, what they entail, what the find rate is, what that means to the consumer, and the common situations where people are planting hidden cameras and listening devices.
The Biggest Lie In The History of Private Investigations
No matter how diligent people think they have been in hiring a private investigator, there is one area where people usually get ripped-off. It is the biggest lie in our business, and it has been for the past seventy years.
Hidden bugs & cameras found in 16% of homes & businesses
When I became a licensed private investigator in 1981, I was often asked by clients to determine in there were “bugs” in their home, offices or vehicles.
In 2018, the “hit rate” for us finding a monitoring device or camera in a home or business has risen to 16%.
HuffPost: Couple Uncovers Hidden Cameras In Nightmare Airbnb Stay
Private investigator Thomas Martin featured in an article from the HuffPost regarding the hidden cameras found in an Airbnb stay.
Things change: Cheating spouses on Valentine’s Day
For private investigators, the week of Valentine’s Day used to be the “Superbowl” of cheating spouse surveillance cases. The common wisdom was that a cheaters pretty much had to see the other woman on or around Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t work that way anymore. Here’s why.
Case of the week: The bugs in your coffee
Our case of the week involves a listening device we found in a Keurig coffee maker during a bug sweep. And this story begins with a flashback to a similar case we had 33 years ago. In 1982, we were hired to perform an electronic eavesdropping detection sweep (commonly known by the public as bug…
Bug sweeps for politicians
In Jakarta, Indonesia, populist governor Joko Widodo has hopes of becoming the nation’s president when the results of that country’s election are revealed on July 22. During his campaign, Widodo discovered that listening devices had been planted in his home for months. This post discusses the Widodo case and the importance of regular bug sweeps…
Bugged athletes & private investigation for celebrities
The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics got plenty of negative media attention for unfinished hotels, questions of human rights in relation to Russian policies, and questionable judging. Here’s one you may not have heard about: Russian skater Julia Lipnitskaia had her dressing room bugged, possibly by competition, but in this case, more likely by the Russian media.…
Chinatown, court-admissible evidence, illegal shortcuts, wiretapping & liability
The other night I caught a bit of the classic movie Chinatown on television. Watching this again after so many years, I found myself amused at how the main protagonist, private investigator J.J. Gittes (Jack Nicholson) collects evidence. Through the course of the film, he answers to no one, and does whatever he feels like…