Lessons learned from a discovery of listening devices.

Leigh Jones, of Birmingham in the UK, was very surprised to find a voice recorder taped under the coffee table in her living room.

It turns out that her neighbor, William Nolan, who apparently worked in the security industry, had installed multiple listening devices, one in the living room and another was found attached to the headboard of her bed.

Nolan and his wife were trusted with a key to Leigh Jones’ home so they could feed her two cats while she was away.

It is, of course, outrageous that someone would do this to spy on their neighbor, but it is no longer uncommon as small “spy” devices are easily obtainable online as well as in many local shops.

Mrs. Jones caught the perpetrator on video when he came to retrieve his devices by installing her own security cameras. Nolan was arrested and eventually confessed to the crimes.

Details were provided in the Mirror and Sun in the UK.

There are a number of good lessons to take away from the steps taken by Leigh Jones. Although this incident took place in her home, the lessons can also apply to offices and places of work.

Here are few lessons learned from her experience:

Does anything appear odd or out of place, any item not recognized?

She was having dinner at her home with her partner when he found a black plastic box under the table, held by double-sided tape
It had a microphone and an on/off switch, with a port where a USB cable could be connected, in order to access the recorded audio data.

They first thought the small black box may have been part of a toy. When any item is discovered that may appear odd or out of place, don’t discount it right away. Of course, there are numerous things that could look suspicious but may be totally innocent. There is no need to become paranoid right away, but with the large number of eavesdropping devices being sold every day, it is worth paying attention. This would especially be important if an item is found with a USB port, or perhaps a memory card slot on it. Many common spy devices, especially cameras and recorders, will have such connections as a method for downloading their data to a computer.

Check for signs of improper activity- footprints, items moved, dirt or debris in odd places.

As a second booby trap, she hoovered her carpet in her bedroom and upstairs landing in a certain direction, to try and catch footprints.

This comes down to basic awareness of your surroundings. Do you keep your areas clean and neat? That could make it easier to recognize a disturbance. Tables or desks that had been moved can reveal marks in the carpet. Wall dust under an electric outlet may show that it had been tampered with. In an office with drop-ceilings, small white flakes fallen from the tiles may reveal that someone had gone into the ceiling area to plant a device.

Conduct an organized search. If you find one device, there may be others.

Leigh said: “I was so upset and so panicky but my main concern was if they were live listening devices, but we found they were recorders.”
“Then we thought how’s it got there, who’s put it there, and the next thing we thought was are there any more?“

“We took the pictures off the wall, turned the settee upside down and looked in every foreseeable place in the living room.”
They went upstairs to the bedroom and, sure enough, they found one stuck behind the headboard on the bed.

A key element here is – if you do find a device, realize that there may be others. When searching, be organized and be thorough. Depending on the significance of the threat, you may want to reach out to professionals at this point.

Consider – who has access, who has a key? 

Leigh knew it had to be someone with a spare key, and the only non-relatives who had one were the Nolans next door.

Someone needs access in order to plant a device. Knowing who has access can lead you to a suspect. It doesn’t happen by silent ninjas while you sleep, as you might see in a movie. Consider who may have been in your home or location recently, who has keys? Also, has your home or office really been locked while you were away?

You can contact authorities, but realize that they need evidence. 

The next day they reported the discovery to West Midlands Police, but the police told them that with no sign of forced entry, she would need further evidence. She said: “We slept very little and thought whoever planted them needs to come back to get them so they can play it back via a computer.
We thought, ‘we need to catch them.'”

The police are there to serve and protect, but they often may not know the best way to deal with such privacy concerns. Yes, eavesdropping can be a serious offence, but law enforcement will need specific evidence to act upon. They can’t just take your word for it.

Make use of your security system, install security cameras at appropriate locations.

She bought some cameras to try and catch the stalker in the act of returning to collect his recording devices. Leigh set up her camera in the living room, facing the coffee table, in wait for her neighbor’s return.

If you don’t have a security system in your home or office, you should, especially security video cameras. If you discover any suspicious occurrence, reviewing video recordings may give you good peace of mind. Was a disturbance in the yard caused by an intruder, or was it just a raccoon? Was something disturbed while you were away? The video evidence may be just what the police need to move forward with a reported incident. In this video, a lawyer may argue that it was not clear enough to identify the suspect, but it was enough to get the neighbor to confess!

Disinformation – may help reveal a suspect.

For live listening devices, one technique sometimes used to help catch an eavesdropper is to leave the device in place and feed false information to it, with fake details that might cause the criminal to reveal themselves.

Leigh Jones’ devices were recorders rather than transmitters, so she realized that the stalker would need to return to collect them in order to retrieve any recordings. Since she suspected her neighbor, she had a plan.

She told Nolan’s wife that she would be out on Thursday afternoon until Friday morning, and left home.

When she came home she says “The first thing I did was go upstairs and there were large footprints on the landing and by the bed so I knew somebody had come looking for the second device. Checking her cameras she could see her neighbor was recorded frantically searching for his missing devices.”

Who can be the perpetrator? Anyone.

Leigh said they were “normal, friendly neighbors”, would chat regularly and trusted each other.

We all try to put on a good face. It is very difficult, though, to know what is really going on inside another person’s mind and in their life. There can be a number of motivations to commit bad actions that may be totally unexpected. They can range from money or sex to revenge, hatred, or even just idle curiosity. The multitude of spy devices available online are simple for someone obtain, and they may try to act out their fantasies and feel they would never get caught.

Everyone deserves their privacy, at home and at work.

Taking some simple precautions can not only help you have peace of mind, it may help to catch an eavesdropper.

  • Does anything appear odd or out of place?
  • Check for signs of activity- footprints, items moved, dirt or debris in odd places.
  • Conduct an organized search
  • Consider who has access.
  • Contact authorities, but realize that they need evidence.
  • Make use of security cameras.
  • Who can be a suspect? Anyone.
  • For serious concerns, be sure to contact a professional.