TSCM Bug Sweeping Service
Questions and Answers

There are some companies who will carry out a bug sweep using one or two items of equipment designed to detect transmissions from bugs. These are generally hand held devices costing just a few thousand pounds.

The problem with this approach is that they rely on two things, firstly that the transmitter is actually transmitting at the time of the sweep, and secondly that there are no other signals in the background to interfere with detection.

(1) GSM transmitters that are some of the most common in use today, work on the same principal as a mobile phone. A mobile phone does not transmit unless it is being used, and a GSM bug does not transmit unless someone is actually listening at the time.

(2) There are many remote controlled bugging devices on the market, that can be switched on and off remotely.

(3) There are sound activated and timed devices that will not transmit unless set to do so.

(4) An average home or office has more than 50 different signals present, these can be from electrical equipment, WIFI, blue tooth, local taxi companies, local radio, emergency services, police, telephones, mobiles, electronic signal interference from neighbouring homes or offices and so on. All these false signals will be detected by a simple bug detector, and therefore prevent any real bugging transmissions being defined and located.

Due to the above challenges that face any professional bugging sweep, we carry a kit of 8 cases of equipment including but not limited to spectrum analysers capable of seperating each signal and displaying it on a screen for analysis, non linear junction detectors to detect switched off devices, specialist GSM detectors and locators, camera detectors, phone system bug detectors, wideband detecting-receivers, and specialist software to analyse transmitted signals and further software to remove spyware from computer systems and servers.

Our pricing is competitive, and is in line with the reliable and technically competent work we undertake. We have the capability to detect and remove ANY device of any level or complexity. Please expect a sweep to take anything from 4/5 hours for a small home or office, 6 hours plus for a medium office or larger home, and up to 10/14 hours for large office areas consisting of multiple floors. Please call 0207 138 3021 anytime 24/7 - for advice and pricing; you can also view the pricing page for a cost effective price together with friendly guidance and help.

Discretion is important in dealing with any situation where illegal bugging may be present. We will arrive on location in an unmarked vehicle, in unmarked clothes at any time of the day or night. We generally recommend arriving at office or work locations when the building is unoccupied, and at homes during the most convenient time 24 hours/day.

Our invoicing can also be discreet, as will our presence be during the work.

We work 24 hours a day, and can arrive at your home or office at anytime day or night, there is no difference in cost for an out of hours sweep.

Although our main offices are based in London, this is just our administrative location, and we have people covering the entire UK for all sweeps day or night. We can normally attend within a few hours almost anywhere.

Upon request we will provide a full detailed report of all work undertaken, and details of any devices found. Some devices can be traced back to the person or company who may have fitted them or used them.

The number of homes being bugged is increasing. This is mainly down to two reasons (1) bugs are more sophisticated, smaller, cheaper to bug, and easier to get. (2) More people are becoming aware of bugs and how they can use them to spy on individuals.

It is easier than you may think to bug your private home.

(1) Most household locks can be entered easily by "bumping" leaving no evidence

(2) Bugs can be bought, disguised to look like household objects

(3) A bug can be left by a partner of family member

(4) Someone only needs minutes in a room to fit a bug

(5) Some "professionals" will fit a bug in a house for payment

(6) Tiny bugs can be hidden in plugs, sockets, wiring or most electrical equipment

Bugs in their smallest forms are little more than a centimetre in length (mostly mains operated bugs). These can be fitted in electrical plugs, sockets, electrical equipment, mains wiring, or telephone cables. Many bugs also come disguised as household items such as pens, calculators, candles, pictures, or even clocks and radios.

20 years ago, most bugs that were available to buy, were simple transmitting bugs. Modern technology has moved on however, and many devices available now are becoming harder and harder to find. The result is that a simple bug detector, or hand-held unit will generally not be capable of finding most bugs available on the market today. A scan of your home with this equipment may leave it with bugs in place, and a false sense of security for you.

Secured Area Services has therefore invested many tens of thousands of pounds in highly advanced detection equipment. from specialist spectrum analysers, dedicated GSM detectors and locators, sensitive wideband receivers and locators, to non-linear junction detectors, similar to those used by the military to detect switched off and remote controlled devices.

Most computers, laptops, tablets and mobile phones can be bugged. These bugs are not usually physical hardware bugs, but they can be bugged with dedicated software programs used to spy on your use of the device. Depending on the make and model of the device, there is usually a fix, and a way to detect or remove dedicated spy programs.

Fixed line or home phones, can however easily be bugged either inside or even outside the home. Secured Area Services use specialist software to search for and remove spy-ware programs, and our specialist equipment will detect any devices placed on a home or fixed phone.

There are many reasons why an office or place of work may be bugged.

(1) Competitors may want to know more about your company and your decisions

(2) Persons working for you may want to know "the latest pay decisions" or similar

(3) Other companies may want to steal your ideas (industrial espionage)

(4) A sacked or disgruntled employee may want to cause trouble for your company

(5) "Interested parties" may want to know your companies secrets

(6) There can be huge financial reasons to want to spy on a company

If there is a motive for someone, there is normally a solution (legal or not). Depending on the source of the bug or listening device, there is normally a way to bug an office or place of work fairly easily.

(1) A "visitor" or "fake client or supplier" can arrange a meeting to get in

(2) When cleaners are working after hours, someone may blag their way in

(3) People can often "follow someone" through a security coded door

(4) Some agencies will arrange everything for payment

(5) Employees wanting to bug an office will normally find it easy

(6) Meetings and conferences are of particular attraction to all sources

Bugging devices can be placed almost anywhere. They can be fitted in the mouse you are probably holding now, the electrical sockets, the light fittings, the keyboard, behind the suspended ceiling. They can be in the calculator on your desk, the telephone, and yes - even the pen you write with.

Many offices have someone looking after the IT network, and rely on this person to provide a safe virus free environment for the workplace. The problem is that the spy-ware used to bug or spy on someone's emails, letters or confidential communications, can generally NOT be found or stopped by firewall's or even the best anti-virus software. This is because spy ware used for spying on your information works is a completely different way to most viruses.

For this reason, yes your computer can be bugged.

Counter surveillance, is the processes and defences used in order to detect and stop someone or some organisation carrying out surveillance on another person or organisation. TSCM stands for Technical - Surveillance - Counter - Measures, which is the technical protection offered by the equipment and methods used to prevent or detect surveillance.

Most bugs and transmitters have a limited range, this may be 100 metres or even half a mile or more. This becomes impractical when bugging a vehicle however as it would need to be followed at all times in order to hear any conversation from inside. For this reason, nearly all bugs or spy devices placed in a car or other vehicle will be a GSM device. This works like a mobile phone in that it does not have a limited range, and it can therefore be contacted from anywhere.

A tracker, is a device that is usually a combination of a GPS system (Global Positioning Satellite) to provide a physical location, and a GSM (similar to a mobile phone) to provide the communication to receive the position from the GPS. These devices can either be placed underneath the vehicle (normally temporally), or they can be permanently hard wired into the vehicles electrical system.

Yes, there are several devices available on the market that combine the facilities of a tracker and also a bug.

Most vehicle bugs and also trackers use a GSM system to communicate with. If you try and detect a GSM bug in your car, you will need fairly specialist equipment. This is because a GSM device is like a mobile phone in it's working and actions. If you have a mobile phone sitting on the table, it does not transmit any signal unless you are talking on it, or using it in some way. A GSM bugging device or tracker is just the same. Unless someone is listening to you at the moment you are searching for it, or it is actively tracking you at that time, it will not transmit a signal (except for an erratic burst for a second or so every 20 - 30 minutes).

Secured Area Services has equipment to force the GSM into transmitting, and other equipment to detect the short burst during transmission.

A bug or tracker will often be fitted from underneath the vehicle. It can be fitted and held on with magnets, or a more permanent solution is to wire it into the electrical system. Fitting it from underneath the vehicle can be carried out in a minute or less, and if it is a bug the tiny microphone can be passed into the car through a drain hole or existing rubber grommet.