The Official Barefoot Professional Investigations Blog

Is your vehicle being tracked? The idea of your movements being followed or watched, or conversations taking place in your vehicle being recorded can be disconcerting at best. You have the right to a reasonable expectation of privacy in your car. Here’s how to tell if your car is bugged and how a private investigator can assist you. 

There are several reasons a vehicle could be bugged. For example, a person’s ex could install a recording device in their car to track their whereabouts. Or, criminals may be watching and listening to a person who they believe has witnessed an offense to determine if they will report the incident to authorities. 

First, slowly walk around the outside of your vehicle to look for indicators that a GPS device may have been put on your car. Check under the rear and front license plates, in the wheel wells, the front grill, and any other places it may be easy to put a small tracking device. 

Park somewhere quiet and turn your engine off, eliminating as much external noise as you can. This may be somewhere like a garage or an empty parking lot in the early morning. Then, listen for any strange electronic noises, like a high pitched whine, buzzing, or beeping. If it’s loud enough, you may be able to locate it just by following the sound of the electronic squeals. 

Inside the car, the most common place recording devices are secretly installed is behind the dashboard, such as just behind the air vent where the driver is unlikely to see or pay attention to a blinking light. Or, it could be mounted inside an old, unused tape player, under the seats, or even under the fabric on the roof of the car.

Try turning all the lights in your car off at night or in a garage when you can get as much darkness as possible. Then, look for red, blue, green, or yellow blinking lights. They may be very small, and it’s important to remember that some recording devices don’t have lights on them at all. If you don’t find a device with a visual search, that doesn’t necessarily mean your vehicle isn’t bugged. 

If you weren’t able to locate a bug with a visual and audio sweep but there are still indicators that your car is bugged, you may want to purchase something called an electronic bug sweeper. This is a small electronic device that can identify and locate tracking devices.

However, it’s important to note that this device does not block or scramble signals to or from the device. It simply helps you locate the bug so it can be removed from your vehicle. 

Pay attention to your day to day activities to look for signs that you are being watched or followed. These can include but aren’t limited to: 

If your vehicle is being surveilled with advanced technology, it may be difficult for you to spot any recording devices right away. Even if you buy an electronic bug sweeper, some lower quality brands may not pick up on high-tech devices. Removing and reinstalling your dashboard to look for recording devices is difficult work. We can help.

Our team of experienced North Carolina private investigators has access to extensive tools that can quickly and easily identify recording devices in your vehicle that may be transmitting a signal somewhere else.

Contact Barefoot Professional Investigations now by dialing 704-377-1000.

The post How to Tell If Your Car Is Bugged appeared first on Barefoot Professional Investigations.