Have you ever felt watched? If you feel that you are being watched by someone, you are probably very stressed. Who can you trust? With a little awareness, you may be able to determine whether the threat is real or just in your head. Check out Step 1 below to learn how to find and escape your prying eyes, check if your phone is bugged, and protect your emails.
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Method 1 of 3: Checking the Supervisor
Step 1. Ask yourself why you are being followed
Following someone takes time and a way, and most local officials will not waste time following ordinary civilians. Private detectives and fierce ex-girlfriends are quite another. Before you get paranoid, ask yourself if you really have to be scared.
Step 2. Be aware
The key to finding your tailer is to be aware of your surroundings at all times. Don't always play with your phone; watch with your eyesight and watch your surroundings. If you don't pay attention, you'll never know if you're being followed or not.
Step 3. Avoid looking behind you
If you start acting suspiciously, your stalker will notice and will either back off or stop to try again another time. If you feel followed, still act like you don't know.
Step 4. Slow down your pace
This is true whether you are walking or driving. If you're walking, slow down and take a look at the windows of some of the nearby shops or look at your phone. Make sure you keep an eye on your surroundings while you're at it. If you are driving, move to a slower lane and drive at a minimum speed.
Step 5. Call the police
If you believe you are being followed and know you are in danger, call the police immediately. Mingle in crowds, public places while you wait for the local security forces to arrive.
- The crowd can help you identify the person following you so you can describe it to the police.
- If you call the police and it's an undercover local security officer following you, he'll usually back off. If those following you are state or federal officers, they will usually be pulled over by the local police. If it's a private detective following you, they'll usually get a ticket and you'll be notified of what happened.
Step 6. Don't panic
If you think you're being followed, the worst thing you can do is run or drive in an erratic direction. Not only does this show the tailer that you're awake, but you're also at risk of an accident.
Step 7. Change your direction
Get off a road and quickly get onto the freeway. If you're walking, go around the block once or twice. This will usually disengage you from the stalker or let them know you're awake.
Step 8. Don't follow the tail
Some people suggest that you follow people who are following you to find out their identity, but this is a bad idea and can be dangerous.
Method 2 of 3: Find Out If Your Phone Is Tapped
Step 1. Know how spy software works
Surveillance software is installed on the smartphone without the user's knowledge. it will send back GPS locations, phone conversations, text messages, and more. It's unlikely that your phone had spy software installed by an unprofitable party, but these steps will help you check it.
Step 2. Check your phone activity
Do cell phones do weird things? Does your phone turn on by itself when not in use, turn off on its own, or make weird noises? All phones are bound to do weird things sometimes, but if this continues, it's possible that your phone has surveillance software installed.
Step 3. Keep an eye on your battery
Many programs to spy on will drain your battery. Usually this is difficult to realize, especially since the battery capacity will deteriorate over time. Look for drastic battery drain as this indicates that a program is running that is draining it.
Step 4. Check the background sound when calling
Most of the time the background noise is the result of poor quality cellular service, but if you hear a lot of static, clicking, and beeping sounds during conversations, they're probably a sign of recording software. This happens because some recording software works like a conference phone.
Step 5. Check for strange written messages
Many programs for snooping are controlled by coded text. When the program is not working properly, the texts will appear in your inbox. If you receive a text message with a random string of letters and numbers, your phone may be infected with spy software.
Step 6. Check your data usage
Many surveillance programs, especially cheap ones, will use your data transfer service to transmit the information they collect. Use a data manager app to detect which apps are currently using data and how much has been used. If you're sending data that you're not using, your phone may have snooping software installed.
Step 7. Check for jailbreak
If you're using an iPhone, the only way to install spy software is if your phone has been jailbroken. Look for the installer, Cydia, or the Icy app on your home screen. If you see any of these apps, or apps installed from other sources from the Apple App Store, your phone is jailbroken and snooping software is installed.
You can undo the jailbreak by restoring your iPhone settings. This will remove all the apps that jailbreak your phone so all spy programs will be disabled
Step 8. Submit incorrect information
If you feel like your conversations are being watched by people you know, one way to trap them is to intentionally spread misinformation. Call a friend you trust and tell them something believable but false, whether it's about your schedule, your life, or something else. If you later find out that someone you know knows this information, you will know that this person was the one who bugged you.
Method 3 of 3: Checking Email and Computer Surveillance
Step 1. Assume that all office computers are monitored
Most large companies have computers that are approved to monitor the sites you visit, the emails you send, and the programs you run. Check with your IT department if you want to see the agreement as long as you keep in mind that there is nothing personal that you do while working.
Step 2. Check for keyloggers
Keyloggers are programs that record every keystroke you make on your computer. This program can be used to reset your email and steal your password. Keyloggers run invisibly and have no icon in the system tray or other obvious signs indicating their movement.
- If you're using Windows, press Ctrl, Shift, and Esc to open the Task Manager. Look in the Process or Background Process section and note any extraneous processes.
- If you're using a Mac, open Activity Monitor. You can find this program in your Utilities subfolder and your Applications folder. View all running processes and note any extraneous processes. Use Google to find out if it is dangerous or not.
- Keylogger processes usually use a lot of data because they track large amounts of information.
Step 3. Install your own email tracking software
Programs like ReadNotify install invisible thumbnails in your emails that can let you see when the email was opened, where, for how long, and whether or not the email was forwarded. This can be especially useful if you believe that someone took your messages so you can track down the email address that led to the message.
Step 4. Use an encrypted email
If you're really worried that people shouldn't be reading your email, you can turn to an encrypted email client. Your email will be encrypted and only the person you are referring to will be able to decode it. It might be a bit tricky to set up, but it's important if you want to protect very important information.
