Warning signs

Information leaks

The strongest sign is when someone knows things they should not know. Pay particular attention when the information was only spoken and never written down.

• A competitor knows your plans. If a competitor reacts to your price, product or plan before you have announced it, the information may have come from your meeting.
• Deal information leaks. If the other side knows your price or terms before they are written down, the source may be the room where you discussed them.
• A competitor's bid is repeatedly just below yours. In a tender, this can mean someone knows your price before the deadline.
• The other side knows what you discussed with your lawyer. In a dispute, it is then worth checking the rooms where you met your lawyer.
• A former employee still knows what is said in meetings. Information can travel through people, but also through a device left in the room.

Information also leaks through emails, shared calendars, documents and people. That is why we first ask what exactly leaked and where it was discussed.

Something in the room has changed

To install a device, someone has to get into the room. That often leaves small traces.

• A door is unlocked although it was locked. If a door or window is open in the morning and nobody knows why, someone may have been in the room.
• Things in the office have been moved. Rearranged furniture, open drawers or shifted papers can show that someone has been in the room.
• A ceiling tile or wall panel is out of place. It is easy to hide a device above a suspended ceiling or inside a panel. A shifted tile is a reason to look closer.
• A socket, switch or smoke detector looks different. If a cover is crooked or the screw heads are scratched, someone may have opened it. A device behind a socket or switch has a power supply.
• There is dust or debris on the floor or furniture. Plaster dust under a wall or ceiling can mean someone drilled there or opened something.
• There was a break-in but nothing is missing. If nothing of value was taken, the purpose of the entry may have been to install a device.

Security systems and access

A security system fault is often just a technical problem. When it lines up with other signs, it is worth finding out who was in the room.

• The alarm goes off but looks like an ordinary fault. Repeated alarms with no cause can be a fault. They can also mean someone was testing how the system works and how quickly someone responds.
• Part of the CCTV recording is missing. If a camera was off or pointed elsewhere for a while, you cannot see who was in the room at that time.
• A key or access card is missing. With a missing key or card, someone can enter the room without anyone noticing.
• The access log shows a night-time entry. If the log shows an entry when nobody should have been there, it is worth finding out who it was.
• An employee has used smart glasses, or is suspected of it. Smart glasses can record a conversation without others noticing. It is then worth reviewing the device rules for meetings and checking whether other devices have been left in the room.
• A phone was left recording in a meeting room. A phone on the table, in a bag or on a shelf can record a whole meeting, even after its owner has left the room.

For smart glasses and phones, we help you agree device rules for meeting rooms, check rooms before important meetings and advise on how to protect the meeting. We do not monitor or investigate employees.

A new device has appeared

A hidden microphone often looks like an ordinary object. That is why it helps to know where every device in the room came from.

• There is a charger or adapter in the wall that nobody recognises. A charger can hide a microphone with a SIM card. It charges a phone like a normal charger, but someone can call it and listen to the room.
• There is an object nobody can explain. If nobody knows where a clock, lamp, box or cable came from, that is a reason to look closer.
• You were given an electronic gift. A gift goes straight into an office or home. If it came from a counterparty or competitor, it is worth checking.
• Your phone shows an unknown Wi-Fi network or Bluetooth device. If a new network or device appears in the room and nobody knows whose it is, it may be a hidden camera or microphone.
• Calls have crackling or echo. Usually the cause is the network or the phone. If it happens mainly during sensitive calls, write it down.
• Meeting room equipment behaves oddly. If a video camera, microphone or smart speaker turns on by itself, it is worth checking who has access to it.

When to check even without warning signs

Some situations raise the risk on their own. It is then sensible to check rooms in good time.

• You have important negotiations or a board meeting coming up. The best time to check is just before the meeting, and the room should stay locked afterwards.
• The company is being sold, bought or merged. During a deal, information is especially valuable. A leaked price or term can change the outcome.
• A tender or legal dispute is under way. The other side may want to know your bid or strategy.
• An employee left after a dispute or was dismissed. If they had a key or access card, it is worth checking the rooms. A check does not mean accusing anyone.
• Shareholders or partners are in dispute. During a dispute, the other side has a reason to want to know your plans.
• The rooms were renovated or deep-cleaned. Builders, cleaners and maintenance staff are often alone in the room. It is worth checking the room before sensitive meetings resume.
• You are moving to a new office. Before you start discussing sensitive matters there, it is worth checking the rooms. You do not know who was there before.
• A meeting is held in a hotel or rented room. In an unfamiliar room you do not know who was there before you or what they left behind.

Home, car and private life

In private life, a suspicion is often linked to a divorce, a family dispute or a former partner. According to the Estonian Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs, almost two thirds of stalking cases were committed by current or former partners, family members or relatives.

• A former partner knows where you go. If someone keeps turning up where you are, there may be a GPS tracker or AirTag in your car or bag.
• Your phone warns you about an unknown tracker. iPhones and Android phones alert you when an unknown AirTag or other tracker is moving with you. That is reason enough to check your belongings and car.
• Someone knows what you said at home. If another person knows things that were only said at home, there may be a hidden microphone or camera there.
• Someone else still has a key to your home. If a former partner or someone else has been able to enter your home, it is worth having it checked.
• Your car shows signs that someone has been inside. An unlatched panel, an unfamiliar wire under the dashboard or a moved seat can mean something was installed. Trackers are also often hidden under the car or in a wheel arch.
• You find an unfamiliar object in your child's bag. In custody disputes, trackers have also been found in children's school bags.

If you feel unsafe, call 112. The Estonian victim support crisis line 116 006 is open around the clock. We only check your own home, car and belongings. We do not help anyone monitor another person.

What to do if you suspect something

Stay calm. These steps help prepare for a check.

• Write down what you noticed. Note the date, the place and what you saw. Take a photo if you can do so safely.
• Discuss your suspicion somewhere else. If there is a microphone in the room, whoever installed it will also hear your plan to look for it. If you suspect your phone, use a different one.
• Leave a found device where it is. The device may be evidence. If you remove it, whoever installed it will know it has been found.
• Think about who has access to the room. Include cleaners, contractors, the landlord and former employees. This helps plan the check.
• Carry on as normal. Until the check, carry on as usual so that whoever installed the device does not realise you suspect it.
• Contact us from somewhere else. Write or call from another room and a device you do not suspect. Tell as few people as possible about the check.

Cheap detectors and phone apps often give false reassurance. Many devices record to memory and do not transmit all the time, so they are hard to find without specialist equipment.

What a check gives you

We search physically, check radio frequencies (RF) and use a non-linear junction detector (NLJD), which also finds electronics that are switched off. The report describes what we checked and what we found. If we find nothing, we write that down too.