One effective method that the police or law enforcement agencies use when investigating crimes and other criminal issues is, tapping into someone’s phone. While this has worked for them over the years, many people consider this an invasion of privacy.
When wiretapping of landlines was the only way to track a phone, it was easier to know when you are being tracked. But with better software and computers, it can be really hard to tell when you’re being tracked by the police.
In this article, we will be sharing tips that will help you know if your phone is being tracked by the police, or by anyone else. You will also discover easy ways to stop your phone from being tracked.
How to know if your phone is being tracked by the Police
Since phone calls and other things that we do on the phone are being transmitted digitally, the police can easily track your activity. Here are signs that your phone is being tracked by police:
1. Radio interference during calls
Pay close attention when talking on the phone. Listen for a rather low but static radio signal interference or any other strange background noise. This may not happen too often but listen especially for radio frequencies when you are near a mast. Worse still, you may also notice this strange radio interference while you are not talking on the phone. This often means one thing… your phone is being tracked or has been tapped.
2. Phone functions awkwardly
If your phone is not faulty but the battery drains fast, the camera comes on without your prompt rather, some messages that you have not read are suddenly marked as read, or you experience an unusually high data usage. Don’t ignore these signs. They could mean that someone is remotely monitoring your phone.
3. Unfamiliar applications
Since spy software can be disguised as applications, be mindful of applications that you didn’t authorize or install on your phone. Review all the applications on your phone. If you find an unfamiliar app on the list, maybe your phone is being tracked.
How to stop your phone from being tracked by Police
Option 1: Block the signal
To track a phone, it must be able to send or receive signals. These signals could be wireless signals, Wi-Fi signals, or GPS signals. Electromagnetic waves can travel through a lot of things but not through everything. Concrete, metals, and other high-density material will block signals from coming through.
That means the best places to use your phone are large buildings, underground, basements, and parking structures. If you have a metal box, always keep your phone there. This will make your phone untraceable until you take it out of the metal box at least. Turn OFF your location and stay OFF the internet as much as possible.
Option 2: Take out your battery when not in use
Every component of the phone will be active only when the battery is in the phone. So, don’t just turn OFF your phone since it can still be traced. Take out the battery immediately you realize that you are being tracked. You may occasionally have to make outgoing calls from payphones since they are not actively tracked.
Buy a new phone
Discard the former phone and get a new one with a new number that is not traced. Before the police can trace it, they need to know the number, and at least get a warrant to do that.
In most cases, though, you wouldn’t be tracked by the police and they wouldn’t tap your phone if you haven’t broken a law, and every kind of wiretapping and tracking needs a court warrant. So if you suspect you’re being tracked, or your home or devices have been tapped, you would want to get in touch with a lawyer who understands the local law on wiretapping and tracking.
How do you know if your phone is tapped?
- Radio interference during calls
- Phone functioning awkwardly
- Unfamiliar Applications appearing
In addition to those, here are other things you may start noticing.
- Phone battery drains too fast
- The phone gets hot too often
- Camera starts misbehaving
What to do if your phone is tapped?
Check the phone for spyware
On your phone, go to Settings >> Applications Manager >> Apps. On the list of applications, search for anything that has spy, malware, monitor, or stealth. If you find any, delete it immediately. Also, check that Unknown sources are not allowed under Security and Privacy.
Delete unfamiliar apps
On the app list, check and ascertain that you downloaded and installed all the apps on the list. If there is an unfamiliar app, delete it immediately.
Do a factory reset
Monitoring apps can be difficult to remove sometimes. The only way to regain control of your phone in some cases is to do a factory reset.
- On Android phones, go to Settings >> Backup and Reset >> Factory Data Reset
- On iPhones, go to Settings>> General >> Reset >> Reset All Settings
This article is not encouraging crime, these are just tips that can help you prevent your phone from being tracked or tapped.