By now I’m sure you know what spyware is, and how it secretly sneaks onto your computer, and collects personal information but did you know that there is even cell phone spyware now?

BUT…Imagine watching the latest box office spy thriller. The bad guys are tracking the innocent Mom with spyware on installed on her cell phone. Every time she uses her cell phone, the bad guys get a text message. They can listen in if she’s talking on the phone or read her text messages on line. They’ve got her bugged even when she isn’t using her cell phone. As her cell phone sits in the cup holder of the treadmill at the gym, the spies can hear her entire conversation with her best friend, even though her cell phone is off. They’ve remotely engaged her speakerphone using cell phone spyware.

When she leaves to pick up her daughter from ballet, the bad guys use their cell phone  spyware to track every movement of her mini-van. If they really want to scare her, they can record her calls and call her back and play a message of her phone call when she tells her mother she’ll meet her at the restaurant at 7:00. Of course this is just in the movies though. Or so most of us thought.

“They’re listening to us and recording us,? Heather Kuykendall told NBC’s Today Show. “We know that because they will record us and play it back as a voicemail.”

A YouTube video shares a channel 13 WTHR investigative report by Bob Segall.

Courtney Kuykendall, a teen from Tacoma, Washington, was not only spied on and tracked but was harassed and threatened by an unknown caller for months. Even after the family changed cell phones the calls continued.

Could this really happen?

Yes. According to Rick Mislan, former military intelligence officer and current cyber forensics teacher at Purdue University’s Department of Computer and Information technology, Cell phone spyware is real, and it is pretty scary.

Reporter Bob Segall got permission to tap a producer’s cell phone the demonstration reveals what can happen when your cell phone is tapped:

Segall could her hear her phone conversations that she was having her home on his own cell phone from outside of her house. He could also track her movement and read all of her text messages. Most astounding was the he could hear her conversation from four miles away when her cell phone was in the room, even though it was not turned on.

How could this happen?

Cell phone spyware is marketed on the internet. There are dozens of web sites offering the latest spy technology and tempting customers with catching a cheating spouse or eavesdropping on a boss or spying on a babysitter. Web sites claim that you can spy without anyone ever knowing. In the case of the Kuykendall family, the stalker was never identified. Using these programs without permission is of course illegal. Of course that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening and a lot more often than most of us ever knew.

How Can You Tell if Your Cell Phone Has Been Tapped?

You may very well never know but here are some tell-tale signs to look for:

• If your cell phone battery is warm even when your phone has not been in use.
• If your cell phone lights up at unexpected times, especially if the phone is not even in use.
• If you hear unexpected beeps or clicks during phone conversations.

Are High-End Phones Safer From Being Tapped?

No. High-end cell phones that allow for internet access and online services are actually the most vulnerable to cell phone spyware.

Bummer, and you thought you were so hip.  Well just be aware the next time you’re showing off that your newest gizmo could be trouble. Picture this: With one little tap you call up a company and order clothes, flowers or other goods or services on your cell phone and of course you give them your credit card information to pay for your purchase – Then BAM!  If your cell phone is tapped you could quickly become the victim of identity theft. Is there an App for THAT?

How Can You Protect Yourself?

• Keep a close eye on your cell phone (don’t leave it in an unlocked gym locker) so that no one has an opportunity to download information such as spyware
• Install and use a security password on your phone
• Take the battery out of the phone when not in use
• Only use new, prepaid cell phones for especially sensitive information

Prophet News by The Robert Prophet Group is your number one source for Orange County Real Estate information as well as information that impacts your daily life.

For more information please contact Robert Prophet and the Robert Prophet Group. Send us an email or visit our web site: RobertProphet.com

Special thanks to Lisa Carey a contributing author for Identity Theft Secrets: prevention and protection. You can get tips on Identity theft protection, software, and monitoring your credit as well as learn more about the secrets used by identity thieves at the Identity Theft Secrets blog.

Tagged as: Cell Phone Spyware, Cell Phones, Identity Theft