Bug Sweeps and GPS Tracker Searches
Bug Sweeps
As with all investigations, there are never guarantees of success. However, many today are lost to try and find ways to protect their privacy and we know how important our private lives are to us. This is why at Griffin & Associates we value privacy. A breach in that privacy from an outside or unknown source is unacceptable no matter how you look at it. Even though we do not specifically specialize in performing Bug Sweeps, we do have equipment that finds secret listening devices, hidden cameras and the like. Our equipment is military grade and useful in finding that hidden camera or RF signal that is usually associated with listening devices planted in your home or business. For more information, please contact us for a free, and private consultation based on your specific needs.
GPS Trackers
GPS Trackers are much like any device that sends signals and so forth. Our equipment will find this device, if in fact one exists. Most of our clients are people going through a divorce and wanting their vehicles checked as well as jealous spouses who do not trust their significant other. It should be stated that GPS trackers are illegal in most cases, and when one is found, the proper protocol is always followed concerning the documentation of evidence and law enforcement reporting. Should you feel that your vehicle or person contains some form of GPS tracker, and feel the need to have it found or as in some cases confirm that one does not exist, please contact us for a free and private consultation.
FAQ
Q. How much does it cost to do a bug sweep of my living room and bedroom?
A. It all depends on the size of the room and how much furniture or items exist in the room. There is a service call fee to be paid up front before work is started. The investigator will do a brief walk around the area to be swept for bugs or hidden cameras much like an assessment of the area. After a plan is drawn up, the investigator will then contact you to set a time for the sweep, and have forms for you to fill out such as a general service agreement. The first hour of bug sweeping is contained in the initial service call/charge. Every hour after the first hour is 60.00/hour. Please check our fee schedule on this site for a better understanding.
Q. Will you find all of the secret devices?
A. To say yes would not only be untruthful but arrogant. There have been times when a bug sweep has been performed and no devises were found but a device existed nonetheless. But that has been rare. We do the absolute best we can to locate any secret devices but there are some very expensive devices that do not emit a signal that our equipment can actually pick up and find. Again, this is rare because most people do not have the money to spend $5000.00 or more to buy that kind of device. Our experience has been that most devices, if not all, are found if they in fact exist at all. We have also found that people will have there suspicions about being bugged or followed but it was mere speculation founded on no tangible evidence, and no devices were located because there simply were none planted.
Q. If you find a device, what do you do?
A. It all depends on the situation. For instance, a wife suspects her ex-husband has put a vehicle GPS tracker on her car. We are called in, and find the device on the vehicle. Since in this instance, the wife is the sole owner of the vehicle, and not the ex-husband, local law enforcement is called and a report is taken concerning violations of privacy. Legal issues are now apparent and the proper protocol is followed in order to protect the privacy of our client. Again, it all depends on the situation.
Q. If you don't find any cameras, listening devices or GPS trackers, do I get refunded the money I spend on the sweep?
A. No. We do our absolute best to find the device. There are no guarantees that a device will be found, but we as professionals, and still need to be paid for the work we perform to locate the device or devices. It would not be fair to employ us and then not pay for services rendered. That is why we require an up-front payment before we start any service. If you are not satisfied by our results, a call to speak with our company president should be done and a resolution in the matter will be considered. But generally, we want to be paid like any other business for services rendered even if the results are not what our client expected.
Q. Do you take a check?
A. No. Past issues prevent us from taking checks. Our investigator has a secure way to take a credit card payment immediately on-site. Work performed only starts after payment for the initial service, on-site, has been secured. Any work done after the first hour will be billed after the work has been completed. Of course, a receipt can be emailed immediately when on-site payment is received.
Q. How do I start the process for a bug sweep and what is the procedure?
A. First, you request a consultation which is free, and fill out the form we provide. Then an investigator will contact you about what you need done and set up a time to meet at the location to be swept. After the arrangement has been made to meet, the investigator will then access the location and usually, on-site, will give you an estimate of the cost for the sweep upfront. This is free. After this has been performed, and you agree to the terms, a time will be scheduled to perform the sweep. When the investigator arrives on the day of the sweep, payment for the services to be performed will be secured through credit card payment with our secure on-site credit card reader. After payment has been secured from the client, a sweep is conducted and the service to be performed will be completed as the contract agreement outlines. We only follow the initial contract.
A. I don't like to be pressured. Will your investigators pressure me even if I decide not to go through with the sweep?
Q. Absolutely not. We are not used car salesman and don't beg for work. We are professionals in every sense. Actually we have enough work to keep us busy in the first place. If you decide after the initial assessment, and before you sign the contract that you have changed your mind, just contact us and we will not go further with the sweep. That's all it takes. We will never pressure you to go forward. The decision will always be yours. However, if you sign the contract with us, pay our fee and the work begins, then we will do our job to the best of our ability.
Q. How long does a sweep take on the average?
A. Usually in about one hour or less. This depends on the job and a contract will be drawn up outlining the estimated time before work begins. In the event that more time is needed to finish the job, a new contract will be constructed and work done under the new contract will only be done with your approval. In other words, we never go outside the parameters of the contract. We never do something in addition to what you have paid for or have already discussed. We do not do the work and then add on more work for you to be responsible to pay for at a later date. That is why we have a contract, and that is why we stick to the agreement so you always know what is expected before work begins.
Q. How accurate is your bug sweeping equipment?
A. Our equipment is very accurate and dependable. After years of trying various RF readers and equipment, we have come to the conclusion that the equipment we use is the most dependable. Other investigative companies that utilize equipment that cost over $15,000.00 will charge you far more than we will because they have to not only pay the technician, but also recoup the money they paid for equipment that is not necessary for basic bug sweeps. Most people wanting to invade the privacy of others, and plant bugs, do not have the thousands of dollars it takes to buy bugs that seem virtually undetectable and can only be located with $15,000.00 equipment. Instead, most people pay for cheap bugs and cheap hidden cameras because they are cheap. We are not the CIA or the NSA. We do not buy multiple thousands of dollars worth of equipment to find bugs and we are not dedicated to exclusively be a company that does bug sweeping. So then, we follow basic bug sweep protocol and common sense based on years of experience. If you want to pay over a thousand dollars to have a sweep done, and then continue to pay more after that, we are not the right company to meet your needs and our advice is that you would likely do better to call a company exclusively dedicated to bug sweeping.
Q. Does your assessment of a site for a bug sweep include counter-surveillance measures to be put in place?
A. No. We will make recommendations, but we do not sell anything. We simply look for the bug, find it (if it exists), document its location as evidence and call the local authorities if the need warrants it. We then will make recommendations of things you might want to do to protect yourself in the future, but we do not sell a product nor do we pressure anyone to buy anything at all. WE basically sweep and find and then recommend. Again, we don't need the work. We are not salesman but a company of private investigator's who do a job we are hired to do.
Q. Do you install bugs or trackers for clients if they ask?
A. No. Most states prevent the violation of privacy for any reason. We never make recommendations for or plant any devices such as cameras or trackers or listening devices for anyone...ever. It is not ethical and our company is based on truth and integrity. We never, for any reason violate the law.
Q. Do you remove the bugs you find?
A. It all depends. We are not electricians. If a bug can be removed without being invasive to the home wiring system, then the answer is Yes. If not, then we will document the evidence and advise you to call a local electirician to perform this task. The reason for this is simple. We are not covered from liability in your homeowner's insurance. And even if we are covered, we allow properly trained electrical personnel to do what they do best. We simply locate, document and report.
Q. Do you check computers and computer related programs for privacy violations?
A. Yes. We have a dedicated person who, by appointment only, will perform this kind of computer related function. However, this is not part of what we do generally speaking. If this is your need, then contact us and we will work to get your problem resolved.
