Could Your Cell Phone Be Used To Spy On You?

It's real, it's easily available, it could be spying on you right now - and it's practically undetectable. We’re talking about cell phone spyware. Programs available right over the internet that can help another person listen in on your conversations, and even read your private text messages. In most cases costing less than a hundred dollars and easily downloadable from the internet - cell phone spyware programs are a readily available invasion of your privacy. "This is relatively new technology. We have been briefed on this by other agencies that have encountered this type of software for cell phones. We are aware it exists,” says Lt. Mike Wilkins of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department. But so far, detectives haven't encountered its use in Savannah.

Ads for the software promote it as a way for spouses to find out if their significant other is cheating, for employers to keep tabs on their employees, and parents to track their kids' activities. The software promises the ability to listen in on phone conversations, track the location of the cell phone user, and even copy messages to you of any texts sent or received by the targeted phone... An invasion of privacy the law doesn't allow says Lt. Wilkins, “Depending on which particular spyware that is installed on a computer - and its, for lack of a better word, features - some of the features could absolutely be illegal to use in the state of Georgia. Copying someone's text messages without them knowing about it, absent a court order, is illegal."
And police say that type of court order or warrant - referred to as wiretapping - is often the hardest for law enforcement to get approved. For a citizen to do it on their own opens them up to big legal trouble says Lt. Wilkins, “In a lot of cases nowadays, phones have essentially become computers, so there is a computer tampering charge that could be placed, an eavesdropping charge, any number of charges that are all felony grade." And each could bring over a year in prison - something the company who sold it to you probably isn't worried about. "The people that are selling this may not necessarily be from the united states and their laws where they're selling it from are quite different, and I don't know that they necessarily care what our laws are - they're just out to make money,” says Lt. Wilkins.

According to EHOW.com - one or more of the following may be a subtle sign that spyware has been installed on your cell phone.
*trouble shutting down your phone...
*the phone lights up when not in use...
*strange background noises or clicks when on a call...
*the icon indicating internet connection activates several times a day for no reason...
*or more text messages on your bill than you remember sending.
If you suspect spyware has been installed - you should take your phone to your service provider, who can erase the phone's memory and restore factory default settings. To prevent installation - always keep your cell phone with you, and locked with a pin number.