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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Phone bugged

404 replies

Beingspiedon · 13/01/2019 07:43

(Posting for traffic) I would really appreciate any help or advice anyone can give me as I don’t even know where to start right now.

Have a very bad relationship with PIL. Found out a few years ago they hired a private investigator on me. I found out because I overheard a conversation between PIL when they were drunk but they don’t know I’ve heard them.

Over the years since our relationship deteriorated, I’ve had a few cases where they’ve said things they shouldn’t know. I’ve always put it down to coincidence but recently my fil has word for word quoted two of my telephone conversations with my sister and he should have absolutely have no way of knowing any of it. He also got warning “looks” from mil when he said these things.

I can’t speak to anyone IRL about this in case I am being paranoid or I look crazy. If my phone is bugged then a lot of things that have happened over the last few years make sense. Is there anything I can do to find out if someone has access to
Personal information on my phone? Can anyone give me advice on this?

OP posts:
Hortonlovesahoo · 13/01/2019 18:16

It's comforting that your DH agrees with you but worrying that it might be true. Does your DH have any suspicions based on his relationship with his parents for where they might hid something? Or place it?

rytonsister · 13/01/2019 18:37

You can buy devices that "sweep" my son uses one as he lives in a communist country and has found many devices in hotel rooms.

And as stated there are companies who will sweep for you.

If you find anything report it to police immediately.

I've dealt with cases like this . It's not common but it does happen

EhlanaOfElenia · 13/01/2019 18:37

Oh that's awful.

First things first. Google 'how to check your house for listening devices'. You will get step by step guidance on how to check for bugs.

Good luck.

beingbugged · 13/01/2019 19:01

I have had a 17 year old foster-child bug our house, it is such a feeling of breech of trust, it made me feel quite paranoid for a long time after. When it first started I was not sure whether it was my phone or a bug in the house. We did a "sting" to find out and eventually to stop it. We never found the actual device or the child would have been taken from our house very quickly.

I realised it quite quickly as it was obvious that our conversations were being overheard. My dh took longer to convince, it took me pointing out several "coincidences" for him to start believing me. Iniitally I was convinced it was my phone, (it was losing battery getting hot etc but it was an old phone, so I was not sure). I realised that it was happening in a particular room (the room next to our bedroom that we used as a bedroom). We had already planned to make it into our youngest son's bedroom, so we talked about it in that room.

Initially it appeared to have stopped the listening in, and we went out to the garage or car to have any private conversations. Then we started to feel that maybe it had been all in our heads etc and tried to behave a bit more normally. However then conversations we had in our bedroom we clearly being picked up.... at that point one evening when out with friends we told them of my paranoia ! We laughed about it and planned a "sting" we decided to talk about a topic that we knew the fosterchild would be totally unable to ignore. That night in bed my dh and I in a joking way talked about it, lots of nodding and winking at each other and grinning about it. We had decided that it was just me being paranoid and were laughing it off. BUT it backfired on us, the following morning our foster-child brought up the very topic we had discussed, out of the blue, totally unnaturally. It was then we realised that it was not a joke.

How we dealt with it was for my husband that night to actually say to me clearly that if we ever found a bugging device in our house that our foster-child would be gone immediately, that there would be no second chances and we would seriously consider taking it to the police. It worked, we never had any further issues. Whatever device was there was removed, and for the rest of the time the child was with us, a video recording was set up in our bedroom any time we were out of the house.

It took me a long time to feel the paranoia leave me.

OP - in your situation, I can see that when you move that you are careful with checking out your new house. Right now I would change your phone if at all possible or perform a "sting" with your phone outside of the house to see if your phone is being listened into. I can't imagine it will be easy to cut out the grandparents from your children's lives, but it might be needed for you all. I would advise that you don't let it just be left but do get a good check of your house. Since you say the common factors for the two phonecalls to your sister is your phone, her phone and the sitting room, then those are the best places to start checking.

beingbugged · 13/01/2019 19:05

Whoops: (the room next to our bedroom that we used as AN OFFICE)
this office we turned into a bedroom.

Scotsrule · 13/01/2019 19:05

Factory reset your phone, if they have something on there that should delete it.

Buy a cheap pay as you go and use that in the meantime, making sure your (original) phone is not with you when you are out and about at things you do not wish them to know about.

If it’s a bug in the house, Look at perhaps changing your WiFi provider, if they are smart enough they could have hacked your admin password so you changing the password may not stop their access If they are accessing it that way.

Good luck op

user1466690252 · 13/01/2019 19:06

This is insane, the fact they recorded your dh’s calls when younger means they have control issues, and they can’t stop! Please keep us updated and I hope your ok. How awful

StoneofDestiny · 13/01/2019 19:12

Can you hire a private detective to check your home/devices for bugs. Of course phones/houses/computers can be bugged but there are laws against it.

Handsoffmysweets · 13/01/2019 19:24

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request

ShizeItsWeegie · 13/01/2019 19:35

Definitely do what Handsoff said.

Bunch of bastards! It's like an addiction to them.

BumbleBeee69 · 13/01/2019 19:40

this is way beyond terrifying OP, I'm glad your Husband is agreeing with you, and having the entire house checked out, your In-laws sounds utterly despicable. Flowers

CottonTailRabbit · 13/01/2019 19:54

I wouldn't confront them. I wouldn't set up a sting. I would get the bug found then go to the police.

Beingspiedon · 13/01/2019 19:55

another update although not really relevant to this thread. Got a text from fil saying he’s going to call me after 8.30 tonight (so the kids are asleep). No idea why but this is just unheard of. We don’t speak on the phone or exchange messages apart from when he visited last week and if I say thanks for the kids gifts (which he doesn’t reply to). No idea what he wants - he’ll be calling me not dh as he knows dh won’t answer.

Dh says don’t answer. Don’t think they could know what we’ve been discussing as we spoke in the car. Although if it IS my phone I’m still thinking there’s a chance they could see what websites I go on in which case they could be reading this right now...

OP posts:
Beingspiedon · 13/01/2019 19:58

Cottontailrabbit this is the plan.

Beingbugged - that’s awful for you. I can understand doing a sting as you were dealing with a 17 year old. These are people in their early 50s - I just feel it’s more appropriate to just get proof and get it sorted. Hope you built your trust back my grandparents used to foster and it is a wonderful thing to do.

OP posts:
CottonTailRabbit · 13/01/2019 19:59

Text back telling him to email.

You don't jump to his tune do you? Don't pick up. Let him email.

loveyoutothemoon · 13/01/2019 20:01

This is sounding even more dodgy. Although you're not reporting yet until you've found any device, I really think you should get all this logged with the police. When he calls don't let on at all that you suspect them.

ShadyLady53 · 13/01/2019 20:01

They could have seen this via keystroke technology.

BumbleBeee69 · 13/01/2019 20:01

I agree, EMAIL ONLY. Flowers

Cookit · 13/01/2019 20:01

A lot of people have said factory reset. Since it’s so easy to do I’d be doing that right now. Nothing to lose but 10 mins doing it.

ShadyLady53 · 13/01/2019 20:02

Call the police on the psychos. If you are reading this FIL - you deserve everything that's coming to you. Don't ever let these scumbags near your kids again.

PotteryLady · 13/01/2019 20:02

This is just crazy behaviour- if the have been bugging you I would never speak to them again,

JohnCRaven · 13/01/2019 20:10

OP I believe you. It's absolutely abnormal behaviour from PILs but if the pieces of the jigsaw are starting to show a picture you're right to check it out.

pantyclaws · 13/01/2019 20:28

What total psychos. Good luck getting it sorted. I don't think FIL trying to call you tonight is a coincidence.

BumbleBeee69 · 13/01/2019 20:49

OP are you okay ?

RandomMess · 13/01/2019 20:52

I am utterly freaked out by reading that, how horrible for you and DH. They are complete weirdos who gets pleasure out of watching someone else's life etc.