YOUR PHONE IS BEING BUGGED!

MBABANE – Software that can be used to spy on anybody’s cellphone calls, including text messages, Whatsapp and Facebook comments is being sold illegally in the country.
It practically deprives cellphone users of any privacy when using their mobile phones.

Swazi MTN has, as a result, warned its customers to be extra careful.
The software, which is also called a spy gear, can record pictures or sound clips sent inside Multimedia Services (MMS) message. It can record them even if the messages in the phone have been deleted.
In Swaziland, the software costs E2 500. Buying it directly from manufacturers can cost only E520 (US$49). Software is a programme and other operating information used by a computer.

Sellers and manufacturers of the software in Chicago, USA, have put a disclaimer which reads: “Phone monitoring software is designed for monitoring your children or employees on a phone you own or have consent to monitor. You also should not attempt to monitor your adult children, spouse, or significant other with any spy software product without the consent and knowledge of such persons.

“Failure to do so may result in the breaking of federal, state, and/or local laws in your country.  Some products linked to from this email are done with affiliate links, which may earn me a commission.”
However, there is no disclaimer in the advert being emailed to potential Swazi buyers enquiring about the software.
Public enquiries were being made in response to a seven-word advert about the software discreetly published in one of the daily newspapers.

The Times SUNDAY is in possession of the advert emailed to potential buyers who contact the seller after reading the advert. The software seller did not respond to our emailed message requesting an indepth interview. 
However, this newspaper has an idea of who is behind the racket. It can be revealed that the software presently being marketed locally is the non-remote cellphone spy software, also called local phone spy.
It requires the person who is spying to have access to the phone he or she is targeting.

The spy needs five to 10 minutes to successfully install the software on the targeted phone.
The disadvantage of a non remote spy gear, according to spy gear experts, is that the spy may get caught while he tries to install the software. 
It also means the person spying must get hold of the target cellphone and understand the target cellphone’s hardware and operating system.

Experts say there is no way to spy on older cellphones because they do not have the new smart phone operating system that enables the cellphone to access the internet.
However, the upside or advantage of using the non remote cellphone spy, it is said, is that the technical support for using it is generally better.

This is because the software administrators demand membership fees to be able to service the software on a regular basis.
The membership fees enable the cellphone spy websites to try to keep their customers happy.  On the other hand, the remote spy software goes to the spying person’s mobile phone. He/she does not need to get access to the target phone at any time.

Promoters of this software argue that one does not need to physically go to a radio station to install something if he wants to listen to it, instead, he just tunes to the right frequency.
It is said that remote cellphone spying requires wireless remote communication which occurs through pairing. “This is exactly how remote cell phone spy software works. Once you install it to your cellphone, you launch the remote phone spy. You select a menu item which puts the software in frequency pairing mode,” says Spy Cell phone – a company giving advice on spy software.
It goes on to say that a menu item on the cellphone, called cell tracker spy, will reflect, also showing a calling monitoring item.
While in this mode, they explain, the spying person calls the target cellphone.

Therefore, the target cellphone must pick up and stay connected with the spying person for at least 30 seconds and the spy software operates even if the target phone goes to voice mail. In this way, it is said that 30 seconds is enough for the remote spy on the spying person’s cellphone to establish the exact frequency of the target cellphone.

“From then on, any time you and the target phone have cellphone service (not internet connection which is not required with a remote cellphone spy but is required with local cellphone spy) anytime the target phone sends or receives any data of any kind (phone calls, SMS, email, web browsing) your cellphone, or rather the remote cell phone spy residing on your cellphone, receives a digital copy of this info which gets displayed on your cellphone screen,” experts at Spy Cell Phone say.

The disadvantage of the remote cellphone software is that it is fraught with scams and this has unfortunately given it a bad name overall. It is said that most remote phone spies are a scam.
Spyz Rus, a software company, says there is no way a cellphone can be spied on without having access to it. 
“Why would these companies only sell software that needs to be installed directly onto the target phone, if there was an easy alternative – a remote install? There are two main reasons. It would be totally illegal. Remember, to use traditional spy software you must have legal rights over the phone and any adult must be informed that it is monitored. Imagine if you could just ring any number and spy on that phone – would that be OK with you? Secondly, the technology does work as they suggest,” Spyz Rus argues.
Meanwhile, the locals are marketing the non-remote software. They have designed a colourful advert headlined ‘Stop Cheats.’
The catchphrase is: “When can we meet?”

The marketing strategy for the spy software then goes: “Keep track of what is going on. Problem teens, cheating employees and...”    It also gives details on how this spy gear operates.
The designed advert is being sent to anyone who enquires about the gadget. It can be said that people made enquiries about the gadget in response to a seven word advertisement that appeared in the Times of Swaziland this week.
For it to work, the spying person must have access to the target phone – say his child or employee’s cell phone for five minutes.

The marketers say the spying person can download the software via Bluetooth or Universal Serial Bus (USB) once he had gotten hold of the target phone. After the software has been installed in the target person’s phone, it is said that the spying person can then monitor all activity through a website which is accessible through a secret password and username.

The software being sold locally, it is said, can gives the person trying to tap into secret information access to call log,  SMS log, browser log, contact list and media gallery.
It has other features such as remote camera. “You can command the target phone to take a picture by sending a SMS. The SMS will not reflect as an incoming message or show that the camera is in operation,” reads the advert sent to the Times SUNDAY.

The target phone can also be locked or unlocked by SMS command – by the person who does not own it.
Superintendent Wendy Hleta, the Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), said police had not seen the software but would investigate the matter and give a conclusive statement in due course. Mandla Mkhwanazi, a human rights lawyer, said it was illegal to invade someone’s privacy. He said a person invading someone’s privacy could be sued or arrested for criminal defamation.

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