How to Test a Phone Line for Wire Tap
Wiretapping isn't just a figment of your imagination, or something that only happens in movies or to those under suspicion of criminal activity. This invasive technology has been a concern since the late 1800's, and protecting your privacy against it is something that everyone can do, with a little bit of forethought.
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Instructions
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Pick up your phone and listen.Often if there is a wiretap, you will hear a sound similar to someone picking up a phone, the click of a line being accessed. Not all recording devices make that sound, but many do.
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Open up your phone's handset. Inside there should be two copper wires, one red and one green, connected to a microphone, and being fed into the phone wire. A "bug," if there is indeed a listening device, will be spliced into the wires and glued to the inside of the phone to feed information to another source.
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Look for signs of people listening in on your phone from outside. Many times those who tap phones will listen in from a nearby telephone pole where a wiretap has been installed. If you see suspicious activity, call your phone company (preferably on a phone other than the one which you suspect of being tapped), and ask if they have people working on the pole. If not, then you may have been tapped.
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Check your phone wire where it is exposed for any tampering. This will often be near your phone box on the outside of your building. If there are any splices, or suspicious new installations outside your box that you weren't made aware of, it may be a wire tap. Check with your phone company before assuming.
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