[comp.dcom.telecom] telephone tap detection

mark@cbterra.mis.oh.att.COM (Mark Horton) (11/03/87)

I would appreciate a brief rundown on phone taps and how easy they
are to detect.  Specifically, Radio Shack sells two boxes, one of
which plugs into the line in series and automatically records off
the line when some phone downstream goes off hook; the other plugs
in like an extension and detects anything on the line going off hook.
Do these recorders have any electronic effect on the line?  Could a
garden variety "Telephone Tap Detector" ($49 list, with a red and
green light) detect these, or do they only detect off-hook extensions?
Would the equipment a good private detective has be able to detect them?

Please respond by mail to mark@stargate.com, or if your mailer can't
handle MX, to stargate.com!mark@rutgers.edu.  Thanks,

	Mark