BLUE chip companies are spending thousands of pounds on anti-bugging devices, which "sweep" their offices and prevent rival firms from stealing trade secrets. Private investigators say some are paying up to £10,000 to have their premises checked to keep sensitive information under wraps. One London-based investigator, deals with about 150 companies each year which have concerns.

Bugs are very cheap & can be bought for less than £100.

"We provide counter-surveillance and de-bugging equipment. We check merchant banks and the boardrooms of blue chip companies. over 200,000 bugging devices and covert cameras are sold every year. Products include everything from "bugs" concealed in pens, calculators and credit cards, Underhand tactics are a regular feature of the corporate world. bosses hire "moles" to infiltrate other companies to gain sensitive information.

"It’s not just the bigger firms that are affected.

We had a small company which specialized in supplying catering to an airline. The owner was putting in quotations, but his competitor was getting the work every time. We discovered his phone was bugged and a competitor was undercutting him." Sophisticated listening devices can pick up conversations within a range of 100 meters. They can be stuck to the underside of a desk or chair. Unfortunately, there are people who will try to gain an unfair advantage over other firms. There are specialists in the field who try to ensure that these devices can be found." A leading agent on espionage, said the realm of seeking or safeguarding business secrets is a growth market.

Even universities are being encouraged to patent products before they publish research, so that rival academics do not steal their ideas. "This is not just large companies, You can include universities, the public sector and the NHS in this. Knowledge is a primary resource, and they have to show that they are keeping information in-house. "The universities are putting systems in place to make sure that it doesn’t leak out." Corporate crime costs companies a fortune, as revealed in the last Business. A Crime Survey identified losses of more than £600 million for Scotland alone.

The Scottish Business Crime Centre, said many companies felt it was not worth their while to launch a costly legal battle in the courts. They said: "There is an under-reporting of business crime. "The law is not always specific enough to prove that there has been an infringement.  “A company may not report it due to the embarrassment which could lose them business."

Tel: 020 7222 2227

We can sweep an office, home, vehicle or an  entire building