Option 2 FM Transmitters
Your second option is not as detail oriented as the physical search, but can be used if the physical search fails to turn up anything. You can also use this option in conjunction with the physical search. We're talking about employing an electronic counter measure device. There are several on the market and one of them may surprise you.
Since a good number of the wireless microphones transmit on the FM frequency in the 88 - 120 MHZ range, the countermeasure device is a portable FM radio with a good antenna and a good bit of patience from you. Starting in one small room, turn off radios, televisions or anything else that is making noise. I like to use an inexpensive wind up alarm clock that ticks rather loudly to provide an identifiable sound that does not sound like an FM station. Turning on my FM radio I tune to 88 on the dial and very slowly adjust the tuner up to 120 on the dial. As I'm tuning I'm walking around the room, along the walls, back and forth across the room until I'm certain I did not pick up the clock ticking on the radio.
When this room is clear I move on to the next room. I move slowly and deliberately and if there is an RF type transmitter in the room of any type commonly used, I will probably hear the ticking. I then play hot and cold with the radio antenna along the walls, ceiling, floor and furniture until I pinpoint where the signal is strongest. My next move would be to go to the physical search. Certainly this is not 100%, as there are transmitters that work outside those frequencies, but you've tried and you very well could succeed.
Another aspect of this option is for the well informed citizen who wants to be a better prepared citizen. This would involve contacting a manufacturer of counter measure equipment and actually investing in a device that scans all frequencies and does it quickly and accurately, without all the hand tuning. I've used several different transmitter detectors over the years and while they all did the job for me, they were very costly.
Option 3 Contracting a Counter Measures Expert
Your third option involves the contracting with a counter measures expert. Every reasonably sized metropolitan area should have private investigators that are experts who train, license and equip themselves to perform counter measures, these are the people to consult.
Your attorney or perhaps a personal friend possibly has had experience with an investigator and if the experience was positive, this is a good place to start.Call the investigator and ask if he or she does electronic surveillance counter measures. If they do not, they probably can refer you to someone who does.
If you must start from the yellow pages or the internet look for investigators who advertise that they perform electronic counter measures and give them a call.
The counter measures expert should ask questions about physical layout, how many rooms, how many phones, how many lines, computers, fax machines, garage, basement, etc. Your prospective expert should be able to give you a pretty good estimate based on your information and he should also be able to tell you approximately how long the sweep should take.
I can not begin to offer here how much this should cost, as some charge per hour, some per job, some charge more for commercial sweeps than residential sweeps and some charge per phone, room or devices that have to be checked.
One thing I can tell you is that if you are told that your home or office (if there are several phones and several rooms) will be completely checked in an hour or two, find another expert. A typical sweep should take a minimum of 6-8 hours for an average 3 or 4 bedroom, 2 bath home with several phone extensions, garage, attic, maybe a basement. The same time frame for a typical office of several executive areas, secretarial area, file room, multiple phones with multiple lines, computer terminals, faxes and the like. These sweeps should be done carefully and should always include a physical search. If your expert wants to come in and just wave his magic machine around and charge you hundreds of dollars forget him. He's not going to find anything that you couldn't find yourself.
Once you find someone that sounds promising to you check to see if he or she is licensed and confirm with the licensing agency, usually the state where he or she practices. For this type of work, you don't want to take chances and the fees being what they are, ask for references. Whenever I am asked for references regarding what I do, I am happy to do so. I am a professional, just like any other professionals out there and I take pride in my work and have a ready list of clients who have offered themselves as references.
That covers your three options for action when you suspect that your being bugged by someone. Hopefully you'll now be able to make an informed decision about what to do under almost all surveillance conditions. You no longer have to live with that awful feeling inside you when you realize you're being looked at. You now have a few options, a few tricks up your sleeve. If you're careful you can detect when you are under surveillance and you can dump it whenever you want to, because you are now an informed citizen.
