Without your Permission,
Someone May Be Tracking
Your Location.
Susan B. Jacobson,
L.M.H.C., P.A. FLMH 0003657
T: (561) 558 - 1342
It
Could Happen To Anyone.
I have consulted with a Licensed
Private Investigator who assisted me with
this information so my clients and the
public can be informed what could/may occur
with Internet dating and online
relationships. This is just a brief article
on Online Identity Fraud.
An Illegal GPS In/On
Your Vehicle.
It Could Happen To Anyone.
General
Information.
Florida Supreme
Court rules police must have warrants to use
GPS trackers on cars - January 23, 2012 - A
U.S. Supreme Court decision dictates police
in South Florida and the rest of the state
can no longer secretly install GPS trackers
on cars, without a judge's permission.
Florida Statute 934.425 will be
officially implemented which makes it
illegal to install a GPS tracking device and
software on private property, without
permission from the property owner. Anyone
charged with violating Florida's new
anti-GPS-tracking law faces second degree
misdemeanor charges.
Another reason
more states like Florida are implementing
these restrictive GPS tracking laws is the
Supreme Court case United States v. Jones,
132 S.Ct. 945, where SCOTUS decided that the
use of tracking devices, without a warrant,
violated Fourth Amendment prohibitions
against unreasonable search and seizure.
Generally Speaking - A legal GPS is if a
parent, husband or wife who has ownership of
a vehicle. They can track the vehicle. Some
states require permission of the person.
Police may have a warrant to track your
vehicle with a GPS device. Dealerships,
rent-a-car agencies have GPS devices in
their vehicles. Please check your state
statutes for clarification.
An
illegal GPS is when someone without
ownership of the vehicle inserts, or
attaches the device, without your
permission.
Finding and locating a
GPS in a vehicle may be easy. Identifying
the owner of a GPS is not.
In the absence
of legislation in most states, putting a GPS
device in someone's car, is considered to be
legal if that the person placing it shares
ownership of the car.
1. If a GPS
tracker was installed in your car, try to
remember if someone had access to the
vehicle, or not. This is important because
if no access was granted, most likely the
tracker had to be inserted outside the car
interior and/or underneath the frame.
This is what we consider a ground level
insertion. Considering the insertion has to
be quickly accomplished, it's not an easy
task. Most likely the GPS is battery powered
and can only remain on the vehicle for 7-30
days.
2. If you want to locate it
yourself, then you may need to think like
the tracker. Most often trackers will use
the rear of the vehicle, or underneath the
rear bumper area.
3. Passive Tracker
- A GPS tracker could also come in the form
of a passive tracker. This means that the
data will be stored in a USB and used later.
Such GPS tracking devices are usually
installed in a compact gum box like shape
and stuck onto the rear of the car.
4. Active Trackers - When ever the vehicle
moves, the signal is immediate sent and one
can see, via the internet or cell phone.
With vehicle access, the active tracking GPS
can be hard-wired into your car's electrical
system and remain on alert until it is
found, removed or it malfunctions.
Individuals and business firms are being
targeted with GPs devices. Remember if no
GPS is located, you may be tracked by your
cell phone.
Finding or Locating The GPS, Things You Need
To Have And Use.
Remember one
basic rule-- someone had to insert the
device and someone has to extract the
device. The GPS most likely be the size of a
pack of cigarettes, or smaller. Most likely
the GPS device was inserted at ground level
by the tracker, if they didn't have access
to your vehicle.
It is suggested that
you take your vehicle to a local service
station to have the professional put it on
the lift. Always let your vehicle cool down
at the service station, you don't need to
get burned.
Step 1. The inspector
will start at the front drivers side by the
tires, look, feel, behind the splashguard,
where the cars break are located. They will
continue the inspection under the front
bumper, feel behind the bumper and use a
coat hangar to lightly pull in the areas
that a hand cannot fit or a flashlight will
not illuminate.
The inspector will
look at the front passenger underside, for
masking tape or duck tape, a zip lock
painted black or a box that seems to be not
attached with screws or bolts.
Seeing
for recent signs on the vehicle
undercarriage road dust, streaks, smudges or
prints could indicate a hasty insertion and
direct you to the GPS area. Once the front
underside is inspected feel, illuminate the
under sides of the vehicle.
Next the
rear of the vehicle will be examined. Look
for the smudges of road dust or tape. At
times the GPS could have been removed at the
time of the inspection, but there may be
signs that someone may have been underneath.
Step 2. For
Locating, Finding A Vehicle GPS, Under The
Hood.
Normally this area is to
hot and too much metal for a GPS to operate
effectively, but there could be signs of
it's presence. The fuse box would be my
first observation. Normally the mechanic can
assist you by opening the box. At times, you
may see wires from the fuse box.
Normal fuse boxes do not have wires pressed
into a fuse circuit. If observed, the
inspector will try to follow the wires to
their final destination. Another area is the
air filter location. This area will keep a
GPS ventilated and easy to access. The
battery box cover is also a hiding place,
but not very practical. Try to remember if
anyone had access to your vehicle. Think
back if someone wanted to check, or service,
your vehicle engine.
Most likely any
wires leading to a GPS will be on the
drivers side of the vehicle, leading inside
the vehicle. Again remember that the device
was inserted and the device must be
extracted.
Step 3. For Locating, Finding A GPS, Inside
Your Vehicle.
The inspector
will check the front seats, under the seats,
feel the seat covers, under or inside the
headrest, glove compartment, feel, look at
your door panel's look for smudges or
possible sight damage.
The inspector
will check under the dashboard. Looking
under the dashboard has to be examined
slowly; With a flash and mirror one will
examine a small section at a time.
The inspector will check the back seats and
inside the trunk. They will need time to
remove the spare tire. Sometimes the GPS is
in or under the spare tire.
Once you
firmly believe that their is no tracking
device located inside or attached under your
vehicle OR you cannot locate it and you
still feel that you are being tracked, there
are a couple of options that you may want to
consider. You Can:
Purchase A GPS
Detector From A Variety of Internet Security
Sites at approximately $200-$300 bucks.
Understand that most active GPS devices go
into hibernation mode when the vehicle is
inactive and no signal is transmitted.
If You Find A GPS.
If you find an illegal GPS in
your vehicle, my first recommendation is to
call law enforcement.
Their are
certain laws that protect the citizen from
this type of activity. All GPS devices will
have a manufacturing number or
Identification number.
Sometimes the
tracker may have removed or obscured the
outside tracking identification. But this
number is still imprinted within the device.
Do not open the device. Let the law
enforcement official, or detectives, contact
the GPS Internet provider to obtain whose
account it is and the owner.
GPS
devices will always have a host and internet
provider, which allows it's use. Law
Enforcement can obtain this information.
Take a few pictures of the device for
your records. Next obtain a police report of
the incident and device ownership
Request Law Enforcement that once they
completed their investigation, you would
like the person arrested and are willing to
testify in court.
This
Article Should Not Be Considered Legal
Advice.