General Reports

[Lehmonade]

It can be done, but one has to ask, why would they want to do that? I know most reading this forum are paranoid to some degree, so this reply may not dissuade fears, but knowledge is power.

The moment you mentioned faraday box LOL!

Careful of big brother, when people like you know too much they might want to know why for.

[Herbie53]

Can you still be tracked if you have turned off your regular cell phone?

It can be done, but one has to ask, why would they want to do that? I know most reading this forum are paranoid to some degree, so this reply may not dissuade fears, but knowledge is power.

Modern cell / smartphones that do not have a user replaceable battery, never turn totally off. Never. We shut them down. They are always doing something. Always. With older phones with user replaceable batteries, one could simply remove the battery. No battery, no power, phone can't do anything.

One way to prove this is to set an alarm on your phone to go off in a couple minutes, then shut it down. At the alarm time, one of two things will happen. Older smartphones without the latest and greatest security updates will wake up and sound the alarm. Wow, that's unsettling.

If the alarm doesn't sound, it doesn't mean the phone is "off". It means, for most phones, it's in ultra low power mode. It's still keeping track of the time, and your alarm, among other things. A lot of other things. In modern phones, these background tasks use micro-AMP, not milli-AMPs. The processors and operating systems are energy scrooges, designed that way to maximize battery life while still scraping dirt about people's activities. Our personal lives and habits are extremly valuable to marketers and advertisers. That's all Google and Facebook are, in my opinion. Simply huge people intelligence sifters, and marketing engines, in my opinion. In my opinion, I believe that their mantra is "our personal lives are for sale," but I digress. For another day.

Turn the phone back on if the alarm didn't go off at the appointed time, and on 99.9% of them, as soon at it boots up, nearly instantly, the alarm will sound. It will stop once you log into your phone. Again, not good. It indicates that the phone is never off. In either scenario, it's still keeping track of time, and who knows what else. Well, I know, but that's for another topic and day. What else the phone is doing depends on the phone brand, model, operating system, and all kind of alien super-brainiac engineering crap that goes on in our daily lives for which we've given up our control without knowing it.

The biggest power draw on any phone is the screen. It's like a big light bulb with its energy demands. All the other things a phone does in the background for system purposes use extremely small amounts of battery power compared to lighting up that screen. So, can a phone be triggered while it's off to track someone? Yes, but, and there is always a but, there needs to be a reason, and they need to specifically know which phone to subvert. Always remember, a smartphone is always listening, documenting, and reporting while turned on. Even in airplane mode, it is still doing that, recording, just not transmitting the data until airplane mode is off. Of course, unless one needs to be tracked real time, it doesn't matter. Our phones are always going to send back to the mothership what it has gleaned about us once it can reestablish contact, and that's all that's needed for investigatory purposes. Real time tracking is rarely needed except for national security purposes.

If one is concerned about being tracked real time, look at the battery percentage of the phone, shut it down for a half hour (I know it's hard but really, we can do it), leave it on a desk or table, screen side down to reach room temperature, and then see if it has any any warmth after the cool down interval (and don't charge your phone because it generates heat). If it seems warmer than the table or desk it's sitting on, it's possibly being busy while "turned off". It's consuming more energy than being in ultra low power mode, in my opinion. Also, when you turn it back on, if there is a noticeable drop of more than 1% in the battery usage (assuming one's battery isn't at end of life, aged, and unhealthy, and dies rapidly to start with), then one has to ask why that is happening? It's what they call a clue.

The best way to check the temperature after the cool down interval has passed is with one of those cheapo infrared temperature devices. Put the phone on the table screen side down, leave it on for a few minutes, then measure the temp of the back of the phone when running. Then shut it down, put it back on the table screen side down, and let it get to room temperature. It will take a half hour or so. Then while still shut down, check the temperature of the back side again while still resting on the table. Then take the temperature of the table it's resting on a few inches away, and they should be very close, and best case is the phone is cooler than the table. Metal backs on phones can cause the phone to read a bit lower temperature than the table. That's a good thing. Again, too much warmth suggest that the phone it being a bit more active when shut down. "Danger Will Robinson. Danger".

So, what can one do to go dark other than leaving the phone behind? Purchase an RF shield bag to put your phone in. These are also known as Faraday bags. Get one with very high ratings, and one that totally, and I mean totally, seals. Get one that is large enough for your device, phone, tablet, etc, that totally seals, shut down the device, stick it in the bag. And do this for every device you bring along. You'd be surprised at the people that shut down and bag their phone, but not the iPad in the trunk, or GPS stuck to their windshield. While a GPS doesn't transmit, and yes, there are some that still use them, a windshield GPS records coordinates when turned on. Always. For those that desire, it's relatively easy to plug a GPS into a computer, extract the data, and plot routes, with dates and times, on Google Maps. Same thing for tablets that are not cellular enabled. They can't transmit while not connected to WiFi, but they will transmit all they have gleaned from their sensors, Bluetooth, and GPS receptions once they are.

Anyway, once devices have been shut down and bagged, and since they cannot now receive or transmit, it won't be recording data while it's turned off. Just be sure to go a good distance from your destination before taking them out of the bag and turning them back on. I'd recommend shutting down devices a good distance away from the destination or travels one wants to obscure, putting them in a bag, and not powering up until you are back at the same location where the devices were shut down. When the device re-contacts the mothership, and it will, there will be no new data to report, other than the shut down, and restart. Plausible deniability is a good thing. The story is up to you.

[DoingObt]

The apps are good, but if they're on your regular phone, then your regular phone can still be tracked. It's better to have physical hardware, preferably that isn't connected to you in any way, that is disposable if you ever think it has been compromised. My preference is for old blackberries. They're cheap, small, readily available, and the old Blackberry OS doesn't track your every movement.

Even with all these precautions, I agree with everyone else. Anything CAN be tracked, and it's safer to just not say anything. I primarily use my burner when I'm shopping the trail. Even if I'm not worried about a sting, Google and Apple still track everywhere you go (so they can sell ads relevant to where you go / have been), and I'd just rather not have my hobby documented somewhere.

I can't believe how long this conversation has been going on. We're engaged in "dating" girls. If the police want to catch you they can set up stings and catch you that way. A Florida appeals court has ruled against warrantless stingray use. If they go for a warrant, it's against murderers and rapists and high level drug targets, not prostitutes and johns.

Use a burner phone to protect your I'd from girls and pimps, but this whole thing about police tracking our phones is a joke.

No, they are desperate criminals and LE would gladly spend 100's of thousands of dollars in order to write them a misdemeanor ticket.

A2

[Rudiger]

The apps are good, but if they're on your regular phone, then your regular phone can still be tracked. It's better to have physical hardware, preferably that isn't connected to you in any way, that is disposable if you ever think it has been compromised. My preference is for old blackberries. They're cheap, small, readily available, and the old Blackberry OS doesn't track your every movement.

Even with all these precautions, I agree with everyone else. Anything CAN be tracked, and it's safer to just not say anything. I primarily use my burner when I'm shopping the trail. Even if I'm not worried about a sting, Google and Apple still track everywhere you go (so they can sell ads relevant to where you go / have been), and I'd just rather not have my hobby documented somewhere.

I think the reason some mongers go with an app is cost and convenience. The cheapest cash burner flip-phone is going to run 20, then another 20 every 90 days for a new card. Finally, you then have to find some public access computer to get it activated. Yeah, it's more expensive and harder to do than a free app but, to me, it's cheap insurance to be as anonymous as possible.

[Vino 7373]

Can you still be tracked if you have turned off your regular cell phone?

[Aeroxly]

Go pure burner? What about all the apps?

The apps are good, but if they're on your regular phone, then your regular phone can still be tracked. It's better to have physical hardware, preferably that isn't connected to you in any way, that is disposable if you ever think it has been compromised. My preference is for old blackberries. They're cheap, small, readily available, and the old Blackberry OS doesn't track your every movement.

Even with all these precautions, I agree with everyone else. Anything CAN be tracked, and it's safer to just not say anything. I primarily use my burner when I'm shopping the trail. Even if I'm not worried about a sting, Google and Apple still track everywhere you go (so they can sell ads relevant to where you go / have been), and I'd just rather not have my hobby documented somewhere.

[Lehmonade]

Go pure burner? What about all the apps?

Don't put yourself in the position where you're at their mercy. Don't talk money for sex or use of condom, or GFE or nothing.

Get intel from someone you know / site you trust. They will want you to talk more on the phone to build a solid case prior to meeting up. You showing up at a sting is questionable enough in court, but you agreeing to a crime AND being there is beyond reasonable doubt in court.

You can set up burner under someone else's name. Buy your burner with cash. Sign up with someone you hate, maybe grady judd or his two kids as name / fake address / fake other phone number. Better yet, set up your burner in public wifi. After that, you have to be aware of when you turn the phone ON. And where you have it OFF. Blah blah.

Skip all this by shutting up and not talking details. As stated earlier, don't put yourself in that position.

The reason question is how much you're willing to let your info be scrutinized under the name of national security ? Boo hoo, let's go after a woman anyway

[Rudiger]

Sarasota PD had one of those when I lived there several years back, and they didn't make any secret of it. It made me a little paranoid. When I'm "shopping," I use a burner phone. Not an app, an actual phone. When I go to Paradise Trail, I forward calls from my regular phone to the burner and only take the burner. If they track it, so what, I can dump it in the trash and change it up easily enough. But I'm super paranoid about that kind of thing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...=.f43104a78d2f

The above article about the extremely lenient plea deal in Tampa to keep Stingray quiet is nearly four years old, and it's unnerving to learn that, today, LE in some jurisdictions (like Sarasota) have zero concern with letting everyone know they have cellphone signal intercept devices and are able to use them with impunity.

As someone else mentioned, when using a burner phone, it's wise to keep everything associated with it isolated, including paying cash for the phone and any cards to add minutes.

[SC James]

If one forwards their regular phone to a burner or any other phone, the carrier knows where the call came from, as well as your regular carrier knows to where you forwarded the calls. If LEO, or even a civil attorney like a divorce lawyer, gets the phone, or looks at the service provider's phone to see what numbers were called or received, and they are interested and motivated, they will subpoena the phone's call history from the carrier and see where that leads, and eventually, all be on display for them to read.

Most of us are familiar with Caller I D, but that's fairly modern by telco standards. The phone networks, landline and cellular, also use a protocol called Automatic Number Identification, or ANI, that has its root from the "long distance" call days and was invented by AT&T to track and bill for long distance calls. It cannot be blocked and it always knows where a call came from, where it's going, and any relays in between. ANI dates back nearly 100 years. The system is still used, but not so much for billing long distance unless calls are international. While it's possible to block Caller I D delivery, it's not for ANI. It's always is active and is part of all phone networks, so there is always a "paper trail" of every phone call's origination and destination that can be subpoenaed.

If one is taking the extra safety precaution of using a burner phone, then don't compromise it by forwarding calls to it from another phone number under one's control. If things get interesting, it leaves a paper trail.

Go pure burner? What about all the apps?

[Herbie53]

Sarasota PD had one of those when I lived there several years back, and they didn't make any secret of it. It made me a little paranoid. When I'm "shopping," I use a burner phone. Not an app, an actual phone. When I go to Paradise Trail, I forward calls from my regular phone to the burner and only take the burner. If they track it, so what, I can dump it in the trash and change it up easily enough. But I'm super paranoid about that kind of thing.

If one forwards their regular phone to a burner or any other phone, the carrier knows where the call came from, as well as your regular carrier knows to where you forwarded the calls. If LEO, or even a civil attorney like a divorce lawyer, gets the phone, or looks at the service provider's phone to see what numbers were called or received, and they are interested and motivated, they will subpoena the phone's call history from the carrier and see where that leads, and eventually, all be on display for them to read.

Most of us are familiar with Caller I D, but that's fairly modern by telco standards. The phone networks, landline and cellular, also use a protocol called Automatic Number Identification, or ANI, that has its root from the "long distance" call days and was invented by AT&T to track and bill for long distance calls. It cannot be blocked and it always knows where a call came from, where it's going, and any relays in between. ANI dates back nearly 100 years. The system is still used, but not so much for billing long distance unless calls are international. While it's possible to block Caller I D delivery, it's not for ANI. It's always is active and is part of all phone networks, so there is always a "paper trail" of every phone call's origination and destination that can be subpoenaed.

If one is taking the extra safety precaution of using a burner phone, then don't compromise it by forwarding calls to it from another phone number under one's control. If things get interesting, it leaves a paper trail.

[Aeroxly]

That is some serious shit right there. The end of freedom and privacy is on our doorstep.

Sarasota PD had one of those when I lived there several years back, and they didn't make any secret of it. It made me a little paranoid. When I'm "shopping," I use a burner phone. Not an app, an actual phone. When I go to Paradise Trail, I forward calls from my regular phone to the burner and only take the burner. If they track it, so what, I can dump it in the trash and change it up easily enough. But I'm super paranoid about that kind of thing.

[SC James]

Is it just me, or is it harder to find a provider on weekends?

I set up something early in the week for today. She woke up puking (she hadn't even met me yet!) so that was a cancel. So the "day of" scramble begins. Set up number 2 strings me along and ghosts when the time comes. Thankfully the lovely Mere was available to take care of me. Give her a shout.

[Rich5]

I used to go to the one in Altamonte closer to me but the long lines got annoying. This one is smaller and located downtown on Mills Ave just north of Colonial. Lines are usually short but they said it does get crowded on weekends. Here's the info for anyone interested.

North Mills Ave.

Orlando, FL 32803.

(407) XXX-8272.

TMC.

Thanks for the info. That is really important right now. Their should be no excuse for checking yourself out.

[Bush Hog]

You are a wise Monger, All these suggestions help. Bush Hog.

Get a picture. It is imperative that we document the service providers with recent pics. You know so you're review of Jessica is the Jessica you're reviewing and not one of the 400 other ones that are out there.

.

[Caputh]

I want to expand on this. First DO NOT POST HER PHONE NUMBER, That's against the rules. You can provide a link to her ad and that would be greatly appreciated. Second "what you did" the more detailed the better.

Pilot.

Get a picture. It is imperative that we document the service providers with recent pics. You know so you're review of Jessica is the Jessica you're reviewing and not one of the 400 other ones that are out there.