The Surveillance Seller: The Latest Concern for Real Estate Buyers and Agents

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Imagine that you are looking for a new home with your spouse and children, and while at a showing, the agent gets a strange call. It’s her listing agent who informs her that the sellers are watching all of you on a camera, and they want to make sure your children are careful around the china cabinet…

What? This happens? It most certainly does, and it’s definitely freaky. Plus, it raises some legal and ethical questions, too. This has become more of an issue than ever before with real estate, and agents are really dealing with something they have never had to worry about before.

In general, there are laws out there about recording people without their knowledge, but these laws vary by state, and what is covered in one place might not be covered in another. On top of that, most real estate agents aren’t aware of what is legal and what is not. Some states, for example, only require that one person knows that the surveillance is happening, but in other states, both parties must be aware. Other states require that a notice is posted if recording is happening.

The majority of agents believe that they have an obligation to tell their clients if they know that there is recording equipment in a home, but at the same time, they might not know either. This can also, of course, cause some legal issues during a negotiation, as potential buyers might be discussing strategy during the showing, while a seller could be listening in, giving them the upper hand. Some agents have even told their clients that they shouldn’t talk about what they are thinking about a house until they are outside and away from any potential recording equipment.

On the other hand, some sellers believe that they have an absolute right to record in their own homes, and they very well may have that right. Again, in general, things are quite cloudy here, and they are only set to get cloudier as time goes on.

At this point, it’s not even just traditional surveillance cameras that homeowners are using. They also are using smart-home technology to keep an eye on their homes including video game consoles, smart door bells, and even devices like Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices. Of course, there are also a number of privacy concern associated with these things, too. As these devices get cheaper than ever before, more and more homeowners are jumping on the surveillance bandwagon. So, if you are a in the market to buy or sell a home, make sure you talk to your realtor about this, especially if you are a seller who has these devices in the home.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.

Covert Camera Apps to be aware of

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Have you ever tried to take a picture or video of someone with your phone without them knowing? Sometimes it’s possible, but sometimes it’s not. Well, maybe you knew it was coming: “Ghost apps” are available that let you take images and videos without the target’s knowledge. You can then hide the images and videos in secret folders.

CAMYou can now spy on people with apps like Private Ninja Cam, Stealth Cam and Top Secret Camera. Scary enough, many users of these apps use this technology on sexting and other porny activities.

This spying-type of technology, however, can be put to good use, such as capturing a teacher abusing a student or a spouse doing some cheating. You can build evidence for a lawsuit, for instance, amassing videos at the workplace of various forms of harassment. You can be sitting in your boss’s office, getting chewed out by him over nothing, recording everything without him having the slightest clue.

Be careful though, as some states have laws against these practices when audio recording is involved.

So how do you get away with the spying?

  • The camera can record with a motion sensor.
  • The screen can be made blank when taking a picture.
  • The preview window can appear like a Web browser.
  • The shutter sound can be muted.

You can then hide the loot so that someone who gains access to your phone won’t be able to find it. Such secret vaults include Best Secret Folder and Keep Safe Private Photo Vault.

Snoopers can’t get into them because they require a password. But snoopers may also be tricked into overlooking the vault because the vault can masquerade as another type of application. The vault may also snap a picture of the snooper or sound an alarm.

Imagine all the things someone can do with these apps, such as a man sitting on a subway “upskirting” standing women. But remember, good things can be done too, such as recording a crime, recording being mistreated by a family member, capturing your husband’s boss hitting on you at the Christmas party, and so much more.

Just sayin’

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to BestIDTheftCompanys.com discussing identity theft prevention.

Introducing Angee Home Security

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Meet Angee.

ANG2Angee (pronounced like Angie) will revolutionize home security in more ways than one. One of the features that sets Angee apart from other home security systems is that this system can learn about you and your family members, and then operate accordingly. Angee is the future, but this future is now here.

Check out what Angee offers:

  • Operates even during a power outage due to a built-in battery and 1.5 Gb storage.
  • Is small and portable, a handsome cylindrical design that can blend in with home decor.
  • Has data military grade encryption.
  • Motion and proximity detection tags that can be quickly and easily placed at all entryways and windows, so you need only one of the small portable units, regardless of the size of your house. Thus, a detection tag in a room on the third floor will allow the Angee unit, which is on the first floor, to tell when someone enters that third-floor room.
  • Recognition of household members’
  • Can connect to your mobile device, tablet or smartwatch.
  • Operation is voice controlled (as well as via smartphone) and includes personal-assistant-type tasks such as answering the phone.
  • Surveillance cameras (which rotate 360 degrees) that will follow intruders by detecting their presence; there’s no escaping “getting caught on tape.” But if you don’t want Angee to watch you during an intimate moment, no problem; just say “Turn away.” And remember, if the burglar says “Turn away,” Angee will disobey because it won’t recognize his voice.
  • Zero subscription fees.
  • The projected retail price will be $429.

The Birth of Angee

Angee Inc., is a start-up company that formed about a year and a half ago. Its founders had an ultra-strong vision and thus, introduced their system on Kickstarter. The founders needed experts in serial production, so hence teamed up with Dragon Innovation.

Who are the founders?

Tomas Turek is a serial software entrepreneur. He and his team have been working tirelessly for over 18 months to bring Angee to life.

If you’d like to support this futuristic layer of home security to bring it to the present, go to the Kickstarter campaign.

Robert Siciliano, personal and home security specialist to Angee. Learn more about Angee in this Video. Support Angee on Kickstarter. See Disclosures.

How to choose a Video Surveillance System

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Selecting a video surveillance system will depend, in part, on the nature of your home: size, layout, number of possible entry points, etc. Before purchasing a video surveillance system, figure out exactly why you need this technology and where you’d like to have the cameras mounted.

2WBut one thing’s for sure; no matter how many cameras you have, they must be able to provide a good view of prominent areas like rooftops, attics, doorways and other locations where intruders can gain entry or hide.

Another thing to consider is the hidden camera, if you want to build evidence, not just deter an intruder. For instance, who keeps stealing your milk? One homeowner wanted to find out who kept taking off with his freshly delivered milk every morning. The hidden surveillance recorded the thief in action: the neighbor’s dog.

A camera in plain sight, though, is a very effective deterrent to potential intruders and vandals.

Camera Types

  • Box camera. Nothing fancy here, but this style is very practical and cost effective, some with the capacity for interchangeable lenses. They’re perhaps the most commonly used.
  • Dome camera. Some makes have interchangeable lenses, and this type can be easily mounted in many locations and are not as bulky as the box type.
  • Bullet camera. This style can vary greatly in size, are good deterrents simply by their look, and can come with the interchangeable lens option.
  • PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) come with more monitoring and installation choices, including a panoramic view just from a single unit. Most are remote controlled.

Indoor and outdoor cameras differ, mainly in that outdoor cameras are bigger and tougher to withstand tampering as well as the elements. However, nowadays higher-end cameras can function for both indoor and outdoor surveillance. Also, some outdoor cameras can be disguised as common items like a hose reel or a rock.

Wired or wireless? No matter what, your camera will need a wire. That wire may be “cat5” which is an internet cable also know as a “networked camera”. Or, the camera will need a power cable to plug into an outlet or hardwired back to a panel. Otherwise wired cameras are generally considered “analog” which means the video signal travels through the cable itself back to a digital video recorder. So one way or another, you have to have wires.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Subdivsion Residents Fighting for Security Camera

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Condominium Association, Subdivision Association, or Neighborhood Association, whatever the name is, if you live in one and pay dues and have a board of directors that makes decisions for the community in regards to what you can and can’t do on a property, you probably feel my pain.

I like that bush, I hate that bush, no swing-sets, I want a swing-set, no pets, I want a cat BLAH BLAH BLAH!!

In Atlanta in what the residents of the subdivision considered a “safe neighborhood” a group of men climbed into a basement window of a woman’s home and stole every piece of jewelry, cash and electronics. She now has double deadlocks and door jams. She lives in fear and her home is not the same.

She was quoted saying “As a result, now I literally live like a hermit, with the lights off. I have security cameras up, bars on my windows. I have to go, literally, with a key room to room in my house, because they continue to affect my neighborhood.”

The neighborhood has had 2 burglaries in the past month. One neighbor took a bullet during a breaking.  If this is a “safe neighborhood” then my neighborhood is Fort Knox safe.

“Some residents said that they want home security cameras, but the president of the homeowners association says that’s not going to happen. In a lot of ways, the battle is over what is more important, personal safety or personal privacy.”

Privacy does you no good when you are shot dead by an intruder.

“The camera won’t be any, any good for the security, as far as safety for the community, just one camera,” said the association president.

One home security camera is better than zero cameras. It’s all about layers of security. The more proactive layers in place the more secure you will be. Wake up Mr. President.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

5 Tips to Help Prevent a Home Invasion

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Imagine you’ve lived at your home for a number of years, but it doesn’t feel like home anymore. Home invasions change all that. It used to be a place that was comforting and soothing; a place of security where you didn’t have to “worry.” Not anymore.

There are few crimes as horrific as a home invasion. When a bad guy forces their way into your home and uses violence on you and your family to get what they want, all sense of security is gone. This is a crime that can be combated with common sense and a home security plan.

Posing as a health inspector, police officer or even a secret service agent is commonly used with success. I once posed as a “water inspector” and gained access to people’s homes by saying I needed to “check the colorization of their water”, as I demonstrated on The Montel Williams Show here. A fake badge and a uniform of any kind can do wonders.

Here are 5 tips to help keep you safe and prevent a home invasion:
1. Never talk to strangers via an open or screen door. Always talk to them through a locked door.

2. NEVER let children open the doors. Always require and adult to do it.

3. Install a home burglar alarm and keep it on 24/7/365. With a home alarm system on, when someone knocks on the door, a conscious decision has to be made to turn off the alarm. Most people will keep it on.

4. Not all home invaders knock, some break in without warning.  Just another reason to have that alarm on.

5. Install a 24-hour camera surveillance system. Cameras are a great deterrent.  Have them pointed to every door and access point.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing home invasions on the Gordon Elliot Show. Disclosures