Who else is listening?

Have you ever had the nagging feeling that your words are being recorded?

Recording a phone conversation in which you are not taking part, ie between 2 other people, is wiretapping. This is illegal without a court order. Recording your own conversation, even without the other conversant's consent, is legal and done frequently.

Sometimes, I get the feeling that I am being recorded. I don't mind when this happens, because I tell the truth in the presence or absence of any recording devices, but I do question the motives of the person who records me surreptitiously. Are they building a case against me?

Here are some tell-tale signs that you are being recorded by an amateur on the QT.

• They keep on asking you to repeat yourself.
• They really try to pin you down to a guarantee on success or a particular outcome.
• The caller seems preoccupied with some of the technical aspects of the call.
• The caller says they just want someone else to listen in, yet there is no one there.
• The caller tries to manipulate the conversation so that you say something they may want to hear.

Of course, an expert can record your conversation without you ever knowing or suspecting it. But most people are amateurs.

And also, most of the time any recordings will pnly go in your favor in the case of a civil action since it will support you in the typical he-said-she-said game.

Good luck.