Can private individuals track your mobile phone location?

Can private individuals track your mobile phone location?

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Terminator X

Original Poster:

15,066 posts

204 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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Just had an "interesting" conversation with a particularly volatile client and in amongst his ranting he revealed my location! There is no way he could have know where I was at the time other than perhaps a good guess which it might have been of course. Just got me wondering though about the mobile as I appreciate the Mob Co does know where you are albeit probably couldn't care less about it at the time? What do you think :-/

To be clear he isn't my boss and has no authority to track my phone assuming it's possible of course.

TX.

LordGrover

33,539 posts

212 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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Do you use apps like facebook that publish your location to all and sundry?

megaphone

10,724 posts

251 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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Did you send him an email? Did it have an IP he could trace?

Slightly related, can a company phone be tracked? For example, if you have a dozen phones on a company EE contract, do EE or others offer tracking as an option to the account administrator/boss?

megaphone

10,724 posts

251 months

Monday 1st June 2015
quotequote all
Did he speak to your office before you? Maybe they grassed you up!

Terminator X

Original Poster:

15,066 posts

204 months

Monday 1st June 2015
quotequote all
LordGrover said:
Do you use apps like facebook that publish your location to all and sundry?
No all tracking data turned off to the best of my knowledge eg I can't "check in" to places local to me.

TX.

PS Phone is a Blackberry.

PPS he is a technology geek so would be on top of something like this if it were possible.

Edited by Terminator X on Monday 1st June 12:53

Terminator X

Original Poster:

15,066 posts

204 months

Monday 1st June 2015
quotequote all
megaphone said:
Did he speak to your office before you? Maybe they grassed you up!
I am my office so it won't have been that wink

TX.

motco

15,947 posts

246 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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There was a website a couple of years ago that someone on here found. It would give real time locations of mobiles, but I believe it was shut down after complaints about privacy. It clearly was possible then, so it might be possible now, can't be sure.

LordGrover

33,539 posts

212 months

Monday 1st June 2015
quotequote all
I know less than nothing about blackberry, but google suggests this: berrylocate?

mrtwisty

3,057 posts

165 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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Do you have any malware detection on your phone op?

It's possible (though not very likely unless he is a bit of a fruitcake) that he could have surreptitiously installed a hidden piece of software on your phone that uses your gps location and/or network info to find your location.

Probably something more boring than that scenario though!

Munter

31,319 posts

241 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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If it was andriod I'd have said you might have accidentally made this data public: https://maps.google.co.uk/locationhistory/

I'm not sure if you can do that with Blackberry.

Terminator X

Original Poster:

15,066 posts

204 months

Monday 1st June 2015
quotequote all
LordGrover said:
I know less than nothing about blackberry, but google suggests this: berrylocate?
Whilst that is quite frightening it looks like I need to install it on my mobile and then give it "trusted status" and only then will it give away my location? I tend to keep my mobile in my jacket pocket + it is password protected on the lock screen too so someone would have to go to extreme measures to install that App (I hope!).

TX.

MacW

1,349 posts

176 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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Maybe he just got lucky as you were in your office.

As a test, I suggest calling him from a strip club next time and see what he says.

jesta1865

3,448 posts

209 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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MacW said:
Maybe he just got lucky as you were in your office.

As a test, I suggest calling him from a strip club next time and see what he says.
or his wife's bedroom and hear his head explode* :-)

  • you may be liable for the cleanup costs

stuart313

740 posts

113 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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He may possibly have used this, it works sometimes.

http://www.planetcreation.co.uk/sat-gps/

megaphone

10,724 posts

251 months

Monday 1st June 2015
quotequote all
stuart313 said:
He may possibly have used this, it works sometimes.

http://www.planetcreation.co.uk/sat-gps/
biggrin

RobinBanks

17,540 posts

179 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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Maybe out and about he had just happened to see you but you didn't spot him?

GreigM

6,728 posts

249 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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Without more info on what you do and his relationship I'd guess it'd be more likely to be a result of good old fashioned social engineering and/or detective work.

You say he's a client - will his invoices/paperwork not have your address?

Could he have phoned a colleague before you and said "is X in the office?"

As a client, he knows your company name, could he look up your location on your website? Companies house site?

softtop

3,057 posts

247 months

Monday 1st June 2015
quotequote all
There are products on the market that allow the IT department to wipe your phone, they also allow full tracking facilities. You are usually told about the abilities of the IT team and your data security, though they don't always mention the tracking if you are a new starter and it is already in place.

RobinBanks

17,540 posts

179 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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What he wrote suggested to me that he is self employed

"I am my office"