Evading Surveillance
“Just because you’re not paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not watching you.”
Why Would You Need This in Everyday Life?
If you’re not involved in crime or espionage, you’re unlikely to be targeted by professional surveillance. However, there are many situations where someone might be following you, such as:
- Burglars
- Predators in parks or forests
- Car thieves in parking lots (one breaks in, another watches you)
- Scammers, con artists, or pickpockets
- Drug addicts waiting for people returning home late to rob them
- Homeless people
- Human traffickers
- Jealous spouses
- And many others
That’s why the skill of detecting and “shaking off” a tail is as essential for urban survival as self-defense or marksmanship.
Goals of Surveillance
- Identify your identity, address, contacts, and income level
- Intimidate you by making you aware you’re being watched
- Lure you to a secluded place to rob, kill, kidnap, or assault you
- Determine your activities and social circles
Who Is the Follower?
Professional surveillance is usually conducted by a well-dressed man or woman aged 25-45. Their psychological state can be provoked. They may change jackets, hats, or other clothing during surveillance, hiding items in a bag or carrying them. Shoes and pants are rarely changed. They use cell phones or radios to communicate. The distance they keep ranges from 10-15 feet on busy streets to 150-300 feet in deserted areas.
Remember: the follower is always at a disadvantage, especially if you know you’re being watched and they don’t know you’ve noticed. That means you can always lose even a professional tail.
How to Detect Surveillance
The best approach is to make sure the follower doesn’t realize you’ve spotted them or are trying to lose them. If you’re under surveillance by law enforcement or criminals by accident (for example, as a contact of someone already under watch), and you obviously “shake the tail,” you may attract even more attention. So, it’s always useful to detect a tail, but you should only try to lose them if the situation calls for it.
General Tips:
- Be alert, especially during important meetings or in unfamiliar or threatening environments.
- Train your memory!
- Have several routes to and from work, and change them randomly.
- Vary your walking speed and observe your surroundings.
- Plan your route in advance.
- Identify places with multiple exits where you can check for a tail or escape (stores with two or more exits, courtyards, etc.).
- People can sense when someone is staring at the back of their head 96% of the time. TRUST YOUR INTUITION! (But don’t let it turn into paranoia.)
How to Spot a Follower:
- Seeing the same faces repeatedly.
- Unusual behavior compared to other passersby. If a follower loses sight of you, they may:
- Start acting nervously, looking for you
- Appear confused
- Call an accomplice
Ordinary people usually don’t react to your movements.
On the Street
- Don’t look back obviously! Don’t stop to “tie your shoes”-that’s too obvious. Instead, find a logical reason to turn around.
- Stop at a kiosk or store window, turn halfway, and use your peripheral vision or reflections to observe behind you.
- At a crosswalk, stop at the curb and look left and right as if checking for traffic.
- Enter a store and watch the street through the window.
- Step into a phone booth, pick up the receiver, and glance back.
- In an underpass with four exits, you can check for a tail four times. Walk through one exit, then double back through another, giving you a chance to see who’s following.
- In courtyards or building entrances with two exits, hide and watch through the glass. If the follower enters and looks confused or makes a call, you’ve confirmed the tail. You can then leave through the other exit.
Public Transport and Subway
- If your life isn’t in danger, choose less crowded vehicles. When a bus arrives, stand near the curb but don’t board. If the stop empties and only you and the follower remain, repeat this a few times to confirm.
- Board buses, trolleys, or trams through the rear door so you can observe who gets on and watch the whole cabin from the back.
- In the subway, sit on empty benches at less crowded stations and observe. If someone else is also letting several trains pass, be alert.
- When exiting the subway, hold the door and look back. A follower may be right behind you, possibly making a call to inform their team.
How to Lose a Tail
- Subtle Methods: When the follower loses sight of you for a while and you have two or more exits, you can blend into the crowd and leave unnoticed.
- Turn a corner, speed up, and hide in a building entrance.
- Do the same when exiting a subway or underpass.
- In courtyards or entrances with two exits, hide and then leave through the other side.
- In the subway or bus, block the closing doors with your foot and jump out at the last second.
- In any building with multiple exits or a restroom on the first floor (schools, hospitals, malls, etc.), go inside and hide. Either wait inside or exit through another door or even a restroom window.
- At flea markets or large stores, blend into the crowd.
- In museums or exhibitions, you can get lost in the crowd or call someone. But be aware that there’s usually only one exit, where you might be waited for. You can use a restroom window if needed.
- In churches with many columns or rooms, do the same. Orthodox churches often have a second exit near the altar.
- Go through a building entrance with two exits and a code lock (learn the code in advance).
- Some buildings have corridors connecting different entrances or stairways. Scout these places in advance for use as escape routes or checkpoints.
- Forceful Methods: Use only if:
- Your life is in real danger
- You want to “punish” the followers
- You have the necessary skills and determination (weapons help)
- You’re certain you’re being followed (don’t attack random people who just happen to live nearby!)
- You’re in a deserted area
Lure the follower to a place where you have the advantage (where your friends are, or where you know the area well). The simplest way: once you notice the tail, turn around and confront them. Or hide and ambush them as they approach. Search them if you want, but usually they won’t have much on them. Then leave quickly!
- Exotic Methods: These are the most technically challenging but effective, requiring excellent knowledge of the area and preparation. Ideally, plan and practice your route in advance.
- Escape via rooftops, basements, attics, or sewers (now harder due to anti-terrorism measures).
- Change your appearance-shave or glue on facial hair, change clothes, put on glasses, or drastically alter your style. This is possible if you have time and privacy, like in a restroom or stairwell.
- Swim across a river; in winter, hop across ice floes.
- In a forest or park, you can exit in any direction or set up an ambush yourself.
- On a construction site (just don’t get caught by security).
- Use a bicycle, moped, or motorcycle. They’re faster than walking and can go where cars can’t (paths, railroad tracks, footbridges, parks). You can take a bike on a commuter train.
- At a train platform, stand at the edge as if waiting for a train. When it arrives, jump off the platform and run behind the train.
The Main Rule: Be Completely Unpredictable!
Professionals follow set patterns. Amateurs improvise. The more creative you are, the better your chances of staying safe. But always check your actions with logic. Sometimes it helps to put yourself in the follower’s shoes.
Special Devices
Sometimes, professional surveillance may use a radio or GPS tracker. A radio tracker is a simple device that emits a signal at a certain frequency, which can be detected with a scanner. Commercial trackers are very compact, and scanners can often show your distance from the device. GPS trackers send your location to a satellite, pinpointing you within about 65 feet. These are expensive and rarely used against ordinary people.
There are scanners to detect radio trackers, and simple versions can be made at home.
Keep in Mind:
- A radio tracker can be attached to you without your knowledge, for example, by “accidentally” bumping into you on the street or subway.
- It’s easy to attach a tracker to a car (most commonly used for vehicle surveillance).
- A tracker can be hidden on your clothing (behind the collar, waistband, or inside a bag).
- Transmission range is short (about 150-650 feet).
- Large concrete structures (subway tunnels, basements, underground parking, thick-walled buildings) usually block radio signals.
- Signal reception is difficult near TV/radio towers or cell towers.
If some of this seems obvious, let’s laugh about it together. But maybe, for someone, this information could save a life.