If you do detect the Decoy Team- and if they realize you've spotted them- the Decoy Team simply suspends its operations. They realize that you'll notice their departure. In fact, they're counting on it. They also realize that very few people will realize that a second team has blended into the background. This second team- the Stealth Team- dosen't need to see everything you do. They have been briefed by the first team. The Stealth Team only needs to watch you during certain times and at certain locations where they thinkyou might be up to something. The top priority of the Stealth Team is to remain undetected. And they are prepared to leave you unwatched for brief periods in order to retain their invisibility. This is called picket surveillance by the FBI, named after the gaps in a picket fence. This two-stage approach to major surveillance operations is brutally effective. It has had led to the ruin of many people who thought they could outfox the FBI. Tradecraft. The undercover agents of the Stealth Team use methods that are more sophisticated than those used by the decoy team. These methods are called tradecraft. The stealth team is much more difficult to catch than the Decoy Team. You need to know what you're doing. It is vital that you do not let the Stealth Team realize that you've been spotted them. That's because the best way to beat them is by feeding them misinformation. The difference in methods used by the two teams is best explained by example. Numerous situations are described in the case study later in this article. Layered surveillance. This concept of multi-layered surveillance teams is the backbone of the FBI's surveillance strategy. They almost never lead with their best team. They always hold something back so that they have a fallback position. This strategy is also carried over into other FBI operations. When the FBI is trying to infiltrate an agent into your circle of friends, associates, coworkers, and acquaintances, they'll often use an expendable agent first. This first agent is a Decoy Agent, meant to provid cover for the infiltration by the second agent (the Stealth Agent) If the first agent manages to penetrate your organization undetected, the FBI is delighted. But if he runs into difficulty, he is withdrawn. The second agent- whohas blended into the background- is brought into play. Why the FBI loves your lawyer. It is important for you to realize that most lawyers have no training in countersurveillance. This is unfortunate. When the subject of an investigation first realizes he is being "followed", he is angry- and outraged at the invasion of his privacy. In many instances, one of the things he'll do is complain to his lawyer about being "followed". Many lawyers advise their clients to "confront" the person who is "following" them. They don't realize that this is a game for foxes, not pit bulls. The lawyer's advice plays right into the FBI's hand. When the subject attempts to confront the surveillance team, the FBI simply drops back into stealth mode. The Decoy Team suspends its surveillance activity. Because members of the Decoy Team are relativley easy to detect, their absence is easily noticed. The subject assumes that his lawyer's advice has achieved the intended effect. After all, the subject confronted the people who were "following" him and they immediately "stopped". What the subject does not realize, ofcourse, is that the Stealth Team is now active. THey have been all along, of course, as part of the background while the Decoy Team was working. When the Decoy Team departs, the Stealth Team is still there as part of the background. So from the subject's point of view, everything appears to return to normal. Basic psychology. The FBI surveillance team is only too willing to accommodate your emotional desire for control over your immediate environment. It is a fantasy that will lead to your ruin. Here's why. When you see the Decoy Team has departed, you begin to feel safe, so you let down your gaurd. You have become esay prey for the Stealth Team. Of course, infiltration comes next- FBI agents penetrate your circle of friends, associates, coworkers, and acquaintances. Arrest and indictment are simply a question of time. Dummy up. Here's what this means in simple language. You can play the macho man OR you can beat the FBI. You cannot have it both ways. It is an "either-or" situation. If you insist on being a know-it-all tough-guy confronting the people who are "following" you, the FBI is going to play you like a cheap fiddle at a country hoe-down. To beat the FBI you need self-control and self-discipline. Be smart. Learn from the mistakes of others. FBI surveillance teams do not just go away. You don't stop wrestling with a gorilla when you get tired. You stop when the gorilla gets tired. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rapid response... This is the second component in the FBI's three-pronged strategy of multi-layered teams, rapid response, and managed aggression. The width and breadth of the FBI's presence has been a closely-guarded secret up to now. Many people do not realize that the FBI can provide same-day response anywhere in North America. This is called the strategy of surveillance-in-time. In fact, the FBI can mount a same-day surveillance operation in any city located in the United States, Canada, or Mexico. The FBI can also mount a same-day response in many major European cities, most major South American cities and some Asian cities. They use a skeleton crew to start. Outside North America they sometimes farm out the work to subcontractors. Then, in many cases, the full surveillance deployment arrives overnight and begins work the next day. In situations where FBI resources are already stretched by other major cases, it may take two days for the full surveillance compliment to arrive. But make no mistake about it, suveillance has been underway since day one. If they choose to do so- and they often do- the FBI can initiate surveillance the same day they become aware of you. The reconnaissance factor. In many surveillance situations, a special team is deployed to provide reconnaissance information for main surveillance teams. This reconnaissance is called the Advance Team. The reconnaissance team is deployed ahead of the Decoy team and Stealth teams that were discussed earlier in this article. The Advance Team is tasked with establishing roughly who you are, where you are, and what you're doing. They'll take photographs of you, your home, your office, your vehicles. The photographs help agents identify you on site. The person who secretly takes pictures of you is called a peep. The peep often arrives at your doorstep disguised as a volunteer collecting for charity or as a religious canvasser. (Like the CIA, the FBI is big on using organized religion as cover for covert operations.) Surreptitious entry. The primary task of the Advance Team, however, is to break into your office or home. This is called surreptitious entry by spies. That's just polite talk for break-and-enter. The break-in usually happens during the first few days of a surveillance operation. Once inside, they perform a quick search of your property. They've got special ways to get inside locked drawers and office safes. (See future articles in Spy & Counterspy for more on this.) They'll often bug your office or home. Being able to hear all your conversations gives them tremendous advantage. If they already know where you're going, it makes it easier to "follow" you. If they know your going to a restaraunt, for example, they can arrive "before" you do. The FBI's tactic of being the first to arrive at your destination has fooled many people over the years. They'll also usually attach a tracking device (called a beeper) to your vehicle. This makes next page |