Is there a cell phone accessory that will enable me to listen in on others cell phone conversations?
Under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, it’s a violation of federal law to listen in on a cellular phone conversation. It would therefore be a criminal offense to use such a device. There are modifications to some scanners that unblock the cell frequencies (824-894 MHz), but doing the modifications or possessing a modified scanner is also illegal. The best answer to the question is, don’t even think about it.
Some years ago, there was a elderly couple, John and Alice Martin, that used a modified police scanner to listen in on cell phone conversations. The also had a tape recorded hooked up to the scanner so that they could record the conversations they picked up. One day this couple happened to pick up a conversation in which Newt Gingrich (then Speaker of the House) was talking strategy with other Republican leaders. This couple taped this conversation and then turned the tape over to Representative Jim McDermott (D, WA) who then gave it to the New York Times. The Martins were each fined $500 as a result of guilty please for their part in this (they could have been fined as much as $5,000 each; http://tinyurl.com/mb8y8) . Additionally, one of the other parties involved in the phone call, John Boehner (R, OH), sued McDermott over his role in this and the courts have awarded Boehner $60,000 in damages (
