What Is the Cost of a Basic TSCM Service Based On?

Cost is based on square footage of the area(s) to be surveyed, the number of phones and office equipment, false ceiling or attic space to be searched, vehicles (if applicable), AC and DC wiring, phone and LAN/WAN lines in use or traversing the area, threat history (if any), telephone rooms, wire closets, high wall offices, cubicles and lighting. Surrounding areas to the surveyed space may be looked at if the client has access to them. The fee quoted to a client includes time, travel, mileage, expenses, etc. There are no hidden costs. The fee does not include Texas state tax.

What Are JRS Group's Payment Terms?

Terms for all work is strictly by retainer in advance unless otherwise indicated.

Cancellation of a scheduled TSCM service (if Client's retainer has already cleared) will result in a cancellation charge equal to 25% of the fee.

Payment is accepted via cash, corporate or government check, certified bank check, business check, cashiers check, money order, personal check or wire transfer. All instruments will be held for bank clearance.

All work performed for, or involving any attorney, law firm, court, judge, or other element of the legal profession is to be paid for in full, and well in advance of any services being rendered. No work product will be provided until the check clears. We do not work on a contingency basis.

How Soon Can JRS Group Begin Work on a TSCM?

In most situations, the TSCM will be initiated within 24-48 hours from the time JRS Group receives the signed retainer agreement and the agreed upon retainer payment has cleared

How Long Does a Basic TSCM Service Take?

This depends heavily on the layout of the facility or residence, previously confirmed threat history, physical integrity of the facility and type and quantity of electronic equipment and telephones present. On average, you can expect a 2,500 square foot residence without a home office to take three to four hours and 2,000 - 3,000 square feet of non-industrial office space to take from 6 to 8 hours. Ideally, office space should be surveyed during business hours. However, if company schedules necessitate, the survey can be done after hours.

Are Debugging Results Guaranteed?

Quite simply, no. That is like asking an attorney for a guaranteed outcome at a trial or a doctor for a guaranteed outcome after an operation. Even the highest level TSCM firms will not guarantee that every bug will be found. What they will do is conduct extensive physical searches of the area(s) coupled with a myriad of laboratory grade equipment (hundreds of thousands of dollars worth) that electronically survey the airways, power lines, phone lines, phone instruments, walls, floors, ceilings and office equipment. They will report on what readings the instruments received during the survey and whether anomalies were detected within known parameters. Make no mistake, they have excellent "batting averages," but guarantees such as that are not practical or realistic.

JRS Group conducts thorough physical searches and instrumentation surveys commensurate with the threat levels we concentrate in. We have found eavesdropping devices in the past and have certainly identified weaknesses in company security postures. We provide the client with a high degree of confidence concerning our results.

Two very important points to make is that for any TSCM to be effective, including at the most sophisticated levels, confidentiality is a must. A client must not show their hand to a potential eavesdropper by contacting a TSCM firm from the very space they want surveyed. Discussions of the task at hand must be conducted away from the suspected threat areas and the proposed TSCM request must not be a topic of discussion at a club or at a party.

Secondly, the TSCM should thoroughly survey the area(s) of concern. In other words, requesting strictly a telephone line check without an RF sweep may leave the client wide open to that method of attack. As stated earlier, a client must honestly assess whether he/she wants or needs a TSCM. Trying to cut corners solely based on cost concerns will only result in a false sense of security.

!Be wary of any company or individual that guarantees debugging results!

Does JRS Group Provide References?

No. Our clients remain confidential. If a client wants to share their experiences concerning a TSCM with a third party, that is their call.

How Do I Contact a TSCM specialist?

Just as there is a tremendous knowledge and experience difference between a TSCM technician who works at the highest threat levels as compared with a technician working within threat levels one through five, there is a big difference between the skill sets of the low to medium threat technicians as compared with private investigators or individuals who provide TSCM services as one of among twenty services they offer and perform. Counter Measures should be the only core competency practiced by the person engaged in providing TSCM services. You must earnestly evaluate the probable threat against you to determine what level of TSCM service you may require. An initial consultation with JRS Group can help you identify your threat level.

Contact with any TSCM firm should be made outside of the area(s) suspected of compromise. Telephone contact should not be made from a "suspect" phone. Do not contact via fax from home or office. Do not e-mail from your office or home computer if you suspect your system(s) may be compromised. Contact a TSCM firm through a means not associated with "suspect" communications.

Why Are Some TSCM Surveys Offered Much Less Expensive Than Others?

Very high level surveys involve hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, literally weighing tons, operated by highly skilled technicians who take many weeks of training annually. You are paying for experience the way you would for the best doctors or attorneys. Surveys at these levels will cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Surveys within the low to mid level threats involve tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment operated by technicians who also take formal and informal training annually, though not necessarily as extensive as higher level techs. This training involves equipment operation, telephone system vulnerabilities and technical improvements in eavesdropping technology and the counters to them. Pricing is commensurate with the skill level required to evaluate threats at these levels, usually ranging from $1000.00 to $5000.00 for commercial office space. Rates progressively increase as the square footage increases. Residences are generally less expensive because the complexity of the phone system, wiring and accesses are much less. However, this is situational, depending upon who the home belongs to, such as a corporate CEO. Is there a threat history against the client or does the residence contain the primary office? In cases such as these, office rates will normally apply to the residence.

Firms offering bug sweep services costing only hundreds of dollars tend to utilize personnel who have very little knowledge of the technologies employed and more than likely utilize spy shop "magic boxes" which are very inadequate for performing even the most simple TSCM, regardless of the marketing claims. The associated probes and equipment sensitivity are not capable of detecting all but the most obvious amateur attempts at planting bugs. That may work fine in the middle of the desert where the only RF signature is the bug itself. However, in suburban and urban areas, the airways are saturated with ambient RF. Equipment must be capable of seeing through the "noise" and identify transmitter signals in the low milliwatt ranges. Many "phone tap magic boxes" are nothing more than voltmeters and may detect a drop in voltage as a person picks up an extension phone, but not much more. And, the most obvious consideration is if these "magic boxes" did all they claimed, why would high-level TSCM providers spend $40,000 on spectrum analyzers when they could spend $400.00 for a spy shop detector? Imagine the money they'd save on equipment and they could still charge the same fee for their expertise. But they don't buy those boxes and they don't by them for a reason.

What is Included in the Written Report?

The written report to the client includes a description of the area surveyed, the history of known threats that may have previously existed and a general description of the client's concerns. The parameters of each element of the electronic survey are defined (e.g. RF testing from 20Hz to 21 GHz; microwave from 2 GHz to 12 GHz) as is the physical search parameters (including descriptions the telephones and office equipment). The client will understand what each element of the survey is and the purpose for that testing. Results of the survey will include:


JRS Group will always compile a written report. However, some clients do not want a written report or may not want a record of the TSCM filed on their premises. Some clients may want their attorneys to hold the report. In any case, the written report will be available to the client. Reports are not released to any third party without prior approval from the client or the client's representative.



How Long is a Debugging Good For?

Any TSCM service, even at the highest threat levels, is a snapshot in time. If a TSCM was conducted on a Monday and eavesdropping devices were found and removed, there is no guarantee that by Friday there would not be a few more devices planted. This is why the security posture of a company is critical. Solid security practices will go a long way in making the job of even the most seasoned eavesdropper much more difficult. This is also why periodic TSCM surveys are recommended to clients.