Cell phone 'hijackers' increase threat of stalking

CLEVELAND -- It's illegal, it's scary and it's an invasion of privacy. Still, experts say it's happening every day, and anyone with a cell phone is a target.

For as little as $99, anyone can purchase downloadable software that when applied and activated on a person's cell phone, will allow someone else to listen to their calls, retrieve their emails, text messages, and photos, and even track their movements on GPS.

Other cell phone spyware can track just one of these elements while being activated remotely so the "target" has no idea they're being tracked.

"They're extremely stealthy and silent, and the user never knows they're infected," said Keith Book, president of SMOBILE Systems, a Columbus company that tracks spyware around the globe and makes software to fight the hackers.

"They're looking for financial information and personal information."

The spyware can be spread from phone to phone via text messages, e-mails, or shared photos, and much of the data that's recorded is sent overseas to Russia or China, where it's collected and stored for identity theft, Book said.

Bluetooth devices are also lightning rods for cell phone spyware.

"If you leave your Bluetooth on, your device could be very easily infected," Book said. "So if somebody goes to a mall, everybody within a 90-meter range can be infected with a virus, simply by accepting a Bluetooth message that you see in your device."

Yet, while many hijackers are after information for identity theft, others are using it to stalk unknowing victims.