spy games – part two

continuing the fictional series…

Act as if. Look the part. A suit jacket thrown over even a t-shirt and a pair of jeans can get you into most office buildings in big cities. If there’s a lobby security guard, just walk right on by, straight to the elevators. If there’s a receptionist on the floor you need to be on, flash a smile, maybe act like you’re sending a text message, and just keep on walking into the hallways of offices or cubicles. Think someone will stop you? Imagine yourself at work – a guy in a jacket and jeans walks by… Do you get up and ask him who he’s looking for? Of course not.

If it looks like there’s a little more security, then leave the suit jacket behind, and bring a brown paper bag instead. If you have the means, scribble a name and phone number on a receipt and staple it to the bag. Congratulations, you just got a new job as a delivery guy. Things like an actual name of someone working there, with a valid number, and the correct floor or suite, can go a long way. Actual food, or at least take-out cartons, will take you even farther. If you have the time, just hangout where you have a view of the security around lunchtime and see if they check deliveries. If it looks like they don’t let delivery guys go up even after checking bags, you shouldn’t even bother.

If you’re facing legitimate corporate security or most kinds of government security, you’ll either have to make contact somewhere besides the office or go to much more extreme lengths to gain entry into the building. We won’t go into that this time around.

I’ll probably revisit this topic again, but for next time, I’ll go over the basics of surveillance.