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Spy phone lets wives snoop on spouses

Taiwanese wives worried about their husbands' fidelity can now buy a special phone that allows them to listen in on nearby sounds and voices.
Written by Staff , Contributor
SINGAPORE--Taiwanese wives worried about their husbands' fidelity can now buy a special phone that allows them to listen in on nearby sounds and voices.

According to the Straits Times, manufacturers in Taiwan have launched a mobile phone, dubbed the "spy phone", which picks up sounds and voices in the vicinity when a chip inside it is activated.

All the wife needs to do is dial a special code to listen in. (By the way, she need not necessarily have to buy the phone, she could also have the chip inserted into an existing one.)

"We have so far received some 1,000 inquiries asking for the detailed functions of the phone," a Taiwanese supplier told the newspaper. Most of the enquiries, he added, were from wives who wanted to spy on husbands doing business in China.

At least a million Taiwanese businessmen visit China every year, and about two-thirds of them are believed to be involved in extra-marital affairs, the report said.

Compared with the cost of a private detective, which could easily add up to over NT200,000 (US$5,726), the phone's price tag of NT$35,000 (US$1,002) to NT$45,000 (US$1,288) is not generally considered an obstacle.

What is a potential problem, however, is that the husband will not be able to receive or make calls when the chip is activated, which could arouse his suspicions...

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