If you keep asking whether you are being watched, start with what you can verify. A person who shows up in more than one place, a vehicle that repeats on different days, or belongings that move while you were out are worth writing down. One uneasy moment is not proof. If someone is threatening you, or you are in immediate danger, call the police. A private investigator is not a 911 service.
How to know if you are being watched
In Ontario files, the useful question is whether there is a pattern. These are the signs people most often describe at intake:
- The same person, more than once. You see someone who is not a neighbour, coworker, or regular on your route, in different places you go, close enough that chance is a weak explanation.
- Someone knows plans you did not share. During a separation, an ex describes where you were, who you met, or what you spent, and you cannot trace that to a mutual friend or something you posted.
- Belongings move, or a lock changes. Items are shifted, a door lock sticks or fails, or a window looks different, and nobody in the household can explain it.
- Mail or packages you did not expect. Something arrives that you did not order, or a message refers to a place you have been.
- A device you do not recognize. A camera, lens, or small electronic item in a private room is a reason to leave it where it is until you have advice. Pulling it apart can destroy the only record of how it got there.
- Accounts acting on their own. New sign-ins, password resets, or messages you did not send can mean someone has account access. That is a different problem from a person physically watching you.
What is usually not surveillance
Most repeats have an ordinary cause: a neighbour on the same schedule, a delivery route, a building camera that was already installed, or a photo you forgot was public. Note the date, time, place, and what the person or vehicle looked like. Three unrelated moments are weaker than the same vehicle on three different days.
What to do if the pattern continues
- If you are unsafe now, call the police and tell them what just happened.
- Tell one trusted person, and keep the notes in one place: dates, times, locations, and photos you took from your own home or a public place.
- Do not confront the person, follow them, enter their property, or try to open their phone or accounts. Those steps create risk and can wreck a later report.
- Leave an unknown device in place until you have advice.
- Review what you have posted. A lot of “they knew where I was” starts with a story, check-in, or shared photo.
When a licensed Ontario investigator can help
Investigation Hotline can review the pattern with you and, where it is lawful, document what is happening. That may include a bug and camera sweep when the concern is a device in a place you control, or a scoped plan when the question is whether the same person is repeatedly showing up. The product is notes and evidence. It is not a promise to name a watcher on the first call, and it does not include trespass, illegal recording, or access to someone else’s accounts.
If you want that review, call (416) 205-9114. Bring the notes you already have.
To learn more, contact Investigation Hotline at
