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CNN Live At Daybreak

In Hong Kong, They're Turning to Private Detectives and High Technology to Spy on Spouses

Aired July 29, 2002 - 05:54   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: OK, cheating spouses and jilted lovers, it's the stuff movies are made of. And sadly, it happens a lot in real life, too.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, so true. So true. And especially in Hong Kong, where people are now turning to private detectives -- I don't know, that's not really true, though, that especially it's in Hong Kong. But in Hong Kong they're turning to private detectives and high technology to help them spy on their spouses. It's like the show "Cheaters," which I never watch.

Kristie Lu Stout reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Detective David Chung (ph) is the man to call for help in an all too common predicament, the wayward spouse. He hunts down Hong Kong's cheating husbands and wives, tackling up to 30 cases of infidelity a month with the help of some high end surveillance gear.

DAVID CHUNG: The phone tap and tracer are the ones most commonly used by private detectives. For cases that require higher technology, we use cordless transmitters and needlelike micro cameras.

LU STOUT (on camera): Some of David Chung's gadgets are straight out of 007, like wireless pinhole camera, the size and shape of a credit card.

(voice-over): And is spouses aren't enlisting the pros, they can do their own surveillance with the latest spy cameras from companies like Champion Technology.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These can also be used. And depending on the customer's requirements, we can source these for them and put them in places which are most unnoticed. For example, they could be inside a CD holder. They could be at the corner of a desk, which is unnoticed.

LU STOUT: Or in another often overlooked place, the humble desk clock. According to the "China Daily," tiny video cameras are hot sellers, priced at between $10 to $400 each. Worries about the camera have even reached the National People's Congress, where policymakers have called for an end to secret filming. The hidden cameras shot into public consciousness after one was used to expose Taiwan politician Chu Mei-feng having sex with a married man. The 40 minute video was allegedly filmed by her lover, who then released it to local media.

And as the devices get cheaper, more people are rushing out to buy their own spy gear, turning into wired peeping Toms.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are so worried every minute, especially the few cases happening in Taiwan. You walk in a public toilet or in the dressing room of department store and you still can find a hidden camera there. So that's what's scary, very scary.

LU STOUT: Be it lechers of either sex or lovers tracking lovers, the latest in video high tech can turn anyone into a sleuth for sleaze. But for David Chung, high tech could never replace the high art of undercover investigation.

CHUNG: There are lots of micro cameras available on the market. But it's important to know how to set the camera up and shoot the right evidence.

LU STOUT: Premium quality snooping comes at a premium price. This pro charged $1,900 a day to track a wandering spouse.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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