History Main / BluffTheEavesdropper

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

[[folder: {{Comic Books}}]]

[[folder: {{Fan Works}}]]
* In Creator/AAPessimal's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''-set tale ''Gap year Adventures'', Assassins Horst Lensen and Mariella Smith-Rhodes are "administrative detention" by the local police in [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica Rimwards Howondaland]]. Horst, who has just been searched, loudly apologises to Mariella that all his weapons and equipment have been discovered and taken away. Aware Mariella has not been searched yet as the local police cannot find any qualified female personnel to conduct a search, they conduct a ''second'' conversation in Assassin sign-language and finger-code in which Horst suggests it would be a good idea if she slips him some of hers, so that ''one'' of them has some weapons available.

[[folder:{{Film}}]]

[[folder:{{Literature}}]]
* Used in ''Literature/The39Clues'' series, more than once to throw the other Cahills of the track

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' book ''Literature/ColdDays'', Harry knows [[spoiler:Lara has placed bugs in Thomas' apartment]]. So when he calls up a contact, he speaks with a representative of the contact, warns them the line is bugged, and uses big words like "operative." Harry knows this will get her attention and send her to keep track of whomever Harry has contacted. [[spoiler:The bluff comes when Harry reveals he wants Lara to try and track Odin as he will spot them and this will tell him how the White Court does its surveillance now. This information is payment to him for agreeing to meet Harry at all]]. Harry then [[spoiler:blows out every electronic device in Thomas' apartment]], which really should have been a tip-off, but was awesome nonetheless.

[[folder: Live-Action Television]]
* In ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', Crichton and Aeryn eventually do this to Scorpius, apparently getting him to believe that their relationship is at an end and Aeryn can't be used against Crichton. [[spoiler: "Apparently" being the operative word; Aeryn ends up getting kidnapped in an operation that Scorpius apparently had a hand in, so the whole gambit is rendered completely pointless because Crichton ends up offering Scorpius everything he wanted in return for Aeryn's safety.]]

* in ''Series/{{Chuck}}'', Chuck realizes in one episode that Casey is eavesdropping on him, so he begins talking about sandwiches with Morgan to annoy Casey.
* This was done in the season 3 finale of ''Series/TheMentalist'', to give one of the CBI employees who might be Red John's spies the room number of a person they were hiding. The person is actually somewhere else, and the room number is a trick to reveal who is Red John's spy.
* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' story "The Two Doctors", the Doctor gives some key exposition to his companion about the progress of a prototype time travel capsule and is overheard by one of the villains, but he later reveals that he knew the villain was listening and sabotaged his exposition accordingly so that they would believe the device was safer than it actually was.

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': While in the diner waiting for a reporter who's going to do a story on Jerry, he and George notice a young woman eavesdropping on their conversation, so to mess with her they pretend to be gay for each other. It turns out that she's the reporter Jerry was waiting for, who then outs them in her school newspaper as gay. They try desparately to convince her that they're not gay -- NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat.
* In one episode of ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', Dr. Cox realizes that [[ButtMonkey Doug]] is listening to him and says to himself;
-->'''Dr. Cox:''' If this kid [Doug] doesn't leave I'm gonna kill him!
-->'''Doug:''' ... ''(begins to leave)''
-->'''Dr. Cox:''' ... Now, if you leave, I'm going to know that you were listening to me [[MortonsFork and I'm gonna go ahead and kill you anyway!]]
* In one episode of ''Series/SueThomasFBEye'', the characters play football. The other team hides their mouths during huddles so Sue, who is deaf, cannot read their lips. On the final play, they let her see their lips, but call a fake play. She doesn't fall for the bluff.
* PlayedWith in an episode of ''Series/BabylonFive''. Londo discovers a listening device in a bag of groceries from a Drazi grocer. He spends a few moments saying several insulting things about the Drazi ambassador's wife under the pretense of not knowing he was being recorded, before "accidentally" dropping and smashing the bug.

* On ''Series/AllMyChildren'', a villain has bugged his girlfriend's house, suspecting (correctly) that she's on to him. Luckily, she finds it and proceeds to sing his praises to her equally suspicious friends, who play along when they realize what she's doing. However, it's then subverted, as even though he wrongly believes that she still trusts him, he knows the others don't.
* ''Series/GeneralHospital'': Jason is forced to wear a mic by the FBI to bring down Sonny. He's able to clue Sonny in on it without letting the FBI know about it. They are not pleased.
* While trying to round up the Cavendish Gang, ''Series/TheLoneRanger'' realizes that Cavendish only faked being knocked out. So, he bluffs him with a story of a cavalry detachment nearby, then reveals to his friends later, that he was faking so that Cavendish would be distracted while he came up with a plan to get the entire outfit.
* On an early episode of ''Series/{{Benson}}'', listening devices are found in several rooms of the Governor's mansion. Benson goes the extra mile with this trope and has the staff recite a scripted scene for the eavesdropper.
* A comedic version on ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' when Nate's ex-wife is approached by a member of his team. She was flirty and talked about all of her ex-husband's shortcomings, including in the bedroom, before finishing by saying that the worst thing he did was forget that she bought him that button camera.

* Needless to say, this happens in ''Series/GetSmart'', and needless to say, Max talks loudly and woodenly into the listening device.
* In one of the last episodes of ''Series/{{Boss}}'' before the series was CutShort, Kitty is hired to talk with Kane while wearing a wire to get information on his plans. Instead, she shows Kane her wire to get back into his good graces, and the two enact this trope.
* In ''Series/LoisAndClark'', a bad guy has tapped into Lois's eyes and ears, so he can see and hear everything and orders her to break up with Clark. She manages to scribble a note behind her back to warn him.
* ''Series/TheShield'':
** At one point, Vic realizes that a fellow officer is wearing a wire for IA. Vic then uses this to record himself "confessing" to the cop that he's not bad, he just actively cultivates a reputation as a corrupt and murderous cop to intimidate gangs and crooks into thinking he's a loose cannon.
** At one point the Strike Team realizes that their clubhouse has been bugged. They all laugh along loudly as Shane tells a long drawn out joke for the benefit of whomever's listening, while at the same time using paper and pen to plan how to move forward.
* ''Series/BreakingBad'': Hank has enlisted Walt to put a tracking device on Gus Fring's vehicle. Walt manages to tip off Gus, but Gus tells him to proceed, then only drives between home and work in an attempt to allay Hank's suspicions.
* ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'':
** In "Hammer into Anvil", Number Six takes advantage of the fact that he's being watched to give the impression he's spying and sending secret messages, as part of a ParanoiaGambit to break a particularly nasty Number Two.
** In "It's Your Funeral", some of the prisoners (who call themselves "jammers") invent and circulate nonexistent conspiracies against the people who run the Village, forcing them to waste time and effort sifting through the chaff for any wheat that might exist.
* ''Series/ThePunisher2017'': Upon finding out that her office is bugged, Madani decides to feed the bug false information about a fictional sting where Frank Castle will buy guns from a dealer, in hopes of luring out the people who are targeting Frank. This prompts Billy Russo and a couple of his men to go to said warehouse. A deadly shootout ensues during which several of Madani's SWAT officers and her partner Sam Stein are killed, as well as all of Russo's henchmen.

[[folder: Newspaper Comics]]
* ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'': While Zonker is being kept in a hotel awaiting trial for possession of marijuana, Mike finds a bug under a lamp. The two start ''very'' obviously acting, talking about [[BlatantLies how completely sober Zonker is]] in order to tip off the prosecutors that yes, they know there's a bug in the room. It gets the case thrown out of court.
* A ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' strip suggested several ways to mess with them (for the kind of eavesdroppers who are just nosy folks, not spies). Like on an airplane: "That nice Arab guy gave me this package for his grandma. I bet it's a clock - you hear how it's ticking?"

[[folder:{{Theatre}}]]
* Used in ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' to make Beatrice and Benedick fall in love with each other.

[[folder:VideoGames]]
* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', Liquid and Ocelot discuss their PAL codes and Snake's card key deactivating Metal Gear Rex, knowing that Snake is spying on them, to further fool Snake into unwillingly doing their bidding for them.
* A common strategy in the AsymmetricMultiplayer game ''VideoGame/SpyParty'' is for the spy player to utter the code phrase "banana bread" when far away from the DoubleAgent, hoping to throw the sniper player off of his/her trail.

[[folder:{{Webcomics}}]]
* ''Webcomic/{{XKCD}}'' [[http://xkcd.com/525/ #525]]:
-->Now and then, I announce "I know you're listening" to empty rooms. If I'm wrong, nobody knows, and if I'm right, maybe I just freaked the hell out of some secret organization.
* In ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'', Faye, Dora and Marten against the Vespavenger, starting [[http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=739 here]].
* Subverted in ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFoxHound'' when Gurlukovitch calls Ocelot on a cell phone to discuss their evil plan. Rather than bluff the people he knows are listening in, Ocelot ''flat out scolds Gurlukovitch by telling him exactly who is listening in on the other end''. Cue said eavesdroppers breaking silence to wonder how Ocelot does it while Ocelot rolls his eyes and Gurlukovitch listens in disbelief.
* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' Zola plays up her false ditsy blonde persona and acts like her plans are much less complex and dangerous while walking in the parts of Castle Heterodyne that can listen in to her conversation with Gil. As soon as she's in a "dead zone" she drops part of the act and explains that she's got a device to kill the castle.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: WesternAnimation]]

[[folder: RealLife]]

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Army Ghost Army]] did this amazingly well during the Second World War.

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFoxHound'' when Gurlukovitch calls Ocelot on a cell phone to discuss their evil plan. Rather than bluff the people he knows are listening in, Ocelot ''flat out scolds Gurlukovitch by telling him exactly who is listening in on the other end''. Cue said eavesdroppers [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments breaking silence to wonder how Ocelot does it while Ocelot rolls his eyes and Gurlukovitch listens in disbelief.]]

* In ''Film/LiveAndLetDie'', Felix Leiter has put bugs in [[BigBad Kananga]]'s New York office. The latter knows it, and starts talking, then activates a recording he made so he can inconspicuously leave the office by a secret door with an exit in Harlem, which James Bond finds just right next to a voodoo shop.

* ''Film/TheKentuckyFriedMovie'''s segment "A Fistful of Yen". While in Dr. Klahn's headquarters, Loo is about to discuss escape plans with Ada Gronick when she shows him a listening device. They make polite conversation as she shows him the rest of the devices and spies.
-->'''Ada Gronick:''' [speaking quietly] The guards will have to be bribed. We'll need money.
-->'''Loo:''' We can raise the money, that's no problem. [Reaches up and pulls down an overhead microphone, speaks into it] But that would be wrong.

* In ''Film/AfterTheSunset'', after the retired jewel thieves discover that the FBI agent has hidden a bug in their apartment, they begin talking like they're getting ready to have sex. (the fact that he's eagerly listening to all this is genuinely creepy). Then the woman claims to have invited another woman over to join them. . .the agent's mother. At this point, they bid him good night, then smash the bug, causing painful feedback in his ear.

* A villainous example in ''Film/TheresSomethingAboutMary''. When Pat finds out that Mary's neighbor routinely intercepts and listens to cell phone calls, he sets one up with his friend where they talk about his philanthropic work with orphan children in Africa, and generally make him seem like the greatest guy in the world.

* In ''Film/TheTallBlondManWithOneBlackShoe'', intelligence officer Toulouse sets the story in motion by telling his lieutenant that a 'super agent' is arriving to blow the lid off his in-house rival's operations, knowing his rival is listening in and will expose his operatives by going after the decoy Toulouse sets up. This is also done in the American remake ''Film/TheManWithOneRedShoe''.
* In ''Film/EvidentDomain'', a Soviet official is suddenly taken off from his job and is put under surveillance. After learning that his home is bugged, he fakes a fight with his wife about a lover that he "wasn't supposed to see anymore" so that she'll have an excuse to leave town while he investigates the matter.
* In ''Film/BadTimesAtTheElRoyale'', [[spoiler:Darlene sets up her singing so that she will draw attention to anyone watching her room through the two-way mirror while hiding the fact that fellow guest and ex-thief Flynn is taking up her floorboards to find a stash of money his brother hid there years ago]].

* In Creator/JohnGrisham's ''Literature/TheRainmaker,'' Rudy Baylor discovers that the attorneys for the insurance company he's suing have tapped his phone. He considers exposing them, but he realizes he'll never prove they were the ones who did it. Instead, he leaves the tap in place and feeds them false information, making them look like fools in the courtroom and rigging the jury in his favor.

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Hawkeye needs to get Mustang a message about [[spoiler:the identity of the homunculus Pride]], but knows that [[spoiler:Pride]] is observing her, so she signals Mustang by tapping her mug. They then have a long, apparent innocuous conversation that's a cover for a coded message.
** Actually, Roy does this for an undefined ammount of time, he's a well known ladies' man so he acts like he's talking to one of his girlfriends in his phone while in truth he is giving coded instructions to his underlings.

** Taken UpToEleven and mildly [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] in ''Skin Game'' with [[spoiler: the possibility that Anduriel is listening and watching ''[[ParanoiaFuel at any time]]''. Harry has to do a book-long, solo version of this, which strains his interactions with his friends since he isn't telling them anything.]]

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' story "The Two Doctors", the Doctor gives some key exposition to his companion and is overheard by one of the villains, but he later reveals that he knew the villain was listening and sabotaged his exposition accordingly.

* In Creator/AAPessimal's ''{{Discworld}}''-set tale ''Gap year Adventures'', Assassins Horst Lensen and Mariella Smith-Rhodes are "administrative detention" by the local police in [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica Rimwards Howondaland]]. Horst, who has just been searched, loudly apologises to Mariella that all his weapons and equipment have been discovered and taken away. Aware Mariella has not been searched yet as the local police cannot find any qualified female personnel to conduct a search, they conduct a ''second'' conversation in Assassin sign-language and finger-code in which Horst suggests it would be a good idea if she slips him some of hers, so that ''one'' of them has some weapons available.

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' book ''Cold Days'', Harry knows [[spoiler:Lara has placed bugs in Thomas' apartment]]. So when he calls up a contact, he speaks with a representative of the contact, warns them the line is bugged, and uses big words like "operative." Harry knows this will get her attention and send her to keep track of whomever Harry has contacted. [[spoiler:The bluff comes when Harry reveals he wants Lara to try and track Odin as he will spot them and this will tell him how the White Court does its surveillance now. This information is payment to him for agreeing to meet Harry at all]]. Harry then [[spoiler: blows out every electronic device in Thomas' apartment]], which really should have been a tip-off, but was awesome nonetheless.

Can be used as Number 33 of UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStratagems. Compare FeedTheMole, contrast IKnowYoureWatchingMe.

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFoxHound'' when Gurlukovitch calls Ocelot on a cell phone to discuss their evil plan. Rather than bluff the people he knows are listening in, Ocelot ''flat out scolds Gurlukovitch by telling him exactly who is listening in on the other end''. Cue said eavesdroppers [[CrowningMomentOfFunny breaking silence to wonder how Ocelot does it while Ocelot rolls his eyes and Gurlukovitch listens in disbelief.]]

* One ''WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck'' comic has Scrooge McDuck hiring his nephews to pick up a large diamond from a courier. The Beagle Boys have a bug in his office and learn of the exchange, resulting in a madcap adventure for all involved. When the Ducks return to Scrooge's office, he reveals that the diamond they picked up is a fake; Scrooge ''knew'' of the bug, and set up the entire mission so the Beagle Boys would be distracted from the real diamond coming in from elsewhere. Of course, Donald and his nephews had no idea of this scheme, and were a little sore that they busted their tail feathers for almost nothing.

[[folder: Newspaper Comic]]

* In ''Astonishing Comicbook/XMen'', Cyclops is aware that the enemy is probably listening to the team's conversation, so he signals Emma Frost to link the team telepathically. He then lays out his plan via the link, while the team has a verbal conversation designed to lure the enemy into a trap. It's particularly effective because the ''readers'' aren't aware of the second conversation until the scene is [[OnceMoreWithClarity revisited]] in the next issue.

[[folder: Live-Active Television]]

Can be used as Number 33 of UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStratagems. Compare FeedTheMole.

* In the United States, it's a common practice among middle and highschoolers to post misleading updates about fake parties about to happen or are currently happening in order to intentionally mislead police tracking said facebook or twitter posts in the opposite direction of a real party, or just in a random direction for laughs; it's come to be called "Pied Pipering", at least in southern states. It's also common to "weaponize" police by posting fake concerns of nonexistent suspicious activity on fake accounts to send police or other authority figures to spy on the houses of people the poster doesn't like.