EMPLOYERS HIRING FORMER CIA STAFFERS TO SPY ON COMPETITORS

EMPLOYERS HIRING FORMER CIA STAFFERS TO SPY ON COMPETITORS

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Wireless Flash) -- Here's proof the rat race is getting rattier: Corporations are hiring former CIA agents to spy on their competitors. One former government agent is retired Army officer John Nolan, who now spies for Fortune 500 companies instead of Uncle Sam. Nolan says business these days is so competitive that a good spy and intelligence operation is necessary to keep a company afloat. One sneaky technique he uses is planting a person dressed like a washroom attendant in the bathrooms at industry trade shows, where he or she can eavesdrop on all sorts of company secrets. Other cloak and dagger procedures that some of the former spies use include rifling through their competitors' garbage for important memos and covertly following the rival's employees to top secret labs. Nolan is the author of the new book, "Confidential: Uncover Your Competitors' Business Secrets Legally & Quickly -- and Protect Your Own" (Harper).