Global Threat Solutions CEO Kenneth Bombase told how to find hidden cameras in hotels and beyond, reports CNBC.
Spy cameras are a long-standing and very real problem. According to the New York-based nonprofit Human Rights Watch, more than 30,000 hidden camera incidents were reported in South Korea between 2013 and 2018 alone.
According to Bombays, this is due to the growing availability and low cost of such devices. In addition, they have become much easier to detect.
Any shooting on private territory (apartment, house, suburban area) without consent is considered illegal. Especially when it comes to hidden filming, the placement and use of which is punishable by law. The same applies to hotels and holiday homes. For example, Airbnb hosts are allowed to have cameras in the rooms they rent out. However, they must inform guests of this.
A Canadian woman recently discovered a hidden camera in the bathroom of a rented house she found on Airbnb. The girl found a hidden camera in the socket in the bathroom. The police officers called were found many recording devices throughout the house and sent them for analysis. The service staff apologized to the girl and returned her money. They also launched an investigation into the situation.
To avoid becoming a victim of hidden filming, check out these three ways to find a camera wherever you are.
Conduct a search
When looking for hidden cameras, Bombays says, you should start in the bathrooms and bedrooms. In addition, he noted that most of them are hidden in household devices such as lamps, thermostats, and clock radios.
He noted that the first thing he does in the bedroom is turn off the clock radio and put it in a drawer. Bombase clarified that even well-hidden cameras will have a small amount of reflective glass off the lens.
“If you shine a flashlight on an object that could have a camera, you will see a reflection. This is a clear sign that you are being watched,” he said.
Check WiFi
The hidden camera must be connected to a local Wi-Fi network to be viewed remotely. According to the expert, Wi-Fi scanning applications can be used to detect them, which can identify devices on the network. For example Fing.
Bombays noted that even if a separate Wi-Fi network is used to transmit live video, Wi-Fi scanning applications can determine how many networks are in the house.
But another pundit, Cody Kinzie, a researcher at security and data analytics company Varonis, warned that a network scanner might not catch everything.
“Find devices that broadcast their network name. Use the WiGLE app,” Kinney said.
Buy a spy camera detector
If all else fails, spy camera detectors can scan for radio frequencies associated with hidden cameras. They can be easily purchased online from sites such as Amazon or AliExpress. O’Rourke noted that this method only works if the hidden camera is transmitting data.
“Many of them now have SD cards that store data that can be recovered later. Therefore, they are much harder to detect,” O’Rourke said.
What to do when a camera is detected?
Once the camera is found, turn it off immediately, but carefully. The camera’s firmware may contain identifying information such as login credentials and the Wi-Fi network to which it was connected. O’Rourke said hidden cameras found in hotel rooms should be reported to the front desk. He then advised to move to another hotel as soon as possible.
“Once you find the camera in the room, I wouldn’t trust any other room in this hotel,” he said.
The main thing is not to panic and paranoia. The expert advises you to simply follow his advice and remember that you are not at home. Moreover, sometimes the law is violated not by the owners of rented houses, but by cunning tourists.