A New Zealand family has described the disturbing moment they uncovered a hidden CCTV camera in their Airbnb accommodation.
Nealie and Andrew Barker were on holiday in Europe with their five children when they checked into the accommodation for a three-day stay in Cork, on Ireland’s southwest coast, in early March.
Shortly after they arrived the family were horrified to discover a camera had been concealed within a smoke alarm, with a full view of the accommodation lounge and kitchen areas.
Nealie (pictured) and Andrew Barker were travelling Europe with their five children when they checked into the short-term accommodation in Cork
The eerie discovery was made after Andrew, an IT consultant, spotted a device named ‘IP camera’ linked to the house Wifi network, The New Zealand Herald reported.
In a bid to find out what the unknown device was, Andrew connected the ‘IP camera’ to his phone and was alarmed to see a live-video feed of the family staring back at him.
The concerned family, who are self-confessed ‘avid Airbnb users’, decided to confront the accommodation host.
‘After Andy hacked the live-feed and called the owner to ask what the fudge sticks was going on,’ Ms Barker said.
The CCTV camera had been concealed within a smoke alarm (pictured) overlooking the lounge and kitchen areas
‘It all blew up and we ended up leaving the house and having to find emergency accommodation.
‘We got our money back and the guy is currently under investigation with his Airbnb listing removed,’ she added.
It’s understood the host denied having any knowledge of the camera’s existence at first.
But he later contradicted his initial claims and said he had the cameras installed to ‘protect his investment’.
Although Ms Barker said he refused to clarify whether or not he had been recording audio from the house, and failed to state if any footage had been captured of the Barkers.
The family were horrified to discover an image of them on the live-feed when they hacked into the device
The Barkers also confirmed the camera had not been mentioned on the Airbnb listing.
Ms Barker later took to social media to warn fellow Airbnb users.
‘We just found a camera hidden in a smoke alarm case in the private living room of a listing. We were travelling with children.
‘The host admitted to the concealed camera over the phone, only after presented with our irrefutable proof,’ Ms Barker wrote.
‘Guest safety is not an AirBnb priority,’ she concluded.
(File picture) The family were forced to find other emergency accommodation for their stay in Cork
A spokesperson for Airbnb told Daily Mail Australia the company had apologised to the family and issued a full refund.
‘The safety and privacy of our community – both online and offline – is our priority.
‘Airbnb policies strictly prohibit hidden cameras in listings and we take reports of any violations extremely seriously,’ the spokesperson said.
‘We have permanently removed this bad actor from our platform.
‘Our original handling of this incident did not meet the high standards we set for ourselves, and we have apologized to the family and fully refunded their stay.
‘There have been over half a billion guest arrivals in Airbnb listings to date and negative incidents are incredibly rare,’ the spokesperson concluded.
Airbnb also stated that the company has strict policies in relation to the use of cameras, and that cameras are never allowed in bathrooms, or bedrooms, or to be hidden.
Hosts are also obliged to disclose any cameras, not in private or sensitive areas, before a reservation.
Airbnb said it had a zero tolerance stance when it comes to violations and will immediately remove anyone who has violated the policy.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Barker for comment.