It’s an open secret that Hotels and Airbnbs have their own catalog of horror stories.
From accommodation being canceled upon arrival to owners inviting themselves around for a spontaneous snack – all the way to creepy (and possibly illegal) incidents where cameras have been found disguised in household objects.
A former hacker turned to TikTok to teach his thousands of followers about cybersecurity. In one of Marcus Hutchins’ (@malwaretech) most-watched clips, he shows fellow TikTokers how to detect if there are any hidden cameras in their vacation accommodation.
In a clip he uploaded to TikTok, he’s shown the sneaky ways cameras can be hidden in hotel rooms, and how you can find them.
Marcus explained:
“The first thing you are going to want to look for is devices that are conveniently placed where a creeper would want to look.”
“Take this fire alarm for instance, it is placed right above the bed. One way to see if the device is a camera is to shine a bright light at it.”
“If you hit a camera lens it’s going to get a blue-ish reflection. Now you can test this by shining a light at your phone and seeing how the camera looks when placed under a flashlight.”
He also revealed how tiny cameras can be stashed inside innocent-looking alarm clocks.
Marcus said: “This alarm clock is mirrored, but if we shine a bright light at it we can see through the glass and see there is a camera there.This technique can also work on two-way mirrors.”
Marcus went on to warn that super small cameras can even be hidden inside USB chargers – but, again, they can be seen if you shine a light on them.
“These cameras are really small as you can see here,” he said. “So they can be hidden in anything, even a hole in the wall.”
He also urged hotel guests to be on the lookout for night vision cameras, which can record even when it’s dark.
Marcus added: “If we use the front-facing phone camera, we can actually see the LEDs.The front-facing camera is the only one that tends to work as the back-facing one has an IR filter.”
It should be noted that Marcus pointed out that the room that appears in the video is not a real one that can be rented, but a space used to teach how to discover hidden cameras.
“Disclaimer: This is not a airbnb real, it is a scenario to demonstrate how to find cameras“.
Marcus’ video drew thousands of comments, with many users appalled at how subtle and deceptive detecting hidden cameras can be.
“New fear unlocked,” one user wrote, while another commented, “Another reason to never leave my house lol.”
One more added: “Um bro I don’t trust hotels or anything now, thanks.”
“That’s it, I’m showering in clothes,” joked a fourth.
Watch the video below for more details:
