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Beware AirBnB Voyeur Cameras, FL this time

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flyangler

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This is a long way to go for a voyeur to get his jollies but it is incredibly effective when you think about it. This guy had his home in AirBnB for two years and had 40 reviews, how many guests were captured on Creepy Camera ? 

 

Bet that you won't look at any hotel smoke detector the same after reading this....

 

 

Couple finds hidden camera disguised as smoke detector in Florida Airbnb

 

The Indiana couple found a hidden camera disguised as a smoke detector in the Airbnb apartment.  (Longboat Key Police Department)

 

An Indiana couple visiting Longboat Key, Florida, found an unnerving surprise in the master bedroom of their Airbnb: a hidden camera disguised as a smoke detector.

 

Derek Starnes told WFTS that he noticed a small, black hole on the side of a smoke detector in the room. When he took it down to get a better look, Starnes, who works in tech, realized the hole was a camera. The camera was pointing right at the couple’s bed.

 

Starnes then called the police, who later arrested homeowner Wayne Natt, 56. Natt has since been charged with one count of video voyeurism, WFTS reported.

 

“We did have the opportunity to analyze what was on the SD card and there are a couple of different people on them,” Longboat Key Police Lt. Robert Bourque told WFLA.

 

Starnes, who said both he and his wife are “distressed by this situation,” hopes that those who have previously rented from Natt will come forward.

 

Homeowner Wayne Natt, 56, has been charged with one count of video voyeurism, after a couple visiting his Airbnb rental allegedly discovered a camera disguised as a smoke detector.  (Longboat Key Police Department)

 

Natt told police that the camera was used to record sexual activity, according to Bourque, who added that Natt said he hid the camera in the smoke detector to get “a better angle.” Natt also claimed renters knew they were being filmed, according to Bourque.

 

In a statement to WFTS, Airbnb spokesperson Ben Breit said the company was “outraged at the reports of what happened.”

 

“As soon as we were made aware, we permanently banned this individual from our community and fully supported the affected guests. Our team has reached out to local law enforcement to aid them with their investigation of the egregious offense and we hope justice is served. We take privacy issues extremely seriously and have a zero-tolerance policy against this behavior.”

 

Prior to his arrest, Natt had more than 40 reviews on Airbnb and had been on the home-sharing site for two years, according to WFTS. 

 

Edited by tomkaz

“No nation in history has survived once its borders were destroyed, once its citizenship was rendered no different from mere residence, and once its neighbors with impunity undermined its sovereignty.”

- Victor Davis Hanson 

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29 minutes ago, Belmo said:

Anyone else find this guy's "I noticed a black hole in the smoke detector" line entirely bogus? 

Who looks at the smoke detector? 

Actually, I wonder about those as well as the fire alarm annuciators with the strobe light mounted on them. Not paranoia, more practical curiosity. In our apartment, I have a Nest camera in the elevator vestibule to track activity, etc. I mounted it where the alarm annuciator and motion sensor for the light are located. Painted the shell and mount to match the wall. No one, with the exception of the head of security for the building, has ever noticed it (as best as I can tell). My son mounted a Raspberry Pi with mini imager in a "doorbell box" in his college apartment and it is even less obtrusive than a smoke detector. 

 

If you are laying on your back with your SO up on top of you and you spot a dark 1/2" diameter hole in a smoke detector, your mind is bound to say WTF. 

 

ETA: There is a deep and latent biological thing about being watched by an "eye". It exists in animals and humans. That "sixth sense" tingling you get when someone is watching you is part of it. It is used in spycraft with observing someone via reflections or out of the corner of your eye. While I don't hunt often, I have heard that guys wont stare at an approaching target until it is time to line up the shot, relying on their peripheral vision until then. Personally, I have noted that when shooting wildlife with a big telephoto lens, certain animals will stop to look at the lens even if I am reasonable hidden. That black circle camera port could fit the same animal instinct deal. 

Edited by tomkaz

“No nation in history has survived once its borders were destroyed, once its citizenship was rendered no different from mere residence, and once its neighbors with impunity undermined its sovereignty.”

- Victor Davis Hanson 

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4 hours ago, tomkaz said:

If you are laying on your back with your SO up on top of you and you spot a dark 1/2" diameter hole in a smoke detector, your mind is bound to say WTF.

If you're looking at the smoke detector in that scenario, you got much bigger problems than a voyeur cam. :D

 

ETA: There is a deep and latent biological thing about being watched by an "eye". It exists in animals and humans. That "sixth sense" tingling you get when someone is watching you 

This is 100%, pure, unadulterated, bull****, complete and utter pseudoscientific nonsense. This does not exist; dozens, and probably hundreds,  of scientific tests, all of which -- yes, 100% of them -- have failed to show that this phenomenon, technically known as the "Psychic staring effect," has any basis in reality whatsoever. 


It is, as the saying goes, booo-gus

Terri Mae does not approve this message, but screw him.

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41 minutes ago, Belmo said:

If you're looking at the smoke detector in that scenario, you got much bigger problems than a voyeur cam. :D

 

This is 100%, pure, unadulterated, bull****, complete and utter pseudoscientific nonsense. This does not exist; dozens, and probably hundreds,  of scientific tests, all of which -- yes, 100% of them -- have failed to show that this phenomenon, technically known as the "Psychic staring effect," has any basis in reality whatsoever. 


It is, as the saying goes, booo-gus

Some people think of baseball to delay the inevitable, others look for voyeur cams. 

 

As for the effect, if you say so, but I'd love to see some of the dozens/hundreds of studies that have refuted the effect. 

 

That said, I stated that I don't hunt frequently so not speaking from experience. The largest animals I have hunted are hogs and that was mostly either at night or dawn, where there's not much chance of "eye contact". 

 

Spycraft is rife with it, disinformation or not.

 

As for animals reactions to a 5-6" lens "eye" looking at them, I have experienced something to suggest there's a there there. Maybe it is an unnatural reflection or something visible. Maybe it was motion. But from a blind, I have seen animals going about their own business suddenly react to a big lens being brought in their direction. I have seen it with smaller, rodent sized animals as well. 

 

But thanks for the correction, duly noted. 

“No nation in history has survived once its borders were destroyed, once its citizenship was rendered no different from mere residence, and once its neighbors with impunity undermined its sovereignty.”

- Victor Davis Hanson 

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4 minutes ago, tomkaz said:

As for the effect, if you say so, but I'd love to see some of the dozens/hundreds of studies that have refuted the effect. 

Google Michael Shermer Rupert's Resonance -- Shermer has a pretty good, and pretty brief, story (from Scientific American) about why it's bogus. 

Terri Mae does not approve this message, but screw him.

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i don't care who's watching the once or twice a year i actually get it so ...

 

i would have have just asked if he had any good videos :shrug: 

how lucky am i

to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard


Shooting a coon in a 60ft tree out of a boat in the dark holding a flashlight can be tricky. ..
 

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