Couple finds hidden camera in their Florida Airbnb

ABC News(LONGBOAT KEY, Fla.) — A couple said they are “distressed” after discovering a hidden camera, directly pointed at their bed, in a room they rented from the popular site Airbnb.

“My wife and I are distressed by this situation. I hope more victims will come forward,” Derek Starnes told ABC News affiliate WFTS-TV of Tampa Bay, Florida, after he said he found a camera hidden in the smoke detector of the room he rented through Airbnb in Longboat Key, Florida.

Starnes said he was only able to notice the obscured pinhole camera because he works in the information-technology sector.

Wayne Natt, 56, who posted the room on Airbnb, was arrested for video voyeurism and is currently out on bond. His arraignment is scheduled for next month. Neither Natt nor his attorney immediately responded to ABC News’ request for comment on Wednesday.

Airbnb told ABC News that Natt had an account on their website for two years, and had at least 40 reviews. The company said they have permanently banned him from the site.

“We are 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,” Benjamin Breit, a spokesperson for Airbnb, told ABC News in a statement.

“Our team has reached out to local law enforcement to aid them with their investigation of this egregious offense, and we hope justice is served. We take privacy issues extremely seriously and have a zero-tolerance policy against this behavior,” Breit added.

Local authorities said they found two cameras hidden in smoke detectors at the property.

Lieutenant Bob Bourque of the Longboat Key Police Department told WFTS-TV that they seized “a lot of computer storage data devices, hard drives, computers, laptops, S.D. cards, anything that would store data” from Natt’s home.

While Starnes said he was able to spot the pinhole camera because of his background in IT, to the untrained eye, experts recommend using the camera light on your phone to spot the reflections on a lens if you are looking for hidden cameras. There are also certain apps that claim they can detect hidden cameras. In addition, if you are extremely concerned about your privacy, you can also purchase an RF detector, which checks for wireless signals and may be able to detect hidden cameras.

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