A Korean couple made a shocking discovery after noticing a green light emanating from a smoke detector inside the room of their rented Airbnb home in Japan.
As it turned out, the fire alarm was apparently hiding a secret camera, the traveling pair revealed in a social media post, according to The Korea Herald (via AsiaOne).
Strategically placed in a corner of the room, the fake fire detector looked odd as it appeared to have a tiny camera lens directly pointed toward the bed.
The couple, which noticed the peculiar green light on the device as they were about to sleep, became paranoid and began talking about what would happen if the detector was actually a hidden camera.
“The night became a nightmare after we searched online and found similar-looking cameras up for sale on the internet,” the Korean man wrote on an online community.
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After disassembling the suspicious-looking device, they reportedly found a micro-SD memory card tucked inside. Upon inspection, they also discovered that the card already contained footage of what had already happened inside the room.
“Fortunately we hadn’t done anything that night, but this was an Airbnb house we had previously rented on an earlier trip,” the man explained.
With some assistance from the South Korean Embassy in Japan, the couple was able to report the case to local police.
“People from the embassy came to the police station to offer support. They drove us to different accommodations to stay at for the remainder of the trip,” the man wrote.
In a statement released to The Korea Herald, an Airbnb representative said:
“Airbnb has a zero-tolerance policy towards privacy infringements” and that “any relevant cases are dealt with utmost gravity.”
Airbnb has since banned the creepy homeowner from the online marketplace and hospitality service community. Meanwhile, “optimal support” was reportedly provided to the couple.
Feature image via Wikimedia Commons David Carrero
