A married couple rents a vacation home and finds a camera in the most unexpected place: “That’s a damn camcorder”
A listing for a hidden camera resembling the one in their room raised alarms for a family staying at a vacation rental.
Young and his family had traveled from Scottsdale, Arizona, to Arkansas to relax during MLB spring training, but their stay took a disturbing turn. Everything seemed normal until Young noticed a smoke detector directly above the bed—a detail that immediately made him suspicious, according to local news outlet Waff 48.
When he shared his concerns with his wife, she dismissed them, thinking he was being paranoid. “I get uneasy staying anywhere—not just at an Airbnb or away from home. I always feel like I’m being watched,” Young told Waff 48.
But things escalated after he searched online and found a hidden camera for sale that looked exactly like the smoke detector in their rental. Acting on instinct, he climbed on a piece of furniture and removed the device from the ceiling. Inside, he found an SD card—and the “smoke detector” also had Wi-Fi connectivity, confirming his worst fears.
Worried about the footage, Young tried to access the card on his laptop to delete any clips of him and his family. However, he began to fear the data might be transmitted to the owner remotely or that his own device was now compromised. He contacted local police, who told him someone would reach out in the coming days.
Airbnb backed the family
Unsatisfied with only calling the police, Young filed a formal complaint with Airbnb, the platform through which he booked the stay. The company responded quickly, stating that “hidden cameras have always been and always will be prohibited on Airbnb.” The platform added that they supported the guest fully, were cooperating with law enforcement, and that the property owner would be permanently banned from hosting.
Scottsdale police later confirmed that the footage didn’t include Young’s family but did show previous guests. Because of this, the case was classified as a civil violation, not a criminal one, since the Youngs were not directly filmed. The property owner was cited for failing to obtain a vacation rental license and not responding to an emergency.
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