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Creeps are hiding cameras in dressing rooms, bathrooms and worse

High tech video cameras seem to find their way into the hands of Peeping Toms in hotels, dressing rooms and rental properties. Here's how to keep yourself safe.

Stories like this make my blood boil. Some creep was caught taking pics up a woman's skirt at a Target store. Let's give a big cheer to the woman who called him out and filmed it.

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Peeping Toms and tech are a match made in you-know-where. They use everything from smartphones to hidden cameras to get their fix. Luckily, I’m on your side to keep you and your loved ones safe.

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Skirting around the issue

On an otherwise ordinary day in Greenville, North Carolina, a woman took a trip to her local Target. She noticed a 21-year-old man getting a little too close for comfort — crouching down on the ground near her.

When she moved, so did the man. Then she noticed his cell phone on the floor. That's when it clicked: She was wearing a skirt that day, and this creep was trying to slide his phone underneath to get a photo. 

Caught red-handed

Another Target shopper spotted the creep, too. She started filming the peeper after noticing him following the victim around the store. She captured him putting his phone on the floor and posted it to social media. 

Ultimately, that video is what led to the peeper's arrest. 

Of course, when the cops picked him up, he denied it all and gladly handed over his phone. Cops got a search warrant to dig deeper, and fortunately, they didn't find any inappropriate photos of children.

The peeper was released on bond, and his fate now rests in the courts. He also won't return to his job anytime soon. Where’d he work, you ask? An elementary school.

Protect your privacy

Whether you're on a Target run or vacation, a Peeping Tom could be lurking. Stay safe and smart with these tips:

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What about rentals? Yes, you need to check there, too

I once found about a dozen cameras throughout a house I rented, but they were only disclosed in small type at the very bottom of the listing. It was clear they wanted me to miss that warning.

Given all the coverage about hidden cameras spotted in rentals, I’m not surprised Airbnb just banned indoor cameras. If anything, I’m shocked it took this long.

Checking around a small dressing room is one thing. Making sure your entire rental property is creep-free is a bigger job. 

Here’s how to find them

Larger cameras are easy to spot, but anyone can easily hide smaller cameras behind furniture, vents or decorations. A simple way to spot most types of cameras is to look for the lens reflection.

You can also get an RF detector. This gadget can pick up wireless cameras you might not see. Unfortunately, RF detectors aren’t great for wired or record-only cameras. For those, you’ll need to stick with the lens reflection method.

If you can connect to the rental’s wireless network, a free program like Wireless Network Watcher shows what gadgets are connected. You might be able to spot connected cameras that way. I do this in every rental I stay in, just to double-check what’s connected to the network.

Be aware that the owner might have put the cameras on a second network, or they could be wired or record-only types, so this is not a fail-safe option.

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