He stayed overnight via Airbnb. He found a hidden camera between the pillows
Although Ian Timbrell didn’t go on holiday to become a hidden camera star, he was treated to such attractions by the owners of his Airbnb accommodation. Once again, it has come to light what traps await tourists in some places.
A traveler from Cardiff suffered a terrifying incident. Ian Timbrell went to Aberystwyth in Wales, where he decided to book accommodation through the popular Airbnb. We are talking about an online service that allows renting premises from private individuals. Such options are available all over the world and often allow you to save a lot. Unfortunately, sometimes it also involves danger. The young Briton found this out the hard way.
Hidden camera in the room. Tourist discovered “surprise”
The man, who was dissatisfied with his accommodation option, shared his story on social media. In a video posted on the X platform, i.e. earlier Twitter, he showed what he found in the rented room. It was, of course, a camera hidden carefully between the sofa cushions.
“Normal or weird? My Airbnb has a webcam watching the entire living room. Did I make a mistake by unplugging it? This seems like a huge invasion of privacy to me!” – Ian asked under the post.
The device was turned on and had previously been recording what it was doing at all times. Unfortunately, this type of practice, although illegal, is sometimes used by hosts. Every time tourists discover that they are being followed, they react with outrage and cancel their rental. Such an incident happened, among others, a couple from China who were supposed to spend their honeymoon in Borneo.
The camera discouraged the tourist. He was in trouble
Although it was supposed to be just one peaceful night in Aberystwyth, it turned into a nightmare. The man knew that he would not stay in this place any longer and was forced to look for something else at the last minute. It wasn’t easy and generated new costs, but it turned out to be safer than spending the night in a room with hidden cameras.
The case became interested in, among others, the British portal mirror.co.uk, which asked the spokesperson of the Airbnb platform to comment on the incident. He responded as follows: “The presence and location of the camera were included in the offer description, but we understand that the guest did not like it. The customer has not contacted us regarding this matter. We reached out to him to offer support and the owner refunded him the full amount.”
