Chinese woman’s detective work foils Airbnb ‘Superhost’ who installed hidden camera in bedroom
- Police detain man who was an experienced host on the platform but had been filming his guests
- Airbnb issues refund and apology after the woman dismantles router to find camera and memory card
A man in eastern China who placed a hidden camera in a bedroom he rented out on home-sharing platform Airbnb was exposed when he hosted a woman who recognised the equipment.
Her expertise enabled her to find the camera and call the police, who gave the man 20 days’ detention. He was listed on the platform as a “Superhost” – an experienced host regarded as a shining example – but police found that he had been filming his guests since March.
The woman, referred to by her online alias Yunfei, told Beijing Youth Daily she worked in internet and information security, and always checked her hotel rooms. She said that when she arrived at the man’s flat in Qingdao in Shandong province last Wednesday night, she soon spotted something unusual.
“I found a motion sensor monitor at the flat’s entrance and two in the two bedrooms, which is odd since the flat had not been renovated for smart-home automation,” she said.
“I turned the sensors to face the wall and covered them with stickers.”
She proceeded to check the smoke detectors and television, which are often used to place hidden cameras, and cut the power supply to the television. When she picked up the router, which faced a bed, she found a light that looked unusual and suspected it was a hidden camera.