Traveling this summer? Here’s how you can spot hidden cameras in hotels and short-term rentals

CLOSER, MANY FAMILIES ARE PLANNING VACATIONS. THAT MEANS YOU MIGHT BE STAYING IN AN AIR BNB OR OTHER RENTAL, AND TONIGHT THERE’S A WARNING FROM SECURITY EXPERTS. GULSTAN: KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR CAMERAS OR ANYTHING THAT COULD BE RECORDING YOU WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE. KCRA 3’S MICHELLE BANDUR INVESTIGATES HOW TO DETECT THE DEVICES WHEN YOU’RE TRAVELING. MICHELLE: TINY CAMERAS HIDDEN IN CLOCKS, CHARGERS, AND EVEN PENS, ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SPOT. TO HELP PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY -- WHAT DO WE GOT HERE? WE PUT HIDDEN CAMERA DETECTORS TO THE TEST. LOOKING TO SEE IF ANYONE IS LOOKING AT ME. DETECTORS ARE ADVERTISED AS TOOLS TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY ON VACATION, BUT DO THEY REALLY WORK? OUR CREW HID FIVE CAMERAS IN THIS VACATION RENTAL. IF I WAS GOING TO SPY ON SOMEONE, WHERE WOULD I PUT A CAMERA? FIRST I TRIED TO SPOT THEM MYSELF. OH, IS THIS ONE? IS THIS A CAMERA? I THINK I FOUND ONE ALL RIGHT. I ONLY FOUND ONE, SO I BROUGHT IN SOME HELP. WE’RE PUTTING TWO DEVICES TO THE TEST. THIS ONE IS AN LED HIDDEN DEVICE DETECTOR. YOU LOOK THROUGH THE INFRARED VIEWFINDER AND YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND THE RED LIGHT FROM THE CAMERA LENS. IT COSTS ABOUT $20. THIS ONE IS A BIT MORE EXPENSIVE. IT RUNS AROUND $40, BUT IT’S SUPPOSED TO DETECT THE RADIO FREQUENCY WAVES WITH LOUD BEEPING. OK, LET’S TAKE THIS ONE UPSTAIRS, SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND. LET’S GO TO THE BEDROOM. IS IT THE REMOTE? NO. LET’S DO ANOTHER SWEEP, MAYBE ITS PICKING UP FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE. LET’S TRY THE ALARM CLOCK. THAT’S AN EVERY DAY ITEM. BINGO. THE R.F. DETECTOR ALSO LED ME TO THIS PEN. OK, IT’S REALLY BEEPING LIKE CRAZY OVER HERE. THERE IT IS. I PASSED OVER THIS PEN. I DIDN’T EVEN LOOK AT THIS. THIS IS THE CAMERA. THIS IS CRAZY. AND IT BEEPED LOUDLY FOR THIS SMOKE DETECTOR. THIS IS THE WORST NIGHTMARE, YOUR PRIVACY IN THE BATHROOM. ARE THEY IN HERE? YES, THEY ARE. THE SMOKE SECTOR. -- THE SMOKE DETECTOR. IT DID NOT GO OFF FOR THIS PHONE CHARGER EVEN THOUGH IT WAS WATCHING ME. THAT IS JUST A CHARGER. I PASSED BY THE CHARGER SEVERAL TIMES EVEN WITH THE VIEWFINDER. IS THAT ONE? NO, THAT IS JUST A PLUG. THE CAMERA SHOULD LIGHT UP BUT IT WAS HARD TO SEE THE TINY LENSES FROM FAR AWAY. WE ORDERED THIS ON AMAZON, LESS THAN $300 TOTAL. AT FOX’S SPY OUTLET -- THE CAMERAS ARE MORE CREATIVE, EVEN HIDDEN IN YOUR MORNING COFFEE. >> YOU WILL SEE THE SPOT YOU NORMALLY DRINK, THEN THE HEAT MARK SAYING IT IS HOT. THAT IS THE ON BUTTON, THEN YOUR CAMERA LENS IS HERE. MICHELLE: THE MANAGER SAYS CUSTOMERS COME IN WITH CONCERNS ABOUT VACATION RENTALS. >> PEOPLE GET A BAD FEELING THAT THEY ARE BEING WATCHED. MICHELLE: HE SAYS IT IS NOT A BAD IDEA TO PACK EXTRA EQUIPMENT FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP. >> HAVING EQUIPMENT TO MAKE SURE YOUR PRIVACY IS PROTECTED IS WISE. MICHELLE: SMART TIPS TO MAKE SURE YOUR VACATION MEMORIES ARE CAPTURED ONLY BY YOU. YOU WOULD HAVE TO NOT JUST LOOK FOR REGULAR CAMERAS BUT LOOK INTO EVERYDAY ITEMS. MICHELLE BANDUR, KCRA 3 NEWS. EDIE: IF YOU ARE STAYING AT AN AIR BNB, IT’S STRICTLY PROHIBITED FOR THE HOSTS TO HAVE CAMERAS THAT ARE INTENTIONALLY HIDDEN. COMPANY GUIDELINES STATE HOSTS CAN HAVE CAMERAS, BUT THEY NEED

Many families are planning summer vacations and security specialists say if you’re staying in a short-term rental, you should consider packing an extra gadget with you.

Renters and vacationers have been shocked to find hidden cameras in their Airbnbs or other homes, and as technology advances, the cameras are getting even harder to discover.

Scott Olson, manager at Fox’s Spy Outlet in Sacramento, California, says customers come into the store with concerns about vacation rentals.

"People come in here when they travel, saying they get a bad feeling, that they're being watched," Olson said.

He said if you’re staying somewhere new, you may consider packing a hidden camera detector on your next trip.

"Having equipment to make sure that your privacy is being protected is very wise," Olson said. "We're in that kind of society; anywhere you turn there's a camera."

Detectors are advertised as a way to keep families safe, so sister station KCRA put two detectors to the test to see whether they really work.

The KCRA crew planted five hidden cameras in a rental house with permission from the owner. First, the crew tried to find the cameras without using any tools. They were only able to find one, a magnetic camera stuck to a metal light in the game room.

Hearst Owned

Then, the crew brought in the detectors. One was an LED hidden device detector we bought on Amazon for about $20. The other was a radio frequency detector for around $40. It's supposed to detect radio frequency waves with loud beeping.

Hearst Owned

The radio frequency detector beeped when held close to three of the cameras, disguised as an alarm clock next to a bed, a smoke detector in the bathroom and a pen in the living room.

Hearst Owned

Hearst Owned

One of the hidden cameras proved nearly impossible to find. The camera disguised as a phone charger in one of the bedrooms didn’t set off the radio frequency detector and KCRA's crew wasn’t able to see the lens through the LED viewfinder at first.

Hearst Owned

The KCRA crew ordered all of the cameras on Amazon for less than $300 total.

Olson says there are several different kinds of detectors out there.

"A lot of detectors only go for the transmission part of the camera and if the camera isn’t on and transmitting, you won’t find it. But we have detectors that will find it whether it’s on or off."

It’s important to note, for travelers staying at an Airbnb, it's strictly prohibited for the hosts to have cameras that are intentionally hidden. Company guidelines state that hosts can have cameras, but they need to disclose where they are, and they cannot be in private spaces like bedrooms, bathrooms or sleeping areas.

Traveling this summer? Here’s how you can spot hidden cameras in hotels and short-term rentals

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