By Celestine Osemeilu
About 1,600 hotel guests in 10 South Korean cities were victims of an illicit “spy camera” scheme, local police announced this week. The victims were recorded surreptitiously with tiny cameras hidden in their hotel rooms such as sockets and air-conditioner vent. The footage was livestreamed online for subscribers, some of whom paid monthly fees to view the unlawful content.
“There was a similar case in the past where illegal cameras were [secretly installed] and were consistently and secretly watched, but this is the first time the police caught where videos were broadcast live on the internet,” police in the South Korean capital of Seoul said in a statement to CNN.
Two people were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the case, the Korea Herald reported. The suspects have been accused of illegally recording and livestreaming the activities of guests at 30 hotels located in 10 South Korean cities. Mini cameras were reportedly hidden in digital TV boxes, wall sockets and hairdryer holders in 42 hotel rooms.
Two other people who were allegedly involved in setting up the spy cameras were also booked on Wednesday but were not detained, the Herald said.
So when next you checked into an hotel put all the light off and scan with your camera phone around the room.