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Man considers taking legal action after finding cameras in Airbnb

Posted at 3:07 PM, Jan 28, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-28 15:07:17-05

At first, when Miami visitor Max Vest arrived at his Airbnb rental earlier this month, everything seemed just fine.

But when he came back to the apartment after dinner on his first night, Vest found hidden cameras.

“I noticed these two little black boxes plugged into the outlets, and I was curious what they were,” Vest says. “I hadn't seen anything like that before, so I unplugged one of the boxes and noticed at the top, if you look closely, there's a little hole that looks like it could be a camera.”

A quick Google search confirmed his suspicions.

“I was shocked. It was definitely a very uncomfortable feeling,” he says. “I didn't know if I was being watched live. I didn't know if the host was sitting in the other room and watching my every move.”

He left, taking the cameras memory cards to Miami police, who say they found no video of Vest on the cards. However, they did find recordings of many other unsuspecting guests.

Vest's attorney Shannon Schott says they’re considering legal action.

"Anywhere that you have a reasonable expectation of privacy, another individual cannot record you,” Schott explains.

Airbnb has refunded Vest’s money and said they've removed the host from their community.