A New Zealand family has described the disturbing moment they uncovered a hidden CCTV camera in their Airbnb accommodation.
Nealie and Andrew Barker were on holiday in Europe with their five children when they checked into the accommodation for a three-day stay in Cork, on Ireland's southwest coast, in early March.
Shortly after they arrived the family were horrified to discover a camera had been concealed within a smoke alarm, with a full view of the accommodation lounge and kitchen areas.
Nealie (pictured) and Andrew Barker were travelling Europe with their five children when they checked into the short-term accommodation in Cork
The eerie discovery was made after Andrew, an IT consultant, spotted a device named 'IP camera' linked to the house Wifi network, The New Zealand Herald reported.
In a bid to find out what the unknown device was, Andrew connected the 'IP camera' to his phone and was alarmed to see a live-video feed of the family staring back at him.
The concerned family, who are self-confessed 'avid Airbnb users', decided to confront the accommodation host.
'After Andy hacked the live-feed and called the owner to ask what the fudge sticks was going on,' Ms Barker said.
The CCTV camera had been concealed within a smoke alarm (pictured) overlooking the lounge and kitchen areas
'It all blew up and we ended up leaving the house and having to find emergency accommodation.
'We got our money back and the guy is currently under investigation with his Airbnb listing removed,' she added.
It's understood the host denied having any knowledge of the camera's existence at first.
But he later contradicted
