What to do if you find a hidden camera

Updated October 22, 2026 · 5 min read

Finding something that looks like a camera is upsetting. A clear order of steps helps you protect yourself and keep the evidence that makes a report count.

First, a quick reality check. Many ordinary things have a small lens-like dot or a light: a smoke detector’s indicator, a TV’s sensor window, a charger’s LED. If you are not sure, treat it as something to report, not something to investigate yourself. You don’t need to prove it is a camera before you ask for help.

First: are you safe right now?

If you feel in danger, leave and call your local emergency number. Airbnb’s own guidance for an emergency in progress is to contact local emergency services or law enforcement, and it says you can use Airbnb to dial emergency services if you don’t know the local number.

Step by step

1. Don’t touch, unplug or open it

Leave the device exactly where it is. The device itself, and anything stored on it, may be what the police need to identify who placed it. Apple gives similar advice for trackers: law enforcement may need the device and its serial number. At home, there is a second reason. NNEDV’s Safety Net Project warns that making changes will often alert the other person, and that changes might also erase evidence.

2. Document it

  • Take a wide photo that shows where the device is and what it points at.
  • Take close-ups of the device and any brand, model or label you can read without handling it.
  • Record a short video walking from the door to the device.
  • Note the date, the time and how you noticed it.
  • Screenshot the listing, including any devices it discloses, and your messages with the host or hotel.

NNEDV’s advice for documenting tracking applies here too: be as specific as possible and take screenshots.

3. Get your privacy back

Leave the room, and if possible the property. If you need a few minutes to pack, cover the device loosely, for example by draping a towel over it, without moving it. Change rooms or leave, whichever is safer and faster.

4. Report it to the police

Secretly filming guests can be a crime. In the US, for example, CNN reported in July 2024 that video voyeurism is a misdemeanor in most states and at the federal level. The police can examine the device properly. Ask for a report or incident number and keep it.

5. Report it to the platform or the hotel

  • Airbnb: outside an emergency, Airbnb points guests to its 24-hour safety line.
  • Vrbo: its policy asks guests to contact Vrbo immediately, and also local law enforcement if they have any concern for their safety.
  • Hotel: ask the front desk for the duty manager.

6. Keep copies and look after yourself

Back up your photos and notes somewhere only you can access. Talk to someone you trust. It is normal to feel shaken for a while afterward.

What changes by place

Short-term rental

Both big platforms ban indoor cameras. Airbnb has banned devices that monitor any indoor space since April 30, 2024, even if they are turned off. AARP reported in April 2024 that Vrbo introduced its camera ban in 2022. So a camera inside the home breaks the rules even if the listing mentions it. Disclosed exterior cameras are allowed, but a camera pointed through a window is not, and Vrbo’s policy names that example.

According to the deposition CNN reported, Airbnb does not, as a matter of practice, notify the police, so call them yourself. In one case CNN described, an Airbnb agent asked the guest whether the company could contact the host to get his side of the story, and the guest declined. You can reasonably ask that the host not be contacted until the police have seen the device.

On refunds, Vrbo says guests may be eligible when a stay is affected by a host’s violation of its policy. Airbnb says its support for safety incidents can include cancelling reservations and rebooking guests elsewhere. The full rules are in Airbnb and Vrbo camera rules.

Hotel

Cameras in lobbies, hallways and restaurants are normal. Even Airbnb’s rules allow hotel listings to monitor indoor common spaces like these. A camera in your room or bathroom is not normal. Tell the duty manager, ask for another room, call the police, and write down the names of the staff you spoke to. You can ask the hotel to leave the room untouched until the police arrive. See also the hotel room check.

Your own home

At home, the person who placed a device may live with you or have a key: a partner, an ex, a family member, a roommate or a landlord. Safety comes first here, and confronting the person or removing the device can make things worse. NNEDV suggests documenting what’s happening, if it feels safe, before you change anything. Its guide says advocates can help you work out your options and make a safety plan, and that you should consider telling the police if it feels safe to do so. EFF gives the same order for trackers: make a safety plan before you do anything else.

Apple’s support page on unwanted tracking lists these organizations: in the US, the Safety Net Project at NNEDV and the National Center for Victims of Crime; in the UK, Refuge; in Australia, WESNET. Elsewhere, contact a local domestic-violence or victim-support service. If you rent long-term and suspect your landlord, report it to the police; a tenant-rights or legal-aid service can explain the local rules.

What not to do

  • Don’t smash, unplug or open the device, or take out a memory card.
  • Don’t confront the person you suspect, especially at home.
  • Don’t post photos of the device online before the police have seen it.
  • Don’t search the rest of the place by taking things apart. If you want to keep checking, use the non-invasive steps in where hidden cameras are hidden.

Found a tracker instead of a camera?

The same order applies: safety, documentation, then removal only when it’s safe. If it’s an AirTag, Apple says holding the top of your iPhone near its white side shows its serial number and the last four digits of the owner’s phone number; take a screenshot. More in how to find a GPS tracker on your car.

SpyOff, our upcoming iPhone app, shows these next steps whenever a check turns up something worth inspecting.

AirTag and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc.

Questions

Should I unplug or remove a hidden camera I find?

No. Leave it where it is and don't open it. Handling it can damage evidence the police may need, and at home it can alert the person who placed it. If you need privacy while you pack, cover it loosely, for example with a towel, without moving it.

Does Airbnb call the police if I report a hidden camera?

Don't count on it. According to deposition testimony CNN reported in July 2024, Airbnb does not notify law enforcement as a matter of practice. If you want an investigation, report it to the police yourself as well as to Airbnb.

Can I get a refund if I find a camera in a rental?

Vrbo says guests may be eligible for a refund when a stay is affected by a host's violation of its surveillance policy. Airbnb says its safety support can include cancelling reservations and rebooking guests, so ask through its 24-hour safety line.

Sources

More guides

How to check a rental for hidden cameras A step-by-step check-in routine for short-term rentals: what to read before you arrive, seven checks to run before you unpack, and what those checks can miss. How to check a hotel room for hidden cameras A short routine for hotel rooms and how it differs from a rental: cameras in lobbies and hallways are normal, the room is what to check, and a hotel Wi-Fi scan proves little. Can your phone detect hidden cameras? What each method finds and misses An honest, method-by-method look at what an iPhone can and can't detect: lens glint, infrared glow, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth device lists, and the magnetometer.