Preventing Peeping Toms

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A stalker secretly recorded nude videos of sportscaster Erin Andrews through a peephole.

The device used costs under $50 and there is a simple way to protect yourself.

“Put a little piece of tape on the back of a peep hole when you enter a hotel room..”

Patrick Dodds works at the Spy Depot store in Mississauga. He says people are being watched all the time.

“It happens more than you think. A lot of people think it’s just in the movies and on TV but we have a full store that sells it everyday.”

Two weeks ago 33-year old Brent Hachborn, the vice principal at St. George German Public School was charged with voyeurism. It was staff at another school, James Hillier in Brantford, who called police after a camera was found hidden in the drop ceiling of their washroom.

“It can be very difficult to spot hidden cameras so much so it could be in any one of these devices. But in this situation it’s really difficult. It’s in that tiny little hole by the ceiling.”

That’s where a bug detector comes in handy.

“You point the lasers at any hidden camera and the laser will bounce off the lens and you will see it as you look through this hole.”

It sells for $100 and is one of the most popular items in the store.

You can find hidden cameras in everything from a rock, to an alarm clock, to a cell phone charger, a fire alarm and a motion sensor that can be wireless so you can check the feed from anywhere, even an outdoor bird house.

Last year Niagara police recorded 10 violations of voyeurism. In 2013 Hamilton police intercepted 12. If found guilty the penalty can be up to five years in jail.

Experts say always check out your surroundings.

“Mainly looking for any sort of random electronic that might be in the room or any hole in the wall or random dot look at it and be suspicious.”

While it may be difficult to spot a hidden camera, it’s not so hard to place them anywhere.