A woman claimed to have found a hidden camera in the Airbnb flat she had rented.
Katelyn Boss, a 22-year-old social media manager, and her friend Rachel Horman, also 22, were enjoying a vacation in Miami, Florida, in early June. During their stay, they were also exploring potential properties for a future move to the area.
However, one evening when Katelyn was out and Rachel, who works as a waitress, stayed behind in the rented flat, something unsettling occurred. They decided to share their story on TikTok (@katelyn_boss19), where their video garnered a total of 12.1 million views.
Recalling the incident, Katelyn explained how they stumbled upon what they believed to be a hidden camera.
Upon returning back to the Airbnb, Katelyn was soon to change her mind.
She said: “When I saw it in person, it looked like a camera. I tried to stay calm so we weren't losing our minds... but I was scared.
“The camera was facing directly at the mirror, meaning you could see anything and everything we did. We found it on the second night, but we [had been] changing in front of the mirror.”
The two friends then called 911 to report the incident, before later contacting Airbnb’s Safety Team.
She said: “The officer seemed annoyed to help us — we must’ve come across as some dumb, young blondes being over dramatic.
“But then, another officer was very kind and agreed that there was a high possibility of it being a camera. After we explained why we called them, they were very helpful and kind.”
Worried for their safety, the pair then had the police come to the property to investigate.
She said: “We were out here alone with nobody to come to help us. We did what we thought was best at that moment, and we didn’t want to reach out to the host.”
Speaking to Airbnb, Katelyn and Rachel were given a full refund and were relocated to a different property for seven nights.
She said: “The week was good, but it was so unfortunate because we had nowhere to stay for the remaining weeks.
“We were very blessed and I know not everyone gets the same opportunity as us.
“Looking back I think this was very traumatising, we live in a sick world and I’m not even surprised.
“Airbnb is very convenient and it's a shame that we had this experience.”
In a video posted to TikTok, Katelyn can be seen speaking to the camera and says: “We’re at our Airbnb and we think there’s a camera in the lightbulb.”
She then points the camera to the light shade and bulb and says: “Tell me that is not a camera.”
They can then be seen on the phone to 911, as the camera is directed at Katelyn’s face.
Later, they are seen waiting outside the building waiting for the police to arrive, before showing the audience the hotel floor as the cops check the bulb out.
The final clip shows a policeman inspecting the bulb – but the discovery of a camera is not verified.
The video has 965,000 likes and thousands of comments from baffled users so far.
Terra commented: “Omg update us pls!! can clearly see the lens in that.” [sic]
Mahay said: “Just hide the cameras or leave the airbnb.” [sic]
Someone else added: “That is definitely a camera.” Linae wrote: “Not me just leaving my air bnb in florida.” [sic]
“That 100% looks like a camera,” said another user. “Girl thats a camera...,” added someone else. [sic]
Milnow added: “Electrician here, it wasnt a camera. Just an empty fixture.” [sic]
Katelyn added: “Most comments were about us wasting police time for not calling the non-emergency number.
“If this truthfully was a camera or even a live camera we had no idea if someone was watching us at that moment (figuring it out).
“I probably will use Airbnb again if I'm in a group but won't if I'm alone. I'd rather stay in a hotel with security. I've also received a camera detector and I'm bringing it with me everywhere I go.”
An Airbnb spokesperson said: “We ban hidden cameras and have been supporting the guest as we investigate this allegation.”
The spokesperson added that the guest “never reported” the incident to the “host or our community support team”.
Additionally, they said that the police “has not shared a report in relation to this matter” and that the community support team has “proactively reached out to them to provide support.”
