Coat hooks are typically used for hanging keys, clothing, umbrellas, and headphones. However, it’s hard to imagine them being used for something sinister—until you learn the truth.
In some hotels and public facilities, certain coat hooks have been found to contain hidden cameras. Similar devices have also been discovered in other public spaces, including women’s restrooms.
Recently, Floridians reported three incidents. According to an MCSO report:
“In women’s restrooms, small cameras hidden within coat hooks were found mounted on the walls. One was discovered on May 26 at Anne’s Beach, another on May 28 in the women’s restroom at Harry Harris Park in Tavernier, and a third on May 31 at the Circle K Store near the 99.8 mile marker on U.S. Highway One.”
In another case from 2011 at a Kansas YMCA locker room, a woman accidentally knocked a camera off a clothes hanger. Investigators noted that the hook had a sticky underside.
Lieutenant Randy Reynolds from the Wichita Police Department’s $:e::x Crimes Unit remarked, “The device is so inconspicuous that it wouldn’t stand out. Any changing room could be a target.”
Even more unsettling is the fact that these covert devices can be purchased for as little as $20 to $50. The manufacturer even promotes them with the slogan, “No one will suspect a clothes hook of concealing a camera.”
These hooks work with MicroSD cards, allowing for up to two hours of recording on a 16 GB card.
While they might seem handy for deterring theft in an office, many people are misusing them for voyeuristic purposes, secretly spying on vulnerable women and children.
So, how can you tell one apart? They look like ordinary plastic coat hangers except for a small opening at the top—that’s actually the lens (as highlighted in red). In some cases, there’s even a side button on the motion sensor that needs to be pressed to activate the device.
On white hangers, the indicator lights are very bright and noticeable, but on black ones, they can be much harder to spot.
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