A lawsuit accuses Amazon of enabling a West Virginia man to spy on an underage Brazilian girl with a hidden camera.
The device, which resembles a clothes hook, was purchased from Amazon and used to record the girl.
The suit alleges that Amazon failed to remove the camera from its platform despite inspecting it three times and knowing the potential harm it could cause.
The criminal case against the West Virginia man
Darrel Wells of West Virginia is accused of secretly recording an underage Brazilian foreign exchange student he was hosting at his home in 2021.
He allegedly used a camera disguised as a clothes hook to film her in her private spaces like the bathroom and bedroom. According to prosecutors, he possessed 600 images of child pornography. Wells is charged with 10 counts of criminal invasion of privacy and child porn.
The lawsuit against Amazon by the underage girl
While the criminal case is underway, the underage girl is also suing Amazon. She claims Wells bought the hidden camera on Amazon.
HOW GOOGLE’S DATA CAN MAKE YOU A SUSPECT IN A CRIME YOU DIDN’T COMMIT
The seller allegedly sold the camera as a part of the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program. According to Amazon, products sold in the FBA program go under an inspection process. The company, according to its own policy, looks to see if products meet restrictions, are in good shape and to see if they meet safety standards.
Amazon tried to get the case dismissed back in March. However, a judge ruled against the company's motion — saying Amazon can't act surprised when a buyer is using the product for its advertised purpose. She's suing for unspecified damages and is looking for a jury trial.
Are hidden cameras still on Amazon's website?
The specific clothes hook hidden camera from the lawsuit is no longer on Amazon's website. In fact, going to the link will bring up a "page not found" error.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
MORE: IS SOMEONE SPYING ON YOU THROUGH YOUR HACKED WEBCAM? 7 RED FLAGS
However, there are a number of products just like it still available on Amazon's marketplace. You can bring up several results just by searching "clothes hook spy camera" or "clothes hook hidden camera."
MORE: HOW TO DETECT A HACKER SPYING ON YOU THROUGH YOUR DOORBELL CAMERA
Just a quick search of "hidden camera" gets results like cameras hidden in smoke detectors, alarm clocks, and phone chargers. They look exactly like their non-camera counterparts. You can't even tell some feature a camera.
MORE: YOU ARE A HACKER TARGET WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT
We reached out to Amazon for a comment on this article, but a company spokesperson declined to comment.
Kurt's key takeaways
It is absolutely appalling to see products like these hidden cameras on Amazon. While there are innocent reasons to buy a hidden camera, the bad outweighs the good here. The fact that some of these hidden cameras pass Amazon's security checks is a head scratcher to me. What concerns me even more is how undetectable some of these cameras are. A few of them are the size of pinholes and would be nearly impossible to spot without a very close look. The fact that they can look like any object in your bedroom or bathroom concerns me even more.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
What do you want to see Amazon do about hidden cameras? Would you want to see the e-commerce giant ban them outright? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
For more of my tech tips & security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to cover.
Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:
- What is the best way to protect your Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android devices from getting hacked?
- What is the best way to stay private, secure and anonymous while browsing the web?
- How can I get rid of robocalls with apps and data-removal services?
CyberGuy Best Holiday Gift Guide
- Last-minute gifts for the holidays
- Best Holiday Week Deals EXTENDED
- Best Cyber Week Laptop Deals
- Best gifts for women 2023
- Best gifts for men 2023
- 22 best gifts for kids
- Best gifts for pets
Copyright 2023 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.