It’s worth paying attention to even the small incidents of attempted spying. Eavesdropping equipment is cheap and easily obtained. News reports are of the few who get caught, but there are many more that go undetected.  Contact us if you have concerns for your place of business. 

Tampa, FL:

Ex-employee’s lawsuit claims Tampa company didn’t act on covert videos

Days after the chief financial officer of a Tampa maintenance company was accused of recording videos of female employees using the bathroom and showering, the former information technology employee who exposed the chief  financial officer’s alleged actions has sued the company and his ex-boss.

On March 28, Jeremy Lenkowski, the former information technology director for MaintenX , filed a lawsuit accusing the company’s president and vice president, among others, of failing to act after Lenkowski showed them videos he’d discovered on CFO James Stanton Jr.’s laptop in 2010.

Lenkowski claims MaintenX’s leaders threatened to sue him for defamation if he went to police and spread lies about him, ultimately leading him to suffer an emotional and mental breakdown.

After quitting MaintenX a year ago, Lenkowski went to police, who arrested Stanton on March 21. He is charged with 123 counts of video voyeurism, a third-degree felony, and has been fired from MaintenX. Two of the women in the videos have sued him.

[Read More: Tampa Bay Times]

 

FORT MYERS BEACH, FL:

Hidden camera found in vacation home on Fort Myers Beach

A family vacation on Fort Myers Beach took a disturbing turn after a hidden camera was found inside a rental home. The victims, vacationing from Indiana, told deputies they discovered a tiny camera inside the bathroom on Bayview Drive. “I have goose bumps right now,” said Angelo Letsos, who lives nearby. “Whoever did it had no respect for privacy. They have no respect.” Deputies say they’re treating this as a case of voyeurism.

Local attorney Scot Goldberg warns this new digital age translates into watchful eyes – for better or worse. “You always warn about big brother. Satellites where people can be looked at from space. That goes all the way down to the consumer,” Goldberg said. Deputies say the camera was hidden inside a clock radio.

“These things have evolved, where you can get away with it and no one will know about it,” Goldberg said. The sheriff’s office has a suspect, but won’t release any more details. Depending on what was captured on the camera, the person responsible could face felony charges. We discovered the owner of the rental property is David Zagar. He also owns a company called Car-Tunes in Fort Myers.

Zagar’s attorney says the owner was blindsided by the whole thing. He says Zagar had absolutely no idea about the hidden cameras. 

[Read More: nbc-2.com]

 

 

Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada:

Hidden camera found in men’s locker room at Fredericton YMCA

Breach in security procedures discovered during routine operational review and police contacted

Fredericton police are investigating the placement of a surveillance camera in the men’s locker room at the Fredericton YMCA. A caller to CBC news indicated the YMCA had secretly installed a camera in the men’s changing room because of an ongoing problem with thefts and it was discovered by the new chief operating officer, Barb Ramsay.

The YMCA initially agreed to an interview, then cancelled and issued a statement by email instead. “While recently undertaking a routine operational review … we discovered a breach in our security procedures,” reads the statement from Ramsay.

“We took immediate steps to correct the situation and notified Fredericton city police, who are currently investigating, “YMCA members’ safety and privacy is intact and not at risk.” The organization says it sent out the same brief statement to its members. But no YMCA members contacted by CBC news had received the statement or knew of the investigation.

YMCA Canada president and CEO Scott Haldane says Ys across the country were contacted and it is believed this is an isolated incident. Haldane said the Y does not condone cameras in locker rooms or any other private areas of its facilities. He could not confirm who installed the camera in Fredericton or how long it had been operating.

[Read More: CBC News]