Do you check for cameras before taking off your clothes?
Many go to Johor to shop and relax.
This Singaporean woman went there to get a massage.
However, she was horrified when she spotted a CCTV camera in the corner of the private room she was in.
The staff denied being aware of the CCTV’s presence before insisting that it wasn’t working.
The owner of the spa has since responded with an explanation.
Unaware of Camera Left Behind by Previous Owner
The spa owner, Mr Yu, told Shin Min Daily News that he was unaware of the camera’s existence.
He said, “We were not familiar with the security system. We didn’t even know that there was a camera in the massage room. It must have been blocked by a curtain before as the monitor was always white. It wasn’t until the customer opened the curtain that the bed could be seen by the camera.”
Mr Yu had only taken over the wellness spa in May 2022.
The spa opened on 1 June 2022.
Apparently, the previous owner left behind all the CCTV cameras in the spa.
What Happened
The Singaporean woman took to STOMP to document her experience.
She had booked a foot and oil body massage at the massage parlour on 16 June 2022.
Her husband and father-in-law went with her.
After completing their foot massage, they were ushered into their respective private rooms and were told to remove their clothes as the masseurs would use massage oil for the second part of their session.
The woman had taken off nearly all her clothes when she noticed a set of blinking red lights.
To her horror, it was a CCTV camera.
The camera wasn’t easily spotted as it was placed next to the curtain.
The woman would not have seen it had she not been hanging her clothes.
She quickly put her clothes on and screamed for her husband.
He immediately ran into the room and called the management team of the massage parlour.
Management Team Reaction
Initially, the management team of the massage parlour claimed to be unaware of the camera’s presence.
They then claimed that it wasn’t working.
The woman wrote, “How did they know the CCTV was not working if they were not aware there was a CCTV in the first place? And if the camera was not functioning, why was there a flashing red light?”
The couple had noticed a CCTV monitor at the payment counter before starting the massage.
When her husband asked to see the CCTV recording, the management team denied his request.
He proceeded to rush to the payment counter to see if there was any ongoing recording.
According to the woman, there was CCTV footage of the private room.
In fact, the footage showed all movement in the massage rooms.
Apologies
According to Shin Min Daily News, Mr Yu had allowed his staff to view the monitor at the payment counter and take photos as he was completely unaware of the camera’s existence.
The woman stated that the management team promised to delete the footage and begged her not to file a police report.
Mr Yu has also tried to apologise to the woman.
However, she refused to accept his explanation or apology.
The woman filed a police report at the Larkin Police Station.
Mr Yu has since handed over the hard disk to the police.
He told Shin Min Daily News that the company has since replaced all the cameras the previous owner had left behind.
Furthermore, he said that his team had not seen the video on the disk.
He also said that only one of the ten rooms in the spa had a hidden camera.
When told by the investigation officer that Mr Yu and his team had already deleted the footage, the woman decided that she still wanted the case to be investigated as she was scared that there were copies of the footage.
Cautionary Tale
The woman was traumatised by the incident.
Since the incident occurred in Malaysia, the Singapore police could not do anything to help her plight.
The massage parlour she patronised is located at the KSL City Mall in Johor Bahru, which many Singaporeans frequent.
She wrote, “The best I can do is to warn Singaporeans to be careful and check the room before undressing.”
Unfortunately, these incidents are more common than we think.
A week ago, it was found that hidden camera footage of an H&M changing room in Malaysia was allegedly being sold online.
Perhaps we should equip ourselves with knowledge on how to spot hidden cameras so that we stay safe.
Featured Image: STOMP