A California mom learned the terrifying truth when her 5-year-old son asked her a simple, yet chilling question.
"Mommy, why is there a phone under there?” he asked. The mother, who asked to remain anonymous, said that she and user son were using the restroom at a local Starbucks in Lancaster, CA.
When she noticed her son was distracted by the sink, she asked him what was going on.
“My son used the restroom first and I used the restroom after him,” she told KTLA. “I noticed he was staring at the sink a little bit perplexed. I asked him what was wrong.”
The boy had noticed a phone with a camera, propped by paper towels facing the toilet. She told Starbucks staff who notified the authorities immediately.
If used correctly, hidden cameras can capture people doing wonderful things like these acts of kindness. However, in the wrong place and in the wrong hands, they're a complete invasion of privacy.
“The deputies discovered that the cellphone was running in a video-recording motion,” said Lt. Joseph Fender with the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station.
While they don’t know how long the phone was recording or where the video was being sent, one thing is for sure: It’s a terrifying situation.
“It’s such a violation of privacy,” the mom said. “Not only of mine, but my son.”
“We are disturbed by this incident and take our obligation to provide a safe environment for our customers and partners (employees) very seriously,” said Starbucks spokesman Jaime Riley. “Our store partners took swift action as soon as they became aware of the incident by immediately alerting the Sheriff’s Department of the situation.”
See the story below and SHARE if you’re going to be checking public restrooms more carefully from now on!
