Kmart baby monitor allegedly HACKED, parents warned to "throw it out"
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If you have small children or newborns living with you in your home, baby monitors can put your mind at ease by alerting you when they need help. Some are also used to supervise children with medical conditions and to keep an eye on their breathing or heart rates.
However, not all baby monitors on the market are as trustworthy and dependable as they might appear to be…
In a social media post, after complaining that their baby monitor was allegedly "hacked" and started acting strangely, a terrified couple pleaded with other parents to "throw out" their similar devices.
The individual who made the post on Facebook claimed that his son and his son's partner were issuing a warning regarding their Mirabella baby monitor from Kmart, which they had purchased for $99.
According to the family's post, the gadget allegedly moved, scanned the baby's room, and then shut off when an adult saw the odd behaviour.
A couple claims their Kmart baby monitor has been "hacked" and is acting strangely. Credit: news.com.au.
The post on Facebook read: "If anyone has this baby monitor from Kmart, throw it out now. Over the last few weeks, my son and his partner have noticed it change positions."
"My son awoke at 2 a.m. last night to find it turned on and scanning their crib and room very slowly while they were all sleeping. My son watched it, then after watching it slowly scan the room, he looked directly at the camera, and it immediately turned off when it noticed him looking at it," they continued.
The author of the Facebook post went on to say that the device had been "hacked" because it lacked a motion sensor, which meant it couldn't have detected the son's movement if there wasn't someone behind the camera.
Facebook users and fellow parents quickly expressed their worry in the comments, with many urging the author to inform Kmart of the alleged incident and to spread the word about it.
One user wrote in the comments, "Holy moly! How scary is this! Sorry this happened to you and that your privacy was violated," with a second one adding, "OMG I feel sick, this is disgusting…"
Also, it appears that this was not the first instance of a Mirabella baby monitor being "hacked". In 2020, it was reported that a Melbourne mum heard a man's voice on another of the brand's baby monitors.
After finishing breastfeeding her child, Kiara claims to have dozed off before awakening to the sound of an unidentified man's voice coming through the baby monitor.
"My partner Daniel and I were sleeping, everything was quiet and dark," the mum recalled. "Then I heard it: a deep man's voice that didn't belong to anyone I knew. I heard him say, 'Mmmm, that's a cute one,' out of the blue."
Kiara remembered being "frozen" and "so scared" at the time, and all she could manage was to reach over to her partner and squeeze his arm, rousing him to go check out what had happened.
A Melbourne mum said she heard a man's voice on her baby monitor. Credit: Kidspot.
The earlier claims that say the devices "move on their own" have since been refuted by a spokesperson for Mirabella, who explained that this particular camera has an "activity zoning" feature that can be enabled in the app and will make the device track any movement in the room.
Furthermore, they claimed that the camera does not operate in the manner suggested by the post; rather, it simply emits a red light in the dark that goes out when the lights are turned on.
The spokesperson added that they are not aware of any hacking issues with their products, but urged clients to contact them if they are seriously concerned.
According to Mirabella Development Manager John Hoang, "Any customers with a faulty baby monitor can contact Mirabella directly, and any hacking incident should be brought to Mirabella so that we can examine the actual baby monitor for any faults or tampering."
And with the case of Kiara and her "talking" baby monitor, Mr Hoang said that the company investigated the incident and found no suspicious or external activity.
"We are not aware of any other hacking problems with our cameras in Australia or around the world," he added.
What a scary situation! No parent or child, regardless of the circumstances, deserves to have their right to privacy violated in any way…
Have any of our members who use a baby monitor at home had any similar experiences? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
However, not all baby monitors on the market are as trustworthy and dependable as they might appear to be…
In a social media post, after complaining that their baby monitor was allegedly "hacked" and started acting strangely, a terrified couple pleaded with other parents to "throw out" their similar devices.
The individual who made the post on Facebook claimed that his son and his son's partner were issuing a warning regarding their Mirabella baby monitor from Kmart, which they had purchased for $99.
According to the family's post, the gadget allegedly moved, scanned the baby's room, and then shut off when an adult saw the odd behaviour.
A couple claims their Kmart baby monitor has been "hacked" and is acting strangely. Credit: news.com.au.
The post on Facebook read: "If anyone has this baby monitor from Kmart, throw it out now. Over the last few weeks, my son and his partner have noticed it change positions."
"My son awoke at 2 a.m. last night to find it turned on and scanning their crib and room very slowly while they were all sleeping. My son watched it, then after watching it slowly scan the room, he looked directly at the camera, and it immediately turned off when it noticed him looking at it," they continued.
The author of the Facebook post went on to say that the device had been "hacked" because it lacked a motion sensor, which meant it couldn't have detected the son's movement if there wasn't someone behind the camera.
Facebook users and fellow parents quickly expressed their worry in the comments, with many urging the author to inform Kmart of the alleged incident and to spread the word about it.
One user wrote in the comments, "Holy moly! How scary is this! Sorry this happened to you and that your privacy was violated," with a second one adding, "OMG I feel sick, this is disgusting…"
Also, it appears that this was not the first instance of a Mirabella baby monitor being "hacked". In 2020, it was reported that a Melbourne mum heard a man's voice on another of the brand's baby monitors.
After finishing breastfeeding her child, Kiara claims to have dozed off before awakening to the sound of an unidentified man's voice coming through the baby monitor.
"My partner Daniel and I were sleeping, everything was quiet and dark," the mum recalled. "Then I heard it: a deep man's voice that didn't belong to anyone I knew. I heard him say, 'Mmmm, that's a cute one,' out of the blue."
Kiara remembered being "frozen" and "so scared" at the time, and all she could manage was to reach over to her partner and squeeze his arm, rousing him to go check out what had happened.
A Melbourne mum said she heard a man's voice on her baby monitor. Credit: Kidspot.
The earlier claims that say the devices "move on their own" have since been refuted by a spokesperson for Mirabella, who explained that this particular camera has an "activity zoning" feature that can be enabled in the app and will make the device track any movement in the room.
Furthermore, they claimed that the camera does not operate in the manner suggested by the post; rather, it simply emits a red light in the dark that goes out when the lights are turned on.
The spokesperson added that they are not aware of any hacking issues with their products, but urged clients to contact them if they are seriously concerned.
According to Mirabella Development Manager John Hoang, "Any customers with a faulty baby monitor can contact Mirabella directly, and any hacking incident should be brought to Mirabella so that we can examine the actual baby monitor for any faults or tampering."
And with the case of Kiara and her "talking" baby monitor, Mr Hoang said that the company investigated the incident and found no suspicious or external activity.
"We are not aware of any other hacking problems with our cameras in Australia or around the world," he added.
What a scary situation! No parent or child, regardless of the circumstances, deserves to have their right to privacy violated in any way…
Have any of our members who use a baby monitor at home had any similar experiences? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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