Mum issues warning over the dangers of baby monitors

Mum claims her family is being spied on by hackers through her baby monitor.

Perth mum, Katie McMurray, purchased a baby monitor with her partner, Sean Johnson, to keep an eye on their three-month-old daughter, Chelsea.

The monitor allows them to watch their baby through a phone app, but when Ms McMurray was changing her daughter’s nappy on Tuesday she saw the camera follow her around the room, according to 7 News.

While Katie changed her daughter’s nappy, she noticed the camera iris move and turn to track her every move.

baby 2 baby monitor

“I feel like we buy these things to make sure our kids are safe, and then you don’t know who is watching,” her partner Sean said.

She said she was ‘shocked, (it) really made me quite sick’.

‘Be careful, she warned, anyone could be looking at your children,’ Ms McMurray said.

The couple thought they had been cautious by setting a password for both the camera and their home internet, but they believe a hacker was able to bypass them.

Cyber experts warn any internet applications accessed through home wi-fi carry a risk. “Anything that’s on the internet has a particular ‘footprint’ which can be traced.”

Share your comments below

Image via 7 news

19 Comments

- - BellaB said
  - 01 Oct 2017
    7:34 pm
Scary, but not exactly new information.

- - henrie_01@yahoo.com.au said
  - 30 Sep 2017
    10:54 pm
I love my monitor – it has a screen. No wifi so no hackers I’m assuming and one less thing to look at my phone for.

- - jen1234 said
  - 30 Sep 2017
    10:15 am
We have an old school monitor that was given to us but we’ve never needed it. Mum always told me you can hear them, and she’s right. Money saved through mother instinct.

- - mom206279 said
  - 30 Sep 2017
    8:44 am
Creepy. I never used a monitor. I think they’re unsafe for a whole bunch of other reasons.

- - taynik46 said
  - 29 Sep 2017
    12:45 pm
wow that is scary and creepy. I wondered where the article was going with that title! – I am glad that the baby is safe and hope the parents resort back to the traditional style monitors where you just hear bub in the bed.

- - Ellen said
  - 29 Sep 2017
    4:33 am
That’s creepy ! Wouldn’t want to have a baby monitor with internet applications acessed through home wi-fi at home.

- - youngoldlady said
  - 29 Sep 2017
    2:00 am
I am glad that I never used thee things. I did buy one for my son with his first child, he was glad it was a sound one only and could not see things. That was not because of hacking but from friends who said that they can be worrying as you see things that can scare them.

- - Mum2archer said
  - 28 Sep 2017
    10:30 pm
Thank goodness mine is just a simple one- no internet access needed. That’s scary!
- mom90758 replied
  
  29 Sep 2017 , 12:48 pm
  I had the same one as you and I loved it.
- - country chick said
  - 28 Sep 2017
    8:47 pm
I love my baby monitor, no apps, just a camera and a parent monitor. Keep it simple

- - nadine_hill said
  - 28 Sep 2017
    8:30 pm
Unfortunately, the more advanced technology becomes, the easier it becomes for cyber thieves to steal or spy … photos, identities, personal details …. it has become increasingly dangerous!

- - sars_angelchik said
  - 28 Sep 2017
    8:21 pm
I think technology is just becoming too advanced. A good old fashioned baby monitor with no apps is all you need and they can come with video too without having wifi, etc.

- - cherz said
  - 28 Sep 2017
    8:05 pm
Now a days we have to be on guard all the time.
Scary stuff.

- - mom94125 said
  - 28 Sep 2017
    7:56 pm
i have heard of people being able to do this to the monitors. But i wonder if hers was motion activated so that it would track her around the room? smart tech

- - mom112217 said
  - 28 Sep 2017
    6:18 pm
It sounds very scary when you think about it!

- - mom247592 said
  - 28 Sep 2017
    1:24 pm
The internet can leave a lot of people vulnerable. That’s pretty scary.

- - mom90758 said
  - 28 Sep 2017
    12:38 pm
I wouldn’t feel very comfortable at all using such an app!
- mom93821 replied
  
  29 Sep 2017 , 3:59 am
  I am with you – no thanks!
- - mom93821 said
  - 28 Sep 2017
    12:11 pm
This actually very creepy and surely the police should investigate?