A homeowner found a camouflaged inside his home as ‘sick’ trend spreads online.
The unidentified man was gardening when he spotted the camera hidden in shrubbery outside his home in Scarsdale, New York.
It was hooked up to a hotspot and was broadcasting surveillance footage, police said.
Burglars use the hidden cameras to monitor opportunities to break into homes.
It is believed the group who set up the camera are from South America.
Resident Steve Samtur told CBS News: ‘The bad guys are ahead of us.’
There has so far been no indication of a burglary in the area, and no other cameras have been found.
In May, a woman named Lisa in California also found a camera in a bush pointed at her home.
She told KTLA her neighbour had pulled a camera with a battery pack of a bag.
Lisa said: ‘My neighbour thought someone had put trash in her bush so she went to clear it up.
‘Upon getting closer to the bush, she pulled out a bag and there was a camera with a battery pack.’
Just one day earlier Lisa said she watched news coverage of four men who were arrested with a similar camera in Glendale.
Glendale Police said: ‘This evidence, combined with the finding of freshly disturbed dirt in a planter in the cul-de-sac, led Glendale detectives to believe that the suspects had strategically placed the camera in the planter.
‘This method allowed them to create a sophisticated method to gain a view of residences and know when homeowners would leave.’
The suspects have been identified as Bryan Martinez Vargas, 28, Jose Antonio Velasquez, 28, Edison Arley Pinzon Fandino, 27 and Luis Moreno, 29.
Another camera was found one month later in Alhambra, California, on June 20.
Two weeks later police said a camera was found hidden in bushes across from a recently burgled house in Boston, prompting three arrests.
Police are now urging homeowners to be vigilant and look out for cameras outside their homes.
Glendale police said: ‘Remember, it’s important to regularly inspect the exterior of your home for any unfamiliar objects or changes in the landscaping that could potentially hide a surveillance camera.
‘Keep an eye out for suspicious people knocking on doors. They may be checking whether someone is home.’
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