‘Throw it out now’: Parents claim Kmart baby monitor was hacked

A couple have issued a warning about a popular Kmart baby monitor after claiming the device was acting strangely.

A terrified couple have urged other parents to “throw out” their Kmart baby monitors after claiming their device was “hacked” and began behaving erratically.

In a social media post, a user claims that his son and their partner were issuing a warning about their $99 Mirabella baby monitor that they purchased from Kmart.

The family’s post claims that the device changed positions, scanned their infant’s room and then turned off after an adult noticed the strange activity.

A spokesperson for Mirabella has denied the claims, stating that this particular camera has an ‘activity zoning’ function that can be turned on in the app, which will cause the device to follow any movement in the room.

They also said the camera cannot turn on and off in the way the post claimed, but rather has a red light that comes on in darkness, which will disappear once the lights are turned on.

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The parents have claimed they witnessed strange activity from their baby monitor. Picture: Supplied.

The post urged parents to 'throw out' their Mirabella baby monitors. Picture: Facebook.

“If anyone has this baby monitor from Kmart, throw it out now,” the post starts.

“Over the last few weeks, my son and his partner have noticed it change positions.

“Last night, my son woke up at 2am, to find it on and scanning the crib and their room, really slowly when they were all sleeping.

“My son watched it, then after watching it slowly scan, he looked directly at the camera, and it turned off immediately, after it saw him looking at it.

“It is not motion sensored, it has been hacked.”

Facebook users were quick to express their concern in the comments, with many urging the poster to make a report to Kmart and to spread the word about the alleged incident.

“Holy moly! How scary is this! Sorry you guys had this happen and your privacy invaded” one user said.

“OMG I feel sick, this is disgusting” another said.
“I’ve just put mine in the cupboard.”

The baby monitor in question is currently 'out of stock' on the Kmart website. Picture: Kmart

Back in 2020, it was reported that a Melbourne mum allegedly heard a man’s voice come through on another Mirabella baby monitor.

The mum Kiara claims to have just drifted off after breastfeeding her baby when she woke to hear a strange man’s voice come through the baby monitor.

“My partner Daniel and I were sleeping, everything was quiet and dark,” the mum told Kidspot.
“Then I heard it – a really deep man’s voice that doesn’t belong to anyone that I know. Out of the blue, I heard him say, ‘Mmmmm … that’s a cute one.’

“I was frozen. I was so scared. I reached over to my partner and squeezed his arm so he would wake up.”

A Melbourne mum claimed to have heard a man's voice come through her Mirabella baby monitor back in 2020. Picture: Kidspot

Mirabella’s Response

A spokesperson for Mirabella said that they are not aware of any hacking issues with their devices, but urged customers to get in touch if they are concerned.

“Any customers with a faulty baby monitor can contact Mirabella directly and any hacking incident should be brought to the attention of Mirabella in order for us to examine the actual baby monitor for any faults or tampering” Mirabella deveoppmant manager John Hoang stated.

“We understand that security, privacy and safety are serious concerns for consumers and particularly, parents with children.
“Our cameras/baby monitors are manufactured to international industry standards for a global market and to the best of our knowledge, a secure device.

“To date, we have received one hacking claim back in Nov 2020 which we investigated 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.
“I need to point out that this particular camera has activity zoning which can be activated via the app, which means the camera will automatically detect and follow any movement in the room” they explained.

“The camera also cannot turn on or off as the post suggests, it will have a red light if the room is dark for night vision and that red light will turn off if the bedroom lights are turned on.”