Thread: Fake Cameras

A North Carolina owner is taking some heat for having "simulated" cameras.

http://www.insideselfstorage.com/new...e-cameras.aspx

It's not clear whether or not he advertised having amazing security or multiple cameras.

What do you think? OK to have decoy cameras?

No way. Giving people the impression of security when there isn't any is a dangerous liability as a commercial business. I vaguely remember a case where a woman was assaulted in a storage corridor and she decided to rent from that place in some part due to the security camera she saw when she took the tour. I believe the business was found liable for that intentionally misleading camera and had to pay dearly.

We don't even say we have video surveillance, which could imply that the cameras we DO have are monitored 24/7. We only mention the fact that we have 16 cameras, nothing more than that. We don't even call them security cameras.

Absolutely not ok to have fake cameras. That would give a false impression that could cost dearly later.

From prior experience in retail, the problem with fake cameras is that they are never a secret for long. The manager/owner may want the perception they are real to prevail, but soon after they're installed, the truth comes out. The unraveling usually goes something like this...Customer comes in bright and early, tells the cashier he droped his wallet on the floor right by the register yesterday at 3pm, didn't realize it until this morning. Could he check the recording and see if they can tell who picked it up. Cashier asks the manager, who in an attempt to keep it secret, goes in the back room, comes out after a few minutes, says he doesn't recognize the person. Customer says "I had $200 cash and a winning lottery ticket in that wallet" and demands to view the tape himself to see if he can figure out who grabbed his wallet. Manager then relents and says they're fake. So now a cashier and a customer know, and they spread the word thru casual conversation. Days later an armed robber comes in; he'd heard the cameras are fake, there's no one else in the store besides the cashier who could identify him, robs the place and kills the cashier.
Ask yourself "would that employee still be alive if the cameras were real and the robber thought the cashier was not the only source of recognition?" I don't pretend to know the answer. I just always install real cameras.

I find myself most surprised that the owner admitted it on TV...

I guess I don't find myself too wound up about there being fake cameras, HOWEVER it is a very good point that if you advertise your security and it turns out they're all fake, that is deliberately misleading.

But it seems to me that if you added a small number of fake cameras to your existing working set, or made the fake ones far more obvious than the real ones, something along those lines, that would be ok so. I could see answering a question about security along the lines of "We have 24 cameras. 18 of them are real" or "We have both working and non-working cameras throughout the facility" is enough to suggest that you are employing some subterfuge in your security measures. Still doesn't seem out of bounds.

But then, for what I've seen of video camera surveillance, I can't say I'm impressed with the quality unless some hapless crook manages to look right into the camera from an amazing 3 feet away...

Fake camera's are a thing of the past. Camera's have come down in price and are way easier to install plus you the new IP camera's have huge mobility and capabilities. Moreover, I love having camera's that I can then go back on to find out who went where and when when I need it.

The craziest part is that their are even REAL camera's that are cheaper than the fakes these days mind you the quality falls into the you get what you pay for category.

I am absolutely against fake cameras. Integrity is so important in any business and increasingly more important in our business as competition increases. If you have a camera visible, I believe it is deceptive and false advertising for it to be fake. I think this falls under the "bait and switch" category.

Can't believe this kind of thinking is still around! I thought it was common knowledge that having fake camera, regardless of advertising, is a HUGE liability. Giving the customer a false sense of security for the purpose of obtaining leases is a big 'no-no'. Don't ever do it. And remember, having a functioning camera system with a camera that needs to be repaired, is different than having fakes. Save yourself the legal hassles. Make them real or take them down.....

All together now say: "Class Action Lawsuit".

Some local attorney will get hold of this situation and a couple of customers and sue the owner on behalf of all their customers. Even if nothing was ever said about security, which I doubt very much, the mere presence of the fake cameras allowed their customers to rely on those for protection.

Step 1 File the law suit
Step 2 Show the video admission
Step 3 File for declaratory judgment.

Another great example of fact that the media is NOT your friend.

MisterJim444

Originally Posted by LLLVIS

I find myself most surprised that the owner admitted it on TV...

But then, for what I've seen of video camera surveillance, I can't say I'm impressed with the quality unless some hapless crook manages to look right into the camera from an amazing 3 feet away...

I have to agree - most cameras (unless you really put out some serious bucks) are not good enough to get a good picture of someone - especially at night. And besides, even if you have a video of someone doing something they shouldn't, it doesn't mean you'll catch them. As the police told me (when they looked at a crystal clear video of kids throwing rocks at RV's in the RV portion of my yard) - unless the perps are wearing name tags or are already known to officers (less likely the bigger the city you live in), they don't know who they are to go bust them. My response - get someone to live on-site (and in a position where they can see just about everywhere from their vantage - and someone who goes for a lot of walks with their dogs). So far the couple times we've had issues (again, kids throwing rocks), his quick call to the PD had them here reading the kids the riot act in less than five minutes.

MRV
(why couldn't they keep their rock-throwing exercise to the storage units - a few dents in the walls wouldn't bother me!)