After installing security cameras around the house, a Mississippi mother caught her child conversing with the security camera in her bedroom.
When she realized why her daughter was talking to it, she decided to sell the house immediately.
They Bought Security Cameras
Ashley LeMay and her husband had four daughters, and since they were always worried about their safety, they decided to install security cameras around the house.
They purchased the cameras and installed them in different rooms, including their daughters' bedrooms. And what happened a few days later shocked them to the core.
On December 4th
What started as a typical day for the LeMay family quickly turned into a nightmare when they noticed their daughter speaking to the security camera.
Little Alyssa complained about hearing strange music and sounds coming from the corner where the camera was positioned.
Strange Voice
That day, Alyssa heard a man's voice from the security camera in her bedroom. "Hello there," the voice said.
She checked every corner of her room, but there was no one there.
He Was Harassing Her
Alyssa was alone in the room. Yet, someone was speaking to her. The voice kept harassing her and shouting racial slurs at her over and over again.
"What? I can't hear you!" she yelled at the stranger. Then, the man began playing a song called "Tip Toe Through The Tulips," which is often featured in horror films.
She Was Scared
The man asked Alyssa to call her parents a racial slur. And when she refused to do it, he said: "Come on, girl, say it with me!"
Alyssa called her mom and asked for help. "Mom? Who is that?" the little girl cried.
He Didn't Stop
The stranger replied: "I'm your best friend. You can do whatever you want right now. You can mess up your room; you can break your TV. You can do whatever you want."
Frustrated, the girl yelled again: "Who is that?"
"Santa Claus"
"I'm your best friend, Santa Claus," the voice from the security camera replied.
"I don't know who you are," Alyssa said. When her father overheard the conversation, he called Ashley, who was at work, and asked her if she was playing a prank on her daughters.
It Was A Hacker
Ashley had no idea what her husband was talking about. When he showed her the footage, her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Someone had hacked their security cameras and was spying on their children.
“I started watching the video on my phone, and when I heard his voice and realized it was not my husband’s voice, my heart just dropped, and I ran back to the house,” she recalled.
Her Trust Was Broken
Alyssa's parents immediately called the security camera company and demanded answers.
“I don’t feel it was a coincidence that I have four girls, and they were trying to gain their trust, telling her she could do whatever she wanted,” Ashely said. Finally, after a few days, the company sent her an email.
They Didn't Even Apologize
The company informed the family that they had detected "unusual activity" on their account. However, they didn't apologize or offer them assistance.
“I’m shocked at Ring’s response,” Ashley said. “I thought I would have 16 voicemails from them when I got home because it’s become such a big deal, and it was such a creepy video. I was frustrated they hadn’t given me an update.” Then, after three long days, a Ring employee answered her call.
The Employee's Response
The employee didn't apologize for the incident either. Instead, he began questioning Ashley about the passwords and the reason for not activating the two-factor authorization.
She was shocked by the company's lack of empathy.
Feeling Guilty
“To be honest, it felt like they were trying to place the blame on me. As a mother, I already feel guilty enough that I let this happen to my family…There’s just no need for that,” she told The Washington Post.
Later, the company released an official statement.
The Company's Statement
"Recently, we were made aware of an incident where malicious actors obtained some Ring users' account credentials (e.g., username and password) from a separate, external, non-Ring service and reused them to log in to some Ring accounts," the statement read.
"Unfortunately, when the same username and password is reused on multiple services, it's possible for bad actors to gain access to many accounts." The company then informed the LeMay family that they had blocked the hacker.
They Are Still Scared
"Customer trust is important to us, and we take the security of our devices seriously," the company's spokesperson said.
Although Ashley and her husband had removed the security camera from their bedroom, their children are still scared to sleep there.