(Wit Olszewski/shutterstock.com)

A family made a creepy discovery at an Airbnb in Ireland last month: their host was secretly filming them with an internet-connected camera.

The Barker family of New Zealand noticed the camera when one of the family members checked the surrounding Wi-Fi networks and saw the device. He then accessed the camera and discovered it was live-streaming all the footage.

"We just found a camera hidden in a smoke alarm case in the private living room of a listing. We were travelling with children," reads the Facebook post made by Nealie Barker on April 1.

The same post contains a family photo taken from live stream of the surveillance camera after it had been accessed. "The host admitted to the concealed camera over the phone, only after presented with our irrefutable proof," she added.

After discovering the camera, the Barker family relocated to a nearby hotel. However, the family told CNN that Airbnb was initially dismissive of the whole incident. "They had no advice for us over the phone," Nealie Barker reportedly said. A representative "just said that if you cancel within 14 days, you won't get your money back."

Nealie decided to publicize the incident on Facebook after the company told her that the Airbnb host had been "exonerated" for secretly filming them. "PLEASE SHARE WIDELY. AIRBNB APPROVE HIDDEN CAMERAS AT THEIR HOUSES," reads Nealie's Facebook post.

Airbnb later removed the host from the platform. "Airbnb policies strictly prohibit hidden cameras in listings and we take reports of any violations extremely seriously," the company said in email to PCMag.

"Our original handling of this incident did not meet the high standards we set for ourselves, and we have apologized to the family and fully refunded their stay," Airbnb added.

The company's policies prohibit surveillance devices inside a property's private spaces, such as bedrooms and bathrooms. However, Airbnb hosts can install security cameras in common areas, under the condition they've been disclosed to the guest on the rental listing.

Still, not every Airbnb host will follow the rules. Last month, The Atlantic published a piece documenting the experiences of a few Airbnb users who've found hidden cameras in their rentals. Airbnb told PCMag negative incidents with the home-sharing service remain rare.