Normally you wouldn't give this innocent household article a second look but in today's "Big Brother" society what lurks in these cans may not be shaving foam or air freshener but a hidden spy camera able to send video of you to a receiver placed anything up to 100 metres away.



Many of these cans can be adapted so that they have no contents and are sold initially as safe cans able to put your money or valuables into them to keep them safe. No thief would look twice at a can of shaving foam. However with the can's false bottom and an empty inside area you can easily place your jewellery or cash inside for safe keeping.

However this "safe can" is now also being used to install a hidden video camera inside. The camera is stuck to the inside of the can and a pinhole size hole is made in the side of the can allowing the lens to see out. The cameras are powered by a clip on 9 volt PP3 battery and the whole set up fits nicely inside. When the false bottom is replaced you would not know any difference from a normal shave foam can.

The video camera once powered can then send the images it is viewing to a receiver which can be connected to a TV or video recorder. The type of can used can be anything from a shave foam can to a simple tin of baked beans. The quality of the picture is also extremely good particularly considering that the images are captured by a lens the size of a pen nib.

Active Spy Shop are the main suppliers of this type of camera www.active-spy-shop.co.uk and all their cameras are of the highest quality. Priced under ?200 for the whole package they are pretty reasonably priced.

Of course many would complain that this type of camera can be misused for sneaky purposes but they also offer a valuable tool for parents who have child minders or nannies to ensure their children are being well treated when they are not there. Also internal household thefts are commonplace and this device has been used to great effect in identifying thieves.

So next time you move that tin of beans, take a shave or spray the air freshener make sure you smile for the camera.