Juice Jacking: Charging phones in public could drain your bank account in second
A new network is actively looting people's personal information and money through these very public charging points.
Juice Jacking: It is a common habit for most of us to use public USB charging ports at places like railway stations, airports, or bus stands whenever our phone battery runs out. Charging phones in public could drain your bank account in second.
However, from now on, it has become absolutely necessary to think a hundred times before charging your phone in such places. A new network is actively looting people’s personal information and money through these very public charging points. The State Cyber Police Department has issued a strict warning to the public regarding this.
How Does the Fraud Work?
Hacker’s pre-install advanced chips or malware software inside the freely available USB ports in public spaces. The moment citizens connect their mobile phones or laptops to these ports, cybercriminals easily steal photos, private videos, bank account details, and passwords stored on those devices. The police department calls this highly dangerous technological fraud ‘Juice Jacking’.
The Aftereffects of the Scam:
Financial Loss: Cyber thieves use the banking apps, UPI IDs, and debit or credit card details extracted from your phone to do online shopping or transfer money directly.
Blackmailing: They steal personal photos and videos from your phone and demand money by threatening to leak them on social media platforms.
Identity Theft: Your crucial personal documents, including Aadhaar and PAN cards, are sold on the Dark Web to commit other criminal activities.
Safety Guidelines Issued by the Police Department:
To prevent such frauds, the police department has issued several directives:
Use Direct Wall Sockets: Instead of using public USB sockets, it is safest to plug your own adapter directly into an electrical power outlet.
Carry a Power Bank: Always carry a portable power bank with you during travel to avoid battery issues.
Use a USB Data Blocker: If using a public USB port becomes absolutely unavoidable, use a device available in the market called a ‘USB Data Blocker’ to charge safely.
