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A stranger asks to charge their phone using yours. What do you say?

37 replies

maplele · 09/11/2024 09:25

Recently on the London underground. A young man came over and said he needed help. I asked him if he needed directions. He said no but hid phone is dead and you can charge it quickly by holding it against another phone or by plugging it in to another phone. Please could he use my phone to charge his?

I was slightly taken aback. I’d never heard of this. I worried he might somehow be able to access my bank details or info. At any rate I wanted to use my phone to write some work emails. I said no sorry ask someone else.

What would you do?

OP posts:
ViciousCurrentBun · 09/11/2024 09:27

Of course I wouldn’t let a stranger do anything to my phone ever.

PotteringAlonggotkickedoutandhadtoreregister · 09/11/2024 09:27

Nooooooo.

no

Greentreesandbushes · 09/11/2024 09:27

That’s rubbish and I suspect that you knew that. I would say no

Imicola · 09/11/2024 09:29

No. Plugging another phone in is surely a security risk. We're not even allowed to plug our own phones into our work laptops to charge for security reasons let alone someone else's!

ChardonnaysBeastlyCat · 09/11/2024 09:29

No. I wouldn’t even consider it.

Jifmicroliquid · 09/11/2024 09:31

Is this even a thing?
Id say no sorry.

User122456 · 09/11/2024 09:31

You did the right thing by saying no

Ginmonkeyagain · 09/11/2024 09:31

No, no and thrice no. London has amazing things like shops, maps, pay phones, libraries with free computers and internet access and even phone charging stations.

notthatoldchestnut · 09/11/2024 09:31

I'm pretty sure with the new iPhones you can plug them into each other to charge however I wouldn't be allowing someone to do that!

JimPanzee · 09/11/2024 09:32

Absolutely no! Anyone who falls for that is asking to be scammed - but I guess someone must, otherwise they wouldn't bother doing it.

I was in A&E recently with my son and let another parent use my phone charger, but completely different circumstances and definitely no access to my actual phone.

InfoSecInTheCity · 09/11/2024 09:32

No it's not a thing but holding 2 iPhones close together and approving the link connects the phones for data sharing. Don't do it unless you trust the other phones owner.

AgileGreenSeal · 09/11/2024 09:32

Walk away quickly.
You can usually charge phones in stations etc

GoingRoundThatBlockAgain · 09/11/2024 09:32

Categorically not.

InfoSecInTheCity · 09/11/2024 09:32

support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/ipha845e253a/ios

Sethera · 09/11/2024 09:33

It sounds like a method of stealing data from your phone - no way. I would just say mine had hardly any battery left if I was worried for my safety in refusing.

InfoSecInTheCity · 09/11/2024 09:34

SharePlay is designed for music/games and good stuff but as with anything technical a whole heaping load of scammy fuckers have found ways to misuse it.

strawberrybubblegum · 09/11/2024 09:37

Well he was obviously trying to steal from you.

Presumably he wanted your phone unlocked?

Simplest case he runs off with your phone, then he has access to your email and everything you can get password resets for by email.

But given he wanted to put it next to yours, he presumably was going to use NFC: at the very least to take a payment from your Google Pay/Apple Pay, and then if you let him 'just set it up' possibly steal some data from your phone too, to get access to other things.

You should obviously never let a stranger who randomly approaches you anywhere near your phone, especially unlocked.

boulevardofbrokendreamss · 09/11/2024 09:39

You can do it, but not a chance I would.

LaLaLaurie · 09/11/2024 09:42

Likely to be a scam where they run off with your phone. I would let them have my charger cable if I thought they were really in need though.

maplele · 09/11/2024 09:44

To add, he then got on the same tube carriage as me. I saw him thank a man he sat by as he got off, so presumably the man had let him do it.

OP posts:
Anywherebuthere · 09/11/2024 09:44

I'd say no.

I'd worry about data sharing.

nomorehocuspocus · 09/11/2024 09:47

There's not a chance in Hell I would allow anyone to do this.

Borninabarn32 · 09/11/2024 09:47

YANBU You can charge from other people's phones. But 1. It'd take a while, it's not just a quick thing. I think it's pretty rude to ask a stranger to sit about and wait for you to charge your phone off their battery.

And 2. You can also take payments just from touching a phone. You could take any data by plugging in. It's not worth the risk when really no harm is going to come to him by not having his phone. The risk to you is higher than the risk to him. If it was a young girl I'd probably help, I wouldn't want it to be real and her to be unable to get help or get fooled by a dangerous man pretending to help.

Nothatgingerpirate · 09/11/2024 09:48

No, I'm not happy with that.
Full stop.