Why You Should Never Charge Your Phone in Public

Due to the epileptic electric power situation in Nigeria, it is not uncommon to see Nigerians charging their telephones in public places.

In gyms, Quick Service Restaurants, airports and other public places, it is now a common and acceptable norm to find people charging their handsets. In fact, some Nigerians go to these places just to charge their phones.

The next time you are tempted to have your phone charged in a public outlet, you may have to thick twice because it has been revealed that “plugging your charger into a public outlet could compromise your phone (along with all the information on it)”.

According to Michael Bruemmer, VP of Consumer Protection at Experian, similar to logging on to public Wi-Fi, plugging in to public outlets can put you at risk.

Think about when you plug your phone into your computer using your power cord. You can download photos, apps, information, etc. from your phone to your computer in minutes. Cut to a compromised public outlet and a hacker could snag all the contents of your phone just as quickly.

This is especially true if you’re using a public USB port (like the ones connected to your seat TV on airplanes and even in rental cars). According to Bruemmer, these public USB ports, where you directly plug your cord in sans adapter, can be compromised even more easily.

We’re not suggesting settling for a dead phone (only a monster would propose such blasphemy), but we do recommend finding alternatives. Bruemmer stresses, overall, it’s best to avoid using public sources to charge your phone, and instead, utilize your own portable charging device when your cell battery is low.

Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/smart-living/why-you-should-never-charge-your-phone-in-public/ar-AAo6ULd?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp