The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning to travelers about “juice jacking,” a deceptive practice used to steal information from phones while they charge at public stations at airports and in hotels.

According to ABC Chicago, an FBI spokesperson said people should avoid using free charging stations in “airports, hotels or shopping centers” due to concerns that hackers would use the public USB ports to “introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices.”

Scammers figured out that some smartphones use the same port for charging and data transfer, allowing them to move data between devices and steal information or install malware. Juice jacking has been a tool used by hackers for years, but the FBI is the first federal agency to address the issue.

To offset the possible issues associated with the charger scam, travelers are advised to bring a portable charger or external battery, carry a charging-only cable and avoid plugging devices into public wires.

Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers. Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices. pic.twitter.com/9T62SYen9T

Hackers also use public Wi-Fi networks in airports and other public spaces to steal information.

Last year, research conducted by cybersecurity company NordVPN shockingly revealed that one in four travelers have been hacked while using public Wi-Fi on their travels abroad. Most of those attacks occurred while people were in transit at airports, bus or train stations.

Stick to electrical outlets

The best way to charge your cell phone in public is to use your own charger instead of a publice USB port.  Most public charging stations also contain electrical outlets, so you should use your own charger and cable in one of those.

There are lots of affordable compact USB-C power adapters available these days and even small models with multiple ports and higher wattage limits that can charge a laptop and cell phone at the same time.

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