Ruth Langsford has issued a warning to all holidaymakers who use a common scam which many travellers do when they are at the airport before they jet off on holiday
A prominent aviation influencer has issued a stark warning to travellers about a prevalent scam that could endanger their personal data and devices during airport stopovers. While awaiting their next flight, numerous passengers seize the chance to power up gadgets like smartphones.
Yet Megan, who imparts travel wisdom gleaned from her experiences on her YouTube channel Portable Professional, has urged holidaymakers to reconsider using public USB charging stations. She warned: “Using an airport USB to charge your devices can expose you to a scam called ‘juice jacking’. This happens when public USB ports are manipulated to steal data from your devices that are connected to them.
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“Using an adapter allows you to safely connect to outlets. Unlike USB ports, AC outlets are purely for power and they don’t transfer data, ensuring there is no risk to your personal information while it’s charging.”
Although not every traveller may have access to the appropriate plug for overseas sockets, many airports provide USB ports for direct phone charging, reports the Express.
Nevertheless, given these ports’ ability to transmit both power and data, they can be tampered with by fraudsters aiming to extract information from connected devices.
This technique, dubbed juice jacking, might also be employed to upload harmful software like malware to phones, leaving them vulnerable even after they’ve been charged.
To steer clear of the perils associated with juice jacking, Megan has advised holidaymakers to always have a universal travel adapter on hand, particularly noting that some of the pricier models are versatile enough for sockets worldwide.
She elaborated: “Navigating airport layovers with multiple devices can be tricky, and a big mistake that travellers make is not having a plan to keep all of their devices charged.
“Regardless of the country they happen to be travelling in, a powerful and affordable international plug adapter like the one I have here from Tessan, is a game-changer for many reasons.
“It’s compatible with over 200 country outlets and it automatically adjusts voltage to prevent damage to your devices.”