Hands up if you’re guilty of forgetting to charge your phone overnight before jumping on a plane in the morning? If your hand is up, I’m truly concerned. Are you ok? How will you access your digital boarding pass if your phone runs out of juice? A portable charging pack should go straight to the top of your Christmas wish list. I bet those airport chargers are a real lifesaver. But if you care for the safety of your phone it’s now being advised that you should steer clear of all public charging stations. 

That’s right, the  Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has put out a warning for travellers to think twice before plugging in. 

“Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centres,” the FBI said in public service messaging last week, via Twitter. The Denver branch of the organisation didn’t reference what the threat could be via its warning, but multiple government agencies have issued similar warnings to travellers to be aware that there are new and creative ways hackers are trying to break into phones. It could be possible that hackers may be able to access data, or introduce malware and spyware on devices via public ports.

While free and public USB ports can at times be a lifesaver, there are safer ways to charge your phone. A travel friendly charge pack or even packing an adapter that a USB cord can plug into is safer than plugging a cord in directly to a public port. If you have no other option and need to use a free charging station, steer clear of using any banking apps or any apps that could reveal your personal information. 

So, the next time your battery is low at an airport, think twice before plugging in. 

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