Boulder DA Warns Of Public Phone Charging Station Scams

BOULDER COUNTY, CO — Hackers are targeting charging stations in many public spaces, the Boulder County district attorney warned Thursday. Travelers are urged to bring chargers, cords and cables from home when traveling this holiday season.

In the USB charging scam known as “juice jacking,” hackers can modify charging stations in airports, train stations, hotels, shopping malls, bus stations and other public places, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty warned.

The hackers replace USB ports and cables at the charging stations with similar connectors loaded with malware. When an unsuspecting traveler uses the corrupted connectors, the hacker has a way into the user's device, and can lock it, export private information like account numbers, passwords and addresses, or even transmit a full backup of data from the user's device, the DA's office said.

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The Community Protection Division of the district attorney's office advises travelers to bring their own chargers, cords and cables, and to plug those into a wall electrical outlet rather than into a public USB charging station.

Travelers could also consider bringing along a portable power charger if they need to recharge their devices while on the road.

The Community Protection Division also recommends that travelers avoid using tech accessories, such as charging cords, that appear to have been left behind by others in public locations. Hackers can leave a chip behind in an accessory that deploys malware once it's used.

To report a scam, call the Community Protection Division at (303) 441-3700.