The FBI and other agencies have issued several warnings about “juice jacking.” Juice jacking is essentially when a hacker steals information, such as credit card numbers, from devices plugged into public charging stations. They do this by inserting small devices into the outlets and then waiting for someone to use the charging station. These devices install malware onto your devices through the charging ports which allows them to fully access the affected electronics.

These charging stations can be found everywhere from small coffee shops to huge airports. The scariest part is that it’s almost impossible to tell whether or not the stations are safe to use. The devices used for hacking are too small to see. If you use an unsafe station, you may not even know that your device has been hacked until days later; by that point, there is nothing you can do.

My advice is to charge your devices before leaving the house or to bring a portable charger. Another way to avoid getting hacked is by using a date blocker which, like the name implies, blocks malware from being put on your phone. Though your best option is to do anything you can to avoid using any public charging stations since literally any of them could be hacked. It is not worth the risk.