I lent my phone hotspot to a stranger at the airport
I was sitting at Ngurah Rai airport in Bali, just killing time before my flight back. This guy walks up to me pretty stressed out. He had his laptop out and asked if he could jump on my hotspot for a second. He told me he couldn't connect to the wifi, and he needed to check some flight or ticket details. I can't remember exactly.
I felt for him so I turned my hotspot on and let him connect. I didn't want to be that person hovering over his shoulder or acting like a creep, so I just went back to my own phone and let him do his thing. He was on there for a while, definitely longer than it takes to do his thing, but eventually he thanked me and headed off.
A few days after I got home, the spam started. It began with a few weird emails, but then it turned into a constant stream of texts with dodgy links. I’m actually pretty anxious about it now. I can't tell if it’s just a coincidence or if that guy actually did something while he was connected to my phone.
If this is happening to you
Practical steps for this exact situation.
- I clicked a suspicious link. What now?What clicking actually does, what it does not do, and how to tell the difference between a scare and a real problem.
- Someone has taken over my accountWhat to do in the first hour when someone else is inside your email, social or bank account, and how to work out how they got in.
- Cyber basics for small businessesThe small number of controls that prevent most losses for a business without a security team, and the one that matters most.
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