There’s yet one more scam to be scared of, and you’ll probably never see it coming. One woman is issuing a warning about OMG cables.
Scams have gotten wildly sophisticated over the years. They used to be relatively simple—a shady email from a “prince” or a suspicious phone call—but have evolved into elaborate schemes that are nearly impossible to spot.
We’re talking fake job offers with real interview processes, texts that look like they’re coming from your bank, and phishing emails that could fool even the most cautious person.
And it’s not just happening online. Scammers are getting bolder in real life, leaving fake packages at your door with a QR code to scan. Or they are showing up pretending to be a utility worker.
Sometimes all it takes is leaving behind a seemingly harmless object that can do so much more harm than you’d ever expect.
Woman calls out scammers
@ohio_smokeshow warns why you shouldn’t keep something a person left behind at your house. Her minute-long video has 5.5 million views.
“People are weird, and they do weird [expletive],” @ohio_smokeshow says.
@ohio_smokeshow issues a warning for friendly people who “like to have a little fun on the weekends.” In this case, she is referring to hooking up with someone. She says you need to be careful about what people leave behind.
Sure, there’s the age-old trick of leaving an item, like a hoodie or earrings, at a person’s home so you have an excuse to see them again. But this isn’t what she is warning about.
The woman says that the man who’d been at her home left a cellphone charger with the cable and charging block behind.
“Someone has come into your house and left their cell phone charger. You should throw it and the cord outside; take it out to your garbage outside immediately. Don’t ask questions,” @ohio_smokeshow says.
Why did she let a stranger in her house?
Several people asked this question in the comments section and @ohio_smokeshow took to TikTok to clear things up.
“I didn’t let a stranger into my house. A man I was in a relationship with did this,” @ohio_smokeshow says in a follow-up video.
Why is a rogue phone charger dangerous?
Referred to as an O.MG Cable (“which is presumably what victims say once they realise they’ve been hacked,” Triskele Labs), it’s a regular phone charger with a tiny network access point built in.
When you plug the cable in, it creates a remote connection, and a bad actor/hacker (or, in this case, an ex), can remotely access the victim’s phone or computer.
Mike Grover, the cable’s developer, claimed he could access a device up to 300 feet away. And if he configured it differently, he could do it from anywhere in the world.
“Never take and use a cable you find in public or that has been left lying around the office, and make sure your staff all know not to do so as well,” Triskele Labs warned.
“I know I’d rather have a dead phone than a hacker running riot inside my business’ computer network.”
Commenters react
“Carrying around a cell phone charger like a teenager would be the first red flag,” a top comment read.
“Thankfully I’m intelligent enough to not sleep around,” a person said (quite judgingly if we might add).
“I work in cybersecurity she is 100% correct. You don’t know what’s underneath the plastic in a phone charger and you don’t know if the cable is an OMG cable,” another warned.
“An OMG cord is super expensive and requires advanced knowledge to use so its not likely, but a charging block with a hidden camera is cheap and easy to use, so watch out for those,” a commenter wrote.
@ohio_smokeshow ♬ original sound – MansfieldSmokeshow
The Daily Dot reached out to @ohio_smokeshow for comment via TikTok direct message and comment.
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