Fact Check: Can rogue chargers be used to hack your phone ? Unlikely, but not impossible

India Today AFWA investigated the claims that a tampered charging cable can be used to hack into a phone. Here's what we found.

One of the most stressful moments in our lives are the times when the battery of our phone is about to die and the charger is not handy. How desperate we become to plug in to any charging point that we can find. But that may not be the best thing to do.

A cautionary tale that’s been regurgitated by several people on social media recounts how a Hyderabad CEO was robbed of Rs. 16 lakh using a never-before-seen technique — through bugged charging cables. Allegedly, cops were baffled by how anyone could have robbed money from his bank account without triggering OTPs or phishing. They also found no signs of tampering on his phone.

According to the sensational story being shared on social media, law enforcement authorities eventually discovered that someone had replaced his phone’s charger and that the new charger hid inside it a microchip that was used to hack into his phone. This was how the perpetrators took control of his phone and transferred money from his account, the post claims.

Posts like these have been archived here, here, and here.

AFWA found that no such incident has been reported in Hyderabad. However, the possibility of such a crime, worryingly enough, cannot entirely be ruled out.

We looked for news reports about such an incident in Hyderabad and found nothing. AFWA then contacted KVM Prasad, the Assistant Commissioner of Police for Hyderabad Cyber Crimes.

He said that such a crime had not been reported in the city, even in the past. He added, “This hoax appears to be written with the intention of causing panic.” The ACPs of both Cyberabad and Rachakonda also said the same thing.