Beware of strangers seeking help with cell phone

 

Unsettling reports of people suddenly feeling ill after being approached by strangers requesting help with cell phone related tasks have caught the attention of the police. 

 

Senior Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay, who heads the police's Constabulary Communications Network, says the unit is working to determine the veracity of the reports.

 

Across several social media platforms within the last two days, men and women say they have been approached by unsuspecting people asking for assistance with a dialing of phone number or to add credit to their phones.

 

The Good Samaritans report feeling dizzy within seconds of coming in contact with a sticky substance on the device.

 

SSP Lindsay says although the police have not received any official reports, they are urging people to be cautious when approached by strangers.

 

"It is a general rule at all times is that you don't want to give somebody your phone to make a call... because sometimes they can take it and go away with it. We have not had a report, so we don't know the source, we can't verify the source of the information. But just to say that persons who may hear it, then they should themselves take the necessary precaution. Even if it is not a true story or we have not had a report, people should just be very careful when people approach them in general," she cautioned.

 

Concerns are being raised online as the apparent kidnapping scheme is surfacing within weeks before the start of the new school term. 

 

The incidents are purported to have occurred across several parishes, including Kingston and St. Elizabeth.