Random Strangers Asking to Use Your Cell Phone

[webmonarch]

Here's one that I think OOT can help on. Recently, I have had random people, whom I have never seen before in my life, come up to me in public and ask to use my cell phone. The most recent examples were outside an airport in the arrivals area, and in a mall in a mid-sized city.

In both cases, the requester was a reasonably regular looking woman with a reasonable story as to their need for the use.

I'm not going to tell what I did. Here are my thoughts:

Lending: I want to be helpful if people honestly need the help. I'm sure 99% of the world would use politely for what they need, return, and I will have done my good deed.

Not-Lending: I have a lot of serious stuff in my phone, including my personal phone numbers, certain passwords I have trouble remembering, bank account numbers, etc. If something happens, I am SOL as far as communication for awhile and I have to buy a new phone. Forget that these people may steal it, but just a mistaken drop or whatever could really make my life difficult for days. Also, who knows what kind of communication devices could be used for hacking or whatever.

I'm sure there are other considerations. So . . . .

[edfurlong]

I'd be concerned about a call to some $200 a minute #.

[esad]

Give them a quarter and tell them to use the pay phone. Pay phones do still exist in case these people forgot.

[henrikrh]

I'd get the bank account numbers off my damn phone first of all or figure out a decent encoding system. Then I would lend the poor lady my phone.

[siccjay]

Some very strange looking guy came up to me the other day in a bowling alley and said he had a flat and needed to call his wife. I said "What's the number?" and called it for him. I was going to tell his wife whatever he wanted but he wasn't touching the phone.

[skiier04]

If she had seen I had a phone, I would let her use it. If she had not, I would tell her I didn't have one.

[Tony_P]

I would let people use my phone without giving it much thought.

[Sooga]

I've lent my phone to people before, and have had nothing bad happen. Then again, I do not store any personal info (other than friends' numbers) on it.

But I had to answer 'no' this poll now, because I recently ditched my old $40/mo cell phone plan, since I hardly ever used my phone, and got one of those pay-as-you-go plans. So now that I don't get free minutes, I wouldn't allow a stranger to waste my pre-paid minutes.

[Fishmonger]

[ QUOTE ]
I would let people use my phone without giving it much thought.

[/ QUOTE ]
Especially if you've just destroyed theirs?

[henrikrh]

[ QUOTE ]
I would let people use my phone without giving it much thought.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would never let Tony Paladino use my phone.

*snap*
what did you learn?

classic.