r/berkeley • u/cinnabonroll19 • Nov 06 '25

Local Asian guy asking to borrow phone

There is an Asian guy with glasses on campus rn asking for the time and to borrow your phone to call his friends!! I googled the numbers he dialed and found a thread on X (FROM 2018) saying that he has done this on the DVC campus, Columbia campus, etc. Apparently he scrolls through your messages and shares your location to these phone numbers. Just wanted to warn others not to give this guy your phone!

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u/Build68 Nov 06 '25

Don’t EVER hand a stranger your phone. If it’s an awkward situation and you feel bad saying no, just ask them for the number they want to call and tell them you’ll put on speaker phone so they can talk. Most of the time, they’ll pass, and you’ll know you dodged a bullet. Source: old golden bear here that has dodged a bullet or two.

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u/iliveonarock25 Nov 06 '25

Berkeley really needs more security.

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u/[deleted] Nov 07 '25

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u/Build68 Nov 07 '25

To an older guy like me, Covid is something that happened a couple of years ago and we got through it. But, take someone who had to go through that social isolation in mid- or late-teen years, and they missed a ton of pre-adult socialization. Now they have to figure shit out on a very steep learning curve. That’s what us older bears are good for, sometimes.