Anti-5G USB stick scam under investigation

As always, where suggestible people are falling prey to misinformation, there are unscrupulous individuals waiting to take advantage of them for financial gain. Now, unfounded health fears surrounding 5G have seen scam products hit the shelves, claiming to protect people from the dangers of 5G.

 

One such device notably made headlines recently: the so-called 5GBioShield, a USB stick that reportedly uses ‘quantum oscillation’ to ‘re-harmonise’ the ‘disturbing frequencies arising from the electric fog induced by as laptops, cordless phones, wi-fi, tablets, et cetera’. It supposedly achieves this using a ‘nano-layer’ of quantum holographic catalyser technology.

 

If this seems like a lot of jargon, that’s because it is. The tech industry is renowned for its love for buzzwords and acronyms, but here the barrage of terminology seems baseless and designed purely to befuddle and entrap its target audience – 5G conspiracy theorists.

 

The research proving the veracity of these technologies, naturally, is unavailable for scrutiny. 

 

The device itself, however, is available. Upon investigation, the 5GBioShield itself appears to be nothing more than a regular £5 USB stick with a fanciful sticker placed on it.

 

Now for the really shocking part: this unremarkable device is being marketed for £339.

 

The sale of this device is now being investigated by Trading Standards who are seeking a court order to take down the related website. 

 

“We consider it to be a scam,” said Stephen Knight, operations director for London Trading Standards to the BBC. “People who are vulnerable need protection from this kind of unscrupulous trading."

 

This sort of scam is despicable and shines light on the tech industry’s failure to communicate to the general public. Buzzwords like ‘5G’ and ‘quantum-powered’ are great for marketing and generating revenue, but the reality is that the public do not even have a basic understanding of these technologies, leaving them vulnerable to scams and misinformation.

 

This lack of understanding itself is a crucial part of the digital divide, which includes not just lack of access to technology but lack of education and critical thinking surrounding that technology. Legislators, educators, and operators alike must work together to increase the populations digital literacy, especially with technology advancing faster than ever and a huge range of new and complex products, such as IoT, AI and augmented reality devices, soon to hit the market.