Would you let a complete stranger borrow your phone?

Like already said, it depends on the circumstances but if it is a real urgency and the call won't cost too much, then yes. Also, my phone is very cheap and not a smartphone so I wouldn't need to worry about it being stolen or anything. I'd still stand close to the person and keep an eye on everything and make sure they are really only calling for the reason they claimed.
 
There was only one time in my life I let a complete stranger borrow my phone (way back in 2008), and while nothing happend that time, I would probably never let a stranger borrow it again like that. For one thing, at the time, it wasn't a fancy or expensive phone. I remember getting it for free thanks to the phone plan that I had. I now own a smartphone that had to be paid out of pocket. I don't even lay it on a table when I am sitting with friends or eating. I keep it in my pocket at all times.

If it was urgent, I would probably let a stranger borrow my phone, but I'd have to dial for them and be prepared for the worst. I hate assuming the worst, but sometimes it is warranted for something that can be easily stolen.
 
I agree about it depending on the circumstances. If I was sitting down in the train/bus/etc and the person next to me needed to make a call or if it was an emergency, sure why not. If I was about to use the subway and someone came up to me, I would either refuse or give them a quarter to use the pay phone.
 
It's definitely circumstantial. They need to have an emergency going on, or they need to be trapped somewhere that they can't run off.
But generally no, I wouldn't be ok with that.
 
Yes, yes I would and then I will use their phone and we will have fun times with our phones.
 
I don't see why not. If they explained the situation if doesn't seem sketchy I would. If they do run off I will scream at the top of my lungs that my phone was stolen to draw attention to them and possibly pounce on them.
 
In most cases yeah. It's not a real fancy iphone or something, if it were, i'd think twice maybe. I'd just feel really awkward saying no if they saw it though. I remember one time this guy came up to me and my brother and said he needed 30p for the bus. He looked very, umm poor let's say. I guess kinda shandy. I didn't think about it, I just whipped out my purse and gave him the money. It was only 30p, who cares. Afterwards my brother shouted at me and said he could have just wanted me to get my purse from my bag so he could grab it from my hand. That didn't cross my mind at the time but I guess it was a good point. As it turns out, he did just want some change for the bus and he was really happy that someone was kind enough to just give it him after probably asking a few other people.

I felt glad i'd helped him get on the bus but would I do it again? Probably not, he could have easily robbed me.

Anyway, i'd probably lend someone my phone unless they looked super dodgy. I wouldn't ever let anyone in my house who asked to use the phone though. My mum let some girl in after she said her friend needed an ambulance. Couldn't see her friend so it was dumb to just let her in. Anyway we did and she did just want an ambulance, turns out her friend was further down the road having an asthma attack.

It's sad that acts of simple human kindness are avoided because of the few people who are up to no good. Shame that's the world we live in :/
 
CrackFox said:
In most cases yeah. It's not a real fancy iphone or something, if it were, i'd think twice maybe. I'd just feel really awkward saying no if they saw it though. I remember one time this guy came up to me and my brother and said he needed 30p for the bus. He looked very, umm poor let's say. I guess kinda shandy. I didn't think about it, I just whipped out my purse and gave him the money. It was only 30p, who cares. Afterwards my brother shouted at me and said he could have just wanted me to get my purse from my bag so he could grab it from my hand. That didn't cross my mind at the time but I guess it was a good point. As it turns out, he did just want some change for the bus and he was really happy that someone was kind enough to just give it him after probably asking a few other people.

I felt glad i'd helped him get on the bus but would I do it again? Probably not, he could have easily robbed me.

Anyway, i'd probably lend someone my phone unless they looked super dodgy. I wouldn't ever let anyone in my house who asked to use the phone though. My mum let some girl in after she said her friend needed an ambulance. Couldn't see her friend so it was dumb to just let her in. Anyway we did and she did just want an ambulance, turns out her friend was further down the road having an asthma attack.

It's sad that acts of simple human kindness are avoided because of the few people who are up to no good. Shame that's the world we live in :/
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Something similar happened to me. o_o Back in April, I was at one of the subway stations in NYC and my dad and I were trying to buy a Metrocard to use the subway and this lady comes up and asks us for a dollar so she'll have just enough to use the subway, but she used it to buy something from the shop right across the subway ticket machine. I was frickin pissed that she lied to me. I felt like pressing her with questions to know why she lied to me. I was so mad at myself and my dad was really annoyed. It was just a dollar in change, but...I'm never doing that again.
 
Borrow, no. I'd call a number for them but I'd never give a stranger my phone.
 
I agree. If they need to actually hold your phone, chances are they're going to bolt with it.
 
Most likely, yeah.

Just dial the number for them and put the conversation on speaker so that I can keep the phone in my hand. :)
 
Not unless I could stand right there with them while they made the call, & also not unless I had some sort of protection on my phone to where I could track it if necessary & if I made mental note of the guy's appearance and facial features so that I could give an accurate description to the police if he or she did happen to bolt with my phone.

Highly likely I wouldn't let anyone I don't at least vaguely know use my phone anyways.
 
Only in an emergency. Although I don't pay for my phone, it has loads of photos and vidoes on it from years and years of my siblings growing up, my Mum before she died, years of comic-cons and road trips with my old friends, college years, etc that I'd be really upset over losing.

When it comes to giving money, I don't tend to carry around a wallet (because I get paranoid it's obvious where my wallet is in my jacket/jeans pockets because it's quite a big wallet) so I keep my money in my pocket (and keep my hands in my pockets so money doesn't come out) so I'd give money to a stranger, without having to worry about them grabbing my wallet. I tend to give money to homeless people, but if someone who isn't homeless comes up to me asking for money I usually say I don't have any money on me, because I presume they're spending it on alcohol/drugs - that's a real problem where I use to live.
 
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