A dangerous stunt that's gaining notice on the Internet could potentially injure the person involved in it, and Wisconsin Public Service is out with a warning. alled the "Outlet Challenge", WPS spokesperson Matt Cullen describes what it is...
"..a cellphone charger, one of those square, block-type chargers you might see in your home or really anywhere where someone might have a cellphone. What happens is they take that cellphone charger, plug it into an outlet, pull it out ever so slightly so there's a small gap in between the charger and the outlet itself. They then take a penny or other metallic object and try to insert it into that small gap between the outlet and the cellphone charger...."
The stunt has appeared on many social media platforms.
Cullen says if you do this, you could end up in a bad place...
"It can cause electrical damage to the home or building you're in. You could start a fire or you could injure yourself or those around you. We want to strongly advise our customers that they should not attempt this challenge...."
Highly trained Wisconsin Public Service employees recreated the challenge using a wide variety of safety gear in a safe and controlled environment. He used safety glasses, special clothes, and gloves than line workers use when they work on the power lines. Cullen says no matter how it looks, the stunt is dangerous. He says never insert objects into outlets and always use the plug to remove the cord from the outlet.
