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The catfisher in the minivan
Alert: This article is a spoiler for Unknown Number: The High School Catfish on Netflix.
Imagine you’re a high school girl. Your phone won’t stop buzzing. It’s not friendly DMs, texts or social media notifications.
Instead, hundreds of cruel, anonymous messages flood in, calling you names, threatening you, turning your friends against you and even urging you to take your own life.
This is the true story of Netflix’s Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.
🧍🏼♀️ Who was it?
It started in 2020 when 13-year-old Lauryn Licari from Beal City, Michigan, and her boyfriend Owen began getting bombarded with vicious, untraceable texts and DMs, sometimes over 50 a day.
Her mom, Kendra, was right there with Lauryn, consoling her, talking her through what was going on and helping her file reports with the school and police.
But this was all a sinister act. Kendra was the one harassing her own daughter.
⛓️ A digital predator’s tool kit
Kendra didn’t need sophisticated computer and hacking skills or tools sold on the dark web. She used apps available to anyone.
- Spoofing and burner apps: TextNow and TextFree let you create fake phone numbers. Kendra would send hateful texts, then simply get a new number.
- Bogus social media accounts: You can make fake social media accounts in seconds. Kendra did this on Instagram and Facebook, pretending to be Lauryn’s classmates or friends.
- VPN (virtual private network): Kendra used a VPN to hide her device’s IP address, making the messages appear to come from locations across the country.
She weaponized these tools to not only attack her daughter but to pin the blame on Lauryn’s friends, isolating her completely.
Don’t panic. Prepare
🎥 My pick: Roku indoor camera (33% off)
“Alexa, show me my living room cam.” Plug it in, connect to Wi-Fi, and motion alerts keep you one step ahead. Bonus: HD night vision.
🔊 Personal safety alarm (25% off): Clip an instant backup to your keys. A siren and flashing strobe will draw eyes your way.
🚨 Doorstop alarm (16% off, three-pack): If anyone tries to break in, they’ll get greeted with an ear-splitting 120 dB.
💡 Clip-on flashlight (30% off): Great for late-night walks, this little guy has 10 modes, including four for emergencies.
❤️🩹 Wound closure strips (29% off): Think butterfly bandages, but upgraded. They do the job when the ER can’t wait.
🛟 I’m throwing you a lifeline: Build your “just in case” kit on my Amazon page. My handpicked security gear is all there.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
VPNs that spy on you
Using a VPN? Better make sure it’s not on this list.
VPNs are supposed to keep you safe. They encrypt your internet traffic and hide your location from hackers, ISPs and creepy ad trackers.
😎 Be a pal: Click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel. Costs nothing and makes my videos easier to find than your glasses on a Monday morning.
September surge! Did you know September is one of the busiest hiring months of the year? That means top candidates are turning to LinkedIn right now. If you’re looking to add to your team, this is the time to do it. Use my special link to post a job for FREE!
AI is secretly boosting the economy
AI isn’t just changing tech. It’s fueling the economy. Data centers are being built faster than office buildings, creating jobs, driving spending, and boosting growth that few are reporting.
1
The number of parents needed to make some baby iguanas. A female casque-headed iguana at Exotic Zoo in England just gave birth to eight healthy hatchlings without ever meeting a male. The phenomenon, called parthenogenesis, makes the babies genetic clones of mom, one of the rarest events in the animal kingdom. My bet? A very sneaky male iguana.
📄 Use your iPad as a scanner: Long-press the Notes app icon and tap Scan Document. Point your iPad’s camera at the paper and snap a photo. Now drag the circle handles to adjust the edges for a cleaner look. Perfect for handwritten notes, receipts or contracts when your iPhone isn’t nearby.
Scale your work with AI clones
Train AI with your own emails, proposals, and FAQs so it responds in your voice, your style, and your standards. This scales you without replacing you.
⚡ Meta’s new toybox: Zuck is taking the stage tomorrow for Meta Connect, where he’s expected to drop two new smart glasses (one with a tiny display), an $800 Prada tie-in, plus fresh Meta AI bots. No new headsets, but Meta’s VR games, apps and third-party VR gear should get airtime. Think less “metaverse utopia,” more “notifications on your face.”
Dirty little secrets
🐾 My pick: Cordless handheld vacuum & air duster (43% off)
One vac to rule them all. Crumbs in your car? Check. Keyboard dust? Gone. And the pet hair on your couch? Like it was never there.
🧼 Toilet bowl cleaners (38% off, six-pack): Deodorizes, descales and keeps your porcelain throne worthy of royalty.
🐜 Indoor ant killer & bug spray (33% off): Creepy crawlies don’t pay rent. With this kit, you’ll send them packing.
💖 Laundry room containers (23% off): Plastic bags aren’t a vibe. Upgrade to these stylish bins for your pods, sheets and boosters.
🚮 Drawstring trash bags (17% off): Bestsellers for a reason. No rips or weird smells, just clean disposal every time.
✅ Staples that never fail me: Click here for the things I grab again and again because they just work. Then explore the rest of my Amazon storefront.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Why your insurance bill could suddenly soar
Identity theft insurance fraud is set to spike 49% by 2025 as scammers build synthetic identities. Laura, your AI host filling in for George, has all the details. Plus, fake Google reviews holding small businesses hostage, iPhone 17’s new security, Microsoft’s AI in File Explorer, Amazon’s AR glasses for drivers, and MIT’s telepathic wearable.
Charlie Chaplin’s in theaters after 100 years
Charlie Chaplin famously rereleased his 1925 silent classic The Gold Rush in 1942 with new narration and edits, believing it would connect better with modern audiences. Now, thanks to film archivists and AI, the silent masterpiece has been painstakingly restored. The 4K version just premiered at Cannes and hit 250 theaters worldwide.
🚀 Firefly on the moon: A Texas startup just made the second-ever private moon landing. Their Blue Ghost lander is testing heat, dust, drilling and even whether GPS works that far out. You know, “people living up there one day” basics. NASA’s paying companies instead of building everything themselves. Why? It’s cheaper and faster.
✉️ Another platform, same spam: Just like LinkedIn, X lets anyone send you a message request that clutters your inbox. To stop it, go to Settings and privacy > Privacy and safety > Direct messages > Allow message requests from, and toggle No one. People you follow can still message you. While you’re there, you can also toggle off Show read receipts.
Delete a selfie? Facebook saw it
A former exec says Facebook tracked teen girls deleting photos, then pushed beauty ads right when they felt vulnerable. Plus, New York City is testing crime-predicting AI, and Ken from Ohio shares how his Apple Watch saved his life.
Movin’ and groovin’
🎶 My pick: Bluetooth FM transmitter (20% off)
Old ride, new tricks. Plug it into your cigarette lighter and you’ve got streaming, hands-free calls and a fast charger in one.
📱 Tablet holder car mount (32% off): Turns your back seats into a rolling movie theater. Cue the Netflix marathons.
📍 AirTag holders (15% off, four-pack): Clip, snap, done. All those “Where’d I put that?” moments are history.
🧳 Carry-on luggage (22% off): Hard shell, smooth wheels. This bag’s built for sprinting to the gate without the struggle.
🚗 Car trunk organizer (15% off): Collapsible, sturdy and actually stays put, unlike that box you’ve been using.
✈️ Pack it, stack it, roll out: See the rest of my travel picks on my Amazon page. Everything from organizers to data blockers is all there.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
🚗 Make sure your car’s safe: About 1 in 5 cars on the road have an open recall that hasn’t been fixed. Check yours at the NHTSA website by choosing your state and entering your license plate number or VIN. FYI: You can also search recalls for tire brands and car seats.
📱 Bars from space: So Elon Musk wants Starlink to be your phone provider. Instead of towers, satellites beam calls straight to your pocket. Texts are working now for some. Starlink just locked down spectrum rights from Globalstar, the same radio lanes carriers use. Verizon’s sweating, FCC’s nervous, and you might finally get service in that one Target parking lot black hole.