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5 clever scams spreading now
Lately, I’ve had way too many calls on my shows from people who have lost thousands (sometimes hundreds of thousands) to scams. These are so cleverly evil, it’s like Ocean’s Eleven but starring a dude with three Instagram followers and a ChatGPT subscription.
You see, we’re way past scam emails from sketchy Nigerian princes. Today’s scams are slick, personalized and powered by scary-good tech like AI voice cloning and deepfakes. And yep, people fall for them every single day.
Here are today’s scummy front-runners, plus how to protect your cash, pride and sanity:
1. The AI voice clone
This one’s horrifying because it sounds like someone you trust. Scammers grab a clip of your child’s, spouse’s, boss’ voice from social media, podcasts or even your voicemail.
Then they call your mom, your grandpa, your partner: “Hi, it’s me. I’m in big trouble. I need money. Don’t tell anyone.” It’s not them. It’s AI. And it works because it feels real.
Anthony in Los Angeles was deceived by scammers who used AI to replicate his son’s voice. Believing his son was in distress, Anthony transferred $25,000 to the fraudsters.
If you get a call like this, call or text the person. Try someone they live or work with.
2. ‘Your bank account’s frozen’
You get a text or call from your “bank,” and the number looks legit. They say your account is locked due to suspicious activity and you need to confirm your info.
Stop right there. That link? Fake. The person on the phone? Also fake.
Charles in Iowa lost over $300,000. Always open your bank’s app or type the web address in yourself. Never tap the link they send.
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Use AI to recreate a loved one’s voice
Mark in Washington, D.C., wrote in with a question that absolutely pulled at my heartstrings:
“Kim, I love your newsletter and shows on WTOP 103.5 FM. My dad passed away recently, but I have all his voicemails on my phone. Is there any way to recreate his voice so my two young kids can hear him read their favorite bedtime stories?”
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💰 Get paid to scroll: Yupp is a new chatbot site that pays users up to $50/month to rate AI responses, basically Tinder for bots but less romantic and more profitable. Every choice trains the AI, and every scratch card brings you closer to … $1. Maybe. It’s fun, weird and just useful enough to feel like work.
Ring doorbell app used to track ICE agents
Amazon’s Neighbors app was built to fight porch pirates. In Los Angeles, people are using it to warn each other about immigration raids.
90 more days
That’s how long President Trump is giving TikTok before the ban hammer drops. Again. Yep, this is the third extension. The law still says ByteDance has to sell it to an American buyer. Big names like Amazon and Perplexity AI are sniffing around, but no deal yet. Oh, and those new tariffs? Not exactly speeding things up.
🧠 Smarter meeting notes: Fathom is an AI notetaker for Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. It automatically records, transcribes and summarizes your meetings. You can ask things like “Did we discuss the budget?” and get answers with time stamps. FYI: The free plan gives you five summaries or queries per month.
This makes your house an easy target
Is your security system helping or harming you? If you’re doing these things, think twice.
Amazing new health test: It’s always been hard to detect ovarian cancer. But researchers are working on a tiny device that fits inside menstrual pads and detects illness in period blood. It reacts to specific proteins like CA-125 (linked to ovarian cancer), and if something’s found, a line appears in about 15 minutes. Wow.
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Scan your eyes for crypto
Forget passwords. The creator of ChatGPT wants to build a global crypto economy by scanning your eyes. Also, Noah from Virginia bought an old laptop and found a kid’s ’90s homework saved on it. He read it on TikTok and made the internet cry. Plus, an Apple AirPlay hack and the chance to buy your own Waymo.
Digital passport for the AI age
Sam Altman who created ChatGPT now wants to scan your eyeballs with a glowing bowling ball to prove you’re human online, and he made a jingle about it. Seriously. I told you all about it back on May 6. Orb just dropped its first U.S. ad campaign. It’s basically the “If You’re Happy and You Know It” of human verification. It feels like a TSA PreCheck for whatever weird world we’re heading into. It already has 13 million verified humans across 20+ countries, with goals to hit 50 million by the end of 2025. Not me.
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Set default apps on iPad: Want Gmail instead of Mail? Or Chrome instead of Safari? Go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps. You’ll see categories like Email, Messaging and Browser. Tap one to switch. Bonus: You can also enable any custom Keyboards you’ve installed from this menu.
The 9-to-5 is dead — June 21st, Hour 1
Microsoft says late-night meetings are up 16%. Burnout much? I also talk to an Uber driver almost tricked into trafficking stolen goods. Plus: Trump Org’s new phone biz, Bible stories on TikTok, and a smart way to check your internet speed.
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Grand Theft Grandma: An elderly Montana woman thought “Amazon” was helping prevent ID theft. Instead, scammers made off with nearly $1M by spoon-feeding her a crime thriller plot starring fake marshals, dirty gold and suspicious cash pickups at her house. She eventually snapped, and helped bust the scammer herself with a Trojan money box.