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Breaking news and tips
Elder fraud is exploding: Your data is making it worse
I’ve got bad news: Today’s online scammers know everything about you. They’re scraping your info and everyone else’s from the web and buying the rest from data brokers and people-search sites.
📈 The stats are scary
Folks age 60-plus are the biggest target. Almost 72% of scams start with personal data grabbed online. Data brokers vacuum up your info like phone numbers, emails, past addresses, income, favorite takeout spots and then auction it off like eBay for creepers.
With this data, they use personalized weapons.
🎯 Criminals know who to target
Study this list. Here’s what these attacks look like:
- AI phone calls that sound like your grandkids.
- Medicare fraud quoting your last doctor visit.
- Calls from “your bank” that know your address.
- Investment traps tailored to your retirement income.
- Romance scams where your “lover” has the same interests.
Live in a state with higher retirement incomes?
You’re in the bull’s-eye. Texas seniors lost an average of $51,700 per complaint. My state, Arizona, had the highest elder fraud rate per capita (3.5 cases for every 1,000 seniors). Yikes.
🛡️ How to fight back
1. Freeze your credit:
Even if you’re not worried about identity theft, a credit freeze keeps crooks from opening accounts in your name.
2. Use call filtering apps:
Try tools like Hiya, Nomorobo or your carrier’s spam call protection. And never answer unknown numbers, voicemail is your friend.
Less mess, more yes
👑 Your bathroom should be fit for a queen (or king).
- This soap bar ($15) is gentle on skin but tough on odors.
- Grab a double soap dish (6% off) for you and your partner.
- Reach those tricky spots with a flexible toilet brush (15% off).
- Tap an auto-dispenser (10% off) for a shot of mouthwash.
- A tongue scraper (40% off) helps freshen up bad breath.
- These moisture absorbers (35% off) fight mold growth.
🛒 Peek at my cart: I’ve got a whole list of essentials I reorder all the time. Nothing flashy, just solid.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Kim’s cart: 10 genius buys that keep you (and your stuff) safe
I test a lot of gear. Every product here solves a sneaky problem and helps you stay one step ahead of scammers, snoops and opportunists. I’ve done the digging so you don’t have to. Let’s go shopping!
Fraudsters love “washing” checks and rewriting new amounts unless you use this pen. Its ink chemically bonds with paper, so the info can’t be scrubbed off. Get Uni-ball 207 Gel Pens ($6.08).
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Alexa, turn it up: Fine-tune your Echo’s sound for higher (treble) or lower (bass) frequencies. Just say “Alexa, reset the equalizer,” or “Alexa, turn up the treble.” Or open the Alexa app and go to Devices (lightbulb icon) > [your Echo] > Device Settings (gear icon) > Audio Controls, then use the sliders to adjust.
Look at me, I’m the coder now: Nvidia’s Jensen Huang says coding is dead, long live “vibe coding,” which is basically sweet-talking a chatbot into writing software for you. You don’t need Python if you’ve got polite vibes and ChatGPT. Congrats, your great aunt just launched an e-commerce site from her iPad.
AI killed the website
AI is quietly ending traditional online searches, killing websites, blogs, and countless jobs.
#1
Where America ranks in online vulgarity among English-speaking countries. Yes, “land of the free” also means land of the free to say anything we want. Turns out, 1 in every 2,800 words typed by Americans online is a swear, making us the reigning champs of digital potty mouths.
📌 Stickies on Mac: Doing research in Safari and want to save bits as you go? Highlight any text and press Command + Shift + Y to turn it into a sticky note. You can drag it to the side while you work. When you’re done, go to Stickies > File > Export All to Notes. It’ll be saved under Imported Notes.
What’s inside that mega cheap hard drive
Super-cheap storage sounds great until you see what you’re really about to get. Don’t get burned.
Google Home update: Some nine new features are here. You can now watch Nest Cam footage picture-in-picture on Google TV, and Gemini has more smart home controls. Automations take fewer steps, and you can skip through video by double-tapping. FYI: Most features are in public preview. Join here.
Sip happens
😋 Only food and drink upgrades that slap.
- An automatic dispenser ($20) does the pouring for you.
- These metal straws (22% off) come with a carrying case.
- Get a coaster set (10% off) for no more rings on your table.
- Dull blades? This sharpener (30% off) makes them like new.
- A sandwich cutter (30% off) slices crusts and seals edges.
- Keep your snacks fresh with a container set (20% off).
🎁 Got your Father’s Day gift? Shop my ultimate gift list now, so it shows up by this Sunday.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
WWDC 2025: iOS 26, Live Translation, and Apple’s next AI moves
Is Apple running out of new ideas? We break down everything from WWDC 2025, what’s legit, and what’s noise. Plus: A cyberattack takes down a major food supplier, AI goes head-to-head with cancer, and ChatGPT loses at chess to a console from 1977.
Smarter seat belts soon
Remember when you’d sit in your dad’s car sans seat belt? Me, too. Well, Volvo’s working on adaptive seat belts that tighten or loosen based on your size and how serious the crash is. So if you’re smaller, it eases up to protect your ribs.
🕳️ Internet’s new boogeyman: Online predators have gotten a terrifying rebrand. “764” is a nihilistic extremist group targeting kids via Discord, Roblox and social media. The FBI is on it, but that’s cold comfort if your 12-year-old is getting radicalized during Minecraft. Talk early and often with your kids about online dangers. Audit their apps, and maybe uninstall a few.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Tap Ctrl + F (or Command + F) to find any word on a web page or doc.
Google’s eating itself alive — June 14th, Hour 1
Google’s new AI-powered search is tanking its own traffic. Plus, your ChatGPT chats live forever, a job offer scam, and a car rental side hustle making real money. Then I talk to Holly from Kentucky, whose kiddo ordered 70,000 suckers on Amazon.
My heart is racing
🔎 Think size matters? These tiny tools work hard.
- This wrist brace (29% off) is like a hug for your hand.
- Make your feet baby soft with a callus remover ($20).
- Grab a variety pack of bandages ($10) to cover up cuts.
- Headache? Pop on this relief cap (26% off) and chill out.
- Get an armband monitor ($45) for a cheaper fitness tracker.
🏃♀️ Go the distance: Get your steps in without leaving home on this smart treadmill (9% off) that folds up for easy storage.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Your receipt is poison: Some receipts are still printed with BPS, a BPA cousin that’s banned in the U.K. but alive and well in the U.S. Scientists say it’s probably fine, but maybe don’t rub your face with it like it’s a love letter. Cancer links are unproven, yet, but just leave it or throw it out.