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Scams are an underground industry
You already know the usual scams. Romance, crypto, tech support, job offers, fake investments, and the list goes on. But what you might not realize is that a growing number of people behind these scams aren’t evil masterminds.
They’re victims, too.
Across Southeast Asia, scam compounds have become a massive underground industry. These operations run out of hotels and warehouses and are worth up to $19 billion a year in Cambodia alone. That’s more than half the country’s entire GDP.
People are being lured in by fake job ads, kidnapped and forced into these human trafficking compounds where they’re made to scam people all day long. They are beaten, locked up and told to meet daily scam quotas.
If they don’t, they’re punished. Some have even died trying to escape.
🎯 Now they’re after kids
This isn’t just about fake emails and text messages anymore. Scam networks are using AI and deepfake tech to create fake explicit content of tweens and teens. They use it to blackmail families in sextortion scams, threatening to release real and fake explicit images unless they get paid.
Kids are committing suicide when faced with the reality they shared an intimate photo with a scammer threatening to send it to friends and family, as well as post it on social media. This is getting darker by the day.
🛡️ Protect yourself and family
The next time you get a sketchy message from someone you don’t know, it might not be a criminal in a hoodie. It could be someone who was tricked, trafficked and forced to work inside one of these scam mills.
- Stop and think. Scammers target emotion, desperation, loneliness, fear, even love. If it feels off, walk away.
- Don’t click links in messages. If it’s legit, you’ll be able to find it from the source.
- Talk to your family. Especially your tweens and teens. They need to know that they are being targeted. Often, it’s a swap of a nudie pic that leads to sextortion.
Scams are only profitable if people fall for them. If less money flows into these organizations, maybe the scales will tip against such hostile industries.
Heroes every home needs
💡 My pick: Motion sensor night lights (38% off, two-pack)
Your 2 a.m. toe savers. Perfect for hallways, bathrooms or that Lego minefield in your kid’s room.
🔌 Outlet concealer kit (28% off): Hide those bulky plugs and messy cords. Finally, your furniture can sit flush against the wall.
🌀 Double-sided mounting tape (10% off): Holds up to 120 pounds. One roll has endless uses, from securing rugs to hanging decorations.
🚽 Bidet toilet attachment (35% off): A quick DIY install, and boom, you’re saving trees and cash on overpriced TP.
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✅ Fix everything faster: Upgrade your space without emptying your wallet. Shop more handpicked helpers on my Amazon page.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Don’t just freeze, fight back
Ashley in Washington asks:
“Kim, do I really need identity theft protection? I used to have LifeLock years ago and dumped it because they constantly were selling me other things. I heard you say on your radio show that you use NordProtect now. Why? How is any of this different than freezing your credit? Love your show and newsletter!”
Feeling left behind? Download NetSuite’s free knowledge drop, “The CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.” No matter what you do, you should know more about AI. It’s not going anywhere.
The internet is forever, except when it’s not
Texts and posts can live forever, while unused email, photo, and cloud accounts risk deletion if you stop logging in. Here’s how to keep your data safe.
$2,000
That’s what Garmin’s new MicroLED smartwatch will run you. What started as a hiker’s gadget with solar charging and route maps now comes with texting, voice calls and satellite SOS. It’s dropping Sept. 8, just one day before Apple unveils its upgraded Watch Ultra 3.
✍️ Add a signature in Gmail: Go to Settings > See all settings > General > Signature. Click Create new, give it a name and type in details like your contact info and job title. You can also insert an image of your real signature. Then choose whether it appears on new emails, replies or both. Scroll down and hit Save Changes.
The fake call hack you’ll actually use
Stuck in a bad conversation? Your phone can bail you out with a fake call on demand. Here’s how to set it up in seconds and escape awkward chats, dates, or meetings with ease.
👀 Sofa surprise: This is wild. The Baroque painting “Portrait of a Lady,” stolen by Nazis in 1940, just popped up casually hanging above a couch in a living room photo on an Argentinian real estate site. Doesn’t take a history buff to guess how that happened. Apparently the Zestimate skyrockets when your décor is a war crime.
Upgrade your daily glow-up
💦 My pick: Cordless water flosser (54% off)
Flossing is a chore … this makes it fun. Compact, cordless and travel-ready, it won’t hog your countertop space.
🧼 Silicone body scrubber (42% off): Bacteria love loofahs. Swap yours for soft bristles that gently exfoliate and last way longer.
☁️ Cotton hand towels (36% off, six-pack): So fluffy and soft, you’ll swear you’re staying at a fancy hotel.
💚 Face roller & Gua Sha (20% off): Roll away puffiness and redness, and look like you actually got eight hours of sleep.
🪮 Detangler hairbrush (20% off): Stop ripping your hair out. Glide through knots, wet or dry, curly or straight.
✨ Little luxuries, big difference: From self-care staples to gift-worthy finds, my Amazon shop has plenty more goodies waiting.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Your digital life could vanish overnight
Your forgotten accounts may not be as safe as you think. George, your AI host, reveals how long Gmail, iCloud, Dropbox, and more keep your data before hitting delete. Plus, the latest on Amazon Prime’s crackdown, Walmart’s Peacock deal, YouTube’s family plan changes, AI in healthcare, and device tricks you can use today.
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.
Denial as a service: Medicare’s new WISeR program will pay AI firms a share of money saved by denying “wasteful” care. That’s right, AI companies are turning into health care mercenaries. Just 12 procedures targeted at first, but it’s a slippery slope. Six states (NJ, OH, OK, TX, AZ, WA) start the experiment in January.
Find your mouse pointer on Mac: If the cursor keeps disappearing, go to System Settings > Accessibility > Display > Pointer. Drag the Pointer size slider to make it larger, and pick new colors for the outline or fill. Bonus: Turn on Shake mouse pointer to locate. Next time you lose it, a quick shake makes the pointer balloon for a second. Amazing.
AI restores a mother’s voice
Then, one man and a chatbot pulled off a massive cybercrime spree. Want to go to the moon or Mars? I talk to Roman Chiporukh, CEO of SpaceVIP, who’s literally an outer space travel agent. Plus, Hertz’s AI scanner mess, and the true cost of Prime.
Back to the office
🖨️ My pick: Polono portable printer (62% off)
Print anywhere, without ink drama. Just connect it to your phone or laptop, and boom, crisp 8.5” x 11” docs on the go.
🌬️ Oscillating table fan (25% off): No more sweaty Zoom calls. It’s so quiet you’ll forget it’s even there.
✨ Desktop vacuum cleaner (19% off): Clears up dust, eraser bits and all those crumbs from your snack breaks.
🪑 Lumbar support pillow (15% off): Slouch less, focus more. Easily straps right onto your office chair.
🖊️ Gel ink pens (10% off, six-pack): Use these to jot down the next big business idea on a napkin.
📦 Your digital supply run: Tap here to stock up your cart with 4-star-and-up gadgets. Explore more on my Amazon storefront.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
▶️ Add a channel trailer on YouTube: Give potential subscribers a preview of what to expect. Log in to YouTube and go to YouTube Studio > Customization > Home tab > Layout. Click + Add section > Channel trailer, pick the video you want, and hit Publish. Pro tip: Swap it out every few weeks to keep things fresh.
⚡ Classic cars get plugged in: Imagine your busted Land Rover or the Ferrari 308 from Magnum, P.I., now whisper-quiet as a Tesla. U.K.’s Electric Classic Cars has converted 100+ classics since 2015, swapping gas engines for battery packs without chopping up the vintage shells. Conversions start around $57K, but wild custom builds climb past $190K. I don’t know, I love the roar of my ’67 Corvette that was actually in the movie Con Air.