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The easiest security step you're not taking
Got 2FA set up on your phone? I’ve got an even better tip to keep your privacy on lockdown.
Financial safety: Protect yourself from these emerging tax scams
It happens every year. We need to file our taxes, and scammers come out to steal from us. Here’s what you need to know right now.
Every year, the IRS releases a list of scams to watch out for. These are the biggest ones for this year:
Office 2024: It’s coming this year, no subscription needed. Microsoft promises five years of support, so one purchase and you’re done. The catch? It’s missing a few bells and whistles, like Publisher and Teams. FYI: The new version will be available for macOS and Windows 10 and 11.
32% drop in used EV prices thanks to Tesla’s big price cuts
Used gas car values are down just 3.6%. Cue the party horn if you’re shopping for a used EV … and the sad trombone if you’re selling.
Say what?! UCLA engineers created something remarkable for folks with voice disorders — a wearable device that turns throat movements into speech. It’s a tiny, stretchy patch that uses machine learning to speak for you with over 95% accuracy! No surgery — just stick it on and start chatting. Amazing stuff.
Research from the University of Ottawa shows Gen Xers and baby boomers can’t quite nail the usage of some emojis. The “wide eyes” 😳 emoji? Might as well be hieroglyphics. And “happiness” 😃😀 emojis? I have to say, it’s hard to know which smiley to use and when. Pro tip: Most people see this one as totally fake: 🙂
Smart selfie: Megan Troutwine snapped a selfie on a trip to NYC and noticed something strange: Her eye was drooping. That led her to the neurologist, where she was diagnosed with meningioma, a brain tumor. Surgeons found another, too, during her operation. Glad to say Megan’s doing well.
And then there are the Elon Musk scams: Cybercriminals are using the SpaceX Starship test launches to push bogus crypto giveaways. They’re looping videos, faking Musk’s voice and tricking folks into sending crypto. One phony account even roped in 2.3 million subscribers.
$12 off your DirecTV bill
That’s per month when you drop local stations. The “No Local” package is expected to be popular during the summer (reruns!), with people resubscribing to local channels for the NFL season.
📈 Pump and dump: Scammers are impersonating billionaires on Facebook, duping folks out of their savings with promises of unrealistic stock returns. Victims get an ad touting “exclusive” tips via WhatsApp, complete with deepfake videos and “guaranteed” profits. Come on, you have to be smarter than that to fall for these shysters.