Virtual cards vs. digital wallets: Which should you use and when?
Your nephew’s birthday is coming up, so you go online and find a $300 Little Tikes playground set on sale for $60. But when the party rolls around, your money’s gone and that gift never showed up. So you head to the grocery store to buy some birthday treats instead … only to get caught by a card skimmer at checkout. Ouch.
💸 This isn’t tech, but it is free money: Chase and Wells Fargo want your business so badly, they’ll give you $300 to open a new checking account. At Bank of America, it’s $200. The catch: You have to set up direct deposit. Check with your local branch for all the details.
What caused the Windows outage?
Here’s the full story as to what caused airlines, emergency services, and banks to shutdown.
$108,150 salary
To be a cop in Plano, Texas. Big-city police departments were having trouble recruiting, so they pulled out all the stops (paywall link). Perks include take-home cars, paid workout hours and a relaxed tattoo policy. It’s working — more officers joined in 2023 than in the four years prior.
¡Ay, car-amba! Last year, GM nearly tied its 1979 record for Corvettes sold. While other sports cars struggled, GM moved twice as many (paywall link) Corvettes as in 2019. Why? Engineers put the motor in the back, just like high-end supercars. I swear it looks like a Ferrari. Now, gearheads are lining up.
$44.6 million
For a stegosaurus named “Apex.” The 27-foot-long skeleton sold on auction for 10 times more than expected, making it the world’s most valuable fossil. Apex was discovered in Colorado just two years ago and is thought to have lived well into old age. Must’ve been taking his Flintstones vitamins …
Ctrl + Space + X is Musk’s favorite keyboard shortcut: You used to be able to break into Elon Musk’s Starlink with just a leaked username and password. Then, bingo — you’ve got yourself some pricey hardware with someone else’s credit card. Now, they’re finally adding a two-factor authentication pop-up if someone tries to change your account email address or phone number. About time.
🗞️ Trust fall: Science says you’re more likely to believe fake news from an acquaintance than your best friend. That’s why so many scammers pose as long-lost classmates or distant relatives. Focusing instead on who’s sharing — not what’s being shared — could be the best way to stop fake news.
Stay far, far away: Scammers use crypto ATMs to defraud U.S. victims out of millions every year. They’re less regulated and let you send money overseas instantaneously. A 77-year-old woman just got scammed out of $9,000. Once her money left the country, she was SOL. Listen up: No legitimate entity will ever ask you to send money in crypto or from an ATM.
🚨 CrowdStrike’s global outage isn’t over: Scammers are out in full force using fake CrowdStrike websites to push phishing emails and phone calls posing as tech support to steal your info. Don’t give info over the phone, and check unfamiliar email senders’ domains very carefully. The official CrowdStrike website and domain is crowdstrike.com.