🛠️ Hacker turned pitch guy: A Missouri man hacked a gym, dropped his membership to $1 and emailed the owner, offering “cybersecurity consulting” after proving he broke in. He also posted their camera feed on social. Not the sharpest guy. He now has plenty of time to work out in prison.
How I stopped scammers cold
ChatGPT
“Kim, Lifelock has gotten so expensive. Do I even need it?” — Matt in Texas
I’ve been hearing this a lot, Matt. I agree, LifeLock is pricey. My bill was $239.88 a year. Now, I’m paying $62.64 a year, that’s a 74% savings! More about that later.
Yes, you really need a service to protect your identity, more so than ever before. Number one, there have been so many data breaches, just assume the scammers and thieves have all your personal data.
Add to that today’s AI tools make it super easy for someone to create fake documents, clone your voice and put you talking in a video.
No red flags
Throw away your assumptions that you’d somehow “know” if someone stole your identity. No sirens go off. You don’t get a text from a hacker whispering, “Gotcha.”
In reality, identity theft often happens in total silence every five seconds.
Like the retiree in Florida who lost $14,000 when a thief opened a credit card in his name and drained his credit line before the bill even showed up.
Then there’s Susan, who got a collection call for a $36,000 car loan she never took out. A thief used her name and driver’s license to snag a new SUV.
Another woman had $18,000 in loans taken out using her name. She never got an alert. Not from her bank, not from her credit monitoring service.
The dark side
You find out only when you try to do something boring, like apply for a loan, get a job or file taxes. By then, you’re already in financial Hunger Games with your name attached to debt, crimes or worse.
Best dashcams
ChatGPT
The Fourth of July is coming in hot, and so is some absolutely bonkers traffic. And while fireworks light up the sky, accidents and road rage are lighting up our highways.
An Oklahoma City driver laid on his horn when an SUV started drifting in his lane. Things escalated quickly. The SUV driver swerved to block the honking driver, then pulled a gun and shot him.
200 eggs
That’s how many new mozzies a single female mosquito can whip up in a puddle. One inch of water, one day, and boom, you’ve got a bloodthirsty startup. Time to dump those flowerpot saucers and treat your birdbath like each drop raises your tax bracket.
👀 A note about Google watching your texts: I told you about this yesterday, and the link worked for some people but not all. It’s surprisingly tricky to turn off Google’s Gemini AI text tracking. You’ve gotta manually yank its permissions. Think of it like breaking up with a clingy ex who still has a key. Head to gemini.google.com/apps and toggle the switch off for Phone, Messages, WhatsApp, etc. These might not pop up on your end, yet, but anticipate a rollout sometime before July 7.
👍 Don’t wait until it’s too late: I’ve said it for years, viruses attack fast. That’s why I trust TotalAV. Rock-solid protection on up to 5 devices. Only $19 for the first year. Smart, simple, and it works!
Fashion forward AI: Google’s new app Doppl lets you upload a body pic and then deepfakes you into different outfits. It also makes videos, in case you needed CGI proof that you can’t pull off cargo pants.
💻 RIP, blue screen of death: After nearly 40 years, Windows is ditching the classic BSOD error message. You know, the one with the frowning face and QR code? It’s being replaced with a black screen that shows the stop code and the system driver that caused the crash. The update rolls out later this summer.
1.6 million
Americans living with type 1 diabetes who just got a sliver of hope. Ten people (out of 12 in trials) are now insulin-free thanks to a single infusion from a new drug. If you’re still waiting for your miracle, science is catching up.
🚚 Amazon’s getting faster: Same or next-day delivery is coming to over 4,000 small towns and cities by the end of the year. It’s part of a $4 billion plan to triple the size of the company’s rural network. Bonus: Prime Day runs July 8 to 11. Click here to snag early deals.
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AT&T’s $5K oops: Did your call logs hit the dark web? You might get paid for it. AT&T agreed to shell out $177M over two juicy data breaches, one from 2019, the other from 2024. You could snag up to $5K, but you’ve gotta prove actual losses. Notifications begin Aug. 4.
🧠 Viral trend, real brain damage: Talk to your kids about TikTok’s risky new “Dusting Challenge.” This brain stunt features teens inhaling computer duster spray for what they think is a quick high. What they’re actually getting: seizures, suffocation and possible brain damage.
🚁 Bezos wedding floods Venice: Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez just kicked off their three-day, $56M wedding party in Venice, complete with 90 private jets, island takeovers and blackout tarps for privacy. The AP is bravely snapping pics you can see here. Bezos did donate €3M (about $3.2M) to soften the blow on the locals, but that’s still far less than he makes during a yacht nap. I heard Bezos makes $1 million a minute between Amazon and investments, really.
Protect your privacy without lifting a finger: Tired of your personal data floating around online? Incogni scrubs it from data brokers and people-search sites. With my exclusive link, get 60% off unlimited plans. Choose which sites to target, and take back your privacy today!
16th century
That’s when the word “bro” first popped up, short for “brother.” Fast-forward to today, mix in a little social media brain rot, and Gen Alpha has taken it further with “bruh.” It now means just about anything: a greeting, joy, frustration, you name it. Versatile? Absolutely. Clear? Not even close.
💾 Cheap hard drives on Amazon: A data recovery firm tested a $28 “UnionSine” 500GB external drive. It worked, but inside? A Toshiba hard drive from 2016. Folks, spend a bit more and stick to trusted brands. Here’s a 2TB one (13% off).
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Crypto-stealing selfie snatcher: Your camera roll might be your crypto wallet’s worst enemy. “SparkKitty” malware snuck into both Google and Apple app stores, scanned your photos and stole any crypto recovery phrases it found. Remember, never screenshot your seed phrase, and maybe don’t store your financial life next to brunch pics.
$41,000
That’s the retail price of a stolen Bobcat, and no, it’s not a house cat. These guys tried to snag it with a fake rental, a U-Haul and a $380 cash “deposit.” Too bad they didn’t know about the victim’s secret weapon: an Apple AirTag.
Foldgate incoming: Apple’s first foldable iPhone just leaked, well, unfolded. Expect a 7.58-inch inner display, dual 48MP cameras, titanium body and a new hinge made of … metallic glass? Coming 2026, or as I like to call it, soon-ish. Expected at $2,000+, it folds like a wallet, and empties one faster.