👾 Remote jobs, real spyware: A Minnesota woman ran a “laptop farm” letting North Korean IT workers pose as U.S. remote hires. Her setup funneled $17M to the DPRK before the FBI shut it down. Workers used stolen IDs, hacked into American companies and even got jobs at top tech firms. The woman says she didn’t know; the feds say, “lol, not ok.”
Digital cash, physical threat
ChatGPT
Picture this: You’re worth millions in crypto. You think your money’s safe because it’s digital, anonymous and locked up behind a strong password. But there’s one security hole you didn’t count on, your physical body.
That’s exactly what happened in a terrifying case out of New York City.
Two men allegedly kidnapped a crypto investor and held him captive for weeks in a luxury town house. Why? To beat the password out of him. It’s called a “$5 wrench attack” by insiders.
Kidnapped for crypto
According to The Wall Street Journal, Michael Carturan, with $30 million in crypto, walked into a Soho town house expecting a pitch meeting … and left 25 days later barefoot and traumatized.
The goal? Force him to unlock his Bitcoin wallet. Kidnapped. Held hostage. Tortured, yes, even threatened with a chain saw, until he gave up his wallet info.
This isn’t a plot from a Netflix thriller, it’s real life. And it’s a terrifying new way criminals are going after digital riches.
Carturan finally escaped barefoot into the street, flagged down an NYPD officer and lived to tell the tale.
Two suspects were caught, including (because this story wouldn’t be complete otherwise) a former crypto CEO.
This isn’t just one wild story
It’s happening more than you might think.
A Connecticut couple cruising around in their Lamborghini get kidnapped. Six guys grab them not because they’re flashy but because they thought the couple’s son was sitting on a fortune in crypto. Federal prosecutors say the plan was to hold them for ransom.
1,200 miles
How far Aurora’s self-driving 18-wheelers have already cruised through Texas. With no human behind the wheel, they’ve been hauling frozen pastries between Dallas and Houston. Just sensors, code and a CEO nervously vibing in the back seat.
🧢 Adidas x identity theft: Hackers hit an Adidas contractor and grabbed customer data. Adidas says it was just contact info, but still, change your password on adidas.com if you have an account. Adidas is now investigating this little cyber joggers’ detour and letting the impacted users know.
👨💻 Keep calm and Java on: Engineers say AI is pushing them to work harder and faster. Teams are shrinking, but expectations aren’t. Code that used to take weeks now has to be done in days. And with AI writing full programs instead of just suggesting lines of code? Yeah, junior devs’ glory days are over.
1,000 lashes: Some guys online are shaving off their eyelashes to look more masculine. PSA: They’re not just for looks, boys. Lashes protect your eyes from dirt and deflect air from your cornea. And once you start messing with them, it ups your risk of infections like pink eye. Just don’t.
Hiring? Don’t waste time on the wrong candidates. LinkedIn connects you with qualified pros fast. Right now, you can post your job for free. Tap into the world’s largest professional network and find your next great hire today!
🧨 Tap that update button: Apple quietly slid out an update that plugs a nasty hole where hackers can crash your apps or expose your private life with a malicious, cursed JPEG. Install the patch before a stranger’s selfie ends your career. iOS updates used to mean emojis. Now they mean survival.
“Oh sheet,” says Google: Perplexity AI is now doing spreadsheets, presentations and websites, all from a $20/month subscription. You can use it on iOS, Android and soon Mac and Windows.
🚘 Car wrap scam: You get a text saying big brands will pay you to wrap your car in advertising. After you fill out an application, a “rep” sends a cashier’s check and tells you to deposit it, then pay a local installer via Cash App. Plot twist: The check’s fake, it bounces later and you’re out thousands. Never stops.
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!
🚀 The Force encrypts: The CIA apparently ran a fake Star Wars site to secretly talk with spies around the world. It had R2-D2 pics and everything. But behind the scenes? Informants would enter a password in the search bar to open a secret chat with their CIA handler. And yes, it’s been shut down.
🩺 AI at your next doctor visit: I told you about this six months ago, and mainstream media is catching up. Doctors are starting to use ambient listening tech that records your conversations. It filters out small talk, then writes notes and updates medical records. Pretty handy, since paperwork can drop from 90 minutes to under 30 (paywall link). But uh, imagine if that data gets breached.
2 years and 182 days
That’s the age of the youngest-ever Mensa member. To qualify, you need an IQ of at least 132, which puts you in the top 2% globally. Joseph said his first word at 7 months and read his first book out loud by 1¾ years. By 5, he’ll be building an AI bot to replace his parents.
Rural internet sucks: That’s why states like Louisiana and Nevada are spending millions on satellites instead (paywall link). Fiber is pricey and takes forever to build, so you can bet Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper are smiling ear to ear. The catch? Slower speeds and more outages. But hey, it’s better than nothing.
🚨 Don’t fall for it: Scammers are posting AI videos on TikTok promising free versions of Microsoft Office and Spotify. All you had to do? Run a short line of code. Plot twist: It installed malware that could steal your passwords and credit card info. And with no links involved, it was harder to detect.
Grad name reads go full robo: Pace NY grads scanned QR codes at graduation, then heard their names announced by an AI voice that sounded like a sentient Waze app. Phonetic accuracy? Maybe. Vibes? Students compared it to checkout somewhere between dystopia and Duane Reade. Four years of debt, and Alexa stole your thunder.
⚠️ iPhone alert: Data experts say you should update to iOS 18.5 ASAP to patch a nasty bug. Hackers could access your personal files just by sending you a malicious image. If you’ve got an iPhone XS or newer, go to Settings > General > Software Update and tap Download and Install. Don’t wait!
2.4 billion
That’s how many times people visited Zillow in just three months. Why? Because daydreaming is cheaper than buying. Only 4 million homes were actually sold last year, but that didn’t stop everyone and their mom from house-hunting from the couch. Zillow’s not just a listing site; it’s the new social media, where “cozy” means claustrophobic and “as-is” means “run.” When it comes to board games about buying real estate, Hasbro really has the Monopoly.