Teens trading hacks for clout: The FBI says criminals are recruiting kids on Discord and video games into “The Com,” an online world where a hack gets you street cred. Thousands are caught up, some just for bragging rights, thinking it’s all fun until someone knocks on the door with a badge and felony charges. Parents, talk to your teens.
Your phone’s more intimate than your diary
ChatGPT
Our phones hold everything: photos, texts, money apps, health info, even our bad selfies. Handing over access to your partner? That’s not just convenient. That’s trust on a whole new level.
Some people think it’s the 2025 version of giving someone a house key. Others worry it’s a recipe for drama, or even the prequel to a Netflix true crime doc.
But done the right way, sharing your device can make life smoother and safer, and bring you closer. Let’s talk about a few smart ways to do it. Note: I’ve checked all these steps below, but depending on your device, operating system, make, model and whether Mercury is in retrograde, your steps may look a little different.
🧬 Share biometrics
Letting your partner unlock your phone with their Face ID or a fingerprint means no fumbling for passcodes. Great in emergencies or when one of you is driving.
- iPhone: Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode). Enter your passcode, tap Set Up an Alternate Appearance (Face ID) or Add a Fingerprint (Touch ID), and scan your partner.
- Android: Settings vary, but generally go to Settings > Security & privacy > Device lock or Biometrics > Face recognition or Fingerprints. Add a new face or fingerprint and follow the prompts.
🛟 Set up emergency contacts
This makes sure your partner’s number shows up for first responders even if your phone is locked.
- iPhone: Open the Health app > Profile icon (upper-right corner) > Medical ID > Edit. Scroll to Emergency Contacts > Edit > Add Emergency Contact, select your partner, and save.
- Android: Open the Contacts app, pick your partner, and mark as Emergency Contact. Some phones (like Pixel or Samsung) also have Settings > Safety and emergency > Emergency contacts for more options.
📍 Share locations
Skip the “where are you?” texts. Location sharing keeps you connected, whether for safety or convenience.
- iPhone: Open Find My > People tab > Start Sharing Location. Choose your partner’s contact, then set it to share Indefinitely.
- Android: Open Google Maps > Profile icon (upper-right corner) > Location sharing > Share location. Pick your partner, set the time period (or Until you turn this off), and hit Share.
Don’t just freeze, fight back
ChatGPT
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!”
293.54 mph
Speeds hit by China’s BYD U9, claiming EV hypercar supremacy. So it turns out Yangwang’s engineering marvel U9 casually obliterated the speed charts. It didn’t just nudge the status quo; it demolished it. Anyone up for some electric NASCAR?
📚 Schedule warm light on Kindle: You can ease eyestrain at night by setting your Kindle’s warm light to turn on automatically. Go to All Settings > Screen and brightness > Brightness and warmth > Warmth schedule. Choose Automatic (sunset to sunrise) or Manual (pick your own times). Use the (+/–) slider to adjust the intensity.
🍌 This is a-peel-ing: Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (nicknamed Nano Banana) just split the future of photo editing. You can unblur your kid’s soccer photo, swap your messy kitchen for a Pinterest one, or crown your cat. All hail Whiskers. It’s live in Gemini for free and paid folks. Try it here.
Heads up: Google just confirmed that hackers got into some Google Workspace accounts. How? They used stolen OAuth tokens from Drift integrations – yep, those handy tools that connect your inbox to other apps. If you use Drift with Google Workspace, now’s the time to revoke those tokens and change your passwords. If none of this made any sense at all to you, move on.
💸 Crypto. Con. Gone. A brother and sister in Ohio lost over $1 million to a crypto scam after getting sucked in on Telegram by a fake “investment coach” named Shaw Goddess (you can’t make this up). They wired money into what looked like a legit trading platform until they tried to cash out and, poof, nothing. The FBI managed to recover about $325K by tracing the crypto and freezing it, but the rest? Dust in the blockchain wind.
Cellphone bill too high? Mine was. I switched to Consumer Cellular. Same coverage as Big Wireless, but for half the price. Over 50? Get two lines for just $60, plus save $25 with code KIM25. AARP discounts, too. Check it out now. You’ll be glad you did.
Poor Mark Zuckerberg can’t catch a break: The man-child has spent $110M buying 11 homes in Palo Alto to build a personal fortress complete with a pickleball court, “bat cave” basement and private school. After eight years of nonstop construction, frustrated neighbors got a peace offering. He actually gave them noise-canceling headphones. Because nothing says “sorry for ruining your street” like a $300 pair of earbuds. Oh, also donuts.
🏈 Free NFL on YouTube: This year, YouTube is streaming the first Friday game between the Chiefs and Chargers on Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. ET. You can watch on the YouTube home page or the official NFL channel. Bonus: month-to-month NFL Sunday Ticket plans. New fans: $85/month. Returning fans: $115/month with YouTube TV, or $145/month on YouTube. New is better, obviously.
📱 Check your Android apps: Google doesn’t care or else they would do something about this continuing problem. They just pulled 77 malicious apps with 19 million installs (!!!) from the Play Store. They were serving up an unholy trinity of spyware, malware and trojans that can steal your texts, passwords and drain your bank account. Most were disguised as “tools” or “photo apps” with names like “Document Reader – File Manager.” Check your phone, like, now.
21
The number of UFO cases the Pentagon flat-out couldn’t explain last year. One crowdsourced platform, Enigma, logged 8,000+ UFO sightings in the U.S since December 2022 alone. The Pentagon’s UFO office dismissed most sightings as explainable (birds, drones, balloons), but 21 cases remain unresolved. Cue X-Files theme song.
Samsung wants to blow up: Samsung’s begging you to watch at the crack of dawn on Sept. 4, 5:30 a.m. ET all the new gear that they’re rolling out, like the Tab S11 (MediaTek-powered snoozefest, but monster battery) and the S25 FE, which is basically last year’s phone with a slightly better selfie cam. Yawn.
Over 1 million reposts
That’s what Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement announcement pulled in, breaking Instagram’s record. The post hit the milestone in just six hours and has already racked up more than 33 million likes. The couple had been dating for about two years before Kelce popped the question. Swifties, you can finally breathe.
🚨 TransUnion hacked: We all have a record here, whether we want it or not. More than 4.4 million customers had their personal data swiped from the credit bureau. The company says “no credit info was accessed” but hasn’t shared what was stolen, who’s behind it or if demands were made. You have to know they took important details like your name, DOB, SSN and other goodies. So take this news as a need for you to change your TransUnion PIN and password. Never stops.
YouTube vs. Fox: If you’re a YouTube TV subscriber, you might soon lose Fox News, Fox Sports and local Fox stations. The two are butting heads over money in their upcoming carriage renewal. No deal? The channels could get pulled. If that happens, YouTube TV says subscribers will get a $10 credit.
$5 million
That’s how much this grandparent scam raked in from America’s elderly. Move over, Nigerian prince, there’s a new scam in town. A mix of emotional manipulation, phony grandchildren posing in urgent predicaments, and unwitting Uber drivers to collect cash has landed 13 dirtbags in jail. Good riddance.
🚨 Built to be recalled: Have a Ford truck? They’re recalling over 355,000 after the dashboards started ghosting drivers. If you’ve got a model from 2025-26 (including F-150 and Super Duty lines), you might be missing key info like speed and warning lights. Fixes will be free and come via over-the-air updates or at a dealer. Just make sure yours gets it.
👾 Vibe-hacking in the wild: An anonymous hacker used Anthropic’s Claude chatbot to run a fully AI-powered extortion spree, hitting 17 companies. Claude picked targets, coded the malware, analyzed stolen files and even drafted ransom notes. The crazy part? This isn’t some shadowy hacker group, it’s just one person with one AI. The scams are just going to get worse. Please, keep your guard up always.