So bloody amazing: Robots have been helping surgeons for years. Now they’re leveling up just by watching videos. Bots from Johns Hopkins and Stanford can tie knots, suture wounds, pick up dropped needles and even work on animal cadavers. They could help fill the surgeon shortage that’s expected to hit up to 20,000 by 2036.
The crypto investment scam that’s all over social media
I’m all about using AI to get stuff done. No kidding, I use ChatGPT every day to shortcut planning and organize my work and my life.
You know who else loves AI? Cybercriminals. A new scam powered by deepfakes is all over social media. Too many people have fallen for it and lost millions of dollars in the process. I’ve got the dirty details so you don’t become a victim, too.
It’s not Elon
The tactic is called Nomani (yeah, that’s “no money”) and combines AI video, malicious ads on social media and email phishing. It started spiking in May and grew 335% by the second half of 2024. From May to November, ESET Cybersecurity says they blocked about 100 new scam URLs a day, adding up to 85,000 sites.
It starts with a video of Elon Musk or some other celebrity, politician or business leader endorsing a crypto investment on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or X. Some videos look like news broadcasts. Others are “exclusive” interviews or look more like an infomercial. There’s always a famous face you’ll recognize.
Usually, the accounts posting this stuff have tons of followers. The graphics are snazzy, the info is compelling, and, wow, they promise a lot of tremendous gains with no risk. (You smell the scam, right?)
Say you fall for the bait and click over to their websites. At best, you’re handing your info over to someone highly skilled at tricking people out of their money. At worst? The site itself is infected with money- or info-stealing malware.
It gets nastier
Most of these tricks end with an “investment manager” calling to walk you through the process of transferring all your hard-earned money right to them. They pretend they’re helping you put it into a crypto investment account. Nope.
If you’ve already fallen for Nomani, you’re at even more risk. Scammers are going after victims a second time, pretending to be law enforcement trying to help recover your lost funds. Just awful.
Here’s what scammers don’t want you to know
It’s easier than ever to fake famous faces because of how much real video exists online. With affordable or free software, scammers no longer need advanced skills or a huge budget to create deepfakes. AI tools do the heavy lifting, stitching together eerily realistic fakes.
20 minutes
Of life gone for every cigarette smoked. Yikes! I still cannot believe there were ads in the 1940s that said, basically, cigarettes were good for you. A new study out of University College London found a pack of 20 cigarettes knocks 7 hours off a person’s life. Say you smoke 10 a day and quit on Jan. 1. By the end of the year, you’ve “earned back” 50 extra days. Now, that’s incredible motivation.
Keep this in mind: The 2025 predictions from the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center aren’t pretty. The cybercrime job market is booming, with postings for “software testers” all over the Dark Web. Get this: 12% of identity theft victims who contacted the nonprofit for help in 2024 shared thoughts about ending their lives because the impacts of the theft were so devastating. If this is ever you, do me a favor and call 988 or go here.
😤 Life savings, gone: Here’s another money scam making the rounds. Kay, 80, from Virginia transferred her money to a “secure account” after someone claiming to work for Wells Fargo called, saying her money was in danger. They drained her savings account of tens of thousands until nothing was left. If you get a call your money is at risk in some way, hang up. Call your bank directly using the number on the back of your card.
37% of Gen Z
Plan to skip the gym and use Ozempic instead to lose weight in the coming year. This is so sad. They think the medication is more effective than diet and exercise, but there are scary potential side effects, like nausea, stomach pain and even vision loss.
😴 A pill for sleep apnea: The FDA just approved the weight loss drug Zepbound for obstructive sleep apnea, marking the first-ever drug approved to directly treat the disorder. Originally developed for Type 2 diabetes, new trials show it works in patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea. Speaking of … what’s a Scandinavian with sleep apnea called? A Snore-wegian! (I heard you laugh!)
$200 million
The listing price for the 1.84-acre empty lot next to Jeff Bezos’ house in Miami. It’s in the “Billionaire Bunker” area of the Indian Creek neighborhood. The price is over seven times what the last owner paid in 2018 ($27.5 million). Hey, Jeff, how’d you like an amazing house in Phoenix?
YGTR (You Got That Right!): A Stanford study says abbreviations in texts make you come across as insincere. Sure, you might think you’re being laid-back, but others see it as being lazy. Bonus cringe: People who use abbreviations are less likely to get replies. So, if you’re being ghosted, maybe ditch the “IDK” and try a full sentence, just sayin’.
Watt? This is shocking: AI data centers are popping up everywhere in the U.S., devouring massive amounts of electricity. Beyond driving up energy bills, they’re putting intense pressure on the grid and disrupting the normal flow of electricity. The consequences include damaged home appliances, blackouts, flickering lights and, in some cases, fires caused by voltage surges.
🛂 All you need is love a passport: In just a few years, say goodbye to paper passports. All your passport info, including your facial data, will go digital and link to your phone. At airports, you’ll just show your phone, and facial recognition cameras will authenticate you. I sure hope they’ve thought of privacy breaches, false rejections and lookalike frauds.
This bytes: Security camera apps are some of the biggest data hoarders, collecting payment details, location info, and image and audio recordings. The top offenders? Deep Sentinel, Lorex, Nest Labs, Ring and Arlo. Once they grab your data, it’s used for targeted ads or sold to third parties. Protect yourself: Always review and limit your app permissions.
10 to 20 years
Until AI drives humanity to extinction, according to a “godfather of AI,” Geoffrey Hinton. He’s the winner of this year’s Nobel Prize for Physics and previously put the odds of AI taking over at only 10%. I know many people are thinking, “Great! I won’t have to pay off my student loans!”
🚨 Heads-up, drivers: Scammers are sending fake phishing texts claiming you need to pay your FasTrak bill to avoid late fees or you’ll be in big legal trouble. Don’t fall for it! It’s a ploy to trick you into clicking a bogus link to steal your personal info and drain your wallet.
The technology to reverse cancer: This is incredible. Most cancer treatments focus on destroying harmful cells, often causing lots of other damage to the body. Korean researchers just figured out how to flip colon cancer cells back to a normal state. This removes the cancer without killing the cells. I hate cancer.
Timeline: That’s Google’s creepy (and interesting) map that shows everywhere you’ve been and the routes you took to get there. Starting in early 2025, all your Timeline data will be moved from Google’s cloud servers to your device for more security. I bet Google’s finally getting its hands slapped by the government ruler for privacy violations. Hit this link for steps to delete or download your info before it’s too late.
🇲🇽 Will they send in la policia? Mexico is testing a cellphone app for migrants to warn relatives and consulates if they think they’re about to be detained by U.S. immigration. This comes in response to President-elect Trump’s threats of mass deportations set to begin after he takes office on Jan. 20.
Put it down: A new survey reveals the average American checks their phone 205 times daily, or once every five minutes. That’s a 42.3% increase from 2023. The biggest culprits? Checking phones right after waking up, while on the toilet and, yes, while driving.
This is just bizarre: In Berlin, AI sex robots are stepping in for prostitutes, and they’re anything but shy. One bot, Kokeshi, is described as smelling like summer rain and tasting like peaches, but here’s the twist: She also has a personality. Her owner directs her actions through cameras and mics while she performs and whispers clients’ names. Wow, talk about customer satisfaction.