A quick-thinking title company owner was able to stop a fraudulent sale when it appeared the scammer was using AI to try to steal properties.
I wasted 36 hours trying to do it myself
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So many of the calls, emails, messages and DMs I get are about privacy and security. I can’t remember the last time I had a full day where no one asked me some version of “How do I get all this info about me off the internet?”
It’s not just you. It’s me, too. After finding my personal cellphone number available on a free people-search site last year, I made it my mission to scrub everything online about me. There are literally hundreds of companies and sites that collect personal info, and they make it extremely hard to get your data removed. Why? Because they profit from selling your data — and mine.
I called the series Opt-Out Tuesday. We put together articles, newsletters and radio segments promoting it. I shared the steps in my nationally syndicated columns. And yet …
I didn’t make a dent
To be fair, we heard from a ton of people who had success following our instructions and removing their info. In fact, the big people search site networks got so peeved, they changed the steps to remove your data after one of my articles went viral.
I spent 36 hours emailing the scummy sites, filling out forms, making calls and even sending letters by USPS. I gave up when I had no real progress. That’s when I researched services to do this for me. I tried three, and I ultimately picked Incogni.
It took me about 3 minutes
Creating an account was easy, and I was immediately opted out of 27 databases, with 47 more requests sent. Now we’re talking about hundreds of sites I’m opted out of with no extra work on my end.
All you have to do is create an account and then enter your name and address. These sites require this info to remove your data — so you’d do that whether or not you use Incogni. Bonus: You can add up to three addresses and three phone numbers, too, so they can catch all the sneaky records.
Then, you grant Incogni permission to reach out on your behalf. After you finish the setup process, you’ll see a list of sites you’ve been removed from and pending requests.
Massive data leak impacts 1 in 3 Americans
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Data broker MC2 Data left more than 100 million records of Americans exposed online for anyone to copy, grab, forward, sell on the Dark Web — you name it. This comes only a month after the National Public Data breach of 2.9 billion records. I’m getting so tired of these data broker companies and people-search sites screwing up, and it’s you and me who have to pay for their mistakes.
‘It is not real': Title company owner warns of new twist to title fraud
💳 PayPal update: Starting Nov. 27, PayPal will share your purchasing data with third-party merchants — think products, preferences, sizes and styles. Yes, you can stop it. In the app, tap your profile photo at the top right, followed by Data and privacy. Under Manage shared info, tap Personalized shopping, and toggle off the switch. On desktop, click the settings gear icon in the top right, then select Data & Privacy > Personalized shopping to toggle off the slider. It never stops …
293% increase
In email attacks, compared to last year. Email scams exploded in the first half of 2024, including increases in ransomware, malware and phishing attempts. AI might not be helping tech companies turn a profit yet, but it’s sure helping cyber crooks.
So much data left exposed for anyone to see
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Another day, another monumental data breach. Just because they’re getting more common doesn’t mean you can tune it out. In fact, it’s time to get even more serious about your private information and what’s posted online.
Elder fraud is on the rise – These are the most common scams
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Here’s a stat that blows me away: One in every 10 seniors is a victim of identity theft each year. Americans over the age of 60 lost $3.4 billion in fraud schemes in 2023. That’s almost an 11% increase from the year before, and things are only getting worse.
Hidden cameras in your bushes
Criminals want to get to know your schedule … so they know exactly the right time to attack. Beware of camouflaged cameras recording every time you leave the house.
Apalachee High School shooting: A teacher says a newly installed tech system called Centegix prevented even more casualties on Sept. 4. Staff carry digital cards that instantly alert law enforcement to a physical threat on campus. Officers arrived at the school within two minutes of the first shots going off. We need this to roll out nationwide now.
Heads-up, Gmail user: Starting Sept. 30, you won’t be able to use your Google Workspace account to log into third-party apps or devices that require only a username and password to sign up. If you see errors like “Invalid username,” “Invalid password” or “Unable to log in,” create a new account with the site instead of trying to log in with Google.
When you don’t excel, people spreadsheet: On Tuesday, July 30, Outlook was stalling, the Starbucks app crashed and Office 365 was down for eight hours. We now know a cyberattack took down the cloud computing system Microsoft Azure and a ton of apps and services with it. D’oh! Microsoft’s attempts to stop the attacks actually made the outages worse.
Byte-Ban: Starting Aug. 15, U.S. House of Representatives staffers are banned from using all ByteDance apps on government devices. TikTok’s already out, but now the ban includes photo-editing apps CapCut and Hypic, chat app Lark and social media app Lemon8. It all comes down to TikTok’s ties to Communist China. I’m surprised it took them this long.
Update to iOS 17.6 ASAP: It packs 35 security fixes, tackling vulnerabilities that could let hackers control your phone. Don’t wait for it to pop up. On iPhone XS or later, go to Settings > General > Software Update now. Update your iPad, too, if you have one.
AT&T data breach: Who’s at risk and what to do now
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AT&T dropped some big and very bad news this morning: “Nearly all” customers had text and call data leaked in a massive cyberattack. We’re talking 95 million people.
“Kim, really? Another data breach?” I know, but don’t tune this one out. It has scary implications for your privacy.
New scam: The government won't ask for gold
Share with someone who might be at risk of falling victim to this junk. So sad.
Ticket heist: Cybercriminals are selling fake tickets online for the upcoming Paris Olympics. It’s a large-scale effort with over 700 fake domains. Telltale signs? Spelling and grammar mistakes and super inflated prices. Stick to the official sales platform.
Keep a tracker hidden in your car
I use an AirTag to always know where my car is. The key is to hide the tracker so a thief doesn’t know about it. The better hidden it is, the better off you’ll be.
Finding stolen cars on Facebook
You can never be too careful when it comes to your stuff. I suggest putting an Airtag or Tile in your car so you’re always covered. I did it!
Stick-it master: Hackers stole 193 million Ticketmaster barcodes valued at $22.6 billion. This includes 440,000 tickets to future dates of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Hackers accepted $1 million for the data, but now they want $8 million. Who’s paying those “processing fees” and “venue charges” now? If you have concert tickets, make sure they’re legit before you head out.
Don't trust ANYONE
There’s a classic theft tactic making the rounds once again. If someone approaches you with an “emergency” and asks to borrow your phone, don’t do it. I’ll explain why.