“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 […]
You’ve heard me say it a hundred times: Clear your cookies, block third-party trackers, use private browsing. But here’s something new, something creepier. Now, even after nuking cookies from orbit and going full incognito ninja, websites still know who you are. How? Something called browser fingerprinting. And unlike actual crime-fighting fingerprints, this one just helps […]
Here’s something you probably don’t know. Your banking app is packed with credit card tools that can help you fight fraud, track every dollar and even shop safer online. Yep, your boring old banking app is secretly a money-smart ninja. You just haven’t poked around enough. Let’s activate some life-upgrade-level settings right now. Figure out […]
Lately, I’ve had way too many calls on my shows from people who have lost thousands (sometimes hundreds of thousands) to scams. These are so cleverly evil, it’s like Ocean’s Eleven but starring a dude with three Instagram followers and a ChatGPT subscription. You see, we’re way past scam emails from sketchy Nigerian princes. Today’s […]
I’ve got bad news: Today’s online scammers know everything about you. They’re scraping your info and everyone else’s from the web and buying the rest from data brokers and people-search sites. 📈 The stats are scary Folks age 60-plus are the biggest target. Almost 72% of scams start with personal data grabbed online. Data brokers […]
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 […]
Hackers just hit a massive jackpot: 184 million accounts across Apple, Google and Microsoft were exposed in a sweeping data breach. I’m talking email addresses, usernames, passwords, device info (the whole buffet), now up for grabs on the dark web. Before you say, “I’m safe, I use strong passwords,” or “I’ve never been hacked,” take […]
It doesn’t bother me anymore, but it used to. Maybe it’s happened to you. You’re in a Zoom call, wearing pajama bottoms, and someone casually says, “Oh, my AI assistant is taking notes of everything everyone is saying.” Wait, what?! There’s a digital stenographer silently documenting every sigh, awkward pause and half-baked idea you mutter? […]
If you’re about to take a flight, pause for one hot second before you slide your phone into that shiny airport USB port. Both the FBI and FTC are waving red flags: Public charging stations can be straight-up hacker bait. The scam has a name, juice jacking, and no, it’s not a new energy drink. […]
I am hearing more and more reports about a certain travel scam that is not making the tech sites or mainstream news. A “travel agent” or travel site selling fake plane tickets. You pay real cash for a flight that doesn’t actually exist, like booking a table at a restaurant that burned down in 2006. […]
Most people have never heard of companies like Mobilewalla or Gravy Analytics, but they know you. The FTC just clamped down on these two for secretly vacuuming up people’s real-time location data without consent. Not just estimated neighborhoods or passing GPS flickers. We’re talking exact coordinates, tied to your phone’s unique ID, showing where you […]
I’ve been hearing lately from more and more people who believe they’re being watched or listened to through their phones. Whether it’s an ex, a snooping spouse or someone with too much time and too little ethics, digital stalking is real and it’s sneaky. If your gut is telling you something’s off, don’t brush it […]
Let me tell you a true story that’ll shake you and hopefully protect someone you love from heartbreak or a well-rehearsed scam call. It happened to a 90-year-old grandmother in Nashville. She picked up the phone because that’s what she’s always done. On the other end was a young woman, her voice trembling, the connection […]
Michelle in Phoenix asks: “Hello, Kim, do you have recommendations for services that remove your phone number, home address off Google? My son is getting extremely harassing texts and vandalism at his home. We want to remove all our phone numbers and addresses from public viewing.” Michelle, you’re not alone. Googling yourself used to be […]
When’s the last time you looked to see who’s logged into your accounts? Yeah, I thought so.
What’s the obvious downside for always-on devices that constantly listen for commands? They’re always listening.
It’s not just clingy exes popping into your messages out of the blue. Scammers are ramping up phony texts across the country. You can make the texts stop (more below). Here are the latest ones making the rounds and the red flags to watch for: 🚨 Fake missed toll or parking ticket The FTC just […]
New cars are computers on wheels, tracking just as much about you as your phone does. Before you sell your car or return a lease, you need to take the time to wipe all that data. Otherwise, you’re handing over a digital diary of your life to anyone who knows where to look. Your car […]
It’s so easy to click and save your passwords right to Chrome, Edge, Safari or any other browser. Have you ever stopped to think about just how bad an idea it is to do this? Anyone with access to your browser can jump right into any one of your accounts. Yup, even your banking and […]
Shocker! Another Communist China company was caught red-handed. DeepSeek AI shares user data with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. The BBC reports countries worldwide are yanking it from app stores, and I bet we’ll see bans here roll out soon. Here’s the bigger issue. AI chatbots are always on, always listening and always collecting data. Some […]
