alerts Archives

This hidden setting stops fraud in its tracks

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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 where all your money’s going

Most major banking apps (Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Wells Fargo, you name it) have a built-in spending breakdown feature. No more wondering where your money went. You can literally see that $73 you spent on food delivery last week in one sad, colorful chart.

For example, I didn’t realize I was personally funding Nordstrom’s entire Q1 earnings. Here’s how to find it:

Open your app and go to your credit card.
Look for words like “Spending Summary,” “Insights,” or “Trends.”
Boom, there’s your pie chart. (Mine always looks like a pizza with “Tech Gadgets” and “Clothes” as toppings.)

Try changing the date range to see your habits over time. Want to get really scared? Look at a full year.

Next, set up alerts

This one’s a no-brainer. You can set up alerts for every time your card is used. Whether it’s $5 at a gas station or $500 on mystery electronics in a country you’ve never visited.

Here’s how to turn them on in banks’ mobile apps. I gave you steps, but if you need extra help, hit the links:

Bank of America: Press Inbox > Bank of America inbox > Quick Setup or Custom Setup > Allow > Account Activity.
Capital One: Tap your card > Instant Purchase Notification.
Chase: Select the person icon > Manage alerts.
Wells Fargo: Go to your card > Manage > Manage alerts.

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Your bank wants your voice. Just say no.

ID 141901747 © Andreusk | Dreamstime.com

When I told my bank I didn’t want them using my voice as a biometric security measure, they pushed back — hard.

“It’s for your protection,” they insisted.

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Don’t panic, shopper

🛟 From power outages to self-defense, you’ll want this gear.

Stay charged up and get alerts with a hand-crank radio (17% off).
A smoke & carbon monoxide detector (25% off) lets you act fast.
Roadside trouble? Keep a car safety tool ($29) in your glove box.
This first aid kit ($40) has everything for bumps, cuts and burns.
Clip one of these personal alarm sirens ($19) to your key chain.
The meals in this emergency food bucket (5% off) last 25 years.

🚨 Don’t stop now: Stock up smart with more emergency must-haves on my page to stay prepped for anything.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

One inbox for everything

Open/download audio

Tired of missing bill alerts and repair requests? Set up a shared email for all the important stuff.

🚨 Prime Day scams to watch for: The big sale’s here, and so are the scammers! Common tricks? Fake order confirmations, account issue alerts, fishy social media deals and “package delayed” warnings. These land in your inbox or texts to push you into clicking shady links. Here’s a link to the best deals under $50.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Set up price alerts on Amazon with CamelCamelCamel to avoid paying full price.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

📍 There’s an app for that: ICEBlock, a map app for spotting ICE agents, hit #1 on the App Store after CNN reported about it and then U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on X called CNN’s report an “obstruction of justice.” The app lets people pin sightings and get alerts nearby. No word from Apple if they’re gonna pull it.

📷 Alerts with context: Ring cameras can now use AI to describe what they see. Instead of “Living room: Motion detected,” you might get “A dog is tearing up paper towels on the rug.” The best part? It shows up as a phone notification, so there’s no need to open the video. Home Premium subscribers only ($20/month). At that point, just get a real security system.

🍏 Apple’s WWDC sour highlights: Just as I predicted, major disappointment. Apple’s iOS 26 is coming in the fall. Will it have a ton of AI? Will it work on the new Apple flip phone? No on both counts. But there’s the new Liquid Glass theme. The screen and app tiles will become translucent, less reflective. Wowsie. You can have polls in group texts, get live translation in calls and see alerts for spam for incoming calls. And you can have two windows open on your iPad. Finally.

📞 Old phone, new trick: Turn your old smartphone into a home security camera. Charge it up and download a free security cam app like Alfred Camera (iOS, Android) on both your old phone and your current one. You’ll get live video, motion alerts and even two-way talk.

🚨 Biggest social media data breach ever: A cybercriminal gang calling themselves ByteBreaker says they scraped 1.2 billion Facebook records. We’re talking names, emails, birthdays and more being sold on the dark web. Meta says it’s just 2021 leftovers, but do we really believe them? Either way, it’s a buffet for scammers. You know the drill. Change your passwords. Freeze your credit. Put alerts on your bank accounts. Dang, I feel like there have been so many data breaches that hackers are deleting duplicates of my data to save on space.

👁️ New Orleans secret surveillance: For two years, police used facial recognition to track people in real time. They tapped into a private network of cameras to scan crowds for anyone on a wanted list and sent alerts to officers. The twist? It might not have been legal. The program’s now paused (paywall link).

Watching your life: Meet Van Hutcherson, a 60-year-old from Chicago, who thought he was in great shape. Then his Apple Watch woke him up one morning with high heart rate alerts. He found out he had an atrial flutter that could’ve led to a stroke. Thankfully, he got treatment. Thinking twice about your own health? Here are the latest Apple Watches.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

🐶 Lost and hound: Finding the right collar can help bring your furry friend home safely. Amazon’s Ring Pet Tag ($10) has a QR code that alerts you if your pet is found. No fees, batteries or subscriptions needed. Want extra peace of mind? Slide an AirTag holder ($10) onto a collar you already own.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

Weather the storm: Get alerts about severe weather and earthquakes right on your phone. On Android, go to Settings > Notifications > Wireless emergency alerts. For iPhone, open Settings > Notifications. Under “Government Alerts,” toggle on Emergency Alerts and Public Safety Alerts.

🚨 Gmail warning: Scammers are sending fake emails that look like legit Google security alerts. Click the link, and you’ll land on a phony sign-in page built to steal your login details. This one’s extra sneaky because it looks like it’s coming from “no-reply@accounts.google.com.” The red flag? Check the “mailed-by” field. If it says “privateemail.com,” it’s a trap.

💡 I see the light: Make your phone flash so you never miss a call or alert. On iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > LED Flash for Alerts and toggle it on. For Android, open Settings > Notifications > Flash notifications. PSA: It’s annoying to anyone around you.

✅ 50% off alert: My home security pick, SimpliSafe, is having a massive sale. I love their new Active Guard technology that alerts you before a break-in happens. You don’t need to live in fear or worry about burglars when you’re not home. Get all the gear to lock down your home for half off.

Planning a trip abroad? Get the Smart Traveler app from the State Department. It includes updated official country info, like travel alerts and warnings, maps and U.S. embassy locations. Apple only. Android pals, find the latest travel advisories here.

🔕 Notification overload? Android’s Notification Cooldown lowers the volume and mutes alerts for two minutes when too many come in at once. Go to Settings > Notifications. Under General, tap Notification Cooldown. It’s live on Google Pixels and coming to Android 16 soon, so save this.