Tag: Amazon

💧 The weekend hackers came for the water

Hackers hit 30+ Minnesota water systems over two days. Here’s what could’ve happened, along with your 15-minute prep plan.

The always-on gadgets quietly draining your power bill, and the $10 fix

Every blinking clock and standby light is on your electric bill. A $10 gadget stops it and doubles as a burglar deterrent while you travel.

📚 Be head of the class

Save on headphones, a Chromebook, dorm essentials, plus more smart buys for students, parents and working pros. Up to 44% off.

That mystery package isn’t a gift. It’s a warning about your data.

That unordered package on your porch isn’t a shipping error. It’s proof a scammer already has your name and address, and the new ones ship with a QR code the FBI says can plant malware. Keep the item, skip the code, then lock down your passwords.

You bought it. They can still switch it off.

Companies are quietly bricking gadgets you already paid for or locking the features behind a subscription. Here’s how to spot the problem and how to buy around it.

Your phone can translate a conversation in real time

Live translation quietly arrived in phones, earbuds and glasses. Talk to almost anyone, in almost any language. Here’s how to set it up before your next trip.

This July 4, declare independence from the subscriptions draining your wallet

Fireworks are free. Those three streaming services you forgot you’re paying for are not. Here’s how to hunt down and cancel every sneaky recurring charge in under 15 minutes.

Red, white and deals: Amazon’s 4th of July sale is sparking up serious savings

Inside: Summer upgrades, cooling gadgets and vacation gear are all marked down. Up to 57% off.

The cloud isn’t in the sky. It’s a warehouse near you, and it’s on your power bill, your water and your taxes

Every photo, text and ChatGPT question runs through a real building full of computers that never sleep. Here’s why those buildings are quietly showing up on your electric bill, draining your town’s water and pocketing your tax dollars.

Amazon jumped the gun. Prime Day deals are here.

Inside: A 55-inch Fire TV, smart home upgrades, cleaning gadgets and travel essentials. Up to 50% off.

Three companies just confirmed data breaches in one week. Here’s what to watch for.

One Medical, Kodak and Novo Nordisk all confirmed breaches within days of each other, putting millions of records at risk. A health care network, a household name and a major drugmaker, all hit by the same wave of attacks. Here’s what each breach exposed and what to do if you’re affected.

7 companies owe you money. Here’s how to claim every dollar.

Amazon, Trader Joe’s, Bank of America, Krispy Kreme and more settled lawsuits over sneaky fees, bad receipts and data breaches. Payouts run from $3.25 to $5,000, most claims take five minutes and the first deadline is Tuesday.

The Amazon return trap: How a secret algorithm could ban you for life

Amazon tracks every return you make. When your ratio tips the wrong way, they can permanently ban your account with no warning, no appeal and no refund on your Prime membership. Here’s what the threshold looks like and how to protect yourself.

Amazon’s secret bargain store has over a million items under $20

Most people don’t know Amazon built its own Temu. It’s called Amazon Haul. The hidden gems of $5-$10 are legit, backed by real Amazon protection.

How I found 11 hidden cameras in one Airbnb (and how to sweep your next room)

I scrolled past the cable channels on the TV remote and saw live feeds of every room of the place I was staying in. The host’s excuse? “I forgot.” Here’s how to sweep your next rental in two minutes.

Use AI to find a credit card worth $200 to $600 more

A better credit card match can earn $200 to $600 more per year than your current setup. This gives you the exact AI prompt to compare cards by your real spending, annual fees, reward caps, sign-up bonuses and the little traps hiding in the fine print.

Amazon quietly built the largest private surveillance network in America. You helped.

Tens of millions of Ring cameras. New Echo Shows with cameras pointed at your living room and no privacy shutter. A mesh network called Sidewalk covering 95% of the country. AI that scans an entire neighborhood for matches in seconds. Here’s what’s really happening at your front door.

We stopped talking to our kids. The damage is permanent.

A WSJ study found Americans speak 28% fewer words daily than we did in 2005. Parents on phones speak 16% fewer words to babies. That silence is stealing our children’s future vocabulary.

Mother’s Day is almost here: 10 gifts she won’t return

Inside: The latest Alexa speaker, AirPods, summer-ready jewelry and more thoughtful picks that beat flowers.

Your passwords are already for sale. Here’s the proof.

A family member didn’t believe stolen passwords were for sale online. So I showed him. What we found for $12 will make you change every login tonight.