Kids play Roblox or Fortnite? Read this now!

Imagine if either of these online games were your business. In a single day, you had all these customers showing up at your site or store. 

  • Roblox has 66,100,000 daily active users.
  • Fortnite has 237,000,000 daily active users.

That’s a ton of people sitting in front of screens, right? Cue the hackers and scammers. They noticed it, too.

If you have kids in the family, chances are they’re playing Roblox or Fortnite. What you (and them) don’t know is there’s a dark, scammy side that’s getting more extensive and sinister. This is important information for all parents and grandparents to know.

One family was hoodwinked after their 11-year-old daughter was tricked on Roblox. Her parents bought her two custom avatars for her birthday — valued at a whopping $280. A day later, another player tricked her and stole them. Poor kid.

Earlier this year, over 300 Roblox users were caught laundering money through the game. They used fake in-game purchases (for items that didn’t exist) to transfer real money. A class action lawsuit is currently underway for the victims. And you know how that goes … lawyers make the most bank.

Bad news: There’s a bigger, badder scam in town. Thousands of reputable websites — universities, professional organizations and even U.S. government agencies — have been hacked to push Fortnite and Roblox scams to kids.

The plot thickens

The premise is simple: Hackers scan a website for a vulnerability or weakness in the backend, then upload what are known as “poison PDFs.” These malicious documents appear in search results, promoting everything from free Roblox in-game currency (Robux) to free Fortnite skins.

You think you’re getting free Robux, but wait! There’s just one “last step.” A pop-up asks you to sign up for another service to unlock your free gift. Fill it out and the only gift you get is a computer virus — or identity theft.

These scams aren’t limited to websites. They can be found in YouTube videos and surveys, too. Roblox and Fortnite are just the latest victims. Similar scams have been reported offering free Amazon gift cards or cash prizes. 

Guard the fort

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Incognito mode doesn't do what you might think - Here's the truth

I know that I use Incognito mode from time to time. And while I’m not going to ask you what you’ve used it for, I assume you’ve used it, too. It serves a purpose, but here’s what it doesn’t do: Make you invisible. And that’s coming straight from Google.

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Know someone who has a Ring doorbell?

The check might be in the mail. Yep, Ring is settling a class-action lawsuit.

Airbnb's guest chores, Fortnite's $245M settlement & smartphone spies

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Plus, phone, drone and a daring rescue — I talk to the man who did it all. Remember your old TV? It’s part of a class-action lawsuit. Tesla app unlocks stranger’s car, 3 apps for a healthier you, and my answer to this question: What’s the safest way to store naked pictures of my wife?

🏥 Profits over patients? Hospitals are fighting a wave of insurance denials, thanks to AI algorithms slashing costs for insurers. Take Cigna, which was hit with a class-action lawsuit after rejecting over 300,000 claims in just two months. Their AI? It spent a whopping 1.2 seconds reviewing each case. Whoa. If you were denied coverage, ask them to take a look again — this time, by a human.

Facebook may owe you money — here's how to claim it

Last year, Facebook settled a $650 million lawsuit with Illinois residents for storing and collecting their biometric data without consent. Here’s how much money people received.

The social media juggernaut just agreed to another settlement. This one’s for $725 million following numerous lawsuits claiming the platform violated users’ privacy. Here’s what you need to know and how to get paid.

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Remember that bulky old TV you had in the '90s? You might be owed money

Most TVs in the ’90s and early ’00s used Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT), which gave them a prominent bulge at the back. But it wasn’t just TVs, as many computer monitors used the same technology. This technology is back in the news for all the wrong reasons.

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Speaking of Intel: A possible class-action lawsuit against Intel claims the company knowingly sold bad processors. One New York man is demanding millions, saying the crashes and lost data cost him time, money and some sanity. Apparently, Intel knew about the glitches in its 13th- and 14th-gen CPUs for years but kept them under wraps.

Sea ya later: Royal Caribbean is facing a class-action lawsuit after nearly 1,000 passengers were filmed secretly in a bathroom. It happened this past February on the Symphony of the Seas. This sicko uploaded images to the Dark Web and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. I hope he drops the soap.

Juul payout: Folks who bought Juul vaping products are getting huge payouts from the $300 million class-action settlement — someone even received over $9,000. The company was sued after its customers claimed they were misled about how addictive Juul’s products were. If you put in a claim, check your Venmo.

23andMe class-action lawsuit: Hackers stole the personal info of 6.9 million customers in 2023, and 23andMe is now paying out a $30 million settlement. We’re talking up to $10,000 per person if you’ve faced identity fraud or other big issues related to the breach. The settlement still needs final approval, but when it happens, you can count on me to give you the link to apply.

💰 Hefty cashback: Walmart is coughing up $45 million to settle a class-action lawsuit for allegedly overcharging us on weighted goods and bagged citrus from October 2018 to January 2024. Got squeezed? You could get up to $500 if you file a claim by June 5, 2024 — no receipt is needed, but proof of your purchase might fatten your check.

Kia might owe you money - Here's how to check

Vehicle manufacturer Kia is in damage control mode, and you could be in line for money if you drive a specific model. Hyundai and Kia recently rolled out an anti-theft software patch for about 8 million models.

However, the possible compensation has nothing to do with car thefts. Instead, Kia has agreed to a class-action lawsuit settlement related to anti-lock brake systems (ABS).

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If you bought one of these defective laptops, Apple might owe you money

Consumer products and vehicles get recalled often, but it’s rare to get anything of value in return. When a car has a defective component, manufacturers usually repair it for free. Tap or click here for details on 160K vehicles recently recalled.

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This face search engine anyone can use is amazingly accurate

Facial recognition software, previously only used in science fiction, is now an everyday part of our lives. We use it to unlock our phones, verify our identities online and even get through the airport faster.

Though useful, this tech can be utilized without your permission, as seen in a recent $650 million class-action lawsuit against Facebook. The social network used facial recognition to suggest photo tags, which broke a privacy law. Tap or click here to see if you can expect a settlement check in the mail.

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Facebook is mailing out $350 settlement checks - Can you expect one?

When a group of people suffers similar physical or financial injuries, and fault can be placed with one company, they can join together to file a claim. The class-action lawsuit may go to trial, but many are settled before it gets to that point. Awards are divided among members of the case.

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Apple to pay nearly $15M in iCloud refunds - See if you’re eligible

Mobile phones have excellent features these days, but more significant storage requirements come with technology upgrades. If you only have 64GB of internal storage, it will fill to the brim with photos and videos in no time. Tap or click here for what to do if your iCloud or Google storage is full.

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Zoom class-action settlement: Claim your share today before it's too late

Zoom was one of the biggest apps that helped us through the pandemic. The video conference tool was essential for workplaces and schools across the country. But with popularity comes a hefty price — specifically $85 million in the form of a settlement.

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Ever used TikTok? File a claim for your part of a $92M class-action settlement

There is no doubt that the video-sharing app TikTok has exploded in popularity recently. During the height of the pandemic, the app ranked as the third fastest-growing brand — only trailing Zoom and Peacock. Tap or click here for smart digital life hacks you won’t find on TikTok.

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Canon printers are bricking for a very strange reason: Running out of ink

Technology is truly amazing — when it works. But for whatever reason, sometimes things don’t go as expected. Scratching your head over missing settings or weird behavior can be incredibly frustrating until a solution is found. Tap or click here for details on two major problems with Apple’s iOS 15.

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