What happens when Amazon crashes the internet, why you shouldn’t fake a crime with AI, and why teachers are terrified of the words “six seven.”
🚨 Scam syndicate exposed: As I’ve mentioned before, many scammers targeting older Americans are run by huge crime families operating out of Myanmar and Southeast Asia. A Chinese court just sentenced 11 members to death after busting a mafia “fraud factory.” Holy cow, that’s hardcore. Americans lost over $10 billion in 2024 to Southeast Asia-based scams alone. This may put a dent in their operations, but you have to keep your guard up, always.
8 inches
That’s how far off AI was when it flagged the wrong guy as a criminal. The innocent guy is taller, heavier and was miles away when the crime happened, but the NYPD’s facial recognition still went “Enhance!” and called it a match. Nothing like AI-powered “Where’s Waldo?” with people’s lives on the line.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: On Netflix, lock adult profiles with a PIN code to keep little eyes out of your true crime binge list.
Stop crime before it starts. Most systems react after a break-in. That’s too late. SimpliSafe’s AI cameras and 24/7 agents spot trouble outside and act in real time. That’s real protection. My readers save 50% today at SimpliSafeKim.com.
An iPhone saved this teen’s life
Her truck crashes. She’s unconscious. Her iPhone automatically calls 911. Wonder about that true-crime podcast you loved? Here’s why it might be gone for good. Also, YouTube’s surprising way to steer you from politics (yes, cute kittens are involved).
👀 Sofa surprise: This is wild. The Baroque painting “Portrait of a Lady,” stolen by Nazis in 1940, just popped up casually hanging above a couch in a living room photo on an Argentinian real estate site. Doesn’t take a history buff to guess how that happened. Apparently the Zestimate skyrockets when your décor is a war crime.
Your favorite podcast may disappear soon
Podcasting is changing fast. The era of big-budget true crime and long investigative series is fading, replaced by fast talk shows that are cheaper to make and easier to monetize. Here is why your favorite podcast may never return.
🎙️ Narrative podcasts are dead: In the mid-2010s, shows like “Serial” blew up with multi-episode investigations and gripping interviews. Now they’re vanishing (paywall link). Why? They’re too expensive and take too long to make. So if your favorite true crime podcast is no longer updating, you know why.
Grand Theft Grandma: An elderly Montana woman thought “Amazon” was helping prevent ID theft. Instead, scammers made off with nearly $1M by spoon-feeding her a crime thriller plot starring fake marshals, dirty gold and suspicious cash pickups at her house. She eventually snapped, and helped bust the scammer herself with a Trojan money box.
Deepfake p*rn is now a crime
The Take It Down Act is a big win for victims, but good luck getting shady sites to actually take your image down.
Take It Down Act: President Trump just signed a law making it a crime to post someone’s intimate images without their consent, even if they’re AI deepfakes. It’s serious stuff. You could face up to three years in prison, plus fines. Platforms have 48 hours to take down reported content and scrub any copies.
NYC wants subway cams to predict trouble: The MTA is piloting AI that watches for risky behavior before a crime happens. If someone’s acting off, it can alert police in real time so they can respond faster. FYI: The new system won’t rely on facial recognition. It’s strictly focused on behavior, not people. Well, at least for now.
🕵️ Scammers posing as the FBI: The lowest of the low. Scammers claim to be from the Internet Crime Complaint Center and offer to help you recover stolen money, then refer you to another “agent.” That’s when they ask for financial info and money. The real FBI won’t contact you like this or ask for payment.
🔍 Crime authors have a secret weapon: When they need to get the gory details right, they turn to a Facebook group called Cops and Writers. There, authors can ask real officers how much blood would actually come out of a wound, or whether it’s “spatter,” not “splatter” (paywall link).
🔞 Watch the kids on ChatGPT: You can now ask about and create spicy and gory content and images. People complained restrictions were interfering with news reporting and crime scene depictions.
🔪 The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large: A true crime YouTube channel is racking up views, and most people listening don’t realize every “true story” is completely fake. They’re all AI-generated. The channel owner called it “True Crime” because the genre gets the most clicks. Nice ploy, buddy.
Sorry, clothed for the winter: An Oregon woman’s naked photos became town gossip after a prosecutor looked through her phone and shared them with the county sheriff. There was no warrant, no consent and no suspicion of a crime. She sued, but he’s got “qualified immunity,” a loophole that protects government officials unless a court has already ruled the exact same misconduct illegal. PSA: This is just one of many reasons not to store naked pics on your phone.
Erase the past: Newspapers across the U.S. are removing old crime stories or names from their online archives. Why? To help folks move on without fear of being googled. Good news: This only applies to minor crimes. Articles about violence and sex offenses are staying put.
Airline data breach puts podcaster Payne Lindsey in danger
True-crime podcaster Payne Lindsey, creator of Up and Vanished, was all set to fly to Nome for his latest investigation but bailed at the last minute. He didn’t tell anyone, yet somehow rumors started swirling on social media that he was there. Payne joins us to break it down, plus we’re talking Verizon outages, a couple blocked from suing Uber, and leaked MrBeast “founder mode” documents.