Trying to stop data brokers from selling your info? Good luck. George, your AI host, exposes how over 30 sketchy companies are hiding their opt-out pages from Google on purpose. Plus: Musk sues Apple over AI, job hunting goes retro, and Microsoft gives Excel a crystal ball it probably shouldn’t have.
New scam trick: Fake sites that look too good
Midjourney
Here’s the newest con in town: Scammers are using AI to clone legit websites, and they’re scary good at it. I’m talking about perfect logos, identical layouts, right down to the fonts and buttons.
The crazy part is that they spin these sites up in minutes. Then, they shove them to the top of Google, where you search for your bank, power company or even a government site. One wrong click, and boom, you’ve handed over your login, your info, your identity.
🚨 Spot the fakes
Want to outsmart these scammers? Slow down and study this list I put together for you. Note: Just so the bad links are not clickable, I used the word dot in the URL.
- Check for funky URLs: If your bank’s site is usually mybank(dot)com, don’t fall for mybɑnk(dot)com (that’s a Latin “a,” not an English one).
- Look for sneaky swaps: Lowercase L’s and capital I’s (l vs I) can look the same, but googIe(dot)com is not google(dot)com.
- Watch for extra words or dashes: If the site is verizon(dot)com, skip anything like verizon-help-login(dot)com or secure-verizon123(dot)net.
- Spot the weird endings: Real companies usually use .com or .org. Be suspicious of .click, .online, .xyz or .info tacked onto legit-looking names, like netflix-account-support(dot)xyz.
- Beware of doubled-up letters: Scammers repeat letters to fool your brain – amaazon(dot)com, netflfix(dot)com, paypaal(dot)com. If it looks off, it is.
- Ignore random security warnings in the URL: Some scam sites toss in words like “secure” or “SSL” to look official; for example, secure-update-google(dot)com. Nope.
- Check for missing letters: Typos cost you. Make sure you’re not clicking on instgram(dot)com or facbook-login(dot)com.
- Don’t trust subdomains: Scam links might start with something familiar such as amazon.fakeupdate(dot)com or wells-fargo.loginverify(dot)net. The real domain is at the end, check it.
🔖 Don’t trust Google search
Instead, build a bookmark list for your important accounts: your bank, credit card, cell provider, insurance, utilities, all of it. Open the real site once, click that little star in your browser, and save it. From then on, use your bookmarks, not search results.
Or use the official apps from the App Store or Google Play. You’ll never wonder if you’re logging into a trap.
🔥 These scams are spreading like wildfire. Use the icons below to share this important information with your family and friends, especially the ones who think the cloud is a weather report.
They buried your opt-out button
Midjourney
This is insane. Like almost cartoon-villain-level shady. Say you’re trying to delete your personal information from some shady data broker’s website that’s selling your data to advertisers, marketing companies, stalkers, coworkers or anyone else with the money.
🧠 Excel in PowerPoint: Incredible. Google’s NotebookLM can now make video explainers in over 80 languages using your uploaded notes. Slides, voiceover, zero hallucinations. It’s like a multilingual teacher who lives in your laptop. It’s not sexy, but it’ll explain your white paper while you fold laundry.
Nearly 60%
Of Google searches ended without a single click in 2024. AI Overviews now hand you the answer right on the results page, no website needed. Add in ChatGPT hitting 700 million weekly users in August with 2.5 billion prompts daily, and yeah, it’s a full-on behavior shift. People aren’t browsing anymore, they’re asking.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Need a new Google Doc or Spreadsheet? Skip the menus. Type “doc.new” or “sheet.new” in your browser. Instant blank page, and it saves you a few clicks. I use this one a few times a day!
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: In Google Docs, right-click a word and select Define for a full definition and synonyms. It’s a built-in dictionary without having to leave the document.
🔍 Hide your Facebook from Google: Stop search engines from linking to your profile when someone looks up your name. Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Audience and visibility > How people find and contact you. Then toggle off Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?
I cut the cord, and you should, too: If you’ve linked ChatGPT to Gmail, Google Drive or anything personal, listen up. Researchers found that one poisoned document can trick the AI into spilling sensitive info. No clicks, no alerts. We’re talking leaked emails, stolen files, even access to your accounts. I cut all GPT connections in my settings. You should, too.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Want to find your phone? Say, “Hey, Siri, where are you?” (or “Hey, Google”), and follow the sound. Magic. 🔍📱
🚨 Google alert: Hackers sent out 115,000 phishing invites to 13,500 orgs that use the Google Classroom platform. They pitched SEO services, then pushed people to WhatsApp to rope them into scams. Reminder: Always verify the sender, especially when they try to redirect you off-platform. That’s a red flag every single time.
🤖 Fork yeah: Google’s AI Mode now helps you find restaurant reservations but won’t actually book them. You describe what you want (omakase at 8?), and it digs up options, then punts you to the booking page. Think research intern but not personal assistant (yet). If you’re an Ultra subscriber ($250/month 😵), you get access to it before the rest of us who are cheap.
Sponsored scam trap: If you Google “Office 365 login” and click the top ad, congrats, you might’ve just gifted your inbox to a hacker. These fake ads mimic real Microsoft links but redirect to phishing pages. Don’t be the next horror story. Type microsoft365.com manually like it’s 2006 and your mom told you to.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Type “Play solitaire” into Google to start a quick game. No downloads or payments. Bonus: Underneath, you’ll find other classics like Snake and PAC-MAN. Fun times.
📱 Check for keyloggers on your phone: These apps can record keystrokes and messages, then send them to hackers. Common ones to watch out for? Hoverwatch and mSpy. Make it a habit to check your installed apps list regularly. If you spot something new or weird, Google the name to see what it is.
🔙 Jump back to Google results on Mac: In Safari, if you’ve clicked through a bunch of links from a Google search, don’t tap the back button over and over. Instead, press Command + Option + S to snap right back to your most recent search results.
👾 Free VPN, but you’re the product: FreeVPN.One, a Chrome extension with over 100K installs, was busted taking covert screenshots of people’s activity and sending them to a sketchy server. The dev claims it’s for “security scans,” but researchers say that’s a lie with encryption on top. Google’s store still lists it. Basically: Chrome blessed spyware with a gold star. Need a solid private VPN? Hit this link to get 4 months free.
🚨 Gmail scam alert: If you use Gmail or Google Cloud, heads up, hackers just leaked a massive database with over 2.5 billion names, email addresses and company details. That means you’re more likely to be hit with phishing emails, scam login pages or fake calls pretending to be Google support. Google says your passwords are safe for now, but don’t wait to take action. Turn on passkeys for phishing-proof logins, run a Google Security Checkup, and never trust an unexpected call claiming to be from Google. Once your info is out there, it’s out there, but how you protect yourself next is what counts.
Big Tech’s secret plan to bundle you
Cut the cord? Maybe you didn’t… Amazon, Apple and YouTube sell competitors’ services under one roof. I talk to a drone operator who saved a dog from a coyote. Plus: AirPods turn into live translators, and Google drops a $2,300 folding Pixel. Don’t miss this one!
Why are billionaires buying so much farmland?
Bezos has 462K acres, Gates 275K, and Buffett once tried to buy 1% of U.S. farmland. Also in this show: how to erase everything Google knows about you, the freeloading crackdown on Netflix and Costco, and the most surveilled city in the world.