hackers Archives

The new scams that know you by name

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Ever get a text that feels … a little too real? You know the ones: “Your account has been locked. Click here to verify.” Most of us roll our eyes and delete them.

But the new generation of scams? They’re scarier and a whole lot smarter.

📱 Smishing goes high-tech

In the past month, investigators uncovered a Chinese cybercrime group that stole data on up to 115 million U.S. payment cards over 16 months. That’s one card for every three people.

They didn’t skim them from ATMs. They tricked people into handing over their card info through fake payment alerts sent to phones, aka “smishing” or phishing through text messages.

Those stolen cards were instantly loaded into mobile wallets and used before victims could blink.

💍 The ‘small’ breach that isn’t

Jewelry brand Pandora admitted a hacker got hold of customer names and email addresses via a third-party platform. No passwords, no payment info. Sounds harmless, right? Wrong.

That data is a gold mine for cybercriminals. Why?

It makes their fake messages frighteningly believable. Picture this: “Hi, [Your Name], we noticed unusual activity on your Pandora account…” See how quickly you’d lower your guard?

🕵️‍♂️ Phishing-as-a-service

Criminals are running ready-made scam platforms with names like “Sneaky 2FA” and “Tycoon 2FA.” These are crazy. You pick a phishing email, select email addresses, pay for it and they are sent out. These services make it easy to mimic real login pages and even trick two-factor authentication systems.

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Kim’s picks to save your vacation

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Traveling soon? Don’t leave your common sense at home. These safety gadgets aren’t “nice to haves.” They’re the kind of gear you’ll wish you got before your bag went MIA (or worse).

Before you say, “Kim, I already took my summer vacation,” perfect. This is your last shot to snag these deals before prices head north for good. Let’s get you prepped.

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Stop peeping Toms

📱 My pick: Privacy screen protectors

For iPhones (17% off) and Samsungs (15% off): These anti-spy shields block side glances, so only you’ll see your screen.

🫣 Webcam covers (28% off, three-pack): Ditch the Post-it note. Fits laptops, tablets and smartphones. I slap them on all my tech.

💳 RFID-blocking cards (20% off, six-pack): Think of them as invisible armor. Slip one in your wallet and stop digital pickpockets cold.

⚡ USB data blockers (20% off, four-pack): Juice jacking? Not today. Charge up anywhere while keeping hackers out.

🚨 Hidden camera detector (22% off): Scans hotel rooms, Airbnbs and sketchy bathrooms. Bonus: spots GPS trackers.

🔒 Lock it down: Head to my Amazon storefront for the privacy picks and gear I handpicked. Your future self will thank you.

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

Hackers can unlock 200+ cars with this tool

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Stealing your car just got easy. You may not have heard of Flipper Zero yet, but take these steps to protect your ride. Plus, Elon Musk launches a new AI company called Macrohard, taking a jab at Microsoft. Meta’s smart glasses read your wrist to control apps. Kanye West’s YZY coin crashes after hitting $3 billion. Over half of American homes are too messy to charge electric vehicles. And a Chinese EV lets drivers throw AR emojis like poop and bananas at tailgaters.

Heads up: Google just confirmed that hackers got into some Google Workspace accounts. How? They used stolen O Auth tokens from Drift integrations – yep, those handy tools that connect your inbox to other apps. If you use Drift with Google Workspace, now’s the time to revoke those tokens and change your passwords. If none of this made any sense at all to you, move on.

📱 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.

The great iPhone rapture

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It starts like any typical night out. You’re sipping something overpriced and half-listening to your friend’s relationship drama. Then, you check your pocket. Empty. You think maybe it was a pickpocket. But the reality is far stranger.

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🚨 Farmers Insurance data breach: Hackers stole data on 1.1 million Farmers Insurance customers. They grabbed names, addresses, birth dates, driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of Social Security numbers, everything they need to steal your identity. Farmers is notifying people, but until then, keep an eye out for phishing scams. They’re coming.

AI browser + Reddit = Theft: There’s a terrifying flaw in Perplexity’s AI Comet Browser. Hidden text in Reddit posts can trick the AI into following malicious commands that give hackers access to your email, banking and cloud accounts. Basically, you could lose your entire savings just by scrolling memes. Wow. Make sure you get the Comet update or else you’ll be telling a tail as old as time.

🚨 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.

Résumés meet ransomware: If you’ve ever applied through Workday, congrats, your name, phone and email are probably floating around scammer Slack right now. Never heard of Workday? They have over 11,000 corporations as customers reaching 70 million people. Hackers tricked their way in with fake HR texts and calls. Brace for “we loved your résumé” spam from the dark web.

🔑 Flip off: The Flipper Zero may look harmless, but hackers can clone key fob signals and unlock cars from brands like Ford, Audi, Subaru, Hyundai and Kia in seconds. A digital underground is selling this stealthy car-hacking software. “Flipper Boys” might become the next-gen Kia Boys by 2026. This isn’t some Hollywood heist. It’s happening in real driveways. Pro tip: Wrap your fob in aluminum foil or stash it in a signal-blocking pouch to keep the bad guys out.

🚨 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.

Orbital jump scare: Russia-affiliated hackers hijacked a satellite and streamed their military parade straight into Ukrainian living rooms. Now U.S. officials say Russia’s working on a nuclear space weapon that could black out all satellites. If it goes live, low-Earth orbit turns into one big no-fly zone for a year. At least that movie wasn’t Ice Cube’s War of the Worlds.

🍏 Update your Apple gear ASAP: Apple dropped an emergency patch for iPhones, iPads and Macs after hackers were caught exploiting a nasty flaw. The trick? Sending a booby-trapped image via text or email that lets them break in and run malicious code. Go to Settings > General > Software Update now.

Is Bluetooth dangerous?

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Think your Bluetooth earbuds or car connection are safe? Think again. Leaving Bluetooth on all the time can let hackers sneak in and listen to your calls or take control. Here’s what you need to know to stay protected.

🚨 Watch out for this clever phishing scam that hooks you: Hackers are slipping the Japanese character “ん” (pronounced like a soft “n” and called a hiragana) into legitimate website URLs, replacing a normal slash “/.” To the naked eye, it looks normal, but click, and you’re headed straight to a malware buffet. This works because “ん” is part of Unicode, so browsers treat it as a valid web address character. Even pros can miss it at first glance. Bonus scam: fake “Intuit” emails where the “i” is swapped for a lowercase “L.” Your eyesight is the target, so always hover over links and check the real domain before you click.

Big Windows update: Yup, Microsoft rolled out fixes for over 100 security flaws, including critical ones that let hackers remotely run malicious code on your PC. The Black Screen of Death is now official, and a new Quick Machine Recovery feature will try to fix your PC if there’s a boot problem. Go to Settings > Windows Update to get it.

🔐 Weak passwords are so last decade: Every single one of your accounts needs its own unique password. No repeats! I know, it’s a pain. But it’s also the best way to keep hackers from turning one slipup into a full-blown disaster. Make your passwords 16+ characters, and mix in uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols. Or save yourself the headache and use the password manager I trust to keep everything locked down and organized. One click, and you’re safer online.

🛒 Clear your Amazon search history: Great for hiding gift ideas or clearing out those very awkward clicks. On desktop, hover over Account & Lists under Hello, [Your Name] at the top. Click Browsing History, find the item you want to hide and select Remove from view. Because “I was hacked” only works once.

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