In July of last year, Rep. Brandon Guffey experienced a heartbreaking tragedy that no parent should have to endure. His 17-year-old son, Gavin Guffey, fell victim to a cruel sextortion scheme and tragically took his own life shortly thereafter. Now, as a South Carolina congressman, Guffey is advocating passionately to prevent such incidents from happening again. He is proposing a bill in the State House that would make sextortion a punishable offense with a maximum penalty of 30 years imprisonment.
🎥 She rang his doorbell. Smiled. Took his bank card. Then drained his bank account.

Scott Merovitch did everything right, or so he thought. A longtime Wells Fargo customer, he got a call that seemed totally legit. The person on the line knew his recent transactions. They said his debit card had been compromised and the bank needed to send someone to his house to collect it.
A woman actually showed up. Professional. Calm. Friendly.
She took Scott’s debit card, cut it in half right in front of his Ring doorbell camera, then left. Within an hour and a half, over $20,000 vanished from Scott’s account.
They hit up local ATMs at grocery stores, withdrawing cash like it was Monopoly money. Gone.
⚠️ Why this scam is different
This isn’t your usual sketchy email or random text with broken grammar.
These scammers:
- Spoof real Wells Fargo phone numbers.
- Know your account activity.
- Sound exactly like a fraud rep you’d trust with your taxes.
- And yes, they literally walk up to your front door like they’re returning your lost dog.
By the way, this can happen with any bank. It’s not limited to just Wells Fargo.
💔 The cost can be more than money
This scam has claimed more than cash. In Florida, 52-year-old Paul Schendel lost $6,800 to the same scheme. He was told the bank wouldn’t refund him.
His family says the stress was too much. The very next day, Paul died of a heart attack. So sad.
6 signs your vacation rental is a scam

It’s that time of year when so many of us are planning vacations and booking a rental. Sadly, scammers are very aware of that, and they’re always changing their tricks to fool people out of their money, rentals — or worse.
Son's suicide spurs Congressman's campaign against child sextortion | The Kim Komando Show
Tailored advice: Create a “persona” for your AI chatbot when you write a prompt. Pick a role and give some context. For example, “Pretend you’re a graphic designer giving me feedback on my website’s color scheme and branding. What should I adjust?” You can do this with any role you can think of! More smarts like this are coming soon in my small-biz newsletter.
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🕳️ Divine rug pull: A Denver pastor and his wife convinced their church to invest $3.4M into a holy crypto scheme allegedly blessed by God. Spoiler: God did not 10x those returns. Now they’re facing 40 felony charges, including racketeering and securities fraud, and the coin is worth about as much as one prayer in the blockchain void.
🎨 Palette perfection: Need a color scheme for your biz? Head over to Coolors and click the Start the generator button. Then, hit your space bar to spin through combos that all look great together. Bonus: It’s free to try!
Math problem pyramid scheme: A fake Facebook event disguised as a “genius-level math contest” has been a top post for half a year, somehow racking up 115M+ views. Spoiler: It’s just a viral engagement trap. People are still arguing about its fake equation in the comments a year later. My math teacher called me average. How mean.
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He fell for an online Ponzi scheme
YouTuber Antenna Man is opening up about being a victim of the Agridime Ponzi scheme. He hopes others don’t fall into the same trap. Plus, a woman tracks down a thief with an AirTag, and someone hacks a guy’s Bluetooth headphones — creepy stuff!
TikTok challenge gone wrong, AI child p*rn & dark web tools
Plus, I chat with Bloomberg reporter Zeke Faux, who traced a text scam targeting him all the way to a human trafficking ring in Cambodia. A new scheme threatening to leak personal s*x tapes, the rising costs of high-speed internet, and must-know AI terms.
TikTok challenge gone wrong, AI child p*rn & dark web tools
Plus, I chat with Bloomberg reporter Zeke Faux, who traced a text scam targeting him all the way to a human trafficking ring in Cambodia. A new scheme threatening to leak personal s*x tapes, the rising costs of high-speed internet, and must-know AI terms.
The tidal wave of ChatGPT scams
Is ChatGPT the next get-rich-quick scheme? Let me tell you what promises to avoid falling for, in 60 seconds.
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Be careful when an online friend offers financial advice. They might be luring you into a pig butchering scheme. This trending scam has stripped millions of dollars from victims across the world. That’s why Allie Seligman spoke with ProPublica reporter Cezary Podkul, an expert on these vicious scams. Listen to this episode for the full scoop, from how the scam works to essential cybersecurity tips.
Secret driving tricks, smart shopping tips, $5,000 internet
Can’t afford Life Alert? Save your family members with Amazon Echo. Plus, Tesla’s “open” Supercharger network could arrive later this year. Oh, and would you pay $5,000 a month for internet? Starlink hopes so. Also, here’s when Windows 12 will come out — and what is Amazon’s next Whole Foods scheme? Don’t miss out on this essential tech news. I’ve got some safety tips you don’t want to miss.
Trump's new app, Peloton problems, 5-minute PC cleanup
Trump’s social media app just launched — and it was a rough start, to say the least. Plus, more trouble for Peloton as a scheme to hide a rust problem in thousands of bikes comes to light. Then Allie shares the 5-minute routine for keeping your computer cleaned up and running smoothly.
Google ad scam, take better pet photos, Ben's first 5-star review
Scammers have a clever new tactic that really works. They’re creating Google ads to piggyback off search traffic; one scheme cost people over $500,000 in cryptocurrency in one weekend. Plus, tips for taking better pictures of your furry friends, and Ben gives his first five-Ben head review. Listen to find out what merited the honor.
Tech Refresh: Google ad scam, take better pet photos, Ben's first 5-star review
Scammers have a clever new tactic that really works. They’re creating Google ads to piggyback off search traffic; one scheme cost people over $500,000 in cryptocurrency in one weekend. Plus, tips for taking better pictures of your furry friends, and Ben gives his first five-Ben head review. Listen to find out what merited the honor.
International cybercriminals have a new type of ransomware
What do you do when your worst secrets are held for ransom? Listen now to find out how a new scheme could financially ruin you.
Would you go to an Amazon store?
Amazon has conquered the internet, but will its brick-and-mortar stores hold up? Listen now for insider details on Amazon’s latest scheme.