We talk with Rob Walch from Libsyn about the current state of podcasting and get his top tips for starting your own podcast. Plus, X makes your ‘likes’ private, SoftBank uses AI to make angry customers sound calm, and nobody likes being called a bot.
Watch out for fake business letters that trick owners into overpaying
At the start of this year, 33.2 million small businesses were operating in the U.S. Estimates say they make up about 99% of all companies in the country. That is a considerable percentage of owners who need to navigate the challenges of running a company. Tap or click here for free resources to grow your business.
Starting a business is tough, and many pitfalls can cost owners dearly, especially first-time entrepreneurs. Heaps of paperwork can be confusing, and some documents might seem unnecessary. Now you have to watch for scammers looking to rip you off.
Read on for details on this sneaky scheme to trick business owners into paying an unnecessary fee.
Here’s the backstory
Registering a new business takes a lot of planning and filling in numerous forms while ensuring they are correct. If you mess up a submission or omit certain information, it can delay registration.
One of these is a Certificate of Existence issued by the state. Also called a Certificate of Good Standing, it records the information of the business entity, such as the owner’s details and the registration number.
After you’ve set up your business as a Limited Liability Company (LLC), you can easily obtain a Certificate of Existence. But here’s the problem.
According to the Better Business Bureau, scammers send out emails or letters informing owners that they have one step left before they can obtain their certificate of existence and that it’s easy.
You must send them a fee between $80 to $120, and they’ll issue the document. Here’s where the scam comes into play. The letter isn’t from a state agency at all. It’s created by thieves looking to rip you off.
In fact, many states don’t require a Certificate of Existence. If you want one, you can purchase it from your state for about $10. Sending the fee from an unofficial document won’t get you the Certificate of Existence. You’ll just be throwing your money away.
Avoid scams targeting business owners
The BBB explains that you might want to get a Certificate of Existence for circumstances like applying for a loan. But it’s typically not required for setting up a new company, as the correspondence implies.
Google is paying out an $85M settlement - See if you qualify
Big Tech can make money by tracking your location history. Some companies are so hungry for that lucrative data that they’ll circumvent your privacy settings. Google is currently facing accusations of illegal location data tracking. In other words, certain Android users may have been tracked even after they opted out.
Wyoming’s No. 1: It’s the first state with its own U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin. The goal? Faster, cheaper transactions and more revenue for the state. Next year, public audits will show how many tokens are in circulation and the exact amount in the bank. Translation: There’s a real dollar in the bank for every crypto coin.
200 cookies
What the average American eats each year. A 50-state survey showed one in six Americans, or a little over 16%, eats dessert daily. That percentage is highest in Tennessee, at 25%. On average, sweets cravings hit hardest at 2:30 p.m. For the record, Newman-O’s are my favorite cookie.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
How location tracking will work to tell you if you’ve been exposed to coronavirus
You’d probably never heard the terms “social distancing” and “flattening the curve” before March. Now, they’re everyday phrases in the fight against the coronavirus.
You can add “contact tracing” to your list of newfound medical terms. This method for slowing down the spread of disease is going high-tech with Apple and Google’s plan to turn your smartphone into a coronavirus tracker.
Slang lesson of the day: Gen Alpha (those born since 2010) is tossing around the word “Ohio,” and it’s got zilch to do with the state. They’re using it to call out something weird, cringey or random (paywall link). Spot a lawnmower on the freeway? “Only in Ohio.” Rock a polka dot and stripes combo? “You’re so Ohio.” Mew.
$2 loss
For every $1 put toward sports betting. As federal and state guidelines have loosened, fewer Americans are investing in stocks and other safer assets. This past January, folks put $14 billion into online sports betting — compare that to $1.1 billion in January 2019.
🚨 Spoiler: You’re on the list! See if your info was exposed in the NPD breach that hit 2.9 billion people. Go to Pentester and enter your name, state and date of birth. The crazy part? You can look up anyone on this site. I found Bill Gates!
$161 million in bitcoin
Purchased by the state of Wisconsin. It’s the first state to invest in the newly approved bitcoin EFTs. I always say you shouldn’t invest in crypto unless you can afford to lose it. Hope that’s true for the Wisconsin state pension fund.
Piece of mind: Colorado just became the first state to pass a brainwave privacy law as part of the Colorado Privacy Act. Any company with mind-reading gadgets needs your consent before snooping through your thoughts. Sounds good, but, in reality, how would we know?
🐑 Baa-a-d to the bone: A Montana rancher turned a $4,200 clone of a dead sheep into a woolly empire. Arthur “Jack” Schubarth created super sheep hybrids, selling them for up to $550,000 a pop. What could go wrong? Well, everything. After crossing state lines with forged vet certs for these endangered-species mixes, he’s facing up to five years in prison and up to $500,000 in fines.
Florida legislature's attempt to silence bloggers
Can a proposed Florida bill mandating state registration for bloggers pass constitutional scrutiny? In one minute, I’ll break it down.