Worried about holiday snoopers finding the hidden gifts you bought for them? Listen to this one-minute podcast for a tech trick that will throw them off the trail.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tech trick: How to tell who's calling when you don't recognize the phone number
Ever received a text message from a number you don’t recognize? I get a lot of texts from numbers that I have no idea who that person is. Instead of replying with “Ahem, who dis?” there’s a hack you’re going to use time and time again.
If you get a text from an unknown number, mobile payment apps like Venmo, CashApp, Zelle or PayPal can help you put a name to that number.
Copy and paste the number into the app and the mystery sender’s name might just be unveiled.
I tested this on a phone number belonging to someone I knew had a Venmo account. Their name popped right up.
FYI, this hack only works if you have an account with one of those mobile payment apps. The sender also has to use their real name and number in the app. But hey, it’s better than shooting in the dark.
There’s the flip side: Be sure to disable your mobile payment app from sharing your name and phone number with other people. The steps vary per app. In Venmo, open Settings, Friends and Social and toggle off Phone contacts.
What about blocked numbers?
Dialing *67 conceals your number from someone you call. There are similar numbers you can dial to respond to mystery callers.
The first is *69, which traces the number of the last person who called you. It works even for anonymous or hidden calls, so you can get the phone number and exact time they called. Once you have that number, you can block it on your phone so they can’t call you anymore.
There are more codes and secrets you can use to hunt down who called. Tap or click here to check them out.
💀 My favorite way to answer spam calls? “Maricopa County morgue, you kill ’em, we chill ’em.” I’m terrible ….
Tech trick: Pin important messages on your iPhone so you don’t forget about them
Social media platforms let you pin a post to the top of your page so your audience always sees it first. You don’t have to be an influencer to unleash the power of pinning.
Now you can do the same thing on your iPhone and computer. Go ahead and save entire conversations or pin just important links and computer programs.
Tech trick: How to take a full webpage screenshot with your browser
When browsing the internet, information is stored in your browser cache so you can quickly go back to a page without waiting for it to download again. While convenient, it slows down your computer. Tap or click here for instructions on clearing your browser cache.
A quick tech trick that could save you from falling for a costly scam
Seeing is believing. Sometimes, though, crooks may be able to use legitimate images to rip you off. Tap or click here for six secrets to spot fake news or scams.
What if we told you that you could keep yourself out of trouble with one of the most valuable and intuitive Google tools? Reverse Image Search may be your best friend in this regard, and we encourage you to utilize it to the fullest possible advantage.
Dump your ex for good on your phone
Is your phone’s photo app constantly showing you pictures of your ex? Listen to this one-minute podcast for a tech trick that will stop it.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Windows quick tip: Use the Cloud Clipboard to see the last 25 items you copied
Your everyday devices are packed with features and functions no one tells you are there.
Take Google, for instance. You can use a quick shortcut to open a new document, calendar invite or spreadsheet without clicking through menus. Tap or click for the time-saving secret.
Don't take this survey lurking in your inbox - it's a scam
If you receive a confirmation email from UPS, watch out. It could be a trick. Scammers are posing as the United Parcel Service, shooting out fraudulent emails to trick you into clicking malicious links.
If you thought postal service scams were over in 2020, think again. Since the pandemic’s not over, people are still ordering packages more than ever before, which means we see all kinds of new shipping scams. Tap or click to see five of the most recent viral scams.