Scammers are sending fake sextortion emails claiming they hacked your camera and contacts. It’s all a bluff. Here’s how to spot the scam and why the best response is to do nothing.
🗣️ AI’s new favorite party trick? Stealing your TikTok rants, word-for-um-filled-word, and deepfaking them with a totally different face and voice. A wild “incinerator at Alligator Alcatraz” video hit 20M views, copied from a real person, made by a robot. And TikTok barely flinched. Next up: a deepfake of you reacting to this deepfake.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: If your Echo sounds like it’s underwater, unplug it. Wait 30 seconds, then plug it back in. A good ol’ restart does the trick.
This iPhone trick saves your laundry
Cold wash or dry clean only? Your iPhone can decode every tag so you never ruin another pair of pants. Here’s how.
😁 Look better in photos: Never face the camera head-on. Instead, turn your body about 45 degrees, shift your weight to your back foot and lean your torso slightly forward. It’s a simple trick for a more flattering pose. The source? Oh, just 20+ years of broadcasting and looking fabulous!
🖱️ Windows trick: A secret button on the taskbar minimizes everything you have open. Look in the bottom-right corner of your screen. It’s a small silver line. Click to clear your screen, click again to bring your windows back. Faster than closing them one by one.
Mac multitasking trick: Hold Command (⌘) to use background windows without switching focus. For example, if Safari is in front and Notes is behind it, hold ⌘ and drag a corner of the Notes window to resize it without bringing it forward. You can also select text in the background this way.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Press Space bar to scroll down, Shift + Space bar to go up. You can even use that trick to scroll through this email. Nice.
🎧 Control podcast speed: Here’s a trick to save time or catch every word. Tap the “1x” on your podcast’s now-playing screen to change the playback speed. Speed things up to 1.25x, 1.5x or 2x to move faster. Or slow it down to 0.75x when you want to listen more carefully. Works on most apps, like Spotify and Apple.
The privacy trick websites don’t want you to know
Websites can still ID you using your browser’s unique fingerprint. Want to actually stay private? You’ll need this.
🚨 Prime Day scams are coming: Scammers are ramping up fake emails, texts and calls ahead of July 8. Most say there’s a problem with your account or order to trick you into giving up your login or payment info. Don’t click sketchy links.
Meet me at the address bar: Press Ctrl + L (PC) or Command + L (Mac) to instantly highlight your browser’s URL bar. No dragging your mouse or fumbling to click. It’s a simple trick that saves me time every day.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Bookmark your bank’s login page. Hackers create look-alike sites to trick you. Using a saved, official bookmark sidesteps typos that lead to phishing traps.
Carsick from your phone? This iPhone trick can help
If looking at your phone in the car makes you queasy, you’re not alone. Give your brain a break and enjoy the ride.
Beware the Wi-Fi Pineapple trick
It’s no tropical treat. If your phone auto-connects to public Wi-Fi, you might get burned.
Never lose your phone with this trick
A hidden setting lets someone call you from your locked phone. Set it up now.
Tariff relief? More like tariff thief. If you spot ads on Facebook for things like a $750 “tariff relief credit,” don’t click on them (paywall link). These bogus posts trick you into filling out forms or calling a number that steals your info. Everywhere you turn, there’s another scam.
How to tell if a job applicant isn’t real
Hackers are using AI to create fake job candidates that look and sound real on Zoom. Try this pro trick to spot them.
Quick trick to clean out your inbox
Are you inbox zero? If not, here’s a simple way to get rid of all those junky emails.
The button combo to force-reboot any frozen phone
Before you freak out and mash all the buttons, try this quick reset trick. Works on iPhones and Androids.