The 5 holiday scams hitting phones right now (and the protection that pays you back)
Crooks are gearing up for their busiest season yet. Here’s what to watch for and why ID theft protection has to cover scams, too.
Crooks are gearing up for their busiest season yet. Here’s what to watch for and why ID theft protection has to cover scams, too.
Real logos, real product photos, a countdown clock and nothing ever arrives. One scam checker flagged more than 100,000 fake shopping sites this year. Here are the five tells of a fake store, plus the free move that gets your money back.
That Pandora login from 2012 is still out there with your name, email and old password. Here’s how to find every forgotten account in 15 minutes and shut it down before hackers dig it up.
“Hello, Kim Komando, What is the deal with unlimited cell phone plans? Are they really unlimited? I am an over-the-road truck driver but on Wi-Fi at the stops, Buc-ee’s rocks! And like you, I go Komando! Haha!” — Pete Hey, Pete, thanks for writing in. And yes, I go Komando, too. (Somebody has to.) Buc-ee’s […]
Every bank password reset lands in one inbox, which most of us use for coupons and newsletters. Here’s the free fix that cuts crooks off at the door.
That padlock you’ve trusted for years? Nearly every scam site has one, friend, and Google quietly dropped it from Chrome. Here’s how public Wi-Fi snooping works, from fake hotspots to trap sign-in pages, and what closes the gaps when you bank or check email away from home.
Digital shelf tags are spreading fast, and at least 30 states have looked at personalized pricing bills this year, friend. Here’s what stores can and can’t do with your data, plus how to check whether you’re getting the real price.
Chatbots can study the trees, rooflines and curbs in an ordinary photo and pin down where you live. Test one of your own pictures, then use this checklist before you post another one.
A new dark web price index shows crooks buy your Social Security number for less than a cup of coffee. Your medical record costs more. Here’s the menu and how to get off it.
A scammer gets your phone number. What happens next? They can dig up your personal details and even take over your accounts. Here’s how to fight back.
Campaigns have spent $80 million on AI-generated ads that put words in mouths and stage scenes that never happened. Most carry no AI label. Here’s how to spot a fake in seconds.
One Amazon shopper bought a pair of butt-scrunch leggings. Amazon’s takeaway: She “has flat buttocks.” She found that little gem in a hidden corner of her account and posted it on Threads. More than 1 million people saw it in less than a day. (I laughed. Then I went straight to my own account.) Here’s […]
You handed your license to a rental desk or a package counter. A middleman you never heard of kept a copy. Now crooks are selling it. Here’s why watching your SSN alone isn’t enough anymore.
The suspect was clean-shaven. Robert Dillon had a full beard. Police arrested him anyway. Here’s his story and how to protect yourself.
Incognito mode keeps your history off the computer, but your internet company still sees every site you visit. Here’s what they collect and how to shut it down.
Scammers grab your address from a people-search site, pull your house from Google Street View and mail you a threat with your own driveway on it. Nobody hacked your webcam, friend. Here’s what to do and how to cut off their supply.
That Delta ad in your feed may not be Delta, friend. NordVPN’s team found crooks using 400-plus real brands to push people into unlicensed casinos. Here’s the tell.
Google caught malware that asks AI to rewrite its own code every hour, friend. Your free antivirus is checking mugshots against a face that keeps changing. Ten minutes today puts a real watcher on duty.
Cameron in Houston figures identity protection is a lost cause when even Pete Hegseth’s driver’s license hit the dark web. Kim’s answer: Leaked data is only step one. Here’s where you still win.
Crooks stole a password manager’s vaults in 2022. Here’s what happened next, friend: The strong master passwords held. The weak ones funded a $150 million heist. These safeguards decide which side you land on.