🏈 What’s the score? In the Alexa app, open Settings > Sports Update. Add your teams (you’ll find all major American sports leagues). Now, say, “Alexa, give me my sports update” for scores and schedule info.
5 clever tricks holiday scammers use
© Oleksandr Voloshyn | Dreamstime.com
JD in Dallas emailed me with a story. He and his wife were at the mall and stopped for a Christmas selfie. Two young men walking by offered to take the pic for them — and one kept wiping the phone’s lens inside his jacket.
“It seemed like too big of a production and felt suspicious. Am I overreacting?”
JD, you learned a valuable lesson: Never hand your unlocked phone to a stranger. They were most likely trying to send themselves money. Have your wife check her financial accounts for any strange transactions.
The holiday shopping frenzy is here, and most tricks are digital. It’s easy to let your guard down when you’re in a rush. I’ve got a list of the most devious scams you need to watch, brought to you by my antivirus pick, TotalAV.
Don’t fall for this junk
📦 Fake order confirmations: These are everywhere. The message is some variation of “Your package couldn’t be delivered!” Click the link to reschedule delivery and you’ll land on a fake site that asks for personal details like your address or credit card info.
🎁 Bogus giveaways: “Win $1,000!” Just fill out a quick form and you’re in! And you’ve just handed over your email, phone number and other details to who-knows-who. Only enter giveaways from companies and people you trust (like me!).
🔍 Search engine traps: You search for a store’s site or return policy and land on a scammy duplicate designed to steal your login info. Always type in the web address directly if you know it; otherwise, scroll past sponsored results, which are easier to hack.
💳 Skimmed checkout pages: Everything looks normal, but hidden behind the scenes, a skimmer on the site steals your credit card details.
🤖 Bogus CAPTCHA forms: You know the drill: Prove you’re human by checking “I’m not a robot.” But what happens next is the trap. Instead of moving forward, you’re asked to download a file for “instructions.” Spoiler alert: That “instruction” file installs malware on your device.
Kim’s holiday safety checklist
These scams are tricky, but you can outsmart the bad guys.
Set up your Wi-Fi for easy sharing with guests
© Darya Petrenko | Dreamstime.com
You’ve got a turkey in the oven, presents need to be wrapped, and your cousin’s kid screams (again), “What’s the Wi-Fi password?” You’re juggling a hundred things at once, and the last thing you want to do is to spell out your password.
Shopping scams are getting nastier: One victim in Maryland was tricked into paying a fake $0.99 “redelivery fee” and ended up losing $400. USPS and other shipping companies won’t add a shipping charge after the fact. These scams usually come via text, so watch out.
The truth behind smart driving programs and what they track
r/GEICO via Reddit.com, © Justlight | Dreamstime.com, © Alexskopje | Dreamstime.com
I’ll bet your insurance company has sent this one your way: “Drive safely, get rewarded. Sign up for our smart driving program today!” You’ve got a squeaky clean driving record, so what’s the harm?
Smart driving programs track your driving habits and give you discounts for being a good driver. But there’s more to it than just saving a few bucks. Buckle up — I’ll break it down for you.
🔒 Friendly reminder: Browser extensions lose support and change developers. Take a minute to review what’s installed and ditch anything you don’t use. On Chrome, tap the three dots near your profile icon, hover over Extensions, then select Manage Extensions. On Safari, go to Preferences > Extensions.
Stop losing your car at the mall: Open the Google Maps app, tap the blue dot that shows your location, then select Save parking.
🤖 Team Android: If you have pics like your driver’s license on your phone, set up a locked folder in Google Photos. Open the Google Photos app > Utilities > Set up Locked Folder. Follow the on-screen directions to finish up.
Ship happens: Google’s shiny new AI assistant, Mariner, will take over Chrome to do stuff like book flights, fill out forms and do your shopping without you doing a thing. It can’t fill out credit card or billing info “for privacy reasons.” (Google actually had the gall to say that!) Watch the prototype in action here.
You’ve got mail: Psychologists say those who aim for “Inbox Zero,” aka no unread email, might be perfectionists craving control. If you let unread emails pile up, you might be more laid-back and focused on priorities over organization. Some people even get more stressed trying to keep a clear inbox. Try as I might, I’m not an “Inbox Zero” gal.
🍎 Secret spot to hide pics: On an iPhone, use the Notes app. Open the pic in your Photos app, tap the share icon and select Add to Quick Note. Then, go into the note you want to protect, tap the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner, and choose Lock.
RIP, Do Not Track: Mozilla axed the 13-year-old privacy option in its latest Firefox browser update. The idea was you could hit a button to tell websites not to opt you into browsing cookies you encountered online. Spoiler: It never really worked, since most advertisers just ignored it. Chrome and Microsoft Edge still include the useless option.
That’s rich: Spend Bill Gates’ Money is a funny browser game that shows you just how much $100,000,000,000 can buy. Oof, 109 Super Bowl ads, a couple of yachts and 250 McDonald’s franchises didn’t even make a dent.
📺 For your weekend binge: Check the time commitment before you let someone lure you into the extended-cut “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Bingeclock is great for movies. Tiii.me has TV show times. Btw, 11 hours and 22 minutes for LOTR.
📱 Update your iPhone now: Apple iOS 18.2, the update that superpowers Siri with AI, also fixes 21 security issues. That includes a major flaw in Apple’s Passwords app. Still on iOS 17? There’s a fix for you, too. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
👀 For your eyes only: The holidays mean a house full of family, friends and curious little ones. With all the hustle and bustle, get into the habit of locking your computer every time you get up. On Windows, press the Windows key + L. On Mac, hit Ctrl + Cmd + Q.
🤑 It’s cozy-up-with-a-book season: If you have Amazon Prime, grab two free e-books from their monthly First Reads selections. It’s early access to popular new books. Sweet!
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Nifty YouTube shortcuts: Press M to mute or unmute a video, K to pause or play a video, and F to enter or exit full-screen mode. While you’re there, follow my channel so you never miss a vid.
What the …? Kia’s U.S. privacy policy says they can collect info about your “medical condition, physical or mental disability,” “religious or philosophical beliefs” and “the contents of certain mail, emails and text messages.” Check Mozilla’s Privacy Not Included site for a recap of your carmaker’s policies.