This is not a drill

May 31, 2024

🛠️ This is not a drill: After thieves stole his construction tools, a Virginia man turned the tables, installing a GPS system on his stuff. The next time crooks struck, they led him right to a storage unit. The police found over 15,000 stolen items in the unit, totaling over $3 million — and from other victims, too! What a hero.

Tags: Amazon, crooks, GPS, Police, storage, system, time, tools, travel, victims

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A slew of Trump fakes are coming – How to spot them

Folks, before you even think about writing me a note saying, “You wrote this ‘cause you hate Trump” or “You wrote this ‘cause you love Trump,” don’t waste your time. I’m not talking politics today, and I’m not taking sides. I’m protecting you from falling for deepfakes and the absolute barrage of junk you can expect on social media in the coming days, weeks and months.

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PayPal using your data to boost its ad business

Well, well, well … What do we have here? Another tech giant selling your data to make a buck? Shocking, I know.

This time, it’s PayPal. Through the new PayPal Ads network, the company plans to tap into customer transactions to supercharge targeted ads. This feels pretty darn gross if you’re using it to run a business, buy things you don’t necessarily want filling up your ad feed, or know that data being sold to who-knows-who for who-knows-why.

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'Does incognito keep me private?'

The good news is it does hide some things. The bad news … It’s not nearly as private as you’d think.

Author and Austinite Nick Gray had the crazy idea to combine a blind date with a vacation — his treat. He went viral when he posted his proposal on X, and over 400 women applied. Where did he take the lucky lady: A.) Rome, B.) Tokyo, C.) Las Vegas or D.) Sydney?

Find out here! →

60% decrease

In high-paying remote jobs in the past year. Wanna make the big bucks? You’ll probably have to do it in person; only 4% of jobs paying over $250,000 annually are fully remote. And in a survey of 1,000 companies, 90% said they expect a full five-day week back in office by the end of 2024.

20% of crashed cars

Are totaled out. One in five seen by an adjuster is deemed too expensive to fix. That’s five times higher than in the 1980s. Why? Today’s high-tech lighting and sensors, pricey airbags, and fancy materials add up fast.

Khaby Lame has the most-followed account on TikTok. About 62 million folks tune in to watch him poke fun at overly complicated life hacks. How much money did he make from brand deals in 2023? Is it … A.) $8 million, B.) $12 million, C.) $16 million or D.) $20 million?

Find the answer here! →

4-hour videos

Getting millions of views on YouTube. You may wonder, “Who the heck watches them?” They’re especially popular among a more nerdy audience. A four-hour critique of the Star Wars hotel has over 6 million views.

25 seconds

For thieves to steal a Kia, if yours is unpatched. The hack shared on TikTok by the so-called “Kia Boys” has become so popular that kids as young as 10 have stolen Kia and Hyundai models without an immobilizer.

$11 tip

For a nonexistent burger. A guy with way too much time on his hands ordered a burger from McDonald’s, then removed everything from the list of ingredients. His DoorDasher came through: “You’re gonna get an empty box. You good with that?”