📅 Outlook hack: Drag and drop emails to create appointments or tasks. Open Outlook, grab the email you want and drag it onto the Calendar or Tasks icon in the bottom-left panel. A new window will pop up. Now, just edit the details like the subject line or time and hit Save & Close.
I wasted 36 hours trying to do it myself
So many of the calls, emails, messages and DMs I get are about privacy and security. I can’t remember the last time I had a full day where no one asked me some version of “How do I get all this info about me off the internet?”
It’s not just you. It’s me, too. After finding my personal cellphone number available on a free people-search site last year, I made it my mission to scrub everything online about me. There are literally hundreds of companies and sites that collect personal info, and they make it extremely hard to get your data removed. Why? Because they profit from selling your data — and mine.
I called the series Opt-Out Tuesday. We put together articles, newsletters and radio segments promoting it. I shared the steps in my nationally syndicated columns. And yet …
I didn’t make a dent
To be fair, we heard from a ton of people who had success following our instructions and removing their info. In fact, the big people search site networks got so peeved, they changed the steps to remove your data after one of my articles went viral.
I spent 36 hours emailing the scummy sites, filling out forms, making calls and even sending letters by USPS. I gave up when I had no real progress. That’s when I researched services to do this for me. I tried three, and I ultimately picked Incogni.
It took me about 3 minutes
Creating an account was easy, and I was immediately opted out of 27 databases, with 47 more requests sent. Now we’re talking about hundreds of sites I’m opted out of with no extra work on my end.
All you have to do is create an account and then enter your name and address. These sites require this info to remove your data — so you’d do that whether or not you use Incogni. Bonus: You can add up to three addresses and three phone numbers, too, so they can catch all the sneaky records.
Then, you grant Incogni permission to reach out on your behalf. After you finish the setup process, you’ll see a list of sites you’ve been removed from and pending requests.
"We have pics of your home"
Scammers are sending emails with Google Maps images of your house, claiming they’ve hacked your computer. Are they for real? Here’s the answer.
📩 Your inbox isn’t safe: Hackers are sending sneaky phishing emails with SVG image attachments that slip past spam detectors. They open in a fake Excel spreadsheet with a built-in login form to steal your credentials. Others pose as official documents, prompting you to download something — but it’s malware. Never click on attachments unless you’re 1,000% sure they’re legit.
60-plus emails
Opened at the same time will crash the Outlook app. Microsoft isn’t sure why, but it might be due to overloading the working memory. I’ll keep you posted when a fix is out. I was on the fence about buying Office 365. I shook a Magic 8 Ball, and it said, “Outlook not good!”
Drowning in emails? Stay afloat with custom email filters in Outlook. Open Outlook on the web and click the Settings (gear icon) in the top right corner. Choose Email > Rules > Add new rule, then click Name to name your rule > Add a condition > Add an action. For example, Newsletters > The Current > Mark as important. Aren’t you smart?!
Out the door, dinosaur: Microsoft is ending support for its Windows Mail, Calendar and People apps. Starting Dec. 31, 2024, you’ll lose the ability to send and receive emails through Mail. Microsoft wants everyone on its new Outlook app. Here’s the official exporting guide for your Mail emails and contacts. FYI: The Outlook app is slow, so you might want to switch to a different email client altogether. Thunderbird is a good free option.
🎣 Reeled in a big one: A 33-year-old Nigerian man was sentenced to 10 years for a phishing scam that stole $20 million in nest eggs from over 400 U.S. homebuyers. He sent phishing emails to real estate professionals, tricking them into providing their login credentials. Using those, he redirected home purchase payments to compromised accounts and laundered the money into bitcoin via Coinbase, according to the DOJ.
Too long; didn’t read: Apple Intelligence can now summarize your emails. Just open the Mail app, choose a message and tap the Summarize button at the top of the email chain. In a few seconds, you’ll get a summary. Heads-up: It won’t save, so if you close your email, you’ll need to do this again.
Attn., small-business owners: Watch out for an email that claims you’ve violated someone’s copyright. The “legal notice” document attached is malware. A real legal letter will be in the body of the email itself, saved as a PDF, and also delivered via USPS or another service. If you see a RAR or EXE file, that’s a scam — delete it.
Locked up tight: Fun privacy trick next time you use Gmail on the web: Click the little padlock icon at the bottom when creating a new email to put your message in “confidential mode.” You can set an expiration date and a passcode for your recipient to open the email.
Personalize your biz emails: Instead of sending a one-size-fits-all marketing blast to your customers, try segmenting your audience to send the right message to the right person. Most email service providers let you set up multiple lists. MailChimp, Constant Contact and all the other big ones do. Smart!
🚨 “Hello pervert”: Scammers are sending emails claiming they’ve recorded you through your webcam and will release the footage unless you pay up. They’re using details like your home address or an old password to make it more believable. Don’t reply, and if any accounts still use that old password, change it immediately.
Hackers are targeting VPN wireless routers: ASUS, TP-Link, Zyxel and Ruckus have already been hit. How it works: They break in, infect your router with malware, then use it to infect others. Warning signs you’re part of a botnet: Weird PC behavior, slow speeds when your internet is working fine, and strange emails and messages you didn’t send. Keep your router updated and run antivirus software.
🚨 Bogus captcha tests: Instead of picking images or typing words, these shady tests ask you to press Windows key + R and Ctrl + V. Doing so then pastes in a Windows PowerShell script that unleashes Lumma Stealer malware. Stay alert: These fake captchas are popping up on random websites and in phishing emails.
🥸 It’s not just emails: You can mark texts as unread, too, so you don’t forget to reply later. On iPhone, swipe right on a conversation and tap the Mark as Unread button (it looks like a thought bubble). On Android, hold down on the convo, click the three-dot icon in the corner, then select Mark as unread.
📧 Use Gmail on your Android? If you pay for the Google Workspace plan (or your work does), you can now chat with Google’s AI, Gemini, about your emails. The bot has access to your entire inbox, so it can summarize your emails (“What did Mary want?”) or find specific info for you (“When’s the app design deadline?”). To use it, tap the black star logo in the top-right corner of the app. Coming soon to iPhone, I hope!
“He’s replaced me with ChatGPT”: A 25-year-old said her dad, a first-generation Chinese American, has replaced her with AI. Dad now uses AI instead of asking her for help translating, composing emails and keeping all his dad jokes in a dad-abase.
Email mile-high club: You can read, search and reply to emails without an internet connection. Your replies are sent when you have service again. How? In Gmail, hit the settings cog > See all settings > find the Offline tab. Click the box to enable.