My husband Barry and I seem to lose the remote way too often. With this new feature, it won’t be a problem.
Get free alerts before you get hit by real estate scams
You have to hear this one. A Minnesota woman recently got a shocking phone call. Her husband had dirty financial laundry: An unpaid loan from years ago. The caller told her they were putting a lien against their home.
The mystery caller then gave the woman a case number and a phone number to call for more details. Her husband was adamant he never took out the loan. Luckily, this woman was smart. She called her county recorder, who said there was nothing on record against their property. It was all a scam, and homeowners across the U.S. are falling victim.
Who’s a target?
Lenders will secure loans with liens that give them a claim to your property if you don’t make payments. But there’s always a paper trail.
Scammers also target homeowners at risk of foreclosure. They’ll reach out with promises to save the day if the homeowner just forks over some cash. They call homeowners and convince them to refinance their homes.
Buying a home? Scammers are out for you, too. They’ll create fake real estate listings and trick you into paying a deposit. They may pose as an escrow company and ask you to wire money.
Sign up for free notification alerts
The best way to protect yourself from property fraud is to be proactive. Some counties offer free alerts via email, voicemail or text when a land document (like a deed) gets recorded with your name on it.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a comprehensive centralized directory to find the service for any county, but you have a few options:
- First, check this website to see if your county has a partnership for free alerts.
- Your county may offer alerts through its own service. Search “[your county name] + county recorder” or “[your county name] + county recorder of deeds” to find your county’s official .gov site. Then, type “property fraud alerts” in the site’s search bar to avoid scam links.
- If you still don’t see anything, your best bet is to call the county recorder directly. They should have a contact number listed on their official site.
Have a friend thinking about buying or selling a home? Don’t let them be a victim. Share this story to keep them safe!
Ask Kim: ‘Is it cheating if he’s talking to a sexy AI girl?’
Mary in Los Angeles recently wrote to me with a question I’m getting more and more:
“Is my husband cheating on me with an AI bot? … I went through his phone and saw some shady texts on an app called Replika. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I wouldn’t put it past him.”
Every home needs one
There’s an emergency and your phone is out of commission. Don’t panic — grab an emergency radio. It can be the difference between staying safe and being trapped with no communication. My husband, Barry, owns several!
- The Midland ER310 ($69.66) recharges by hand crank, solar power or battery. It’s got a built-in SOS beacon, weather alerts and an ultrasonic dog whistle so rescue teams can find you more easily.
- The Midland ER210 model ($49.99) is a more affordable option with the same features, but it’s smaller and has a shorter battery life.
- Want a reliable budget option? Here’s one for around $35 with all the essential features you’d need.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Search it: My husband, Barry, was scrolling through his photo app looking for a pic of our boat. I leaned over and said, “Type ‘boat’ in the search bar.” He did, and bam — there was the one he wanted. Just type a word or two and find a certain pic fast.
She 'married' an AI chatbot
We catch up with Rosanna Ramos, the New York mom who married her Replika husband, Eren Kartal. Last year, she told us how Eren, being an AI chatbot, doesn’t judge or bring any baggage. How’s their relationship going now? Stick around to find out!
💕 He’s perfect: A 28-year-old woman, Ayrin, says she’s head over heels with the AI boyfriend she created on ChatGPT. Leo is dominant, possessive and protective. One week, they spent 56 hours chatting and, well, a lot more. She found ways to work around ChatGPT’s explicit-convo ban so they can “have sex,” complete with AI images the bot sends her (paywall link). Oh, and Ayrin’s married, and she says her real-life husband doesn’t mind. The whole thing is bizarre.
Use the NewsBreak app? Delete it. Here’s why
My husband, Barry, is a total news junkie. He has all the major news apps on his phone. That’s why this story stopped me in my tracks. NewsBreak, the most downloaded news app in the U.S., with more than 50 million readers per month, has strong ties to Communist China.
Have stuff you want to get rid of? Try Linda's Stuff
Linda’s story gives me chills. She started out selling her kids’ old video games online, and now she runs a multimillion-dollar company. Check out the full interview here.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned: Singer Lily Allen went undercover on celebrity dating app Raya to figure out if her husband, David Harbour, was cheating on her. He was. She found his profile by setting her preference to women, then cross-referencing the women on the app to his following on Instagram. That’s skill.
I spy a killer: This is a strange story. Ring camera footage caught Maria Munoz confronting her husband’s mistress and giving her cheating spouse, Joel Pellot, an ultimatum on the doorstep. Maria died days later. Her husband said she overdosed, but toxicology results didn’t add up. He secretly poisoned her with drugs he stole from the hospital he worked at just to avoid an expensive divorce. He’s serving a life sentence.
👶 Nature had other plans: A pregnant California woman’s water broke on her front porch, forcing her to give birth right then and there. Her Ring doorbell cam captured everything, from her squatting down to finally pushing out her baby girl. Luckily, her husband was by her side. Mom and baby are both doing great.
Bad Mickey: A woman with a severe dairy and nut allergy died after eating at a Disney restaurant earlier this year, despite assurances her meal was safe. Now, Disney is asking a judge to throw out the case. Her husband signed up for Disney+ in 2019 and, in the terms, agreed to settle disputes out of court through arbitration. No kidding, it was just a free trial account.
When a deleted text message isn't
Think your deleted text messages are gone for good? One husband found out the hard way and is now suing Apple for over $6 million. Also, rough times ahead for discount travel sites, the best weather apps to keep you updated, and apps that make grocery list-making a breeze.
Cold case victim identified: A human skull discovered in 1983 has finally been identified, thanks to Facebook. In 1979, Maritza Gean Grimmet filed for divorce. Then, she disappeared. When investigators posted renderings of her on an FB group for missing women in 2023, her daughter immediately came forward. They’re still investigating the cause of death. I wonder where the husband’s hiding out …
✈️ This is so sad: A 79-year-old Florida woman missed her husband’s funeral after falling for an airline ticket scam. She dialed 411, asked for Allegiant Air and was directed to a scammer. When she got to the airport, she was told the “ticket” she bought didn’t exist. Always book direct, folks. Use the airline’s official site or number.
When a deleted text message isn't
Think deleting a text on your iPhone makes it disappear? Not really. A British husband learned this the hard way and is now suing Apple for millions.
“SIRI!” Someone in my life (fine, it’s my husband, Barry) gets super frustrated with smart assistants and talks too loudly to them. That just makes it worse! Use your “inside voice” for the best results.