🧱 Don’t buy a brick: Before you buy a used phone, check its International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. Here’s how: Just dial *#06# on the phone to display its IMEI. Now, pop that number into the Stolen Phone Checker to see if the phone has been reported lost, stolen or blocked by a carrier.
Kids play Roblox or Fortnite? Read this now!
Imagine if either of these online games were your business. In a single day, you had all these customers showing up at your site or store.
- Roblox has 66,100,000 daily active users.
- Fortnite has 237,000,000 daily active users.
That’s a ton of people sitting in front of screens, right? Cue the hackers and scammers. They noticed it, too.
If you have kids in the family, chances are they’re playing Roblox or Fortnite. What you (and them) don’t know is there’s a dark, scammy side that’s getting more extensive and sinister. This is important information for all parents and grandparents to know.
One family was hoodwinked after their 11-year-old daughter was tricked on Roblox. Her parents bought her two custom avatars for her birthday — valued at a whopping $280. A day later, another player tricked her and stole them. Poor kid.
Earlier this year, over 300 Roblox users were caught laundering money through the game. They used fake in-game purchases (for items that didn’t exist) to transfer real money. A class action lawsuit is currently underway for the victims. And you know how that goes … lawyers make the most bank.
Bad news: There’s a bigger, badder scam in town. Thousands of reputable websites — universities, professional organizations and even U.S. government agencies — have been hacked to push Fortnite and Roblox scams to kids.
The plot thickens
The premise is simple: Hackers scan a website for a vulnerability or weakness in the backend, then upload what are known as “poison PDFs.” These malicious documents appear in search results, promoting everything from free Roblox in-game currency (Robux) to free Fortnite skins.
You think you’re getting free Robux, but wait! There’s just one “last step.” A pop-up asks you to sign up for another service to unlock your free gift. Fill it out and the only gift you get is a computer virus — or identity theft.
These scams aren’t limited to websites. They can be found in YouTube videos and surveys, too. Roblox and Fortnite are just the latest victims. Similar scams have been reported offering free Amazon gift cards or cash prizes.
Guard the fort
You can store your driver's license in Apple Wallet if you live in these states
Thanks to your smartphone, consider all the things you no longer have to carry around. These incredible devices house a clock, camera, GPS, credit card, phone book, browser, gaming system, flashlight, notebook and much more.
25% of kids' IDs stolen before 18
When you think of identity theft victims, you might picture someone older. But the reality is, the targets are getting younger.
🔒 They’ll thank you later: Identity theft for kids under 19 is skyrocketing. Parents, create and lock or freeze your children’s credit ASAP so thieves can’t use their info for loans or credit cards. When they’re older, you can help them unfreeze it.
$170 million lawsuit
Over the hit Netflix series “Baby Reindeer.” The drama-thriller is based on comedian Richard Gadd’s one-man show about being stalked. Martha Scott says Netflix never fact-checked his story, and the show has exposed her identity and ruined her life.
Amid Twitter changes, the scams have begun - Don't fall for this one
Elon Musk wants to overhaul Twitter’s verification system now that he owns the company. A blue badge with a white checkmark indicates that you are who you say you are, which thwarts impersonators. For many social media lovers, verification icons are like badges of honor.
Forgot your Apple ID or password? Here's what to do
Your Apple ID is your universal access ticket to all of Apple’s services, so if you forgot or misplaced your ID or password, there can be big trouble. Luckily, we’re here to walk you through what can be a confusing recovery process and tell you exactly what you need to do to recover a lost Apple ID or reset an ID password.
Identity crisis: You can prime ChatGPT or any other chatbot to answer how you want with one simple phrase: “You are a …” and then fill in that blank with anything — “marketing expert,” “lawyer,” “landlord attorney,” “master gardener,” “personal trainer.” Go ahead, try “Digital Goddess.”
🇰🇵 Live fast, die Jong: A Nashville man could spend 20 years in prison for helping North Koreans infiltrate U.S. companies. North Korean intelligence used his identity to get remote IT positions, then had company-issued laptops sent to his home. Then the North Koreans logged onto these laptops to spy on U.S. companies.
Your car is watching
Automakers and insurance companies are teaming up to share data on your driving habits. Also, EV sales are struggling, and there are issues with Airbnb. I speak with a guy whose identity was stolen, and now the scammer is using his info to con others.
Celebrity catfish: Kate Beckinsale just called out a scammer who used her identity to con an elderly man out of thousands. His kids reached out to the actress, begging her to prove that she wasn’t the one contacting him. He was convinced she proposed to him via text.
What are the odds? A San Diego woman found out she had three felonies during a routine background check that relies on people-search databases. The charges, dating back to 2014, included burglary, identity theft and possession of a controlled substance. Turns out, she’s innocent. The real culprit shares her exact name and birthday.
Protect your docs: Medical identity theft is scary, and victims often don’t realize something is wrong until it’s too late. Store hard copies of medical records and documents with personal identification information in a safe or lockbox.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Identity theft warning: 30 million credit card records for sale on the Dark Web
Security breaches are no fun for anyone except hackers. Data has become so valuable to advertisers and scammers alike that email addresses alone can fetch a hefty price on the shadier parts of the web.
It happens like clockwork: A flaw is discovered in a popular website or platform. Hackers undermine the system and infiltrate it. Then, the stolen data makes its way to a Dark Web marketplace, where anyone with bitcoin can have a go at your info. Tap or click here to see how 21 million stolen logins were sold this way.