social media Archives

5 clever scams spreading now

ChatGPT

Lately, I’ve had way too many calls on my shows from people who have lost thousands (sometimes hundreds of thousands) to scams. These are so cleverly evil, it’s like Ocean’s Eleven but starring a dude with three Instagram followers and a ChatGPT subscription.

You see, we’re way past scam emails from sketchy Nigerian princes. Today’s scams are slick, personalized and powered by scary-good tech like AI voice cloning and deepfakes. And yep, people fall for them every single day.

Here are today’s scummy front-runners, plus how to protect your cash, pride and sanity:

1. The AI voice clone

This one’s horrifying because it sounds like someone you trust. Scammers grab a clip of your child’s, spouse’s, boss’ voice from social media, podcasts or even your voicemail.

Then they call your mom, your grandpa, your partner: “Hi, it’s me. I’m in big trouble. I need money. Don’t tell anyone.” It’s not them. It’s AI. And it works because it feels real.

Anthony in Los Angeles was deceived by scammers who used AI to replicate his son’s voice. Believing his son was in distress, Anthony transferred $25,000 to the fraudsters.

If you get a call like this, call or text the person. Try someone they live or work with.

2. ‘Your bank account’s frozen’

You get a text or call from your “bank,” and the number looks legit. They say your account is locked due to suspicious activity and you need to confirm your info.

Stop right there. That link? Fake. The person on the phone? Also fake.

Charles in Iowa lost over $300,000. Always open your bank’s app or type the web address in yourself. Never tap the link they send.

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Honor their service: How to get official military records

ChatGPT

If you’ve ever lost someone who served, or even just want to understand your family better, listen to this. I was poking around online, and I found my dad’s actual WWII draft card application. His name, his handwriting, his signature, where he lived. It was all there. I didn’t expect to get so emotional, but wow.

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Hold the phone

📞 Don’t hang up. Here are cool tools to keep your phone in place.

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Shoot smooth videos and pics with a gimbal tripod (20% off).
This bike mount (38% off) locks down your phone while you ride.

📱 Pop this on: PopSockets’ new magnetic Kick-Out Grip ($40) can finally stand upright. You take video calls or scroll on social media, all hands-free. Plus, it comes with an adapter for Android folks. So wonderful!

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

Never tell the truth on security questions

Open/download audio

If a hacker can find your mom’s maiden name or your first pet on social media, your accounts are easy targets.

🕳️ Internet’s new boogeyman: Online predators have gotten a terrifying rebrand. “764” is a nihilistic extremist group targeting kids via Discord, Roblox and social media. The FBI is on it, but that’s cold comfort if your 12-year-old is getting radicalized during Minecraft. Talk early and often with your kids about online dangers. Audit their apps, and maybe uninstall a few.

16th century

That’s when the word “bro” first popped up, short for “brother.” Fast-forward to today, mix in a little social media brain rot, and Gen Alpha has taken it further with “bruh.” It now means just about anything: a greeting, joy, frustration, you name it. Versatile? Absolutely. Clear? Not even close.

Free images: Need clean, professional photos for your website or social media posts? Try Unsplash. It has a huge library of high-res, royalty-free images. Just search a topic like “office” or “game” and download what you need. PSA: Watch out, they’re gonna try to upsell paid photos.

Make money using AI prompts

ChatGPT

So you want to start making money using AI, but you’re not trying to build Skynet or learn 15 coding languages first? Good, because neither am I.

I’ve pulled together five powerful prompts you can throw into ChatGPT (or any AI tool you like) that could help you earn some extra cash this week. These are all practical, doable, and you don’t need a team of assistants to make it happen. Let’s go!

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Reset your social media algorithms

ChatGPT

Ever scroll through Instagram or Facebook and wonder, Why am I still seeing goat yoga videos and political or family drama from 2009? Our social media feeds are Frankenstein monsters built from everything we’ve clicked on, liked, hovered over or even winced at for half a second.

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🎞️ Make your own GIFs: Want something custom for social media? Try GIPHY for free. Just make an account, click Create (top right) and Choose a File (like an MP4). Trim the clip, add stickers or text and upload it. When it’s ready, you can Download it or Copy Link to share.

Check your privacy settings: Social media apps update often, and sometimes your preferences change without you noticing. Review who can see your posts, who can tag you and what info is public. Most apps have this under Profile (or the three line Menu) > Settings > Privacy.

🌀 Bricks, bots and bad intel: When ICE protests broke out in L.A., social media broke with it. Old conspiracy theories, fake Obama quotes and a still from a 1983 helicopter movie (paywall link) all got reposted like it was open mic night at the misinformation improv club. Even a Malaysian brick company got dragged into the chaos. PSA: Verify before you share.

2.4 billion

That’s how many times people visited Zillow in just three months. Why? Because daydreaming is cheaper than buying. Only 4 million homes were actually sold last year, but that didn’t stop everyone and their mom from house-hunting from the couch. Zillow’s not just a listing site; it’s the new social media, where “cozy” means claustrophobic and “as-is” means “run.” When it comes to board games about buying real estate, Hasbro really has the Monopoly.

🔞Texas going hardcore parental: Texas wants to ban all minors under 18 from using social media. That means no Instagram, no TikTok, not even Facebook (RIP). Kids would need an ID to make accounts, and platforms would have to delete profiles if parents ask. Lawsuits incoming from tech giants and probably teenagers themselves.

🚨 Biggest social media data breach ever: A cybercriminal gang calling themselves ByteBreaker says they scraped 1.2 billion Facebook records. We’re talking names, emails, birthdays and more being sold on the dark web. Meta says it’s just 2021 leftovers, but do we really believe them? Either way, it’s a buffet for scammers. You know the drill. Change your passwords. Freeze your credit. Put alerts on your bank accounts. Dang, I feel like there have been so many data breaches that hackers are deleting duplicates of my data to save on space.

Stay in the know: Spot a topic trending on X that ties into your business? Let your favorite AI bot help you craft a social media post to show your audience you’re paying attention. Just say, “Write a [platform] post about [trending topic] that fits my [business or brand topic].”

🎨 Need stunning photos? I’ve used Dreamstime for years, and for good reason. Whether you’re building a website, designing a presentation or just need the perfect pic for social media, Dreamstime has millions of royalty-free images that won’t break the bank.

💼 Get your résumé noticed: LinkedIn is the best place to show off your skills, connect with people in the same industry and find new job opportunities. Whether you’re job hunting or branding your company, LinkedIn helps you stand out! It’s not just social media, it’s your digital handshake. Click here to post your job for free!

🔞 Sick social media trend: Awful accounts are using AI filters to make the women in overly sexual TikTok and IG gym videos look as if they have Down syndrome. They’re adding captions like “Syndrome is down but your d is up.” Why? It goes viral, and they try to redirect people to adult sites. And yes, the original clips are stolen.

📵 Virginia limits kids’ screen time: A new law will ban anyone under 16 from using social media for more than one hour a day. Apps will verify age, and parents can adjust if their kids get more time. Once they hit the limit, the app is supposed to block access … though it’s unclear how that’ll work.