5 clever tricks holiday scammers use
JD in Dallas emailed me with a story. He and his wife were at the mall and stopped for a Christmas selfie. Two young men walking by offered to take the pic for them â and one kept wiping the phoneâs lens inside his jacket.
Set up your Wi-Fi for easy sharing with guests
Youâve got a turkey in the oven, presents need to be wrapped, and your cousinâs kid screams (again), âWhatâs the Wi-Fi password?â Youâre juggling a hundred things at once, and the last thing you want to do is to spell out your password.
Shopping scams are getting nastier: One victim in Maryland was tricked into paying a fake $0.99 âredelivery feeâ and ended up losing $400. USPS and other shipping companies wonât add a shipping charge after the fact. These scams usually come via text, so watch out.
The truth behind smart driving programs and what they track
Iâll bet your insurance company has sent this one your way: âDrive safely, get rewarded. Sign up for our smart driving program today!â Youâve got a squeaky clean driving record, so whatâs the harm?
Smart driving programs track your driving habits and give you discounts for being a good driver. But thereâs more to it than just saving a few bucks. Buckle up â Iâll break it down for you.
Security tip: Next time you stay at a hotel, turn on your VPN
Did you know the average American spends more than 24 hours each week online? That is a considerable chunk of time.
If you’re one of many with multiple devices regularly accessing the internet, you probably know you need a secure connection to protect sensitive data. A virtual private network or VPN is the best way to do this.
Ship happens: Googleâs shiny new AI assistant, Mariner, will take over Chrome to do stuff like book flights, fill out forms and do your shopping without you doing a thing. It canât fill out credit card or billing info âfor privacy reasons.â (Google actually had the gall to say that!) Watch the prototype in action here.
Youâve got mail: Psychologists say those who aim for âInbox Zero,â aka no unread email, might be perfectionists craving control. If you let unread emails pile up, you might be more laid-back and focused on priorities over organization. Some people even get more stressed trying to keep a clear inbox. Try as I might, Iâm not an âInbox Zeroâ gal.
RIP, Do Not Track: Mozilla axed the 13-year-old privacy option in its latest Firefox browser update. The idea was you could hit a button to tell websites not to opt you into browsing cookies you encountered online. Spoiler: It never really worked, since most advertisers just ignored it. Chrome and Microsoft Edge still include the useless option.
đą Update your iPhone now: Apple iOS 18.2, the update that superpowers Siri with AI, also fixes 21 security issues. That includes a major flaw in Appleâs Passwords app. Still on iOS 17? Thereâs a fix for you, too. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
Small-biz tip: Don't overlook this digital danger
Are you the type of business owner who forgets about ex-employees as soon as they’re gone? Failing to remove former employees’ access to your systems and data could lead to security breaches. Don’t let poor offboarding practices be the weak link in your cybersecurity chain.