😱 Scams, slaves & sextortion

Happy Sunday, {{first_name | friend}}. Some people find change in their couch cushions. Others crack open an old Kodak camera and discover history. 

📷 Last year, someone unearthed a dusty relic from the back of a closet, only to discover something shockingly mysterious (and valuable) inside an old Kodak camera. Was it … A) Secret military photos, B) Never-before-seen Elvis footage, C) UFO images or D) A treasure map? Find the answer at the end!

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You already know the usual scams. Romance, crypto, tech support, job offers, fake investments, and the list goes on. But what you might not realize is that a growing number of people behind these scams aren’t evil masterminds. 

They’re victims, too.

Across Southeast Asia, scam compounds have become a massive underground industry. These operations run out of hotels and warehouses and are worth up to $19 billion a year in Cambodia alone. That’s more than half the country’s entire GDP.

People are being lured in by fake job ads, kidnapped and forced into these human trafficking compounds where they’re made to scam people all day long. They are beaten, locked up and told to meet daily scam quotas. 

If they don’t, they’re punished. Some have even died trying to escape.

This isn’t just about fake emails and text messages anymore. Scam networks are using AI and deepfake tech to create fake explicit content of tweens and teens. They use it to blackmail families in sextortion scams, threatening to release real and fake explicit images unless they get paid. 

Kids are committing suicide when faced with the reality they shared an intimate photo with a scammer threatening to send it to friends and family, as well as post it on social media. This is getting darker by the day.

The next time you get a sketchy message from someone you don’t know, it might not be a criminal in a hoodie. It could be someone who was tricked, trafficked and forced to work inside one of these scam mills.

Scams are only profitable if people fall for them. If less money flows into these organizations, maybe the scales will tip against such hostile industries. 

The more we know, the harder we make it for these criminals, and the fewer innocent people end up trapped inside these operations.

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Plus, want to go to the moon or Mars? I talk to Roman Chiporukha, CEO of SpaceVIP, who’s literally an outer space travel agent. Hertz’s AI scanner mess, the true cost of Prime, and how one hacker infiltrated 17 companies.

Listen on Komando.com →

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Microsoft squeeze: If your email ends in @onmicrosoft(dot)com, heads up, Microsoft is putting strict new limits on you. Why? Because spammers abused the system. Starting Dec. 1, you’re capped at 100 external emails per day. If that’s you, it’s time to buy a real domain, or risk your messages bouncing.

🎙️ Narrative podcasts are dead: In the mid-2010s, shows like “Serial” blew up with multi-episode investigations and gripping interviews. Now they’re vanishing (paywall link). Why? They’re too expensive and take too long to make. So if your favorite true crime podcast is no longer updating, you know why.

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Luxury’s identity crisis: When you’re dropping $400K on a car, do you really want it to feel like a fancy iPad on wheels? Bentley doesn’t think so either. They’re going full old-school – custom wood, rare materials and designers who actually sit down with you. Because real luxury is still made by hand, not just coded in.

🦜 Google trying to eat Duolingo: Google just shoved AI into Translate, adding a language practice mode with listening/speaking drills that adapt to your skill level. It’s basically Duolingo but without the bird threatening your family. Also new: live audio translations in 70+ languages, even in noisy airports. It’s never been a better time to perfect your awkward small talk in French.

📦 Duty calls: Every package into the U.S., yes, even your $5 anime keychain, now gets taxed. The Trump admin just killed the $800 import loophole. Sellers now face 10% to 50% tariffs or $200 flat fees. Some shippers (DHL) are quitting. Etsy, Temu and Shein sellers are scrambling to raise prices or pause shipping entirely.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Don’t keep your laptop plugged in all the time. Heat and stress wear down lithium-ion batteries. Let it cycle between 30% and 80% for longer life.

Use a Bluetooth mouse on iPad: Put your mouse in pairing mode, then on your iPad, go to Settings > Bluetooth and look under Other Devices. Tap to pair, and once it connects, a cursor will appear. FYI: You’ll need iPadOS 13.4 or later and a compatible mouse (here’s one on sale).

🗂️ Show file extensions in Windows: By default, Windows hides the suffixes at the end of file names (like .jpeg, .mp4 or .exe). You’ll want these visible, so you don’t accidentally open a malicious file that looks like a photo but is actually an executable. To turn them on, open File Explorer > View > Show > File name extensions.

👪 Try Snapchat with your kids: You might not want them on it. Download the app (iOS, Android), tap the Search icon, type their username, and hit Add. Don’t see them? Tap View More to expand the results.

🤳 Fix blurry phone photos: If tapping to focus isn’t working, your lens is probably dirty. After all, your phone lives in your pocket, collecting dust and grime. Folks, don’t reach for your T-shirt. Go with proper lens wipes that are scratch-free and streak-free. I found a pack of 200 for under $10.

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A friendly reminder. 

Take two seconds and follow me on Amazon. Boom, every time I find a deal, tech security gem, cleaning marvel, kitchen gadget or just something that makes life easier, it pops right into your feed.

Here’s how: Go to my Amazon page (www.amazon.com/shop/kimkomando) and tap the “Follow” button.

✅ Answer: B) Elvis footage. Yup, in 2024, someone popped open an old Kodak camera and unearthed long-lost Elvis clips that hadn’t seen daylight since mullets were mainstream (the first time). The footage went viral and eventually sold for six figures, because nothing says “found treasure” like The King ghost-dancing through grainy Super 8 film.  

Two for the road: If Elvis only wrote sad songs, he would be known as Elvis Depressly. And… Did you know Elvis was a big fan of chicken strips? He even wrote a song about them called “Love Me Tender.” (I heard that laugh, so my job is done!)

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🔥 Make it a great day, and here’s to being brave, curious and just a little more informed than yesterday. — Kim

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Photo credit(s): Midjourney, addlon

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