🛑 STOP: Read this before you ship that return

Welcome to your Friday, {{first_name | friend}}. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Come with me now back in time. On Dec. 26, 1982, TIME magazine broke its own 55-year tradition. Instead of naming a “Man of the Year” or “Woman of the Year,” they chose an inanimate object for the first time in history. It was a big deal.

🔌 Was it a: A) Microwave oven, B) Personal computer, C) Sony Walkman or D) VCR? You’ll find the answer powered up at the end.

Quick favor before we dive in: Forward this to one curious friend. It helps my newsletter grow and keep it free. Thanks in advance for being that person. — Kim

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This isn’t the most exciting topic for sure. But it is something you need to know.

If you’re heading to the post office, FedEx, UPS or some other drop-off to return something expensive, think iPads, laptops or those fancy noise-canceling headphones, stop right there. Before you tape that box shut, you need what I call “return proof” photos. 

Here’s why.

Retailers are drowning in a $100 billion return crisis. According to the National Retail Federation, about 15% of all holiday returns are fraudulent. Scammers have perfected a trick called “empty box” or “box swapping.” That’s when they return a box filled with rocks or junk to mimic the weight of the original item. Or they see a box sitting on a porch or in a bin that looks like a return and steal it.

Because of this, retailers are hitting back with super aggressive AI-powered fraud bots. 

The problem? These bots don’t have a heart, and they often flag honest people like us. If a warehouse worker opens your box and claims it was empty, guess what? It’s our word against a billion-dollar corporation’s automated AI system. 

Without evidence, your refund is as good as gone.

Don’t just hope for the best. Take 30 seconds to build a digital paper trail. Grab your phone and snap these three pics.

Yes, it’s a royal pain. But your photos are time-stamped and geotagged. If a retailer denies your refund or claims the box arrived empty, don’t bother arguing with an AI bot or a low-level rep. 

Use my secret phrase: “I have time-stamped, GPS-tagged photographic evidence of the serial number and the packed condition of this item. Please provide the direct email for your fraud prevention department, so I can submit these files for a manual override.”

Woah, take that you AI bot! You’ve bypassed the AI bot and moved your case to a human. In the world of returns, the person with the best data always wins.

📦 Don’t let your friends and family get boxed out of their refunds! If this tip helped you stay one step ahead of the return-proof bots, share the know-how by forwarding this newsletter to a friend or using the icons below to post it on social media. After all, it’s better to snap to it now than to get wrapped up in a refund battle later!

AI will steal jobs. It will also create them. These are the careers to look out for. Also, the White House is on a hiring spree for tech talent. Plus: Zoom’s new AI companion, why you could be getting a ChatGPT downgrade, and the secret to a cheap Uber at the airport.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or listen now wherever you get your podcasts, search for “Komando.”

The holidays came, now let’s make it easy to clean up the messes.

🌲 Retire the tree: This heavy-duty storage bag (19% off, $15) with strong handles makes hauling the tree a breeze. That cardboard box it came in was never meant to last.

Spin away grime: An electric spin scrubber (22% off, $35) does the hard work for you. Eight brush heads, a digital display and a long handle mean less elbow grease.

🛠️ Damage control: Did “temporary” decor leave behind a few marks? This drywall repair kit (10% off, $9) doesn’t require any skills beyond spreading paste.

Fresh fix: Baking soda had a good run, but a refrigerator deodorizer (20% off, $23) works way better. Drop it in, and get a decade of freshness without needing refills. So smart.

🏠 Clean house, smart moves: Head to my Amazon shop for more cleanup, organization and problem-solving faves.

🚁 The great drone divorce: If you fly a drone for fun or for a living, pay attention. The U.S. has officially pulled the plug on new sales of Chinese drones and drone parts. Washington says drones from Chinese companies like DJI aren’t toys, they’re data-collection machines. Every flight log, video stream and location coordinate could be accessible by a foreign government. Here’s the catch. If you already own one, you’re safe to fly. But the supply chain for new drones and replacement parts is being cut off. Chinese drones are cheap and high-tech. American alternatives? They’re getting better, but they often cost triple and do half as much. The goal is to force U.S. drone manufacturing, but until that catches up, your next drone might be a lot more expensive and harder to find. 

Robot code: You know how your phone can autocorrect “love” into “loaf,” then acts like you’re the weird one? CodeRabbit warns that AI coding basically does the same thing. AI-generated code change bundles average 1.7x more issues than human-written ones. And they’re not just harmless little typos. AI had 1.4x more critical problems and 1.7x more major ones like security land mines. I’m all for productivity unless it’s the “faster, not better” kind.

♿ Experiencing zero gravity: If you needed a don’t quit story that isn’t corny, here you go. Michaela Benthaus, an ESA engineer, flew on Blue Origin’s New Shepard, becoming the first person who uses a wheelchair to do a suborbital space trip. It lasted ~11 minutes, which she called the most remarkable experience of her life. She said it proved you don’t give up on a dream only because life gets unfair.

The internet’s mixtape: I want you to picture a basement full of hard drives humming like a fridge in July. Anna’s Archive says they built an open “preservation archive” from Spotify that is gigantic. I’m talking like 300 terabytes, 256M tracks of metadata and 86M music files (they say it’s ~99.6% of listens). Here’s where it gets spicy. It’s all being shared via torrents, which is basically the internet’s “everyone makes a copy” button, and Spotify’s called it unlawful scraping, which it is.

🧠 Rise of the nerds: Millennial Intimacy Forecast says superficial charm is out in 2026, and “substance attraction” is in. People are swiping left on gym selfies and going for bookworms. 71% of people want someone with niche passions, emotional maturity and the ability to love both you and their fantasy map of Middle Earth. That’s right, nerds are back in the heartthrob limelight because they’re stable and sincerely into stuff.

The “secret” supplement I use to help manage cravings: Always reaching for snacks or feeling that midday slump? Same. My team and I created ImproveLife’s GLP-1 Support to help keep cravings in check and energy steady without caffeine or stimulants. I take it daily. Try it now for up to 30% off with free shipping.**

🚗 Data hostage: You know how your car makes you log in to do basic stuff, like it’s a laptop with wheels? Modern cars have an always-on cellular modem pulling data from sensors (location, speed, charging, diagnostics) and sending it back to the automaker through their app (FordPass, OnStar, etc.). Blockchain project DIMO (“Digital Infrastructure for Moving Objects”) is trying to pry the process open with an email-for-car-data standard where you can opt in, connect apps but cut them off anytime. Incredible if it happens.

Your fun gift might come with a side of family drama. Hear why in this short podcast.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or listen now wherever you get your podcasts, search for “Komando.”

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Still have family staying over? Avoid handing out your main Wi-Fi password. It can give their potentially virus-filled devices access to your phones and computers. Instead, open your router’s app and turn on Guest Network. They get internet access, while their devices and any malware stay isolated from your main network.

🔒 Stop the tracking today: Every time you go online, Big Tech and your internet provider track what you do and sell that data. I use ExpressVPN to stay private and secure. It hides your IP address, encrypts your connection and actually works. It’s the only VPN I trust and recommend. Take back your privacy now and get 4 extra months when you sign up.*

Unwrapped a new phone? Set a charge limit right away to keep the battery healthy. ICYDK, capping the charge reduces wear and helps extend its lifespan. On iPhone, go to Settings > Battery > Charging > Charge Limit and select 80%. You can do the same on iPad. On Android, go to Settings > Battery > Battery protection.

🎁 Trade in your old tech: Got an extra tablet lying around after Christmas? Don’t let it gather dust. Amazon will take it off your hands. Tell them what you’re trading in and its condition, and they’ll offer a gift card based on its value. FYI, if you trade in Amazon gear like a Kindle, you’ll also get 20% off a new device.

Get rid of the bloatware: New Windows PCs usually come preloaded with annoying third-party apps that chew up storage and processing power. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps and scroll through the list. Tap the three-dot icon next to anything you don’t want and hit Uninstall. Free games, random trials, kill ’em all.

⚠️ The box blotter security tip: Before you put those big tech boxes out on the curb for recycling, stop and look at the shipping labels and the product stickers. Leaving a giant OLED TV or MacBook Pro box on the curb is essentially a “Shop Here” sign for burglars. Even worse, those shipping labels contain your full name, address, and often your phone number. The pro move: Don't just scribble on the label with a Sharpie (thieves can often see right through the ink with a flashlight). Instead, use a Privacy ID Roller Stamp. It uses a special pattern of jumbled letters that makes your data unreadable even to scanners.

My dear friend Janie sent me this text the other day, and it was a classic. It was one of those “Security Alerts” designed to make your heart race.

Nothing says legit security alert like a timer daring you to stress-click in under two minutes. This specific scam works by impersonating Apple-style warnings, claiming dozens of viruses, then redirecting you to a bogus security app that does the infecting and money grab.

Real security is boring. Urgency is almost always fake.

This is the #1 free tech newsletter in the USA. Tomorrow, freezing your credit won’t stop AI from hijacking your identity, draining your 401(k) or turning you into a criminal soccer coach. I’ll show you how to do it the right way. 

🖥️ The answer: B) Personal computer. This is when technology officially moved into our homes and started changing everyday life. It was the first time the title went to something without a heartbeat, and it paved the way for every gadget we use today. If you’re setting up a new PC or Mac, do yourself a favor and run updates immediately. Brand-new computers are often months behind on security fixes.

Nerd joke time: I left my PC on all night, and when I woke up, it was freezing. Turns out, I left the Windows open. 😂

🎨 You add color to places that forgot they had any. I love that for you! — Kim

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Photo credit(s): Gemini, Sattiyrch, Kim Komando

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