🚨 Top scams spreading right now

Welcome to your Sunday, {{first_name | friend}}. Some apps steal your time, others steal your peace. But one? It’s quietly stealing the crown, racking up 700 million+ downloads without a single dance challenge or neon sugar rush. The crazy part is that it’s in even more countries than TikTok and Spotify. 

🧽 It’s a mess. If your inbox is overflowing and passwords feel impossible to manage, I’ve got a smart trick for you. NordPass Email Masking keeps your real address hidden and your inbox spam-free. Click to see how it works!

📡 Forward this to that person who still calls Wi-Fi “Wee-Fee.” You’ll be doing humanity a service. — Kim

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Every crime has a setup. In five recent cases, scammers turned online breadcrumbs into jackpots. I want you to know how to make sure you’re not their next payday.

Scammers stalk grief like predators. A Pennsylvania widow was conned out of her entire life savings, over $200,000 plus her home, by a romance scammer she met on Facebook. A 63-year-old widower sold his condo and wired $80,000 to a “friend” who convinced him to invest in a sure crypto thing.

Pro tip: Don’t list “widowed” on dating or social apps. To criminals, it’s a dollar sign.

One woman proudly shared a pic of her cruise tickets on Facebook. Scammers used her booking code to hijack the account and cancel the trip to get the refund. She lost $15,000, a vacation and her family’s respect in one click. 

Pro tip: Post vacation pics after the trip. Announcing you’re away makes you a target for hackers and burglars.

AI deepfakes are a booming business. One TikTok user found her face and voice cloned to sell knockoff diet pills. Thieves raked in tens of thousands using her identity.

Pro tip: Set your videos to private or limit followers. The better the footage, the easier you are to clone.

In South Carolina, a man listed a limited-edition PlayStation online. When he met the “buyer,” instead of cash, he got a gun in his face. The robber made off with the console plus his phone, watch and wallet for a $3,000+ haul.

Pro tip: Meet in a police station parking lot. If a buyer balks, they aren't legit.

GPS walking, hiking and biking routes can be a jackpot for burglars. Secret Service agents accidentally exposed patrol patterns for the president and others on Strava. Home break-ins have been tied to thieves tracking when residents aren’t home.

Pro tip: Lock down your fitness app privacy settings. Hide the start and end points near your house.

🧈 Speaking of… The man who invented spreadable margarine got scammed out of every penny he made out of it. I can’t believe he’s not bitter. (lol)

⚠️ Crooks are cashing in on your digital trail. Keep yourself out of their true-crime story. Now use the share icons below so your family and friends know this, too!

I talk to Adam from Boston, a new dad who wants to buy a video baby monitor but also wants to make sure he’s the only one watching it. Then, how Cracker Barrel went from the fastest-growing chain to dead last because of fake outrage. Plus, the future of driving isn’t touch screens, the government’s $42 billion internet money pit, and an influencer who almost lost his finger to his smart ring.

Listen on Komando.com →

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❌ ICE apps removed: Both Apple and Google yanked apps that let people track immigration agents, including one called ICEBlock. Why? The DOJ said these apps could put officers in danger. That warning hit hard after a deadly attack at a Dallas ICE facility. The gunman searched for ICE-tracking apps before showing up with a rifle. Whatever your views, when an app puts lives at risk, including those of law enforcement and civilians, it becomes a matter of public safety, not politics.

🤖 These are my bot confessions: Police say Missouri State student Ryan Schaefer smashed 17 car windshields, then bragged about it to ChatGPT. His typo-filled chats (“qill I go to jail?”) were found on his phone. Spoiler: yes. Now he’s facing felony charges and thousands in damages. Reminder: AI isn’t your diary, it’s potential evidence.

🕵🏻‍♂️ Keep your email private: Free email providers like Gmail and Yahoo track what you do. I use StartMail because it keeps my inbox secure, stops spam and keeps my personal info private. Try it free for 7 days, and when you sign up, you’ll get my 60% off deal for the first year!*

📸 Back to basics: Kodak is doing something it hasn’t done in over a decade ... selling its own film. Like, actual 35mm. Remember those yellow rolls in every junk drawer? Same stuff. Kodak’s cutting out the middleman to bring prices down. It’s a quiet comeback from a brand that basically shot every ’80s birthday party you’ve ever been to.

🧠 Finally, kids are cooling it online. At a school in St. Paul, students are using old-school, face-to-face conflict resolution to keep things from blowing up. Teachers say they’ve seen a big drop in kids escalating things online, fewer late-night texting meltdowns, less group-chat gossip and more “let’s talk this out.” It’s proof that when you teach kids to pause, reflect and actually talk to each other, it sticks, even in a world ruled by phones.

🛞 Smart rubber: Pirelli and Bosch are cooking up “Cyber Tyres” that talk to your car through Bluetooth tiny sensors that measure contact patches, pressure and acceleration, then beam lifesaving data like grip loss before aquaplaning. These Fitbits for wheels were spotted on a $2.5M Pagani, but hitting normal cars in ~3 years. Imagine explaining to your great grandpa, “Whoa, the tire’s Bluetooth says you better slow down.”

I talk to David from Gainesville, Florida, who was looking for advice to beef up his business but ended up spilling the tea on a wild unsolved mystery. Then, how that tracker on your cat could double as the perfect stalking device. Plus, why your computer may be headed for the garbage, Microsoft’s debut in the world of fashion, and why you’ll be seeing more iPads on college football sidelines this season.

Listen on Komando.com →

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From meal-prepping to baking, these kitchen helpers work as hard as you do.

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⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Old Chrome extensions can slow things down. Click the three-dot icon (top right), go to Extensions > Manage Extensions, pick the ones you don’t need, and hit Remove.

🐾 Doggy surveillance default: Ring cameras are now scanning outdoor feeds for missing dogs if a neighbor posts on the app. If your cam spots one, you’ll get a ping. But you’re opted-in without asking. Amazon insists it’s only for pets, but facial recognition launched, too. You can see where this is headed. Suddenly Fido’s not the only one being tracked. To turn it off: Open the Ring app > go to menu (☰) > Control Center > tap Search for Lost Pets > toggle off for every device. Good thing you have me on your side.

📱 Android app shortcuts: Long-press certain apps for quick access to core features. Chrome lets you open a new tab or jump into Incognito mode. Gmail gives you options like composing a message or switching accounts. Social media apps like Instagram let you post right away or check your activity feed.

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🤖 Extortion, but make it software: Just a reminder, Microsoft’s killing Windows 10, and support ends Oct. 14. I’m sure hackers have the date penciled in their calendar. That’s 400 million computers going vulnerable overnight. Want security? Pay up, or replace your whole machine. Low-income families, seniors, remote workers, kids with homework? Too bad, Microsoft doesn’t care. See my new PC recommendations here.

🦸🏻 Be a hero: Know someone who should get this newsletter? Tell them to go to WinFromKim.com to sign up and enter to win an iPhone Air (a $999 value), no purchase necessary. Score!

Time it: Get an idea of how long any activity will take. Surprisingly accurate! 

😊 Smile like Zuck: Ever wanted to train yourself to smile like Meta’s awkward founder? Now’s your chance. 

Learn internet history: Check out a map of the internet’s father, ARPANET. 

🎉 Did you win? Sunday was the top streaming day, but today could be your payday. Check if you won a $50 Amazon gift card in last weekend’s contest!

Watch this crazy video: Robots have come a long way from Roombas. 

🛰️ Broadcasting brilliance: Click to hear what you missed on my show.
📱 Listen on Apple Podcasts. 🎧 Stream on Spotify. 🌐 Play full episodes on Komando.com.

📖 The answer: D) The YouVersion Bible App. It’s been downloaded over 700 million times, beating even TikTok and Spotify in global digital discipleship. It launched all the way back in 2008 as one of the first 200 apps on the App Store. Flash-forward to now? It delivers Scripture in more than 1,800 languages, more tongues than Duolingo could dream of. ✝️ That’s some seriously wonderful spiritual bandwidth.

If you want to read the Gospel according to Shrek, open your Bible to Psalm–Body once told me… (lol)

Junk mail piling up? Treat yourself to a clean inbox with NordPass. Its Email Masking hides your real email, keeps the spam out and makes managing passwords simple. Take out the digital trash for $1.34 a month.

This is the #1 free tech newsletter in the United States. Tomorrow, how to make money selling your own T-shirts online. No design skills, inventory or shipping labels required. Yes, really. 

🌱 Growth looks good on you. Keep going. — Kim

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Photo credit(s): ChatGPT

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