Hey, hi, it’s a great Tuesday, friend. Do you ever look down at your step count at 9,972 and start pacing your kitchen like it’s a cardio runway? I do. That magic number, 10,000, seems ingrained in every fitness gadget on Earth. Have you ever wondered where that number even comes from?

🚶🏼‍♀️ Take a guess: Was it …A) A White House “Let’s Move” campaign, B) Chosen by some random engineer, C) A clever marketing gimmick, or D) Based on ancient rituals? Walk your way to the answer waiting at the bottom. 

✅ It’d really mean the world if you forwarded this to a friend. I made this newsletter to make you look good. Take the credit. — Kim

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.

3.  Crypto investment ‘friend’

This starts on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn. Someone friends you, chats you up, gains your trust, then casually mentions they’re making a fortune in crypto.

They even offer to show you how. Suddenly you’re handing over money or access to a wallet, and poof, it’s gone. A couple in Georgia lost $800,000 after falling victim to a cryptocurrency scam. Just because someone’s friendly doesn’t mean they’re honest.

Don’t fall for a stranger friending you on social media. If you’re lonely, volunteer somewhere.

4. Gold bar scam

You get a call from someone claiming to be with the FBI or your bank’s fraud team. They say your money’s at risk, and you need to withdraw it, convert it into gold bars and turn it over for “safekeeping.”

A 72-year-old retiree from New Hampshire was scammed into purchasing $3.1 million worth of gold bars and turned it over to the scammer. Yes, it sounds insane, but it’s happening, and people are losing everything. Come on, you know that real law enforcement doesn’t operate this way.

5. Vet emergency

A neighbor’s crying. Your dog’s been hit by a car. They rushed your fur baby to the vet and paid the bill. You owe them $1,200. But wait ... your pup is fine, snoring on the couch. 

You’ve been pet-shamed into Venmoing a scammer.

🫶 If any of this sounds familiar, your gut is whispering danger or you’re not sure what might be happening in a situation, reach out to me. I’ll help you figure out what’s real and what’s a scam. Better to ask than get burned. I won’t judge you, I promise.

🏠 These smart gadgets earn their keep.

• ⚡ My pick: This outdoor smart plug ($18) keeps my patio lights and fan connected rain or shine. 4.4 stars with 3,000+ reviews.
  
  
• 🗣️ Voice-controlled color bulbs: I use them in my home studio. Plus, they’re Alexa & Google compatible ($12.23).
  
  
• 🐶 Dog doorbell?! Yep. My friend’s golden retriever now rings one (20% off) to go out. Works for any size pup.
  
  
• 🎬 Movie night magic: This 4K smart projector (32% off) is sharp, bright and easy to set up. Indoor or outdoor use.
  
  
• ⚖️ Smart scale that actually works: Syncs with your phone, tracks trends, not just your body weight (20% off). Great for goal-setting.
  
  
• 🔌 Bonus: I run multiple devices off a smart power strip (11% off) without crawling under furniture. Scheduling + surge protection built in = total win.

👉 Want more proven gadgets that make your home smarter (without blowing your budget)? Check out my full Amazon smart home collection here.

📞 Hacker hang-up: Hackers leaked 64 million T-Mobile customer records. The data has real names, phone numbers, cookie IDs (the whole privacy piñata), but T-Mobile says it’s “not our circus, not our monkeys.” Maybe this leak needs to go on Maury: “You are NOT the data parent!”

Trump Org sells phones: This is not politics, so don’t even think of writing me a note about it. This is tech news. It’s a presidential first you need to be in the know about. Coming soon is a $499 gold Android phone and a $47.45/month plan called “The 47 Plan.” It includes unlimited data, roadside help and presidential branding galore. It’s all licensing, with no actual tech building involved. Customer support is reportedly Eric Trump with a headset. Just kidding.

📺 TV arms race: Get ready for more ads! Amazon Ads and Roku just inked an ad deal that lets brands target 80% of U.S. connected-TV homes. Starting late this year, Amazon will place ads across Prime Video, the Roku Channel and more, with smarter targeting and fewer repeats. In trials, it reached 40% more viewers with the same budget.

Samsung’s fridge knows your voice: The new smart models recognize who’s talking to personalize the screen. So when you speak, it shows your calendar, photos, applies your favorite color settings and rats you out when you’re sneaking pie in the middle of the night. I made that last part up, but it’s a definite possibility.

📦 Walmart’s expanding drone delivery: It’s coming to five more cities, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa. If you’re in one of them, you can sign up on Wing’s site to get notified when it goes live near you. FYI: That brings the service to 100 stores. At this rate, we’ll be living like the Jetsons in no time.

Chatbots are warping reality: Folks are forming deep bonds with AI, and it’s messing with their mental health. Like an accountant who was told we live in a simulation and advised to stop taking his meds. Then another woman who thought she was talking to spirits (paywall link). Reminder: Bots are built to entertain.

🔥 Wildfires go predictive: AI can now predict massive wildfires 10 days in advance. It uses CO₂ data, land maps, weather info and code that somehow knows forest vibes. Get this, it even clocked those Canadian fires before they hit. Honestly, better track record than most weathermen. AI just declared that tree has arson energy.

Finding the perfect candidate for an open job can feel like hunting for a needle in a haystack. Enter LinkedIn.

With millions of job seekers at your fingertips, LinkedIn is a treasure trove of skilled folks ready to make a difference. I’ve used LinkedIn to assemble my standout team who help put together this newsletter, my national radio show, our podcast and everything else we do.

LinkedIn’s advanced tools make the hiring process smoother than ever. They even help you put together the ideal job description so you can focus on what matters — growing your business.

👉 You don’t need to live in fear: Get the best home protection with no wires or contracts. Set it up in just 30 minutes, complete with sensors, cameras and 24/7 monitoring. For a limited time, you get 50% off a new system with an awesome monitoring plan.*

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Use Ctrl + L (Windows) or Command + L (Mac) to instantly highlight the URL (or address) bar in any browser.

Clean up your Mac menu bar: See those icons at the top right of your screen? You can rearrange or remove them. To move one, hold Command and drag it left or right. To remove one, hold Command, drag it off the bar, and let go. FYI: This won’t delete the app, it only hides it.

📊 Turn data into answers: Upload a spreadsheet into ChatGPT and ask questions like “What’s the total for this column?” or “Which row has the highest value?” For faster answers, try the GPT-4o model (paid plan only), to create a new spreadsheet from your data with new formatting.

Turn off Fire Stick clicks: You know that annoying little sound every time you move through the menu? Leave it on long enough and you’ll start hearing it in your dreams. Go to Settings > Display & Sounds > Audio > Navigation Sounds and switch it Off. Congrats, your sanity just thanked you.

🔖 Better than bookmarks: Reopening the same tabs every day? Let your browser remember them for you. In Chrome, click the three-dot menu (top right) > Settings > On startup > Continue where you left off. Nice.

I’ve started racing my sailboat for fun, and after coming in last of 20 boats for a few months, I am making progress. We got 8th place the other day. But just maybe it’s not me at helm, it’s the boat.

Forget everything you thought you knew about sailboats. Powered by a massive kite instead of traditional sails, the SP80 Swiss-built speed demon just became the second-fastest sailing vessel ever, clocking 58.26 knots (67.1 mph).

But wait, it gets weirder. To keep the kite from yanking the boat into orbit, SP80 uses an underwater foil to anchor it down like an aquatic tug-of-war. 

You’ve got two pilots. One to steer, the other just to wrangle the kite like it’s a very angry sky dragon. Their goal? Smash the world record of 65.37 knots (75.2 mph), ideally sailing past 80 knots (92.1 mph).

I’ll stick to going 6 knots (6.9 mph).

Answer: C) A clever marketing gimmick. That 10,000-step goal? It came from a Japanese pedometer launched in 1965 called the Manpo-kei, which literally means “10,000-step meter.” No science, no health guru, just slick branding. Basically, your fitness routine is powered by Mad Men. 

🪦 I was walking home last night and decided to take a shortcut through the cemetery. A few teenage girls explained that they were scared to walk past the graveyard at night. I agreed to let them walk along with me and said, “I understand. I used to get freaked out, too, when I was alive.”

You just finished reading America’s #1 free tech newsletter. Your inbox just got smarter and sassier. Tomorrow, we’re talking flight price booking secrets, fancy water, crazy Starlink upgrades and more.

Signing off, back tomorrow with more ways to live your smartest digital life. 💻 — Kim

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