Howdy and happy Wednesday, friend! We start this tech party today with trivia. Which unusual internet-connected device was launched to help farmers monitor the well-being of their livestock? Is it a … A.) Cow fitness tracker, B.) Chicken mood ring, C.) Pig sleep monitor or D.) Goat GPS tracker? Answer’s at the end, as always.

Hear ye, hear ye! Give yourself the gift of better hearing with the biggest breakthrough in hearing aid tech in over a decade. Take a free hearing assessment right now to see if you qualify for a no-risk trial of top-notch hearing aids. On to the tech smarts! — Kim

Callie Smith from Virginia was excited to see an Olivia Rodrigo concert. The $700 price tag? Not so much. Luckily, she found an Instagram account selling two-for-one tickets to the show.

Callie did a quick Google search and even video-chatted with the seller. Feeling comfortable, she sent $700 through Apple Cash. Instead of sending tickets, the seller immediately blocked her. She lost out on the show, and, thanks to Apple Cash’s lack of fraud protections, Callie lost her money, too.

She thought she did her research. But these days, you have to dig deeper. Let’s talk about how to step up your sleuthing game and avoid getting fooled.

Ask a ton of questions

If someone says they’re a family member or an old friend, ask them something super-specific a fake couldn’t find on social media — think your senior class prank or your uncle’s favorite corny joke.

For potential partners, ask for details about previous employers, schools and some names of their friends. Recruiters? Ask them for a reference.

💡 Pro tip: Ask for more pictures and do a reverse image search. How? Drag and drop the pics into Google Images. If they pop up as part of another public profile, that’s a red flag.

Let them know you’re doing your research

Cross-reference all their answers to make sure names, details and photos match up. Let them know you’re doing it and pay attention to their reaction. A well-intentioned person won’t balk. If they seem annoyed or their response leaves you feeling uneasy, stop the conversation and block ‘em.

No news isn't good news

When you're researching someone, don't assume a lack of information is a green light. It can actually be the opposite. A real job recruiter, for example, should have a verifiable, professional online presence on LinkedIn or their company’s website. Thin search results are a red flag.

Out of bounds

When chatting online, play it safe and keep communication on the platform where you started the convo. Big platforms like LinkedIn and Bumble have built-in BS-detection tools, like profile authentication.

👍 Rule of thumb: Don’t move the convo elsewhere until you’ve met the person IRL.

Cover your butt

If you have to send money online, do it through an app with built-in purchase protection, like PayPal. Venmo works, too. Tap the Purchase Protection toggle in the app to tell Venmo you're paying for a good or service before you pay.

Oh, and you should never have to share personal info like your Social Security number to pay someone else. If anyone gives you a hard time about the security measures you're taking, run for the hills.

The No. 1 way to keep yourself safe?

Slow down. Take a deep breath, read carefully and vet whoever's on the other end. No trustworthy person or business will ever pressure you into forking over cash. Scammers rely on your wanting to believe a life-changing investment, prince charming or killer deal will just drop in your lap.

🎣 If being a 23-year-old Norwegian swimwear model has taught me anything, it’s that catfishing is surprisingly easy online. Kidding!

Amazon Prime Day starts Tuesday, but you can get a jump-start on deals now.

• Don’t care about the latest and greatest Apple AirPods? Get a deal on an older model that works great (47% off, $69).
• Upgrade your home office with a single-serve Keurig coffee maker for 40% off. Comes in cute colors, like pink or light ocean blue.
• These leakproof bento box-style containers rarely go on sale, but they’re 30% off now in your kids’ or grandkids’ favorite colors. Hey, I want one for snacks …
• Upgrade your external storage with 44% off a five-star-reviewed 1TB portable SSD. It looks nice, too.
• Grab a quality digital meat thermometer for your summer grilling needs. It’s 52% off now — only $9.99.

It took one bad click to hack the personal details of 7.6 million individuals, including full names, email addresses, telephone numbers and order details. The breached org? Evolve Bank & Trust, a vendor for Affirm, Wise, Bilt, Shopify, Plaid, Stripe and Mercury. There’s a good chance that hacked info includes yours. Solid, award-winning antivirus software is more important than ever, folks.

⚠️ Airbnb’s known about its hidden-camera problem for at least a decade: In a court-ordered deposition, an employee revealed when a guest complains about a hidden cam, Airbnb doesn’t notify law enforcement, even if a child is involved. They contact the host, settle out of court and make folks sign NDAs to keep it hush-hush. Think about that the next time you want to book an Airbnb.

Ad detour: Google Maps is pushing pop-up ads to drivers that appear as notifications, covering the bottom half of the screen. Google says the ads only expand when tapped on and disappear quickly. Still, talk about a distraction.

A waking nightmare: A 33-year-old Iowa woman is suing a medical device manufacturer after her heart monitor provided doctors with data from a different patient. This led to an unnecessary pacemaker surgery. And get this: She wasn’t sedated properly and was awake during the entire operation.

🖨️ Printer alert: HP is discontinuing its LaserJet e-series printers that require a permanent internet connection and force you to use super-expensive HP-original ink and toners. It'll continue to work if you still have one, but you’ll have to deal with HP+. Sell yours now while you can.

Update your PC: Windows’ latest Patch Tuesday fixes a whopping 142 flaws, including four zero-days (aka vulnerabilities hackers already know about). There are non-security updates, too: Windows 11 KB5040442 and Windows 10 KB5040427.

🔍 AirTag vs. Google’s Find My Device: Both devices were mailed to another state in an unofficial test. The AirTag continuously updated its location, while the Android tracker took 11 hours to ping its new whereabouts. At one point, the Find My Device tracker even lost track of its location. This is why I keep an AirTag in my cars.

Type to Siri: Type out your requests to Siri on macOS if you can't (or don't want to) use your voice. Hit the Apple logo > System Settings > Accessibility > Siri to enable the option.

Take me back: Windows 11 places the Start button and taskbar icons in the center of the screen by default, but you can move them back to the left. Go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors. From there, switch the Taskbar alignment to Left.

Go away: On Instagram, block spammers, creeps and someone you’re just done hearing from. Click More in the bottom left > Settings > Comment. You’ll see Block comments from. Choose People. Select their name, then remove.

So many tabs: Handy trick when you want to close some but not all of your open tabs. Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) and click on the tabs you want to close. Now hit Ctrl + W or Cmd + W to make them all vanish.

⛽ The app your phone is missing: Upside gives you cash back on the stuff you’re already buying, like food and fuel. Download Upside* and use promo code Kim to get an extra $0.25 back for every gallon on your first tank of gas.

Folks of all ages send me notes about hearing loss, and too many only know about those clunky and obvious hearing aids. There’s a new, better way to combat hearing loss!

The innovative devices from hear.com are practically invisible and fit comfortably in or behind your ear. Their breakthrough European technology offers crystal-clear speech understanding and Bluetooth, and they’re even rechargeable!

hear.com offers both telehealth and in-person care with insurance and flexible financing options. Getting set up with a pair of these award-winning hearing aids has never been easier. You can even try them risk-free for 45 days.

Don’t let me see you out there walking your dog in this heat!

👩‍🌾 The answer: A.) Cow fitness tracker. These devices are similar to Fitbits and are designed to monitor the activity levels, well-being and even fertility of cows.

Speaking of … What do you call a group of deaf cows? Not herd. (Oh, I heard that groan!)

The world’s first hearing aid designed with conversation in mind: Stop struggling to hear the TV, your friends and family, and everything else. Hear.com’s hearing aids aren’t like the ones Grandma or Grandpa used. I like that they have a rechargeable battery, and with Bluetooth, you can take phone calls right on your hearing aids. Take a free test to see if they’re right for you.

✌️ I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with an important warning about what relying on old, unsupported tech can cost you. Drop a rating below, too! — Kim