Hello, friend! It’s Thursday, and it’s another great day to talk tech. Fact for ya: 41% of American adults use the internet almost constantly. That doesn’t seem so wild to me. What’s shocking is the 5% who say they don’t use the internet — that’s 13 million American adults who aren’t online. Do you know any of ‘em?

Keep this newsletter free for you by checking out today’s great sponsor. Have debt? National Debt Relief has helped hundreds of thousands of folks get out of debt the easy and painless way. If you could use a hand, visit their site. More info below! Now, let’s get down to business. — Kim

If you did your taxes, a gold star for you. If you haven’t done your taxes, April 15 is a week and a half away. Sorry for the scare.

That’s still plenty of time to file if you haven’t yet … and plenty of time to get ripped off if you have. I’ve got your back with a last-minute checklist to avoid getting screwed by the IRS — or post-file scammers.

If you've been a slacker … You still have options! Filing online is your best bet.

• File directly: If you qualify, file your taxes online for free directly with the IRS through its Direct File program. Currently, it’s available in 12 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
• Use an online filing service: TurboTax and H&R Block offer free plans, but fair warning — if you want extras like audit and fraud protection, expect to pay over $100.

Need more time? File for an extension through the IRS’ Free File site. Anyone is eligible, regardless of income level or filing status. Request an extension through Form 4868, and you’ll have until Oct. 15 — an extra six months!

💡 Pro tip: An extension to file is not an extension to pay. You'll still need to estimate your tax liability and pay before April 15. You can submit estimated taxes via the IRS online portal.

Can’t pay? If you owe and can’t pay your entire balance by April 15, your best bet to avoid penalties is to set up a payment plan with the IRS.

If you've already filed … Great! But you’re not in the clear yet. Watch out for:

• Bogus “unclaimed refund” mailings: These letters arrive in a cardboard envelope with a notice about “your unclaimed refund.” They look legit and even have an IRS logo, but the contact info and phone number listed are fake.
• Phishing emails from the TAP: These emails look like they're from the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. They try to fool you into giving up personal and financial information to claim your refund. If you get one of these, don't respond or click — forward it straight to phishing@irs.gov.
• Phony “fixers”: This includes anyone claiming they can settle your tax debt for "pennies on the dollar.” These “OIC Mills” say they work with the IRS’ Offer in Compromise program, then they charge you thousands of dollars for info you can find for free. Most of the people they target don’t even meet the program requirements. FYI: You can see if you qualify for the OIC program here.

Track your real refund on the IRS’ Where's My Refund page. You'll need your Social Security or individual taxpayer ID number, your filing status, and your exact refund amount to check your status.

😏 My accountant just quit on me … Guess she lost interest.

My business wasn’t always where it is now. I remember those stressful, tiring years of struggling to pay the bills and having barely enough money to buy groceries. That’s why I want to tell you about National Debt Relief. Their debt specialists can help you build an affordable plan to pay off your debt so you can take back your life.

Doing this on your own is tough. National Debt Relief has helped more than 550,000 folks. Here’s how they can help you:

• Stop drowning in bills: Pay off your debt for less than you owe.
• Pay it off: Get debt-free in as little as 24 to 48 months.
• Nothing to lose: Free consultation and zero upfront fees.

If we have to: Google is finally deleting billions of records they collected from folks who thought they were browsing in private using Chrome’s Incognito mode. Google claimed it was “impossible” to find and delete this data but changed its tune when a judge ruled on a class-action settlement. Don’t be fooled — Incognito mode still isn’t totally private. For that, you need a VPN.*

🌒 Don’t believe everything you see: The Washington Post (paywall link) says cell service might go down totally for who knows how long with the massive crowds around Monday’s solar eclipse. They even have a “survival kit” plan. By all means, grab a $20 from the ATM — but I highly doubt anything this dramatic could happen with today’s infrastructure.

Buyer beware: A California woman bought hemorrhoid ointment from Facebook — and died after it poisoned her. Tests found “Cao Boi Tri Cay Thau Dau,” mailed from Vietnam, contained a lethal 4% lead. Don’t buy anything related to your health on social media, period.

But at what privacy cost? Your Chase credit card will soon hand over your spending data (paywall link) to advertisers. Say you buy dog food every month. Cue ads for dog owners, whether you’ve opted in or not. The only way to avoid this? Pay cash. Sorry.

💘 Let's get physical, physical: Gen Z is over dating apps, and they’re bringing back the early-2000s speed-dating trend. Spend a couple of minutes with each person to see if you click. It’s not just 20-somethings, either. Search Eventbrite for dating events near you if you’re “app’d out.” Conversation starter: “How much do you love Kim Komando?”

The juggle is real: After seven years, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is back. They had over 150 violations for mistreating animals, so they swapped out the menagerie for Bailey, the robot dog. This pup can roll, leap and dance via a wireless joystick. It’s also got a 45-minute battery life — and the worst thing they can do is forget to charge it.

🌿 Say aloe to my friends: When your plants are stressed, they pop and click in ultrasonic frequencies way beyond our hearing range. They even scream — just not in a way we can hear. If you really screwed up with them, they throw a full-blown tantrum, complete with changing their color and shape and emitting a special scent. Remember that next time you ignore your Ficus.

🇯🇵 You asked, so I’m sharing more tomorrow! Friday’s podcast and livestream is all about my trip to Japan. I absolutely loved it! Set a reminder for 11:30 a.m. Pacific (2:30 p.m. Eastern), and come say hi on YouTube, Rumble or Facebook.

iPhone 12 upgrade: The recent iOS 17.4 update hooks you up with Qi2 wireless charging support. It’s faster and you can use those handy magnetic chargers. This one is $20 right now, and this one is a battery you can take with you, too.

To spam in a handbasket: Some emails from Outlook are landing in Gmail’s spam folder. There’s a temporary fix: Go to this page, click "Add an alias” and log in. Hit "Add Alias." Also, here's how to send an email from a different email address or change your primary alias, if you need more help.

Spotify shortcuts: On your computer, press the spacebar to play or pause, Ctrl + → (right arrow) to skip to the next track, and Ctrl + ↑ (up arrow) to increase the volume. On a Mac, swap Ctrl for Cmd.

Eye like it like that: Next time you hang a TV, stop debating placement and use this rule of thumb: Hang it so the bottom of the screen is no higher than eye level when you’re seated. That means the top of the screen should be no higher than eye level when you’re standing.

Space out: In most video meeting software, hit the spacebar to mute or unmute yourself. This works on Zoom, Teams and Google Meet. Faster than clicking a button! Just make sure you’re muted when you think you are, OK?

Cool stuff I found for cleaning, chilling and last-minute gifts:

• Pastel plastic baskets for cords, chargers and everything else.
• Keyboard wrist rest and mousepad that looks like a cotton candy cloud. Cute!
• Tiny pink sound machine for white noise on the go. OK, it comes in other colors, too.
• For when your smartwatch is out of juice, a silicone wristband you can jot notes on with a pen.
• Professional ultrasonic cleaner for jewelry and glasses.

Now I just want to spot the cat and the fiddle.

And that’s all for today! And really, I wasn’t kidding about wanting to hear about folks you know who aren’t online. Is it because of a lack of access? Philosophical reasons? Do they just have better things to do? I remember one time when I didn’t have access to the internet … That was a rough two hours.

Before you go: Debt is overwhelming emotionally and financially, but you don’t have to go it alone. Check out National Debt Relief to get the help you need to sleep better at night.

🥖 See you right back here tomorrow with hot and fresh tech news and tips. And a fun list before the weekend: All the movies and shows new to streaming. Until then, tell a friend about this free newsletter. If you love it, so will they! — Kim