Happy Friday, friend! Here’s a watt-age of a question for you. Ever looked around your home and wondered, “Which one of you energy suckers is quietly draining my wallet?” Your refrigerator is the perfect scapegoat. It runs 24/7, makes weird humming noises and smells like regret and leftovers. But plot twist: Something else sneakily beats it.

🍦 Guess what appliance uses more electricity on average than a fridge: A) Dishwasher, B) Gaming console, C) Cable box with DVR, or D) Microwave? Find the answer buzzing at the end!

🚀 Spread the smarts. See those little icons under the top story for Facebook, X, LinkedIn, email? One click, and boom, send it straight to your friends, coworkers or that one relative who really needs to see it. Btw, I handpicked every story in this free newsletter just for you. Even the corny jokes are all me. — Kim

(First, a weird image for this story, I know. I was playing around with Meta AI. Why? Coming on Monday, tips, tricks and don’ts of using AI to create art, logos and more. You don’t want to miss that newsletter!)

If you’re a millennial, or you love one from a safe financial distance, brace yourself: This age group is losing more money to scams than anyone else, boomers included.

Yes, the digital natives, the “I’ve got 47 tabs open” generation born between 1981 and 1996, are getting cooked online.

Millennials aren’t getting taken because they’re naïve. They’re falling for scams because the cons have gotten better and faster. Between work burnout, raising mini-humans, pending divorces, rising rents and pretending to understand tax forms, the bandwidth is low and the scams are high.

💼 The job offer

You get a text about a remote gig. It pays well, sounds flexible and looks like something you could actually do. No experience needed. But there’s a catch: To get started, you have to send money.

Sometimes it’s a background check fee. Other times, it’s buying a gift card or crypto to complete a task.

These fake hiring managers sound legit. They’ll email you contracts, logos and messages from fake HR reps. But once you send that payment? They vanish. The job never existed. And your money isn’t coming back.

📈 The investment tip

You get a DM from someone talking up a hot opportunity. Crypto, stocks or some new “AI coin” is about to explode. They might claim to be a well-known investor or financial adviser. The pitch sounds smart, like they know what they’re doing.

Sometimes it’s a one-on-one message. Other times, it’s a whole group chat hyping it up. But it always ends the same way: You put money in, and then the coin tanks or disappears. It was a setup from the start.

Pro tip: If your financial adviser has anime in their profile pic, maybe sit this one out.

📱 The pressing message

Fake Amazon texts. Fake alerts from your bank. A message saying your Netflix account is suspended or your tax refund is on hold. These scams use urgency to get you to click before you even think.

The link takes you to a phony website designed to steal your login or credit card info. And they look convincing. If something feels rushed or too dramatic, stop and double-check before you tap anything.

Here’s what to watch for:

Slow down. Don’t be afraid to ask someone, “Does this sound weird to you?” Because if it does, it probably is.

🫡 Have a millennial in your life? Hit those share icons below and be a hero!

🧑‍💻 From snoops to trackers, these tools give you peace of mind.

🚨 Don't stop lockin’: Dive into Amazon’s smart security gear, and hit up my shop for more handpicked privacy gadgets.

0️⃣ Zero, zilch, nada: My privacy secret weapon eliminated spam calls and texts on my phone. Silence feels so good. I negotiated a 60% discount just for you. You’re gonna love it!*

💺 This idea is taking off: Forget flying on Wednesdays to save money on airfare. Delta’s letting AI set airfare based on what you personally might pay, i.e., how likely you are to cough up more money based on past purchases. About 3% of tickets use AI already. By year-end? 20%.

Batteries that don’t burn: Lithium batteries are super efficient and occasionally super explode-y. But researchers just made a version that stops itself from catching fire. When the battery gets too hot, built-in flame retardants release chemicals that shut down the reaction before it becomes a fireworks show. No flames. No smoke. No 30,000-gallon fire truck cameo. EVs really need this pronto.

📞 AI’s on the line, fur real: Google’s Gemini bots can now phone your local pet groomer for you. Ask about prices, availability or just vibe checks, all without saying a word yourself. Only in the U.S., only for certain biz types (pet stuff, dry cleaners, auto shops), and yes, businesses can opt out. Gemini Premium folks get more AI call credits, because obviously money talks, and now so does AI.

🧠 Fight bots with bots: Getting fake iPhone charge alerts? Sketchy emails pretending to be PayPal? You’re not alone. The good news: PayPal’s new fraud-detecting AI is watching for this stuff in real time, and it’s getting freakishly good at it. Remember, it won’t catch all the scams though.

💖 Fastpass to love: You can now find your Disney partner obsession in a new dating app called Single Riders. You can plan park dates, geek out over hidden Mickeys or sing “It’s a small world” together. If Goofy offers you style goals, this one’s for you.

Imagine waking up to an intruder in your home. Scary, right? A burglary happens every 30 seconds in the U.S., and homes without security systems are three times more likely to be targeted.

That’s why you need SimpliSafe.

✅ 24/7 peace of mind – Professional monitoring protects your home day and night. Agents can stop intruders in real time.

✅ Easy setup – Install it yourself in minutes or opt for professional installation.

✅ No contracts – No long-term commitment or hidden fees.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Want to paste text without weird fonts, colors or sizes? On Windows, press Ctrl + Shift + V. On Mac, hit Cmd + Option + Shift + V. Works in most apps.

Spot a Facebook Marketplace scammer? Do the right thing and report them. Click the listing, then go to Seller details > Report > Scam. While you’re there, select Block [name] profile and Hide all from [name] to stop their posts from showing up again.

🔦 Let there be light: On iPhone, you can control your flashlight’s brightness. Open Control Center, press and hold the flashlight icon, and wait for the larger beam slider to appear. Slide up to brighten or down to dim. Bonus: If your model has a multi-LED flash, swipe left or right to adjust the beam’s focus.

Scrub out Edge: Windows 11 loves making Edge your default browser. But you don’t have to live like that. To swap it out, go to Settings > Apps > Default apps, then pick your browser (like Chrome). At the top, click Set default. From now on, links open where you say so.

🍏 Save a web page as a PDF: On iPad, let’s say you’re in Safari on a Wikipedia article. Tap the Share icon in the top right and select Print. Choose the Range (pages you want), then hit the Share icon again. Select Save to Files, choose On My iPad or iCloud Drive, and press Save.

📱 Samsung S25 Ultra display fix: By default, it doesn’t use its highest screen resolution. Go to Settings > Display > Screen resolution, switch to QHD+ and hit Apply. Then go back to Display, tap Motion smoothness and choose Adaptive. It’ll use more battery, but everything will look way better. FYI: The price just dropped.

🛜 Full bars, slow internet? Those little Wi-Fi bars only show your connection to the router, not your internet speed. So even if they’re full, apps can run slower than a Monday morning. When in doubt, run a speed test and check if your download, upload and ping match what you’re paying for.

🖖 This one’s for my space nerds.

Meet 3I/ATLAS, a massive, icy object the size of a city, barreling into our solar system at 130,000 mph. NASA’s ATLAS telescope in Chile spotted it on July 1, and here’s the wild part: It’s not even from our neighborhood.

This thing is interstellar, only the third visitor we’ve ever seen from outside our solar system.

Unlike ‘Oumuamua (the mysterious space cigar) or Borisov (a frosty space comet), 3I/ATLAS is older, faster and maybe carrying some deep space drama.

🚨 No need to panic, it won’t hit Earth. In fact, Mars gets the close-up, while we’ll be safely watching from behind the sun like cosmic lookie-loos.

Answer: C) Cable box with DVR. These sneaky little TV sidekicks might not look like energy guzzlers, but they’re basically the vampire of your living room setup. Unlike most of your other gadgets, DVRs often run 24/7, even when you’re not binge-watching reruns of Law & Order and skipping commercials like a rebel.

📺 I saw an ad on Facebook Marketplace that said, “TV for $5! Volume stuck on full.” I couldn’t turn it down. (Oh, that was so bad, it was good!)

This is the #1 tech newsletter in the United States, and it adds approximately $0 to your utility bill. Tomorrow: I’m diving into chaos-proof travel gear under $50, because losing your luggage and your sanity adds up fast.

🧠 That’s your daily dose of digital IQ. Go outsmart someone today. — Kim

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