A happy Wednesday to you! Today is National Dentists Day (yes, there’s a day for everything). In honor of those who keep our chompers gleaming, here’s some toothy trivia. What percentage of Americans use an electric toothbrush? Is it … A.) 24%, B.) 41%, C.) 58% or D.) 72%? Find the answer at the end!

You really need help from today’s sponsor, Incogni. They do all the frustrating work to remove your personal data and contact info from creepy and invasive data-broker sites. Get 60% off right now using my special link. Btw, if you buy, I get no kickbacks or residuals. I love it and know you will, too. — Kim

Turns out, you can teach an old scammer new tricks. Lucky for you, I’ve got your back. Here are the top scams crooks are cooking up these days and how to avoid getting duped.

3 trending traps to watch out for

📱 1. Phoning it in: After a recent cell service outage, reports started pouring in about bogus emails from AT&T to customers. The emails said because of the outage, customers didn't have to pay their bills.

Scammers enticed customers to click a button and enter their personal information to claim the offer, which, of course, was a trap. Be smart! Your phone company will never ask you for personal information via email.

💔 2. Bitcoin love bite: It’s hard enough out there for our single friends, but scammers are adding insult to injury. The BBB issued an alert for a new Tinder scam — and it's a big crock of crypto BS.

Here’s how it works: After matching with a potential partner, they suggest taking the conversation to a texting app like WeChat or WhatsApp. That’s where things get hot n’ schemey. Now they’re telling you their friend or family member is a big-time bitcoin investor with access to lucrative “insider info.”

As soon as you deposit your money into a crypto account … poof. It's gone forever, and your new “sweetheart” blocks you. Don’t get blinded by love, folks.

🇺🇲 3. Uncle Sam switcheroo: It’s tax time, and that means IRS scams are back in season. Scammers typically call and bully their victims over “unpaid bills,” with some going so far as to even threaten arrest.

Remember, the IRS is slow. If you owe money, they’ll mail you multiple notices before contacting you via phone. And they’ll never pressure you to make an urgent payment then and there.

Scammers are smart, but you're smarter

When in doubt:

• Never give personal information over the phone, text or email without verifying the company you're dealing with is legitimate. Don't be afraid to ask questions. If they're the real deal, they'll be able to prove it very quickly.
• Don't send money to someone you've never met in person. C’mon, people … We’ve been over this!
• Double-check mailed IRS notices on the IRS website, and always be sure you’re looking at the .gov account.

There are so many new scams that I can’t fit them all into one email. Check out my site for two more to watch for.

🤣 The disadvantage of scamming people at a prisoners' convention is that everyone is trying to scam you, too. It's a con con. (Oh, I just crack myself up!)

Here’s a scary picture: In 2023, 2.6 million people were victims of fraud, and around 1 million were targets of identity theft, according to a new FTC report. Part of the reason spotting attacks like these is so hard is the sheer amount of information scammers have access to.

That’s why I wanted to tell you about Incogni. They do the hard work of removing you from people-search and data-broker sites. Sure, you can do it yourself, but it’s a major pain. With Incogni, just fill in a few details, and they start getting your info taken down immediately.

I negotiated a deal just for you: 60% off. Stop waiting and take back your privacy.

AmEx users, beware: A data breach exposed card account numbers, names, expiration dates, you name it. American Express says you won’t pay if someone uses your card. Uh, I sure hope so. Keep an eye on your statements, set up alerts if anyone makes a charge without the card present, and request a new card.

Zuck hacked? Facebook, Instagram and Threads were all down for two hours yesterday. Consider that financial impact for a sec — huge. Meta says it was having “technical difficulties.” Well, that’s the biggest pile of BS I’ve heard in a while. They must believe we are a bunch of dopes.

🤖 Amazon and Google’s new AI chatbot is here: It’s called Claude 3, and OpenAI has serious competition. Now, like other AI bots, it makes mistakes; it said I wrote “Komando Komputers,” which isn’t true. Check out Claude 3 here. And heads-up: You might get an “over capacity” warning, which means no more answers unless you cough up $20 a month — the same price as ChatGPT Plus.

Quick, change your settings! X quietly turned on a “calling” feature that leaves you at risk. No, not of a surprise phone call — it leaks your IP address to anyone you talk with. Go to the direct messages tab, hit that settings icon, and turn off Enable audio and video calling ASAP. Jeez, good thing you have me around.

🚘 Disposable EVs: Starting April 1, Nissan is pulling the plug on app support for its OG electric cars like the Leaf and e‑NV200, leaving around pre-2016 vehicles a bit less smart. Nissan's advice? Use the car's built-in systems or buy an “upgrade” — ahem, a new car. Gee, thanks.

Update your iPhone: iOS 17.4 includes bug fixes and new features like podcast transcripts and stricter theft protection. Plus … drumroll, please … new emojis (lime, mushroom and a shaking head)! But the biggest change is only for Europeans (insert new shaking-head emoji).

Classified love affair: A U.S. Air Force employee with top-secret clearance got seriously catfished on a dating app. In his quest for love, he leaked U.S. secrets about the Ukraine war, including Russian military targets. Now he’s facing up to 10 years in prison. Love hurts.

One expensive sticker: Think screen protectors are saving your smartphone? Think again. Today’s phones are tougher than a $2 steak, making screen protectors redundant. Worse, those protectors may hurt your display quality and battery life.

Spyware is malicious software that works quietly in the background, tracking almost everything you do. These sneaky downloads leave digital clues if you know what to look for.

FYI: If you see a name you don’t recognize, search for it online to see what turns up. Sometimes, these programs and background processes are legitimate and of no concern, even if you don’t know the name.

If you use a PC:

• Open the Task Manager by holding down Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Under the Processes tab, you’ll see the apps and background processes running on your PC.
• To close an app or process, right-click and hit End task. Check again later to see if it’s running again.

If you use a Mac:

• Hit Cmd + spacebar to open Spotlight Search. Then, type Activity Monitor and press Enter. Check over the list for anything you don’t recognize.
• Double-click to close out a program or process, then hit Quit.

🧹 Sure, spyware is bad, but my vacuum has been gathering dirt on me for years.

License to stream: Apple TV+ usually sticks with its roster of exclusive shows. But for the next month, subscribers can stream 50 limited-time studio films, including some not available on other subscription services, like “Captain Phillips,” “The Accountant” and “Argo.” (Tempted? New subs are $9.99 monthly after a free seven-day trial.)

Too long, won’t read: Eight sentences or longer, and 57% of people skim or ignore parts of your email. Pro tip: Put the most important info in the first line or write in bullet points to save time. So smart.

💻💻 Like having two computers: On Windows and macOS, you can create virtual desktops to keep things organized and switch between them using keyboard shortcuts. You could try separate home and work setups or a regular profile plus one you use for all your house renovation stuff, for example. Steps here if you want to try it.

It never hurts to ask: Your internet plan is expensive. Call your ISP and ask to talk to a “retention specialist” — aka the folks who can cut you the best deal. Heads up, most promos are valid for a year, so you’ll have to negotiate again.

🔊 Name game: If you have multiple Amazon Echo devices, standard names like "Kim’s 3rd Echo" are useless. Send your music to the right place by changing it to something you’ll recognize, like “Kitchen” or “Den.” Open the Alexa app > Devices > Echo & Alexa. Choose your device, tap the settings cog and then select Edit Name.

• A foldable water bottle to keep in your bag and protect you from extortionate bottled water prices.
• Love the convenience of Amazon, but the box pile-up is real. Break them down faster with an injury-proof box cutter.
• Make all your shoes slip-ons with no-tie elastic laces. (Andrew would LOVE these.)
• This slim, portable phone power bank is perfect for when you’re at 3% on the go.
• A cord tamer sticks right on your appliances. No more cord spaghetti!

You just KNOW someone would think this to be the case.

The answer: B.) 41%. According to a 2022 survey, 41% of Americans use electric toothbrushes. They can lower your chances of gum and periodontal disease. And get this: In one study, electric toothbrush users kept 19% more teeth over the long haul than those using a manual toothbrush. I use this one.

⭐ Reminds me of the time I got a prize for brushing my teeth so well — just a little plaque! (You should totally tell your dentist that one.)

Before you go: Check out Incogni. Reader Doran dropped me this line: “Thanks for the heads-up about Incogni. I subscribed to it in January and now my junk mail is almost nothing.” Same! Use my link and code KIM60 for 60% off. See you right back here tomorrow, friend, with the best newsletter in the universe. — Kim