Welcome to your Wednesday, friend. It’s Juneteenth, a national holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S. We’re zoomin’ through this week! Let’s start with trivia. Billionaire Warren Buffett plays a certain game online for at least eight hours weekly. Is it … A.) Bridge, B.) Chess, C.) Dominoes or D.) Monopoly? You’ll find the answer at the end.

😳 Your personal info is all over the internet. Your information can change hands for just a few bucks, and scammers are all over that — but they’re not the only ones. Data brokers sell everything from your address to your Social Security number to anyone willing to pay. Enter Incogni. They scrub your personal info from the web. — Kim

Looking for love online? Keep your head on a swivel for pig-butchering scams.

Cybercrooks play the long game in this one. They “fatten you up” with lovey-dovey texts over months, and then, once they have your trust, they send you to slaughter with a crypto scam.

Thousands of victims have lost their life savings. And when the stakes are that high, it can turn deadly. Here’s what happened when 82-year-old divorcee Dennis Jones went to Facebook to find companionship.

He met a woman named ‘Jessie’

Over the next several months talking online, Dennis and Jessie grew closer. That's when Jessie brought up crypto and convinced Dennis to invest.

By the time Jessie went in for the kill, Dennis trusted her enough to spend every last dime on her bogus crypto scheme, even though the two had never met in person.

Concerned with his well-being, Dennis' children planned a meeting to help him recover from the devastating financial loss. On the morning of the meeting, no one could get in touch with him.

An hour later, police discovered Dennis had taken his own life.

Dennis' story is extreme, but pig-butchering scams are all too common. According to the FBI, they cost U.S. victims almost $4 billion last year alone, up 53% from 2022.

Why are they so hard to stop?

Most of these scams are traced back to Chinese gangs operating out of Southeast Asia. The people behind the scam accounts and phone numbers are often prisoners themselves, human trafficking victims kept in guarded compounds against their will.

They get conned into relocating to Southeast Asia for white-collar jobs, only to fall for a classic bait-and-switch. It’s awful from top to bottom and super tough to prosecute.

What can you do to protect yourself?

Pig-butchering scammers are all over Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and dating apps like Tinder and Bumble.

I’ve got six tips to avoid becoming a victim:

1. Don't answer unsolicited texts: If it’s from an unknown number or social media account, nine times out of 10, it’s a scam. If they keep messaging you after you tell them they have the wrong number, hit that “Block” button.
2. Don’t mix business with pleasure: Be wary of anyone who's quick to profess strong feelings for you and then asks for money. Online dating and investing seldom cross paths.
3. Don’t overshare: This includes sharing personal or financial info over text, especially with people you’ve never met in person.
4. Do your homework: Even legitimate investment opportunities come with risk. Be suspicious of any claims of high returns at little to no downside. Major red flag.
5. It’s never urgent: Don't give in to pressure from someone encouraging you to make a quick investment decision. If it’s a real opportunity, it’ll be there next week; otherwise, it’s gambling at best.
6. Phone a friend: When in doubt, get a second opinion on the situation or opportunity from someone you trust before you pull out your wallet.

🚨 Think you were targeted? I know it’s hard to admit, but reporting it could save someone else. You can file a report with the FBI through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

Here’s a number that’ll make you roll your eyes: Spammers are expected to send out over 150% more texts year over year. We’re talking millions of junk texts sent every day. Curious where they get your info to begin with?

Your info can change hands for less than the price of a cup of coffee. Data brokers and people-search sites hawk it to anyone willing to pay. And, yes, it’s all legal as long they give you a way to opt out.

Here’s the trick … They make the opt-out process as difficult as possible and change it just when folks figure it out. My pro tip: Try Incogni. Create an account and then let Incogni scrub your personal info from the web. Goodbye, spam texts and calls.

✈️ This is so sad: A 79-year-old Florida woman missed her husband's funeral after falling for an airline ticket scam. She dialed 411, asked for Allegiant Air and was directed to a scammer. When she got to the airport, she was told the “ticket” she bought didn’t exist. Always book direct, folks. Use the airline’s official site or number.

New scam alert: A Boston woman lost $40,000 buying an SUV on Facebook Marketplace. The Carfax report looked legit, and she received a clean title from the licensing agency — smooth sailing for almost three years before the vehicle was seized by police. It was a VIN cloning scam; the SUV was stolen when she bought it. I’ll be writing more about this soon, with ways to stay safe!

🚪 So door-key: Two Florida teens got caught trying the TikTok “Door Kick Challenge.” The idea is you walk up and boot in someone’s door in the wee hours, maybe breaking it down. The kids face four counts of burglary. Internet clout is crazy.

⚠️ Recall alert: Nearly 1.2 million Jeep, Ram, Chrysler and Dodge SUVs, vans and pickups have been recalled. A software glitch disables rearview cameras. The good news is there’s no dealership visit required to fix it! You’ll get an update on your car’s media screen. Full list of impacted models here.

Apple Pay Later is dead: Apple is ending its buy now, pay later service that breaks up purchases into four payments. Regulation is coming to BNPL, and Apple probably wanted no part of it.

Kids want to be influencers: You need to tell them about Clint Brantley (paywall link), a YouTube, TikTok and Twitch creator with over 400,000 followers. In 2023, he made less than $60,000. Shrinking platform payouts, fewer brand sponsorships, ever-shifting algorithms and that TikTok ban are sending influencers to real offline jobs.

Mountains aren’t just funny; they’re hill-areas: Heading to a national park? Grab free offline maps via Google Maps’ latest update on your smartphone (iOS and Android). Search for the park's name and hit Download for offline use. Pro tip: Make sure you do this before you go. Cell service in some parks is really iffy.

Medical breakthrough: An 8-year-old girl in Oklahoma is the world's first patient to have a deep brain stimulator implanted by an AI robot. She suffers from a neurological disorder that causes involuntary muscle contractions. Post-op, she's controlling her movements and voice better. This tech offers hope for folks with Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and Tourette syndrome.

Windows laptop feeling extra warm? Consider an app to monitor the temperature in real time. CoreTemp and Real Temp for Windows are good options. Anything higher than 176 degrees Fahrenheit is bad news.

Mac trackpad tricks: If you tilt two fingers on your trackpad at the same time, you’ll rotate images and graphics. Double-tap with two fingers to zoom in (then back out) of a site or PDF. Lots more ideas here.

$40 to Sharon for cocktails: Unless you change your settings, anyone with the Venmo app can see all your contacts. Go to Privacy settings > Friends list > Private. While you’re there, turn off “appear in other users’ friends’ lists."

Stuck on hold: There’s a hidden redial button on your smartphone. Hit the call button without typing a number or choosing a contact to call the last person you talked to.

Time to upgrade: If you use an iPhone 8 or older, just know it won’t work with the iOS 18 update coming this fall. You’ll need to get a new phone if you want the fancy new features.

These deals are all under $10 and an easy way to level up your summer life outside. With deals like this, the steaks aren’t too high for your patio paradise.

• Bug out: A magnetic screen door will keep the bugs at bay as you move between indoors and outdoors. It’s a steal at $8.99 (44% off).
• Under pressure: Clean the driveway or patio with a high-pressure garden hose nozzle. Get a pack of two brass nozzles for half off ($9.99).
• Backyard upgrade: These solar-powered rope lights make any outdoor setup party-ready. Snag ‘em for just $9.99.
• Dining deterrents: Don’t let flies ruin dinner. Place a couple of these fly fans (23% off, $9.99) on the table. They really work!
• Grill me: This multiuse silicone mat holds your tools for easy cleanup after grilling. It’s an easy upgrade for only $8.99.

Which cat is in pain? AI says it can figure it out by looking at a cat’s face. The answer is below.

The answer: A.) Bridge. Buffett once said, “If I'm playing bridge and a naked woman walks by, I don't even see her.”

Oh, and the cats! The ginger cat on the right is in pain. The AI, built by developers and vets in Japan, was trained on 6,000 pictures. The tech scores five things, including the cat’s ear tilt, eyes and head position. I don’t know, the cats look the same to me.

😂 Speaking of … A cat was found roaming the surface of Mars. Scientists planned to have the Mars Rover capture the animal to study it, but, unfortunately, while attempting to capture the feline, Curiosity killed the cat.

Support our sponsors and help yourself. Incogni is the reason I have zero spam calls and texts on my phone. They’ve sent 214 requests on my behalf to people-search and data-broker sites. Sweet. Try it yourself for 60% off right now. See you tomorrow with a tech tip that could save your life. — Kim