It’s Friday, Friday, Friday! Hello, friend. Today’s trivia is a good one to share with pals. You know how when you buy a bag of potato chips, the bag is half empty? So annoying. Which gas do the chip manufacturers pump into the bag? Is it … A.) Nitrogen, B.) Oxygen, C.) Carbon dioxide or D.) Argon? Answer’s at the end!

Do yourself a favor. Incogni removed my personal info from 196 data broker and people-search sites — and I haven't gotten a single spam call or text since I signed up. Total win. I’ll share more about them below. But first, the news! — Kim

Imagine doing your morning Wordle (yes, I still do) when you get an urgent email from Netflix. The subject line? “Your subscription just expired.” Now, you don’t want to miss the latest episode of “The Crown” (yup, I’m still watching — too far in to quit now. Still no sign of Kate there, either!), so you click the link in the email and update your payment info.

After you dig a little deeper, though, you realize your Netflix account never lapsed, and you're now stuck with a fake charge and a crook running around with your personal info.

You wouldn’t be the first victim. Imposter scams cost Americans $2.7 billion in 2023. But now you get my newsletter, so you should know better! I put together these phishing red flags so you can avoid getting caught, hook, line and sucker.

A not-so-’urgent’ update

Scammers love to impersonate businesses everyone uses, like streaming services. They can make their emails look super legit, but these phishing scams still have telltale signs:

• Direct payment: These emails almost always include links to input your credit card or bank account number.
• “Act now” language: Scammers hope you’ll overlook the signs of a fake deal or discount by acting quickly.
• Sketchy numbers: Oh, no! Your subscription or membership is about to auto-renew! … But the total renewal rate looks off. The email includes a phone number to “clear things up” — and that number goes straight to a fake customer service center.

Catch those ‘phish’

They think they know how to outsmart us, but I’ll help you beat them at their own game.

• Review the actual email address, not just the sender’s name. If it looks off or unprofessional, send that email right to your spam folder.
• Check for spelling and grammar errors in the text.
• Cross-reference the info. Log into your account at the company’s website or call its official number — not the number in your inbox.
• Keep a subscription calendar so you know when your purchases are set to renew or expire.
• Never provide your payment info if you didn't initiate a purchase.
• It’s not urgent. I promise. A legit business will never ask you to pay immediately with a bank account number, prepaid credit card, digital wallet app or money wire, especially if it’s your first notice!
• Report all bogus emails as spam and delete them from your inbox.
• Avoid clicking links in the email.

Pro tip: Check the BBB’s Scam Tracker to see if there’s a similar scam to the one you’ve received, or report your fishy email as a new one.

🎣 I heard about a phisher who got caught by the Feds. He’s now on squid row.

In February alone, spammers sent out over 19.2 billion texts. That's every person in the U.S. receiving around 19 spammy texts in just one month. Crazy, right? Ever wonder where they get your info to begin with?

Data brokers. They sell your address, phone number, Social Security number, family contacts — you name it — to anyone willing to pay. And, yes, it’s all legal as long they give you a way to opt out.

The problem? They make the opt-out process as difficult as possible. Remove your data from over 180 data brokers' and people-search sites automatically with Incogni. If you’re tired of spam calls, unwanted emails and that nasty feeling of always being tracked, this is for you.

$10 billion: That's how much Americans lost to scams in 2023. A good chunk of that came through offers, links and deals online that looked totally legit. It's too easy to get fooled. That's why I use TotalAV's antivirus protection. You can, too — lock down five devices for a year for just $19 right now.*

😱 Over 3,000,000 hotel rooms are at risk: Traveling soon? Ask your hotel if the room you’ll be in uses a Saflok lock. Hackers found a way to crack them in seconds. All they need is a keycard, a $300 RFID device (paywall link), and boom, they’re in. The company behind Saflok has been trying to fix this since 2022. Here’s what the locks look like.

We’re skewed: The U.S. House of Representatives just put its foot down, banning data brokers from selling your info to China, North Korea, Russia and Iran. Rulebreakers will face heavy penalties from the Federal Trade Commission. Spoiler: It’s too late.

This is hard-core: The Justice Department just hit Apple with a huge antitrust lawsuit. They say Apple is playing dirty to maintain a monopoly over the smartphone market (and keep its prices high) by smothering the iPhone’s competition. Apple says it’s all about keeping user data safe. Su‑u‑u‑re.

AI PC: Microsoft is marketing the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 as their first AI-powered PCs with Intel Core Ultra processors, a new Copilot key and a Neural Processing Unit. Interested? They're shipping for business-only users starting on April 9, 2024, for $1,199 a pop. Consumers can get them beginning in late May.

🌑 NASA's got a job for you: If you're under the total solar eclipse on April 8, why not contribute to important solar research? Download SunSketcher’s free app, record the eclipse and submit your photos. You won’t be able to take other pics at the same time, but I can’t think of a better reason to skip the selfies.

Jedi mind trick: Elon Musk shared a video of Neuralink’s first human patient using the brain implant to play chess on a laptop and stream music. Noland Arbaugh, a 29-year-old guy paralyzed from the shoulders down due to a diving accident, compares his Neuralink experience to "using the Force" from Star Wars.

Crock of you-know-what: Amazon is drowning in AI-generated crockpot cookbooks riddled with typos like “[insert number] recipes” and AI author photos faker than a $3 bill. No way I’m trying any of these recipes, but this X thread from someone who bought one is pretty funny …

Isn’t this just great? A Venezuelan migrant apparently living in Ohio illegally, and with over 500,000 TikTok followers, is telling those who enter the U.S. illegally, "If a house is not inhabited, we can seize it." Yep, this guy stumbled upon squatter's rights as a golden ticket. His angry video is already up to 4 million views. Hopefully, someone’s checking his immigration status.

Your walls, furniture, baby monitor and microwave might be making your connection worse. Let’s fix that for you with a few tricks of the well-connected trade.

• Choose the path of least resistance. Ceilings, furniture and other physical obstacles can weaken your signal. Instead of putting your router in a cluttered room, go for an open space.
• Get it away from metal, brick and concrete; they’re notorious for blocking Wi‑Fi signals.
• Put your router up high, like on a shelf or mounted near the ceiling if you can.
• If your router has antennas, move them around so they’re all pointing in different directions.
• Keep your router around three feet away from other devices, especially baby monitors, kitchen appliances, cordless phones and Bluetooth-enabled gadgets.

🔪 Did you hear about the new Wi‑Fi-connected chef's knife? It's cutting-edge technology. (Was that a groan I heard?)

📅 Simple scheduling: Emailing back and forth is a time-suck! If you use Gmail, appointment scheduling is now built right in. On another provider? Try Calendly. The free version gives you one type of appointment. Set the hours and dates, and it’ll check your cal to make sure you don’t get double booked. Nice.

Picture in picture: You’re at your sister’s house and she’s bringing out the old family photos. There’s a better solution than scanning them or taking a crappy photo of them. PhotoScan by Google Photos is free and gives you a high-res digital copy without that weird glare.

Free tax help — and I don’t just mean filing! There are some guided tax software services you can use for free. There’s always a catch: Most of the offers are for people with an adjusted gross income of $79,000 or less. Use this IRS tool to see if you qualify.

🛑 Twofer: Getting texts you didn’t sign up for? If it’s a marketing text you opted into for a coupon code, just text back, “STOP.” But remember, that works for spammers, not scammers. Scammers want you to text back to confirm you’re on the other end. If you never signed up for texts, hit the Report Junk button on your iPhone or forward the message to 7726 (that’s SPAM) for most big U.S. carriers.

Selling something in person? Meet in a public place, and bring a friend if you can. Libraries, police departments and municipal buildings are all safe bets. Check out police department safe-trading zones in your area.

🐰 Hop to these fun finds, which are all under $10:

• 5-outlet surge protector with 4 USB ports. (I can always use another one of these.)
• An ergonomic mousepad with gel wrist support — and a highly rated Bluetooth mouse to go with it.
• 12-pack of microfiber cloths for buffing screens and lenses.
• Rechargeable travel booklight with adjustable lighting warmth and brightness.

Don’t worry, I’ll never desert you.

The answer: A.) Nitrogen. This extra cushion of air keeps your chips from getting crushed in transit, and using nitrogen gas helps prevent them from oxidizing and spoiling. Snack fact attack!

Before you go: For years, I’ve been removing myself from people-search databases manually. As it turns out, I barely made a dent. That’s why I’m so glad I let Incogni do all the work for me. Use code KIM60 to try it yourself for 60% off. You’ll be happy you did — just like I am!

🍪 See you right back here tomorrow with another issue of the best tech newsletter in the USA. On deck: A closer look at just how data-hungry online ads really are. Catch you then! — Kim