Welcome to a wired-up Wednesday, friends. We’re coming in heavy, but first, our trivia. Bluetooth connects smartphones to earbuds, cars, etc., without wires, but how far can this nifty signal reach? In feet, is it … A.) 33, B.) 98, C.) 328 or D.) 1,312? Make your best guess and you’ll find the answer at the end.

❤️ Show some love to today’s great sponsor, Incogni. Your Social Security number, address, DOB, financial info and much more are on the web and sold by data brokers. Incogni wipes it out for you in a few minutes. Thanks for your support! — Kim

If you're still mailing checks to pay bills, read my warning and get a special pen you only use when writing checks. Why? Check fraud has doubled in the past year. It's so bad that the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) wants Americans to stop mailing checks entirely.

Fraud business is booming

Last year, banks issued around 680,000 reports of check fraud to FinCEN. That’s a significant jump from 350,000 in 2021. The USPS received 300,000 complaints of mail theft in 2021, more than twice the 2020 total.

The new check mafia

Checks are old school, but these fraudsters are sophisticated. Criminals get into U.S. postal boxes and pick up envelopes that look like checks or bill payments. Through check washing, a crook then alters the payee's name so they can cash it for themselves.

Some criminals take things a step further and use data from checks to find more information on their victims. They create fake identities, open credit lines or even start bogus businesses.

There’s a low-tech trick that works

If you need to write a check, use a security pen, aka a special check-washing pen. The uniball 207 series pens use formulated ink that bonds to paper, making it difficult for criminals to wash or erase it from checks. This is the only pen I use when writing checks.

Other smart steps to take

• Monitor your accounts. Regularly review bank statements.
• Be direct. Use electronic transfers or direct deposit methods for payments instead of checks.
• Secure your personal information. Be cautious about whom you give your checking account and bank routing numbers. In the wrong hands, these can be used to create counterfeit checks.
• Limit the amount of information on your checks. Don’t include your phone number or Social Security number, for instance.
• Use digital money. Paying bills online eliminates paper checks that can be stolen from your mailbox or trash. You can also use Zelle, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo or other payment apps.
• Secure your mail. Send outgoing mail containing checks only from the post office or a secure postal service mailbox.

If you believe you're the victim of check fraud, contact your bank ASAP. If you suspect a check was stolen in the mail, file reports with your local police department and the Postal Inspection Service.

✅ Paying bills online is safer than checks, but you still have to watch for scammers. Use these five tips to avoid dangerous links.

I always carry a checkbook. It keeps me in balance. (Even I groaned writing that one!)

“Kim, why is my phone constantly buzzing with spam text messages and calls, especially around the holidays?” The most likely answer is data brokers. These companies make big money collecting your personal information and selling it in bulk to marketers — and, yep, sometimes scammers.

Now, the good news: You can do something about it. Before the Black Friday spam madness hits, try Incogni. I did, and it took me three minutes to go through the process. Now, my info is totally wiped out of 74 people-search databases and counting. That would've taken me hours to do on my own.

Get your data off 180+ data-broker and people-search sites automatically with Incogni. They offer a full 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not happy. Can’t beat that.

🔓 Health data leak: Hackers grabbed 2.2 million patient records from McLaren Health Care in a ransomware attack. Names, Social Security numbers, billing information, health history — the whole shebang. The bad guys infiltrated their system for three weeks. Be on watch for phishing emails and scam calls. So annoying.

Selfies are now a “public health risk” — not from bad angles, but from falling off cliffs and drowning. A study reveals 379 selfie-takers met unfortunate fates from 2008 to 2021. A 63-year-old woman disappeared into the Atlantic while selfie-ing with her husband. How awful!

🤰 Asking for sperm on Facebook: Move over, storks! In the quest for motherhood, some brave souls are ditching sperm banks and cruising Facebook for free donors. Why? Because a single vial of that magic juice can cost you a cool $1,000. Wow, imagine the posts.

🚑 How is this not illegal? Believe it or not, drivers are watching videos on their phones, and it's pretty much legal in many states. Texting is a no-go by law, but the gray zone permits video streaming. Talk about distracted driving. Buckle up — Netflix on Wheels is coming to a stop sign near you!

Busted in Live Oak, Texas: A less-than-slick thief grabbed a city trail camera but got a surprise. The camera snapped shots of him lounging shirtless at home, and the community saw his distinctive tattoos — including a last name down his arm in huge letters. Someone on Facebook identified him to the police. Dur.

Hands off: AI is smart enough to detect what you’re typing — like, you know, a password — in virtual reality (paywall link). It’s all a theory for now, but it’s one more reason to ditch passwords in favor of your fingerprint or face ID. Here’s how to use passkeys.

Minnesota's got flag fever: To replace its current flag featuring a Native American and a settler, the state turned to the people for a revamp. Be careful what you wish for! Submissions flooded in — some loony, some crayon-inspired. My favorite is the giant mosquito. What’s yours?

⌚ Apple Watch magic: Meet Oklahoma's Billy Smith — heart attack survivor turned marathon runner. Post-surgery, the fitness features in his Apple Watch turned recovery into obsession. He started with virtual 5Ks and hiking to close those activity rings on the watch — and even reversed his Type 2 diabetes. Way to go, Billy.

Slimy hackers are using a trick that always comes back because it works: Scattering infected thumb drives in public spaces, like parking lots or offices, to carry out their malicious activities.

You might be thinking, “I wouldn’t pick that up.” But they use enticing labels or logos to pique your curiosity and encourage you to plug it into your computer. Think “Financial Records” or “Crypto keys.”

Plug it in and you’re in for some trouble. Malware stored on the drive can infect your PC and give that hacker total access to your files.

• To stay safe, don’t plug in just any thumb drive. Stick to using ones from reliable sources or those you’ve purchased.
• Don’t bring any unknown USBs into the office. Only bring international bees. (Hahaha!)

Sound like a tech pro, even if you're not one. Try my award-winning, daily podcast. Search for my last name with "K" wherever you get your podcasts and "Go Komando!"

👉 Get my podcasts today!

Got a tech problem? I had to shut down the remote tech support program we offered. But if you need help, you can drop any question for our team of IT geniuses to answer as part of your Komando Community membership. Here’s a special hidden link to a 30-day free trial. After that, it’s just a few bucks a month. Oh, and seniors, the military, police, fire, teachers and others get a nice discount, too.

🤳🏻 Your phone’s cam is more powerful than you think: Try those different modes. It really makes a difference! Switch to 4K for important videos and portrait mode for pics of pets, older adults and kiddos.

Aim for 3 p.m. or earlier: Worker productivity drops off around 4. That’s why you can’t reach anyone for a meeting or call at that time of day. Pro tip: I often schedule emails for late morning so my recipients see them after they’ve gone through all the mail that came in overnight.

💼 Resume secret code: If you’ve sent tons of applications and aren’t getting any bites, your resume might be to blame. Here’s a viral trick: Take the job description, find the keywords and add those to the background of your resume in white text. Only bots will see it, not a real person. More tips here!

Holiday side hustle: Put your truck or SUV to work moving oversized items for people with cars too small for that couch or lawnmower they just bought. TaskRabbit or GoShare are good options. GoShare says drivers make a whopping $45 to $168 an hour. Whoa.

These snakes have no function.

The answer: C.) 328. While most Bluetooth devices like headphones and smartphones usually stay connected within a 33-foot range, the technology can extend up to an impressive 328 feet. Now, don’t you feel tech-smarter knowing that?

Thanks for reading, friend. Support our work and this free newsletter by checking out today’s partner, Incogni. I used it and got off of 74 data brokers’ lists in a few minutes. I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with the best doggone newsletter in the USA! — Kim