Happy Monday, friends! Welcome to the inner circle. You're the first to hear about the most recent happenings in the tech world.

⏰ Today’s tech trivia is about Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. To keep on his A-game, what does he eat for breakfast? Is it protein pancakes, poached eggs, octopus or steak? Answer at the bottom of this newsletter. Makes me hungry. 😋 Let’s dive in! — Kim

When my mom passed away, I wrote a tribute to her online. So did my siblings, her friends and other family members. It was a way for us to honor Mom and tell her friends around the world.

That’s normal. What isn't normal? When random, anonymous YouTube creators publish videos about someone who died just for likes, follows and, in some cases, cash.

Less than a week ago, 25-year-old Tanner Kinslow passed away from an overdose. Within 72 hours of making a GoFundMe page, the family found almost a dozen YouTube videos across 10 channels — all about Tanner. His parents didn’t know the people putting up the videos.

The Kinslows aren't the only family dealing with these bizarre, emotionally draining YouTube videos. It's a disturbing trend.

Follow the money

The Kinslow family was tipped off by a friend about the videos. Tanner's father, Donovan, told ABC 70 none of the videos contained fake donation links, as they suspected. The only goal was to get viewers to like, comment and subscribe.

YouTube channels like these are full of countless similar videos about other people. The accounts typically feature creators outside the U.S.; many videos aren't even in English. I saw a bunch, likely from India and Pakistan.

Think about it this way: The average monthly incomes in India and Pakistan are $387 and $287, respectively. Making a few hundred dollars in YouTube revenues is big bucks in these countries.

Several channels have strange, tech-related names, like "Technical Golo" and "tech with munawar." I’ll give you one guess why. Yep, those are highly searched terms.

Although they're not trying to fleece people out of money, these memorial video creators are still profiting from the growth of their channels and that ad revenue, all off the backs of grieving families.

Goes beyond YT videos

It's not hard for scammers and clout chasers to grab death information from the internet. The Kinslow family didn't have to deal with financial scams, but others aren't so lucky. Last year, a Chicago-area family lost their 16-year-old son to suicide. Just days later, someone set up a fake GoFundMe page using information right from his obituary.

Before the page came down, thousands of dollars had already been donated. It gets worse. A woman showed up at the teen's funeral, posing as someone who knew the family. She collected money from those at the service and snuck off before anyone caught her. Absolutely disgusting.

• Before you donate to a GoFundMe page, check with someone close to the family to verify it's the right one.
• If you make a memorial post, consider who's reading it and what information you're supplying. In general, it's best to share posts like these with friends only.
• See a video like this on YouTube? Report it.

If there's a way to exploit people, even if just for internet clout, lowlifes will find it. And YouTube, a company that makes $30,000,000,000 a year in revenue, says they can’t stop it. Oh, come on.

🩺 Doctor (AI) Who: Researchers found 34% of cancer treatment advice from ChatGPT was “potentially dangerous.” The pros from Brigham and Women’s Hospital say 12% is just outright lies. If you thought Googling symptoms gives bad results, ChatGPT takes it to a whole new level.

NYC to London in 1.5 hours: NASA’s officially working on commercial aircraft with speeds between Mach 2 and Mach 4, or from 1,535 to 3,045 miles per hour — twice the F/A-18’s Mach 1.8. That's so fast your in-flight peanuts will catch up with you at baggage claim.

Mythbusting: An article shared over 4,000 times on Facebook claims the World Economic Forum wants a bot-written Bible. The headline: “WEF Calls for AI to Rewrite Bible, Create Religions That Are Actually Correct.” Uh, no. This isn’t true, so don’t share it.

♦️ Walt! Who goes there? Disney Lorcana, a hot trading card game, launches on Sept. 1. Watch out: Stores, online sellers and scalpers are marking up the prices way beyond the $5.99 MSRP. Be on the lookout for a rare factory error “Discard” card that could be worth money.

EVs = Lower federal + state taxes from gas sales: So, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Ohio, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming and now Texas are charging EV drivers an extra $200 yearly registration fee. Because things are bigger in Texas, EV buyers there have to pay another $400 upfront.

Out of this world: In the heart of Peru, the Iquito tribe was sent into a frenzy, convinced they were under siege by towering 7-foot extraterrestrials levitating in armor since mid-July. Plot twist? Those "aliens" turned out to be illegal miners wearing jetpacks!

😓 “It’s really hard.” That’s what Zoom’s CEO Eric Yaun said about working remotely using his own video-conferencing software. If you live within 50 miles of Zoom’s HQ, you need to show up for work. I always thought “Zoom meetings” was a bad name. “Co‑vid” would’ve been better.

All bets are off: Moms are taking the kid’s game Roblox to court, saying kids can flip their Robux — a virtual currency bought with real cash by parents — into gambling bets at the game’s casino. Red flag: Your kid prays, “Dear Lord, with every dice I throw, let it land right, not high or low.”

I make the complex world of tech simple and approachable. From explaining the latest gadgets in plain English to offering easy-to-follow cybersecurity advice, I’ve got you covered.

👉 Tech understanding is just a click away!

I was in Costco the other day, and they already have Christmas decorations up. While there, I was thinking about you guys and gals. It's the perfect time to pick up extra cash to get through an expensive season.

I’ve got your back with ideas just about anyone can do:

• Secret shopper: These “secret agents” pose as regular customers, helping stores assess stocked shelves, signage and customer service. Sign up through Field Agent. I tried it once and it was fun!
• Complete everyday tasks: Calling all handypeople! With TaskRabbit, you can find jobs for furniture assembly, helping with moving and packing, cleaning, or heavy lifting.
• Play with furry friends: More activity and you get to pet dogs. Search listings at Wag. Look for dog-walking jobs and pet-sitting at Rover.
• Virtual bridesmaid: Given the intensity of wedding planning, brides often hire a kind of wedding assistant. (Especially if their best friend or sister is, you know, not very organized.) Help a bride ace her happiest day at BridesmadeForHire.com.
• Expert: Advanced degrees and high certifications can open doors to consulting positions, interview gigs and other unexpected opportunities. Try sites like JustAnswer.com.

📨 Need help with your new venture? Drop me a note. I started my company from scratch with no funding and no investors. I didn’t have a mentor in the beginning, and I’m here for you.

🍷 Speaking of … I found $20 in the Costco parking lot. I asked myself, “What would Jesus do?” So I went back in and turned it into wine.

In real life, the pricier the neighborhood, the more expensive the grocery store. Guess what? Here’s something I bet you never thought of before.

Websites work the same way. Only one in three Americans knows online shops use your location to adjust prices. Here’s what you can do about it:

• Get a VPN and change your virtual location to one you suspect gets lower prices on products. You can always switch servers until you find the right one. Buy through there, and ship to your home address. I use ExpressVPN.*
• Compare prices with sites like PriceGrabber and Google Shopping. They analyze the cost of items across the web.
• Track prices for the product you want. Keepa is a powerful Chrome extension you can use to keep tabs on price history charts for Amazon items. CamelCamelCamel is another solid option; there’s a browser extension or just use the website.

💡 Tech is expensive. Don’t waste money making these mistakes.

Don’t lose all your photos, videos, documents and memories if yours bites the dust. You need to back things up the right way. My pick is IDrive.

It’s safe, fast and easy. You can back up all your devices — iPhone, Android, Mac, PC — to one account and access your stuff from anywhere.

What do you see first? “If you saw the shouting man first, you're a deep thinker, constantly exploring your inner world. Self-reflection is your way of life. If you first saw the hand, then you're an incredible problem solver in stressful situations and are able to tackle any challenge that comes your way.” — Mia Yilin, popular TikTokker

🐙 The answer: Grilled octopus. It’s loaded with protein, vitamins and minerals and is low in fat, too. Jeff Bezos loves it for breakfast every day. What do you call two octopuses that look exactly the same? Itenticle.

Btw, in the illusion above, I totally saw the hand first and Mia’s description is spot on about me.

Be sure to rate this issue below if you have a second. And I’ll be back in your inbox this afternoon with my free Tech Hacks newsletter. Sign up here if you’re not on the list already! See you then! — Kim