Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds are fairly ubiquitous at this point. Many people rely on their Apple Airpods for hands-free phone use. Others love their Google Pixel Buds, including yours truly. In any case, those tiny gadgets are easily misplaced or damaged. You should know how to find or replace your earbuds, in case something unfortunate happens. … Read more
A year ago, I blogged about Zelle and why scammers often push their victims to use it. Money sent through Zelle is generally transmitted in an instant and that means the transaction is irreversible. Scammers want your money, and they don’t want you to be able to claw it back. They know that Zelle doesn’t … Read more
When you download a file using your web browser, it typically saves that file to your Downloads folder. That’s just the default behavior, for any browser. But what if I told you that we can change your browser’s download behavior, so that you get to choose where a downloaded file goes? By now, every browser … Read more
I need to explain to you about the Facebook Highlight Tag. It’s being used right now in a viral post, and you don’t need to be a part of it. Numerous posts right now are urging people to use the @Highlight tag in the comments or on their own posts, to find out who is … Read more
Google is taking a more visible stand against those who would block their ads on YouTube. Many people are meeting with special notices as they visit YouTube, if Google detects any kind of ad-blocking going on. The battle of YouTube vs. Ad Blockers may evolve further, but I’ll explain what I can, for right now. … Read more
Wi-Fi Calling is a commonplace function, built into most smartphones by now. But as ubiquitous as it is, I still meet people unfamiliar with it, or suffering without it. So here’s all you need to know about it: The Basics Wi-Fi Calling (rarely called Voice over Wi-Fi calling or VoWiFi) is another service that allows … Read more
Here’s a (hopefully? for a while?) final run-down on recurring Facebook scams I’m seeing out there. Don’t fall for any of these, please! Celebrity Impersonation Pages Johnny Depp is not going to private-message you on Facebook. Lori Loughlin will not respond to your comments and Likes. Margot Robbie would never send you a Friend request. … Read more
That’s not a typo. The title is not missing an ‘S’. Quishing is a new term, made by combining “QR code” and “phishing”. Like smishing, it’s yet another deceptive practice that scammers are using to take advantage of people. Here’s what you need to know, to be safe out there: QR Codes QR (quick response) … Read more
Consumer Reports has developed a new free app called Permission Slip. They made this tool to help the average person understand where their personal data is collected and sold, and take back some control over that information. To use this app, you do have to sign up and hand over your personal info. CR promises … Read more
I’ve posted recently about several scams on Facebook; here are some more! Since Meta is so negligent at policing its platforms, bad actors and their schemes thrive on their social media platform. I may often have some new everyday Facebook scams to tell you about. Catalytic Converter Theft If you see post about catalytic converter … Read more