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The movie ‘Thelma’ follows a 93-year-old on a mission to get back $10,000 from a phone scammer. The scam is 100% real. A crook used an AI voice clone to pose as Thelma’s grandson in jail. Luckily, the real Thelma was smart enough to call her kids, who stopped her from sending the money.
Tags: kids, money, movie, phone, scam
Let’s bust some tech myths wide open! I’ve heard them all, and it’s time to set the record straight to keep you ahead of the game.
Myth: 5G causes cancer.
👀 How FedEx is helping cops spy on you: Flock Safety makes automated license plate readers and video surveillance gear. Its 40,000 cameras are used in 3,000 communities across 40 states. FedEx has AI-powered cameras in its delivery trucks recording everything it sees. Now, FedEx is selling those recordings to Flock, which will provide them to law enforcement agencies and who knows who else. Reminds me of the book “1984.”
🦐 Anything for likes: Facebook hasn’t stopped AI slop like “Shrimp Jesus” from landing on your news feed, even though this junk is often tied to scams. Why? Well, it doesn’t violate their rules if there’s no nudity or violence. But really, they want to keep people sharing and liking. When you see a post like this, hit the three-dot icon on it and click Hide post. Hopefully, the algorithm will catch on.
DIY revolution: This is interesting. Virtual plumbers and electricians are helping folks tackle home repairs over video calls. For instance, an online appliance repairman charges $3 a minute instead of his $100 in-person fee (paywall link). Wonder if they ask for a tip.
Have a YouTube channel? Check out the awesome eraser tool. It uses AI to detect and remove copyrighted music without affecting dialogue or sound effects. It’s not perfect (the tool might struggle if the song is “hard” to remove), but it beats losing money because your video got flagged.
Tech to catch political sign thieves: Campaign staffers are putting Apple AirTags in their political posters to track stolen property and find the crooks. At $29 per AirTag, it’s cheaper than hiring a PI and more effective than watching security footage.
❤️ An MIT expert warns: Don’t fall in love with an AI chat companion. The bots aren’t capable of caring about you, and the fake intimacy is setting folks up for unrealistic expectations in the real world. An AI friend, sure, but end it there, folks.
Stick-it master: Hackers stole 193 million Ticketmaster barcodes valued at $22.6 billion. This includes 440,000 tickets to future dates of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Hackers accepted $1 million for the data, but now they want $8 million. Who’s paying those “processing fees” and “venue charges” now? If you have concert tickets, make sure they’re legit before you head out.
🚨 Heads-up, iPhone users: There’s a malicious text going around trying to steal your Apple ID info. It reads, “Apple important request iCloud: Visit signin[.]authen-connexion … to continue using your services.” The URL is fake, and I left part out so you don’t accidentally click it!
