| $95M Apple payout, AI phishing scams, Walmart veggie recall  In partnership with NordPass | | Hey there on a sparkling Saturday, friend! Always check what devices you can pack on international trips. A trail runner, Tina, was passing through the Goa, India, airport security line and pulled out her Garmin inReach Mini GPS. Turns out, it's illegal to have a personal satellite device without a license in India. She missed a flight and paid more than $2,000 in legal fees and bail. Talk about treading on air! ✅ Only $1.24 a month: That's all it costs to upgrade to my tested and recommended password app for PC, Mac, Android, iPhone and web browsers. More on that below. On to the tech smarts! — Kim 📬 Was this email forwarded? Sign up here for free | TODAY'S TECH HACK To do: Check for credit report mistakes  The other night, I was out to dinner with a friend who works in medical billing. She shared a story that really stuck with me. One of her coworkers forgot to include a patient's disability status on a billing report. That disability status covered her medical treatments. When the bills came due, the patient didn't pay — why would she? The medical office sent thousands of dollars to collections, and it tanked her credit. Mistakes like these are a lot more common than we think, and they can do some serious damage. I'll let you in on some of the most common credit report mistakes and what you can do to fix them. Step 1: Get your free credit report The three credit reporting agencies (TransUnion, Experian and Equifax) are required by law to provide you with one free credit report a year. Sweet. There are a few ways you can request a copy from each agency. Online is the fastest route. If you submit a request via phone or mail, expect to wait two weeks after the paperwork is received. - Online: www.AnnualCreditReport.com
- Phone: 877‑FACTACT (877‑322‑8228)
- Mail: Download and complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form. Send it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348‑5281
Pro tip: Grab your report from the fourth credit bureau, Innovis, too. Step 2: Look for the most common mistakes Typos or wrong info: Anything from your name spelled incorrectly to your address or your birth date off by one number. Tiny mistakes can mix up your credit with someone else's. Accounts you don't recognize: If you see something you don't recognize, don't ignore it! This includes credit cards you never applied for, loans in your name or purchases you didn't make. Duplicates: It's not normal to see a debt twice on a credit report. This includes things like the same collection account, transferred debts showing as separate accounts or paid-off debts still sitting there. Incorrect account info: Sometimes, payments mistakenly can show up as late, or closed accounts may still show as active. Other times, reports may show the wrong credit limit or mess up your payment history. Outdated info: Bankruptcies older than 10 years, late payments older than seven years and outdated collections accounts should not be showing on your credit report. Step 3: Report anything strange Don't panic! Write down and make copies of anything that looks off. Then, file a dispute with the credit reporting company by mail, phone or online. If you're filing online or by mail, explain in writing exactly what's wrong and why, and include copies of documents with proof. Make sure to include your contact info, credit report confirmation numbers and a copy of your version of your credit report. And always follow up! Bureaus are required to look into your disputes within 30 days. Track its progress until you have a resolution in writing. If your dispute is valid, the bureau has to fix it and tell the other bureaus as well. A lot of these issues boil down to good old-fashioned human error. It happens! But don't let that stop you from taking charge. 👮🏻♂️ This was a heavy topic. I get it. So, speaking of credit … Sherlock Holmes was always reluctant to take credit for solving a mystery. "Oh, it was nothing," he'd say. "The police would have solved it in time." Everyone knew he was just being modest. Be he ever so humble, there's no police like Holmes. (You are so going to tell this one to your family and friends!) | | IN PARTNERSHIP WITH |  | Protect your passwords in 2025 Sharing sensitive info like passwords or credit card details is risky if you do it the lazy way, but it doesn't have to be. With NordPass, I keep my logins organized and safeguarded. It even lets you securely share your info from your NordPass vault. Their new Time-limited Sharing feature is so much more secure (and just as easy) as sending a login through a text or email. Here's how it works: Share a login and choose how long the person has access (1 hour, 1 day, 1 week or 1 month). When time is up, access is automatically revoked. They can't make any changes or share the password with anyone else. Use it for temporary projects, one-time transactions or even sharing your Wi‑Fi password. It's easy and gives you complete control. To make things even sweeter, I negotiated a special deal just for you. Keep track of your passwords for only $1.24 per month! → Please support our sponsors! | KIM KOMANDO TODAY Facebook doesn't need to spy on your mic – what it does is scarier Your searches, purchases and even doctor's visits are tracked by 48,000 companies feeding Facebook. Tap or click below to play this podcast now. Use this link to listen on Komando.com → | WEB WATERCOOLER Phishing scams are getting amped up: No more copy and paste. Criminals are using AI to scrape up tons of detail and then write in the style of specific people or companies. Corporate execs and employees are getting emails with info only the sender would know, like just how they sound (paywall link) — yet another reason to wipe your info off the web.* Jeff needs the money: Amazon added more commercials to Prime Video. All over the internet, people are saying it's become unbearable to watch. You can pay $2.99 more to cut the ads … but most of us are already paying $139 a year for Prime. Come on. Only nine hours: A new class-action suit claims Siri activates too easily and Apple shared accidental recordings with advertisers. That explains the "I was just talking about that!" ad moments you've had. Expect about $20 per Siri-enabled device. I'll share the claim link once it's live. For Apple, the $95 million settlement is just nine hours of profit. 🚨 Check your fridge: Walmart's Marketside-brand broccoli florets (the 12-ounce bags) are being recalled due to possible listeria contamination. If you're in AL, AZ, CA, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NV, OK, SD, TN, TX or WI, look for lot code BFFG327A6. Return it to get your money back, and wash anything the package came in contact with. A bunch of dopes: YouTubers the Nelk Boys got 5 million views on a video they shot in Fiji. They found a remote tribe with very little contact with the outside world, taught villagers how to use vapes and then passed out cigarettes. There's been no apology because I'm sure they aren't sorry. I'm on board: In five years, paper boarding passes and airline tickets will be history. Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas says they'll be replaced by biometrics, like fingerprint scans and facial recognition, along with a phone app. His company, which starts flying this summer, is the first to have digital-only bookings. Other airlines are moving to fully digital boarding passes this year, too. 👸🏽 A game of thrones: Meghan Markle, the former B-grade actress and, by marriage, the Duchess of Sussex, has a new Netflix show that paints her as entitled, out of touch and unoriginal, as you'd expect. This is strange: Princess Kate is a bona fide beekeeper and shared a heartfelt family beach video post-chemo. In her Netflix show, Meghan's wearing a beekeeper outfit and recently posted a beach video to Instagram. Coincidence? Doubt it. Looks like she stole the recipes she cooks, too. Such a waste. | DEALS OF THE DAY Light on the wallet, big on value 💰 These picks will upgrade your life for under $20. - Bottle-emptying caps ($16) are reusable and get every drop of liquid out of plastic bottles. No more wasted dish soap!
- Got a new pair of boots for Christmas? Use a shoe-stretch spray ($10) and say bye-bye to blisters and sore toes.
- The only thing able to ruin a cute black dress? Deodorant stains. Use these sponges ($9) to scrub them away.
- These coffee filter pods ($16) let you use your own coffee in a Keurig instead of buying K‑Cup pods.
- Washing machine descaler pods ($18 off, $19) break down gunk and grime buildup that make your clothes smell funky. Bonus: Dishwasher version!
🪇 Amazon has a name for products going viral: Movers and Shakers. Hit this page to see what folks are loving. Neat, an emergency weather radio is tops in electronics. | DAILY TECH UPDATE Streaming overload: How much time we waste searching The average American juggles four streaming services. Make your guess about how much time we're wasting finding something to watch, then listen to find out. Tap or click below to play this podcast now. Use this link to listen on Komando.com → | TECH LIFE UPGRADES 😵💫 That's not quite right: You're texting with your voice and it went all wrong. To delete the last word you dictated, say, "Delete the last word." To delete the last sentence, say, "Clear sentence." If you want to get rid of everything you just said, say, "Clear all." Make an old laptop or PC work again: Install ChromeOS Flex, a free, cloud-based operating system. With processing done on Google's servers and a bare-bones interface, you'll get surprisingly good performance. Your PC needs to meet these minimum specs: x64 CPU, 4GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a USB port for installation. 😎 Sweet deals: The USPS contracts with a website to auction off things postal workers can't deliver. Go to GovDeals.com to browse everything from TVs to vehicles to kitchen appliances. Scroll down on the home page for an alphabetical list of categories. These aren't your grandparents' hearing aids: Today's tech is small, discrete and powerful. Enjoy crystal-clear conversations and sound without big, bulky devices everyone will notice. See if you qualify for a 45-day free trial.* Calling back a random number? Hide yours first. Punch in star, 6 and 7, followed by the number you're calling, and that's it. The caller will see "Private" or "Blocked." If you want your number hidden all the time, change the settings on your smartphone. On an iPhone, tap Settings > Phone > Show My Caller ID. Toggle it Off. On Android, the option is called Hide Number. Please stop: On Reddit, you can opt out of political and religious ads. Log in from the app or your desktop, then head to this preferences page. Hackers and scammers don't want you to use EndpointLock: It stops them from capturing your keystrokes when you enter your user names, account numbers and passwords. If you bank on your phone or do anything else confidential, you need this. Hit this link for 10% off.* | WHAT THE TECH?  Love this. A gal in North Carolina named Taylor is using Instagram to share family photos lost in Hurricane Helene and get them back to the right folks. Check out her account. | UNTIL NEXT TIME ... Freebie to leave you with: Grab a free month of Apple Fitness+ streaming fitness classes to get more active this year. If you bought an iPad or iPhone in the past three months, you'll get three months of Apple Fitness+ free. There's yoga, kickboxing, core, Pilates (my fave), meditation and lots more. 🍎 Set a calendar reminder to cancel if you're not into it, or you'll be charged $9.99 a month! FYI, Apple isn't paying me — I'm just sharing. (But Apple, let's talk.) Remembering passwords is a losing battle. Letting your browser do it for you isn't smart, either. What happens if someone steals your computer? Get your security buttoned up for the year ahead with NordPass. It's easy to use, replaces weak passwords with strong ones and autofills everything for you. Hit my link for 58% off while you're thinking about it. Phew, that was a packed day! Before we go, a quick thank-you. As lots of you pointed out, Kenny Jary, aka "patriotickenny," mentioned in yesterday's newsletter, served in the Navy from 1959 to 1965. Now, see you right back here tomorrow with a fascinating look at tech and religion in the best newsletter in the USA! — Kim | Help us spread the word! SHARE → Or copy and share your personalized link: https://referrer.komando.com/69cb7d0c/3 | How'd we do? What did you think of today's issue? | | |
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