I hope this Tuesday finds you well, friend.Everyone assumes the most stressed person in the room is the one working the hardest. But Jeff Bezos says stress doesn't work that way.
📚 He built Amazon from a garage in Bellevue, WA, into the most dominant company on the planet. And in 2001, someone asked him straight up: How do you handle stress? His answer stopped people cold. It had nothing to do with meditation, therapy or a weekend at some digital detox spa. It was something much simpler.
What did Bezos say is the real cause of stress? A) Working too many hours without rest, B) Taking on too much responsibility at once, C) Not taking action on something you have control over or D) Caring too much about outcomes. The answer is at the bottom. And yes, the irony of making you wait for an answer is fully intentional.
🎯 Scammers already know where you live. Data brokers sell your home address, phone number and family details to anyone who pays, no permission required. That's why spam calls and scams never stop. I use Incogni to wipe my profiles from those databases automatically, so I don't have to do it myself one by one. It works quietly in the background. They can't scam you if they can't find you. Get 60% off with code KIM60. More below.* — Kim
"Friendship fraud" is the fast-growing scam targeting older adults through fake online connections.
Victims make dozens of payments before realizing the truth.
Here's what works when someone you love won't listen.
📖 Read time: 3 minutes
Chris (not his real name) knows exactly what's happening. And he can't stop it.
His 78-year-old mom has been chatting every single day with a man she met online almost five years ago. He's 30 years younger. He lives in Nigeria and says he's in love. He's promised to visit her four times. Four times, something came up. He got sick. His daughter needed him. Work got too busy. The flights never got booked.
She sends him money. She won't tell Chris how much. But she "likes to help him."
Chris has shown her the warning signs. Offered to pay for counseling. Sat across the table from her, heart in his throat, and explained as gently as he could: Mom, this isn't real.
She gets angry. She gets hurt. She yells at Chris.
So Chris made a painful decision. He stopped bringing it up. Not because he thinks she's safe. Because he wants to keep his mother in his life.
"I've had to let her live the fantasy," he told me. "What else can I do?"
His mom isn't naive. She's a warm, intelligent woman who found something that made her feel seen and valued. That's not a character flaw. That's human nature. And scammers know how to exploit it.
🎣 Here's how it works
Experts call it "friendship fraud." It starts in a Facebook group, a Words with Friends game or comment section. The scammer studies your posts, finds your interests and slides in talking about those very things. They chat every day. They remember your kids' and grandchildren's names. Then, weeks or months in, the asks start. Medical bills. A sick relative. Travel costs to visit. Always a good reason.
They feel real. Scammers use AI-generated photos, deepfake video calls and scripts refined by pros. You're not getting a clumsy email full of typos anymore. You're up against a full-time operation that has studied human psychology for years.
Older Americans lost $2.4 billion to scams in 2024. But the FTC says the real number, accounting for underreporting, is somewhere between $10 billion and $81.5 billion. More than half of victims never reported it at all. They're too embarrassed.
🔒 How to stop scammers
Upload their photo to Google Images or TinEye. Stolen from someone else? You'll know in 10 seconds. If your loved one is being targeted, you should check the picture together, casually. Frame it as interesting, not accusatory.
Talk about scams in general, not theirs specifically. "I read this story about a woman who…" Plant seeds. Don't trigger defensiveness.
If money has already gone: Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and call the AARP Fraud Watch Helpline at 877-908-3360.
As for Chris? He keeps showing up for his mom. Keeps the relationship warm. Keeps patiently asking questions. That's not giving up. That's love.
💌 Wait. Is this your story? If you're reading this and something feels a little too familiar, I want to know. Whether it's you, your mom, your dad, a friend. You don't have to figure this out alone. Click here and tell me what's happening. I read every single one. I want to help.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Stop your private data from being sold
Ever wonder how scammers get your number or email? It's not random. Companies called data brokers collect your personal info: your address, phone number, even your Social Security Number, and sell it to anyone willing to pay.
Enter Incogni: my secret weapon against data brokers. It automatically removes your personal info from over 420 data brokers and people-search sites, so you don't have to worry about where your data ends up. Setup takes a couple of minutes, and they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're not completely satisfied.
A reader recently wrote to me about their experience:
"I started using Incogni over a year ago. It reduced spam phone calls and spam emails. Thank you for telling me about it. I feel safer now that I have it." - Jean
Hot new job? Teaching your replacement. Companies are handing out fat paychecks to people who teach robots how to do their work. Plus, ChatGPT's X-rated mode and the best callers ever. I bet you agree!
🎧 Or search "Komando" wherever you get your podcasts. I'm everywhere.
WEB WATERCOOLER
💊 Pharma drama: Heads up. LAPSUS$, a group tied to breaches at Microsoft, Nvidia and Samsung, claims it hacked AstraZeneca and is selling 3 GB of alleged data, including source code, cloud credentials and supply chain details. If you take any AstraZeneca medications, watch your medical records and your mail. Health care data fuels very convincing phishing attacks. Great, now people have to worry about side effects and side scams.
Apple update incoming: Apple's dropping iOS 26.4 tomorrow. Get this. Google Gemini is helping Siri through Apple's private cloud. Ouch. Corporate pride really does have a price. You also get 13 more tweaks across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch and Apple TV, including eight new emoji, compact Safari tabs and fresh streaming stuff.
🔊 Tired of saying "What?" You know the drill. The TV's blasting loud enough for the neighbors to follow along. You're nodding at dinner like you heard the joke. You're skipping parties because it's too exhausting to keep up. David has the Horizon IX hearing device and told me, "I hear things like never before!" I believe him. This tiny device zooms in on voices, drowns out background noise and fits comfortably in or behind your ear. No awkward bulk. No more missing punch lines. Just crystal-clear sound. Try Horizon IX risk-free for 45 days!*
Nails hit send: I love when science stops pretending it's above petty problems. Researchers showed off a clear nail polish at the American Chemical Society spring meeting that lets long nails actually work on touchscreens. The trick is taurine (Yup, same stuff in energy drinks), which helps your nail carry enough charge to conduct a tap. It works over bare nails or any manicure. Finally, a tech breakthrough that really nails it. 💅
Bot jukebox: I need every struggling musician to sit down for this. Prosecutors say a 54-year-old North Carolina man, Michael Smith, made hundreds of thousands of fake songs and used 1,000-plus bots to stream them billions of times across Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube Music. This is the part where you sit down. He pocketed about $10 million, sometimes $3,300 a day. He pleaded guilty and faces up to five years in prison. The bots played the music. The music played the system.
🚽 Lavatory lap king: I don't even know how you'd do this. A man ran 3 miles inside an airplane bathroom during an 11-hour flight. He tracked it on his watch because of course he did. The internet had thoughts. The other passengers had more. Look, I appreciate the commitment to fitness. But if your workout plan requires a flight attendant to knock on the door, it might be time to try the in-seat stretches instead. Walk this one off. Remember, volcanoes relieve themselves in a lavatory.
KIM'S DAILY DEALS
🐦 Early bird 'Big Spring' sales
Snatch up my picks before the rush hits Amazon tomorrow.
It already hit 105 degrees here in Phoenix. Tower fans like this one help keep me cool. It auto-adjusts airflow based on room temp and has a 12-hour timer. You'll barely hear it running.
Image: Levoit
🤧 Allergy shields | 4.6 ⭐ 19,800+ reviews These MERV 13 air filters(31% off, $47, four-pack) last for months, trapping pollen, smoke, dust and more before they spread.
Touchless and tidy | 4.4 ⭐ 3,900+ reviews Wave your hand, and this motion-sensor trash can(23% off, $27) opens right up. Only 2.6 gallons, so it fits almost anywhere.
🐶 Clean fur real | 4.4 ⭐ 37,000+ reviews Roll a pet hair remover(25% off, $18) over furniture and watch fluff lift into the built-in bin. No refills, no sticky mess.
Handy tool hack | 4.5 ⭐ 61,800+ reviews This sturdy wall mount(41% off, $12) holds mops, brooms and more. Frees up floor space in your garage or closet.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: I do some of my best thinking out loud. So I stopped typing to AI and started talking to it. ChatGPT and Claude both have free voice mode. You talk, it listens, it responds, and the whole conversation saves as text automatically. No typing, no formatting, no staring at a blinking cursor. Open a new chat and tap Use Voice next to the prompt box. Works great in the car, on a walk or when your brain moves faster than your fingers.
Your camera roll is full of duplicates: Every time you edit a photo on iPhone, it saves the original AND the edit. Silently. For years. Open the Photos app > Collections > Utilities > Duplicates > Merge. Most folks find hundreds and free up GBs instantly. Android? Path varies, but try the Gallery app > Menu > Clean out > Delete duplicate pictures.
👀 Stop letting people post on your Facebook profile without permission: Go to Settings > Audience and visibility > Profile and tagging. Set "Who can see posts you're tagged in" to Only me. Better yet, turn on Review posts you're tagged in and approve everything before it goes up. Those party photos aren't making it anywhere near your profile.
Here's why your laptop fan is screaming: You've never cleaned it. Dust buildup is making it run harder, overheating the processor and tanking performance. But the good news is you don't have to open anything. Just grab a compressed air duster(15% off), hold it at the vents and blow short bursts. It could drop 10 degrees in one session. Takes 30 seconds.
🤯 Paste any YouTube link into ChatGPT, and it'll summarize the whole video: That 47-minute documentary you bookmarked six months ago. The hour-long tutorial you'll "watch later." The conference keynote your boss forwarded. Paste the URL directly into ChatGPT and ask it to summarize, pull the key points or answer a specific question about the content. No plug-ins, no extensions, no watching required. I cleared out my entire "watch later" list in 20 minutes. It reads the transcript instantly. Your backlog doesn't stand a chance.
Payroll errors cost more than you think
While many businesses are solving problems at lightspeed, their payroll systems seem to stay stuck in the past. Deel's free Payroll Toolkit shows you what's actually changing in payroll this year, which problems hit first, and how to fix them before they cost you. Because new compliance rules, AI automation, and multi-country remote teams are all colliding at once.
Check out the free Deel Payroll Toolkit today and get a step-by-step roadmap to modernize operations, reduce manual work, and build a payroll strategy that scales with confidence.
McDonald's in Shanghai is testing humanoid robots from KEENON Robotics, and I'm lovin' it. (Sorry. Had to.) Greeter bots welcome you at the door, answer questions and "enliven the atmosphere." Their words, not mine.
Delivery bots roll your food to the table and haul away the tray when you're done. No eye contact. No small talk. No one asking if you want to upsize that.
It's not a fully robotic fry republic yet. But KEENON has shipped over 100,000 units worldwide, so this isn't a stunt. It's a preview. The robots are efficient, tireless and never mess up your order.
I guess you could say McDonald's is really putting the fast back in fast food. And the robots? They're on a roll.
LOGGING OUT …
🔜 Tomorrow: Before Komando, there was another name. I'll tell you how my grandfather arrived in America but our original surname didn't, and how I'm now using billions of free genealogy records to uncover the one bureaucracy erased.
The answer is C) Not taking action on something you have control over. Bezos said it straight: "Stress comes from ignoring things you shouldn't be ignoring." Psychologists call it problem-focused coping. People who take direct action on stressors report dramatically lower stress levels than people who avoid them. Even one small step drops the pressure, before the problem is solved.
You already know what your thing is. That email you haven't sent. The conversation you keep postponing. Just get it done and move in. You got this!
🧮 Why are math books always so stressed? They have a limitless amount of problems that need to be solved. (I promise to do better tomorrow.)
📱 Jean got fed up and did something about it. "Incogni reduced my spam calls and emails. I feel safer now." That's what taking action looks like. Be like Jean. Right now, hundreds of data brokers are selling your home address, phone number and personal details to anyone who pays. No permission needed. Incogni sends legal removal requests to over 420 of them automatically. You set it up once. It fights for you on repeat. Jean's phone is finally quiet. Yours can be, too. Use code KIM60 to get 60% off right now.*
🌱 Thanks for being here. Drop a rating below. And remember, you're making progress you can't even see yet. Trust it. — Kim
Kim Komando • Komando.com • 510+ radio stations • Trusted by millions daily
🏆 THE KIM CHALLENGE:Forward this to ONE person who needs to hear it today. Pick the person who popped into your head while reading. You know who it is.
Photo credit(s):ChatGPT, Levoit, @CyberRobooo via X
Companies and products denoted by an asterisk (*) within this publication are paid sponsors or advertisements. As an Amazon Associate, the publisher earns from qualifying purchases. Statements regarding products denoted by a double asterisk (**) have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration; such products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This newsletter is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice of any kind. Readers should consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions based on this content. The publisher disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, or injury resulting from the use of or reliance on the information contained herein.
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Keep a civil tongue.