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📬 Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here. Tomorrow: The internet has a secret master key. Here’s how to watch the vault get opened live.
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Welcome to your Saturday, friend. Somebody at Thanksgiving is going to tell you to switch your phone to dark mode “to save the battery.” They’ll say it with total confidence. Maybe it’s your brother-in-law. Maybe it’s me, eight years ago. Before you argue across the mashed potatoes, let’s look at what scientists measured.
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🌙 How much battery does dark mode really save? A) Zero, it’s a myth, B) A few percent at normal brightness, C) Half your battery, every time or D) Enough to finally outlast your teenager’s phone? Hint: How bright you keep your screen matters more than its color. The answer’s lurking in the shadows at the end.
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📻 Listen up! My national radio show is airing all weekend across the USA. With over 510 stations strong, find your closest one by using our super-duper station locator map, or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart or watch the entire show on YouTube. I’m wherever you are. — Kim
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TODAY’S DEEP DIVE
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Season’s cheatings
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Image: ChatGPT/Kim Komando
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🤯 WOW! Americans reported losing $20.9 billion to cybercrime last year, according to the FBI. That’s up 26% in one year. People 60 and older took the hardest hit: $7.7 billion, up about 60%. And that’s only what got reported.
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The Short Version: The holiday scam rush is here, and your ID protection needs to cover more than your SSN. Steps below.
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📖 Read time: 2 minutes
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Scammers don’t take the holidays off. They work overtime.
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Black Friday deals, holiday shipping and year-end charity drives make the next eight weeks the crooks’ busiest season. Americans reported losing a record $15.9 billion to fraud last year, per the FTC. That’s up 27% in one year.
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Before you shop, put a safety net under your family. I use Coveron, and right now, you can get 71% off.
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🎯 The scams hitting phones
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Nearly 1 in 3 people who lost money last year were first contacted on social media. Scams that started on Facebook alone cost people more than texts and email combined. Here’s what’s landing:
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Fake delivery texts. “Your package is on hold. Update your address.” One tap, and they’ve got your card number.
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Copycat stores. Social media ads for 80% off brand-name gear lead to cloned sites. You pay. Nothing ships.
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Fake fraud alerts. “Did you authorize a $499 charge?” It’s not your bank. Business impersonators took about $1 billion last year, and fake banks pulled the biggest scores.
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AI voice clones. A panicked call from your “grandson” who needs bail money. It sounds exactly like him. The FBI says scams powered by AI cost Americans $893 million last year.
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Gift card demands. No real company, agency or utility wants payment in gift cards. Ever.
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The tell is always urgency. Slow down, hang up and call back using a number you know is real.
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🛡️ ID theft isn’t limited to your SSN
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Old-school identity theft meant someone opened a credit card in your name. Today, crooks go after your email login, your phone number, your bank app, even the deed to your house.
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Alerts are great. But an alert doesn’t get your money back.
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That’s why I switched to Coveron, a sponsor of my show.* (I used to have LifeLock. I think Coveron’s coverage is better, and it’s much more affordable.) From the folks behind NordVPN, it goes further:
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Watches the dark web for your email, phone numbers, SSN and credit card numbers
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Flags new credit, loans and bank accounts opened in your name
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Reimburses eligible online fraud losses, including fake stores, marketplace scams and QR code scams
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Provides up to $2 million in identity theft recovery, with a case manager who helps clean up the mess
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✅ My exclusive deal: Get 71% off Coveron. That’s $4.36 a month on a 2-year plan. Lock in my deal here.
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Don’t wait until after you tap the wrong text. Protect your family with Coveron for $4.36 a month.
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I get so many robocalls, my husband thinks I’m having an affair with Scam Likely.
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📩 Send this to someone who taps every “your package is on hold” text.
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Share this now:
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📺 YOUTUBE: THE KIM KOMANDO SHOW
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3D printing for good
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A 3D printer isn’t only for plastic trinkets and phone stands. Here’s how people are putting theirs to work to make a real difference. Grab a tissue. This one’s a feel-good watch.
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▶️ Watch on YouTube →
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WEB WATERCOOLER
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💊 Your pills, their profit: Ever used GoodRx to save on a prescription? You may be owed money. The company agreed to a $32 million settlement over claims it shared users’ health and prescription info with advertisers. GoodRx denies doing anything wrong. If you used GoodRx, GoodRx Gold, HeyDoctor or GoodRx Care before April 20, 2024, file for an equal share of the fund. No receipts needed. Two minutes, tops. The deadline is Dec. 29. My pharmacist is very well respected. She’s a real piller of the community.
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👀 Roommate sold separately: Get ready to explain to your cat that you spent $1,000 on another authority figure it can ignore. Apple is reportedly building a home robot with a 9-inch screen on an arm that swivels a full 360 degrees. It could handle FaceTime calls, flip on the lights when you walk in and even tell the cat to get off the table. Apple wants it out in 2027, but it might slip to 2028.
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🦴 Snap, crackle, pop: Remember when getting out of bed was quiet? Now it’s your knees when you stand, your shoulders when you reach and your back when you bend. Your body’s natural collagen production starts declining in adulthood, and research suggests collagen may help support cartilage repair in your joints. But not all collagen is created equal. NativePath Collagen** keeps it simple: one ingredient from grass-fed cattle, third-party tested for purity. No fillers, no junk. Grab my special offer with free shipping and bonus gifts.
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💬 Gemini’s reading list: Paying for Google’s AI doesn’t keep chats private. Gemini uses saved conversations to train its AI by default, even on paid plans. A subset gets read by human reviewers, and Google can keep those for up to three years, per its own help page. Go to myactivity.google.com/product/gemini and turn off Keep Activity. The catch? Your chats vanish after 72 hours. For the occasional sensitive question, use Temporary Chat instead. Apparently, the Gemini twins share everything.
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👓 Eye see a problem: Here’s a stat that’ll make you squint. Half the planet could be nearsighted by 2050, and it starts in childhood (paywall link). Screens play a part, but the bigger culprit may be all that time indoors. In school trials, 40 to 80 extra minutes of daylight cut new cases by up to 50%. Already nearsighted? FDA-authorized glasses slowed it 71% in a U.S. study. Squinting or sitting nose-to-screen? Book an eye exam. An optimist says the glass is half full. An optometrist says you both need glasses.
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🎁 All the tour, none of the tickets
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My favorite kind of concert? No parking. No $18 nachos. No guy in front of you filming the whole show on his iPad. Just the shirt.
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My End of Year Tour collection is the souvenir without the show. The poster art is on the front, and the full 2026 tour list runs down the back. Fake tour, real cotton.
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The fine print: This is a preorder, not a store that restocks. The window closes Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 11:59 p.m. PT. We make exactly what’s ordered, and orders ship about five weeks after the window closes, so expect delivery around mid-December. All sales are final.
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👉 Grab yours this weekend.
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What do a cop and a sweatshirt have in common? They both pull over.
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🎤 PODCAST: DIGITAL LIFE HACK
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Ask Gemini what’s for dinner
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AI just climbed into your passenger seat. Gemini is built into Google Maps and rolling out to Apple CarPlay, so you can find a restaurant without touching your phone. ChatGPT works through CarPlay, too. Plus, how to get AI to review a car quote and catch the hidden fees.
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Listen on Komando.com →
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🎧 Or search “Komando” wherever you get your podcasts. I’m everywhere.
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DEVICE ADVICE
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⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Accidentally deleted a whole paragraph on your iPhone? No need to shake it like a snow globe. Swipe left with three fingers to undo, or right to redo. You’ll see a little Undo or Redo banner at the top. Works in Notes, Mail, Messages and most apps. Because retyping that whole paragraph? Absolutely not.
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🌐 You’ve been saying “I need a new website” for years: I know because I hear it constantly. Hostinger’s AI* can build the whole thing from one sentence. I got Barry a site in minutes, and it’s gorgeous. Site, store, email and domain all in one account. 30-day money-back guarantee. Black Friday came early at Hostinger, and it’s their best deal of the year. Get up to 87% off with code Kim10 at Hostinger.com/Kim. You can move your site from another host, too! I did that with a WP Engine site and saved over $3K per month.
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🤫 A secret phone inside your phone: Kids borrowing your phone and snooping? On Android, try Settings > Security & privacy > Private space and set a separate lock. Hide banking apps or Christmas gift ideas until you unlock it. On Samsung, go to Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder. Out of sight, out of reach.
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🪟 Two windows, without the juggling act: Want to compare Black Friday deals without switching between tabs? On Windows, hover over the maximize button (the square at the top right) or press Win + Z. Choose a layout, and your windows snap side by side or into a grid. Shopping list on one side, deals on the other. Now we’re talking.
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📸 100 photos, all named IMG_24XX: Planning to dump your Thanksgiving pictures onto your Mac? You can rename them all at once. In Finder, select the files, right-click and choose Rename. Pick Format, type “Thanksgiving 2026” and choose a numbering style. Hit Rename, and every photo gets a proper name and number. Good luck finding the turkey photo otherwise.
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👀 Who’s been keeping tabs on you? Your ex could still see your location, or that distant relative might have access to an old shared photo album. Creepy thought. On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check > Manage Sharing & Access. See who can view your location, photos and accounts, then cut them off. Long overdue, probably.
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🎁 Hide the Christmas evidence: That gift photo sitting in your camera roll could ruin the surprise. On iPhone, open it, tap three dots > Hide. Then open Settings > Apps > Photos and turn on Use Face ID to lock the Hidden album. On Android, tap the three-dot icon on the photo > Move to private/locked folder, protected by your PIN. Santa’s secrets are safe.
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KIM’S DAILY DEALS
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As an Amazon Associate, some links pay us a commission at no extra cost to you. Keeps this newsletter free. Thank you.
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🎁 Stocking stuffers that plug in
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Five gadget gifts, all under $25.
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📺 Cut the cord for $25: Fire TV Stick 4K (58% off, $25)
New product alert!
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Turn any TV into a smart TV? Plug Amazon’s newest stick into the HDMI port and stream Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video and free live TV in 4K. It runs off your TV’s USB port, so there’s no extra cord, and the new remote controls your TV’s power and volume.
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Image: Amazon
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📱 Clamp and chill: Know a FaceTime fanatic? LISEN’s phone holder (15% off, $22) clamps to a headboard or desk, so their arms get a break.
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Old car, new tricks: A Bluetooth adapter (20% off, $20) to stream phone audio through FM radio and charge two devices. No new stereo needed.
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🌕 Out-of-this-world: This 3D-printed moon lamp (8% off, $17) shows craters and switches between 16 colors. A hit with kids, teens and space fans.
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Wrist wardrobe: Treat your stylish friend to a lineup of stretchy Apple Watch bands (10% off, $9, 10-pack). They slip on without messing with buckles.
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✨ More gadget gifts: Knock out your holiday list early. Browse my Amazon storefront.
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Prices and deals were accurate at the time of publication.
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WHAT THE TECH?
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Image: @Technology via Instagram
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🅿️ Valet parking, minus the valet
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Circling the lot for 10 minutes looking for a spot? Hyundai has robots for that.
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In a test at a South Korean apartment garage, you leave your car in a drop-off zone and call from a screen on the wall. Two flat robots, about 4 inches thick, slide underneath, lift the car by its wheels and carry it to an open space. They can even scoot sideways. A pair can haul an SUV weighing up to 7,500 pounds.
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Hyundai says the robots could squeeze 20% to 50% more cars into the same garage. Somebody actually complimented me on my parking today. They left a note on my windshield that said, “Parking fine.”
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Watch the robots in action here.
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Share this now:
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Email | Facebook | X
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LOGGING OUT …
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🎓 What you learned today: The holiday scam rush is on, so slow down before you tap that “package on hold” text, and if you call back, make sure it’s a number you trust. GoodRx users may be owed a slice of $32 million, Gemini trains on your chats unless you say otherwise, more daylight helps protect kids’ eyes from nearsightedness, Apple’s rumored robot could someday boss your cat around, a three-finger swipe undoes typing on your iPhone, and Hyundai has robots that park your car for you. Tomorrow, the secret master key that keeps the internet honest.
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🔋 The answer: B) A few percent at normal brightness. Purdue University researchers tested OLED phones. At everyday brightness, 30% to 50%, dark mode saved 3% to 9% of battery. Crank the screen to 100%, and savings jumped to 39% to 47%. Why? On OLED screens, black pixels switch off. On older LCD screens, the backlight stays on, so savings are basically zilch. Try it on iPhone: Settings > Display & Brightness > Dark. On Android: Settings > Display > Dark theme.
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Why do programmers prefer dark mode? Because light attracts bugs.
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💛 Scammers bank on you being rushed. Slow down, check twice and reserve your trust for the people who’ve earned it. — Kim
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Kim Komando • Komando.com • 510+ radio stations • Trusted by millions daily
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🏆 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.
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Have questions? Ask me here.
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HOW’D WE DO?
What did you think of today’s issue?
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Photo credit(s): ChatGPT/Kim Komando, Amazon, @Technology via Instagram
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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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