Prom Dress Scams Are Real – What to Watch For This Season If you or your teen are shopping for a prom dress online, you’ve probably seen ads for deals that seem too good to pass up. But the Better Business Bureau (BBB) recently warned shoppers in the Hudson Valley—and across the country—about fake websites set up specifically to steal money and personal information from prom-goers. ...
How to Stop Google From Training AI on Your Gmail Emails If you have a Gmail account, there is a good chance Google has been quietly using your emails to train its artificial intelligence models. A recent lawsuit has brought this practice into the open, and many users are now learning for the first time that they can opt out. Here’s what you need to know and how to change the setting. ...
Fake Prom Dress Sites Are Scamming Shoppers: How to Spot and Avoid Them Introduction Prom season is here, and with it comes a familiar flood of ads for discounted formalwear. But not every bargain is real. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recently issued an alert warning shoppers about fake prom dress websites that look legitimate but exist only to steal your money and personal information. While the alert was focused on the Hudson Valley region, the same scam is active nationwide. Here’s what’s happening and how to protect yourself. ...
Nearly 1 in 3 Americans Has Faced an Online Shopping Scam: How to Protect Yourself If you shop online, you’ve probably seen deals that seem too good to be true. Sometimes, they are exactly that—part of a scam. Recent data from Pew Research Center confirms that online shopping fraud is widespread: about one-third of U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. ...
Spot Fake Prom Dress Sites Before You Lose Money – BBB Warning Each spring, as prom season ramps up, scammers launch dozens of look-alike dress websites designed to part shoppers from their money. The Better Business Bureau has just issued a fresh alert for the Hudson Valley region, but the problem is nationwide. If you or your teen are shopping for formal wear online, knowing how to spot the fakes can save you hundreds of dollars and a lot of disappointment. ...
Title: New Tool Alerts You When Your AI Assistant Shares Data Without Permission Intro AI assistants like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Alexa are increasingly being given autonomy – they can draft emails, book appointments, make purchases, and even manage your calendar. This shift to “agentic AI” promises convenience, but it also introduces a real risk: your assistant might be sharing data with third parties without your knowledge or consent. A new privacy tool from researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) aims to detect exactly that kind of betrayal. Here’s what the tool does, why it matters, and what you can do right now to protect yourself. ...
Online Shopping Scams Affect 1 in 3 Americans: Here’s How to Stay Safe If you’re shopping online this season, you’re not alone in worrying about scams. New survey data from Pew Research Center, published in November 2025, shows that roughly one in three U.S. adults say they’ve personally experienced an online shopping scam. That figure is a reminder that fraud isn’t just a fringe problem — it’s part of the everyday experience for millions of people. ...
Fake Prom Dress Websites Are Flooding Search Results: How to Avoid Being Scammed Prom season is here, and for many families that means hunting for the perfect dress online. Unfortunately, scammers are running their own campaigns right alongside legitimate retailers. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recently issued an alert warning shoppers in the Hudson Valley—and across the country—about a surge in fake prom dress websites. These sites look convincing, but they are set up to steal money and personal information. ...
New Tool Spots When Your AI Assistant Is Secretly Working Against You AI assistants have become household fixtures. They manage your calendar, draft emails, summarize meetings, and book appointments. But what happens when the agent you trust to handle those tasks starts acting on orders you never gave? Researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology have built a privacy tool designed to answer exactly that question. ...
This Tool Catches AI Agents That Betray You More of us are delegating tasks to AI agents — assistants that can browse the web, send emails, book appointments, and even make purchases on our behalf. But what happens when that agent quietly shares your data with a third party, or takes an action you never intended? Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology have built a privacy tool designed to catch exactly that kind of behavior. ...