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Why You Shouldn’t Trust AI With Your Secrets (And What to Do Instead) There’s a quiet assumption many of us make when we type a question into ChatGPT or ask Microsoft Copilot to draft an email: that our words vanish into a black box and stay there. The reality is more complicated — and sometimes unsettling. AI chatbots are immensely useful, but they are not private by default. What you share with them can be stored, reviewed, and used to train future models. If that gives you pause, you’re not alone. ...

How to Spot Fake Prom Dress Websites: BBB Alert & Safety Tips The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recently issued an alert warning shoppers in the Hudson Valley about fake prom dress websites. These sites appear legitimate at first glance but are designed to take your money and deliver nothing—or a cheap knockoff. While the alert focuses on the Hudson Valley, this type of scam is common across the country, especially as prom season picks up. ...

1 in 3 Americans Say They’ve Been Scammed While Shopping Online — Here’s How to Stay Safe New research from the Pew Research Center shows that online shopping scams are far more common than many people realize. According to a study released in November 2025, 33% of U.S. adults — roughly one in three — say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That number alone should make any regular shopper pause, especially with the holiday season approaching when deals and discounts flood your inbox and social media feeds. ...

Don’t Trust AI With Your Secrets: A Practical Guide to Privacy Risks You’ve probably asked a chatbot for help planning a trip, drafting an email, or even thinking through a personal problem. The convenience is real. But behind that helpful interface lies a less visible trade-off: your data. A recent article from Escudo Digital titled “The privacy myth: why you shouldn’t trust AI with your secrets” puts a spotlight on a growing concern that many users overlook. This isn’t about scaring you away from useful tools—it’s about understanding what you’re really agreeing to when you type a message into a chat window. ...

One in Three Americans Has Fallen for an Online Shopping Scam — Here’s How to Stay Safe If you’ve ever clicked on a too-good-to-be-true deal and ended up with an empty mailbox and a drained bank account, you’re far from alone. According to a new Pew Research Center survey released in November 2025, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s a sizable number — and with holiday shopping already underway, it’s worth understanding what these scams look like and how to avoid becoming part of that statistic. ...

Why You Shouldn’t Trust AI With Your Secrets: A Privacy Reality Check AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini have become part of daily life for millions. They help draft emails, answer questions, and even offer emotional support. But the more we use them, the more personal information we feed into systems we barely understand. The assumption that what you type stays between you and the AI is a myth—and a dangerous one. ...

Don’t Tell AI Everything: The Real Privacy Risks of Chatbots and How to Stay Safe It’s easy to treat an AI chatbot like a private confidant. You ask it to draft a sensitive email, summarize a medical record, or even vent about a personal problem. The interface feels one-on-one, and the responses seem harmless. But that feeling of privacy is largely an illusion. ...

BBB Warns of Fake Prom Dress Websites: How to Avoid Getting Scammed Prom season is here, and along with the rush for the perfect dress comes a wave of fraudulent websites designed to take your money and disappear. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recently issued an alert for shoppers in the Hudson Valley, but this kind of scam happens everywhere. If you or your teen are shopping for formal wear online, knowing the warning signs can save you frustration and financial loss. ...

The Privacy Myth: Why You Shouldn’t Trust AI with Your Secrets It’s easy to treat ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Google Gemini like a helpful friend. You ask it to draft a tricky email, summarise a long document, or even help you think through a personal problem. After a few exchanges, the interface feels private — just you and the machine. But that feeling is deceptive. The reality is that most consumer AI tools are designed to retain, analyse, and sometimes reuse the conversations you feed them, often in ways that aren’t obvious. ...

BBB Alert: Fake Prom Dress Websites Are on the Rise – Here’s How to Avoid Them Prom season is here, and both teens and parents are looking for the perfect dress at a good price. That urgency and pressure to find a bargain makes this an ideal time for scammers to set up fake online stores. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recently issued an alert for shoppers in the Hudson Valley, New York, warning about websites that advertise prom dresses at deep discounts but never deliver the goods. While the alert targeted a specific region, the same scam tactics are used nationwide. ...