5 ways AI is quietly eroding your privacy (and how to fight back) Every time you ask a chatbot a question, upload a photo to a face‑tagging app, or let an AI assistant scan your inbox, you’re handing over a piece of your private life. The trade‑off feels invisible—convenience in exchange for data you never see again. But as AI tools become embedded in everyday software, the privacy cost is getting harder to ignore. ...
The Safest To-Do List Apps of 2026: Privacy-Conscious Picks for Your Tasks When Wirecutter published its annual roundup of the best to-do list apps earlier this year, the focus was on usability, features, and cross-platform support. That’s fair — for most people, a to-do app needs to be quick and frictionless. But if you’re someone who keeps work projects, personal goals, or even health reminders in your task manager, the question of where that data goes and who can see it deserves attention. ...
Keep Your Money Safe: Five Things Never to Tell Your AI Chatbot If you use ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or any other AI chatbot for daily tasks, you’re not alone. These tools are incredibly convenient for drafting emails, summarizing documents, or brainstorming ideas. But that convenience comes with a privacy catch: anything you type into a chatbot can be stored, analyzed, and in some cases, exposed to third parties. As more people turn to AI for help with budgeting, shopping, or even tax prep, the risk of oversharing sensitive financial information has grown sharply. ...
Your Chrome Extensions Could Be Spying on You – Here’s How to Check If you use Chrome for work or personal browsing, you probably have at least a few extensions installed. Maybe a note‑taker, a screenshot tool, or a password manager. They seem harmless enough. But a recent, well‑orchestrated attack turned several popular productivity extensions into data‑stealing backdoors—and the people behind it targeted enterprise credentials and personal data. ...
Gift Card Scams Are on the Rise: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Money Earlier this month, Attorney General Brian Schwalb issued an alert warning District of Columbia residents about a surge in gift card scams. The advisory, published by the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, outlines how scammers trick people into buying gift cards and handing over the codes—often draining the funds within minutes. While the alert is aimed at D.C. residents, the tactics described are used nationwide, and the advice applies wherever you live. ...
Gift Card Scams Are Everywhere: How to Spot Them and Protect Your Money In mid-December 2025, Washington, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb issued an alert warning District residents about a surge in gift card scams. The notice highlighted a pattern that law enforcement agencies across the country have been tracking for years: fraudsters impersonating government officials, utility companies, or tech support agents who demand payment in the form of gift card codes. While the alert was directed at D.C. consumers, the advice applies to anyone who shops online or has ever received a call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, Social Security Administration, or a well-known retailer. ...
Pig Butchering Scams: What the New York Attorney General’s Warning Means for You If you’ve ever received an unprompted message from a stranger who seems too charming, too interested in your life, and too eager to discuss investment opportunities, you might be in the early stages of a “pig butchering” scam. The name is deliberately dehumanizing—the fraudster “fattening up” a victim with trust and affection before extracting as much money as possible. ...
National Consumer Protection Week 2026: Practical Advice to Avoid Scams and Fraud Every year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a coalition of government agencies, advocacy groups, and businesses run National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW). The 2026 edition took place March 2–6, and its goal was straightforward: give people the tools to recognize, avoid, and report fraud, identity theft, and other consumer scams. Even though the week itself has passed, the guidance remains timely. Here’s a look at what was covered and how you can apply the advice year-round. ...
Gift Card Scams Are Still Thriving: What the Latest Consumer Alert Means for You If you’ve ever been asked to buy a gift card to pay a bill, cover a debt, or secure a prize, you’ve likely encountered one of the most persistent frauds in modern consumer life. Gift card scams continue to drain bank accounts across the country, and authorities are still urging the public to stay alert. ...
NCPW 2026: Essential Consumer Protection Tips from the FTC National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) 2026 has come and gone, but the advice the Federal Trade Commission published during that week remains as useful as the day it came out. Scams evolve fast, but the basic patterns of fraud — someone pretending to be someone they’re not, pressuring you to act quickly, asking for money or personal information — stay the same. This article pulls together the most practical, actionable guidance from the FTC’s NCPW 2026 campaign so you can recognize common scams, protect your identity, and know exactly what to do if something goes wrong. ...