Consumer Tips

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam — Here’s How to Avoid It If you’ve ever clicked “Buy Now” on a deal that looked too good to be true, and later found the item never arrived or was a cheap counterfeit, you’re far from alone. According to a November 2025 report from the Pew Research Center, roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. The number is a stark reminder that what used to be an occasional risk has become a routine hazard of buying online. ...

How to Cut Through the AI Hype and Protect Your Privacy: Lessons from the EFF New AI-powered tools appear almost daily, each promising to save time, boost creativity, or simplify your life. Their marketing often includes phrases like “fully private,” “anonymized data,” or “no training on your data.” But what do these claims actually mean for your privacy? The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a leading digital rights group, has been urging consumers and lawmakers to cut through the hype and look at the real risks. This article translates their advice into practical steps you can use today. ...

Stop Falling for AI Hype: A Simple Guide to Protecting Your Privacy Every week there’s a new AI tool promising to revolutionise your inbox, photo library, or shopping list. The messaging is confident, often backed by glossy demos and breathless press coverage. But behind the marketing, many of these products raise real questions about how they handle your data—and whether they deliver on their claims at all. ...

How to Spot Scam Ads Online and Protect Your Privacy If you spend any time on social media, search engines, or news sites, you’ve seen them: ads promising a free iPhone, a government grant you didn’t apply for, or a “limited-time” deal that seems too good to ignore. These ads aren’t just annoying—they’re a growing vector for fraud. ...

Your Data and AI: A Practical Guide to Protecting Your Privacy Every time you ask a chatbot a question, upload a photo to an AI editing tool, or let an app summarize your emails, you hand over more personal data. That’s the trade-off at the heart of modern AI: convenience in exchange for information. As companies race to deploy artificial intelligence, the amount of data collected—and the ways it’s used—has grown faster than most people realise. ...

How to Protect Your Privacy in the Age of AI: A Practical Guide Artificial intelligence is embedded in more of the tools we use every day—chatbots, voice assistants, smart home devices, and even search engines. These services can be helpful, but they often come with a trade‑off: access to your personal data. A recent article in The Wall Street Journal (published July 1, 2026) outlined the growing privacy risks and offered guidance for everyday users. This guide condenses that advice into straightforward, actionable steps you can take right now. ...

AI and Your Privacy: What Companies Are Doing to Earn Your Trust (And What to Watch For) Artificial intelligence tools have become part of daily life — from chatbots to photo editors to writing assistants. But every time you use one, you’re sharing data. How much, and what happens to it, varies widely. Recent moves by regulators and large tech firms suggest the industry is finally starting to take privacy seriously. But that doesn’t mean every AI service is safe to use. ...

AI and Your Privacy: What You Need to Know About Data Collection and Trust Intro If you’ve used ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or any other AI tool recently, you’ve probably wondered what happens to the questions you type in. Are they stored? Used to train future models? Shared with third parties? These aren’t trivial concerns. As AI becomes embedded in everyday life—from writing assistants to image generators—the gap between what companies collect and what users understand is widening. ...

How to Spot Online Shopping Scams Before Amazon Prime Day: BBB Tips With Amazon Prime Day just around the corner, many shoppers are planning to hunt for deals. But as excitement builds, so do the risks. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has issued a warning about a surge in online shopping scams designed to trick bargain hunters. The advice is timely: scammers are already setting up fake websites, sending phishing emails, and posting fraudulent ads on social media. Here’s what you need to know to shop safely. ...

Online shoppers ignoring scam warnings: What you need to know to stay safe A new report from KnowBe4, a security awareness training firm, reveals a troubling trend: online shoppers are increasingly ignoring the warning signs of scams. The timing is especially concerning, coming just before the busiest shopping season of the year. With fraud losses continuing to climb, understanding why we tune out those red flags—and how to stop doing it—matters more than ever. ...