“We’re making a new Resident Evil,” Nakanishi said during the show. “It was really difficult to figure out what to do after 7. But I found it, and to be honest it feels substantial. I can’t share any details just yet but I hope you’re excited for the day I can.”

That’s admittedly not much to go on, but I get the sense he’s hinting that this new game is the next major entry in the franchise. If that’s the case, we’ll have to see if Capcom calls it Resident Evil 9 or finds some sort of clever subtitle, like it did with the logo for Resident Evil Village.

The news of a new Resident Evil followed updates for a few other games. The just-announced Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster will be released on September 19th with improved graphics and some new quality-of-life upgrades. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, a new tower defense game in a setting inspired by Japanese mythology, is getting a demo today ahead of its July 19th release. (My colleague Ash Parrish was a big fan of the game at Summer Game Fest.) And Resident Evil 7 for iOS, which launches on July 2nd, will have an auto-fire feature to make the game easier to play with virtual controls.

You’ve heard the stories … A CEO was conned out of $233,000 when someone copied the voice of his parent company’s boss. A 75-year-old woman nearly lost $27,500, thinking her grandson was in trouble.

With as little as $4, anyone can copy a voice with super-cheap, super-powerful AI software. I’ve got the inside scoop on tricks these scammers use so you don’t fall for it.

I’m giving away $1,000 gift card to your favorite airline. Try my free tech newsletter to enter! 

YOUR CAR IS A TARGET — DON’T GET HACKED OR DUPED

10 popular tactics

In the age of TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn and YouTube, where we broadcast our lives (and voices) to the world, scammers are having a field day.

They’re extracting voice samples, feeding them into their AI machines and producing chillingly accurate voice clones. With that, the stage is set for a scam that’s as emotionally brutal as it is ingenious.

Pro tip: Unless you’re trying to make it as an influencer or you’re a public figure of some kind, set your social media profiles to private. You’re just giving too much away with a public account.

Kids’ summer camp upset: There’s been a gas leak and they need to evacuate immediately. The camp counselor wants you to pay for a hotel room and bus ride for your child.

Charity request: A voice you’ve definitely heard on TV called you, looking for cash to help disaster victims. What’s your credit card number?

Neighbor needs help: She’s crying that your dog was hit by a car and she took him to the vet. You’ll pay the bill now, right?

HOW TO SCORE CHEAP STUFF (TO KEEP OR RESELL)

Auto parts emergency: Your trusty mechanic calls with bad news: Don’t drive your car, because there’s been a major recall and you need to buy the parts now!

Urgent business expense: Your boss calls from an unknown number. They’re at a business conference and urgently need you to wire money for unexpected expenses. Can you handle it right away?

Medical emergency: A relative’s voice frantically tells you they’ve been in a serious accident and need money immediately to pay the hospital bill before they can be treated.

There are thousands of potential voice scams that can be used to target you. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Stuck in jail: Your child has been arrested and needs bail money immediately. They instruct you to send the money to a specific account before things get even worse.

Utility shutoff: A representative from the electric company, sounding exactly like someone you’ve spoken to before, says your service will be shut off unless you make an immediate payment.

School fundraiser: Your kid’s school principal calls, asking for donations to support a new project. They just need your credit card information to process the donation.

Travel trouble: A close friend calls from a vacation spot. They’ve lost their wallet and are stranded. Can you wire some money to cover their hotel bill and return flight?

These are just some examples. There are thousands more where these came from.

Checking caller ID is one of a few ways to gauge whether the call you’re receiving is from a potential scammer. (iStock)

Your plan of action

Before you consider selling the family silver or clearing your savings account, let’s talk strategy. You need to know about this now, before something scary happens, so you’re prepared.

• Check the caller ID: If the call’s coming from a number you don’t recognize or, even worse, a blocked or hidden number, that’s a big red flag. Even if it sounds like your kiddo or mom on the other end, hang up, then dial them on their cell.
• Verify with video: In high-profile cons like those involving a business, scammers have used AI video, too. But most low-budget cons won’t go that far.
• Buy time: If the voice on the other end claims they’re in a jam — say, an accident or they’ve been detained — tell them you’ll help but want to check things out first. Immediately try to reach that person through other means or contact someone who might know their whereabouts.
• Money talks: If someone demands a wire transfer or Bitcoin payment, your scam alert should be blaring. Authentic emergencies don’t come with specific, shady payment demands.

POLICE WARN HOMEOWNERS OF ‘OUT OF TOWN’ SCAMMERS TRYING TO SELL, RENT VACATION PROPERTIES THEY DON’T OWN

People fall for this stuff every day. Take care of the folks in your life by sharing this story. It could save someone’s financial future.

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While the majority of Americans would like to see more clean energy from solar and wind farms — support for new renewable energy projects has started to wane, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. It also found a drop in interest in electric vehicles following Biden administration policies to slash greenhouse gas emissions and Republican backlash.

The share of people who favor more solar power has dropped from 90 to 78 percent since 2020, the survey found. Support for wind power among survey participants similarly dropped more than 10 percentage points to 72 percent over the past four years. And just 29 percent of adults said they’d consider an EV as their next car purchase, compared to 38 percent last year.

A widening partisan divide on clean energy technologies seems to be driving those changes. The biggest drop in support has been among Republicans in recent years, even though there are differences between how older and younger generations of the GOP view climate change and renewable energy.

The Pew Research Center surveyed 8,638 adults in the US in May of this year. It tries to include participants representative of the US population when it comes to race, ethnicity, gender, education, political affiliation, and more.

Back in 2020, 84 percent of Republican survey participants said they’d like to see more solar farms, and 75 percent said they’d favor more wind farms in the US. That support has fallen to 64 and 56 percent, respectively, for solar and wind farms this year. More than 80 percent of Republicans surveyed, compared to 35 percent of Democrats, oppose the Environmental Protection Agency’s new standards for greenhouse gas emissions from tailpipes expected to make more than half of car sales EVs by 2032.

Those shifts in opinion coincide with the Biden administration’s push to incentivize new renewable energy projects since he was elected in 2020. President Biden signed the nation’s biggest investment in climate action and clean energy into law in 2022, the $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, have tried to slow EV adoption by attempting to roll back tax credits for EVs and block the tailpipe pollution rule.

While many Republican lawmakers have lambasted the IRA investments in EVs and renewables, a lot of the funding it created for clean tech manufacturing is actually flowing into their districts. Of $206 billion in investments so far, $161 billion is slated for projects in Republican districts, according to a recent Bloomberg analysis. Most of that money supports EV and battery manufacturing. A separate analysis by CNN similarly found that nearly 78 percent of IRA investments go to congressional Republican districts.

We’ll have to wait and see if that infusion of cash happens to shift Republicans’ views on renewables. But the tides could also turn again with younger Republicans, who are far more optimistic about solar and wind energy than their older counterparts. Only 22 percent of Republicans aged 65 or older in the survey said that expanding renewable energy production should be a priority. In contrast, 67 percent of Republicans between the ages of 18 and 29 said renewable energy ought to be the priority over coal, oil, and gas production. In general, young adults are more likely to think climate change will cause more harm in the US in their lifetime, according to another Pew survey published in October.