Horror is having a moment. In 2026, the genre is especially well-represented: new blood is dominating the box office through films like Backrooms and Obsession, established names like Sam Raimi and Damian McCarthy are at the top of their game, and long-running franchises like 28 Years Later and Resident Evil continue to stay relevant. But the most impressive piece of horror this year might just be found in the world of TV comedy: Widow’s Bay, a series that manages the delicate balance of mixing scares with laughs, while also doubling as a loving tribute to the genre. It’s the kind of combination that often doesn’t work, which is part of what makes the show so remarkable.
Technology
Do you know the true cost of identity theft?
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Identity theft tied to major data broker breaches has cost Americans more than $20 billion over the past decade, according to a 2026 report from the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee.
That figure comes from just four breaches: Equifax (2017), Exactis (2018), National Public Data (2023) and TransUnion (2025). The estimate applies federal identity-theft loss data, including a typical loss of about $200 per victim, across hundreds of millions of exposed records.
The result is a multibillion-dollar total. It’s also a narrow one. The calculation shows reported financial losses. It doesn’t account for damaged credit files, delayed loan approvals, higher borrowing costs or the hours consumers spend restoring their financial records after misuse.
So where does that leave you?
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HOW DEBIT CARD FRAUD CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT USING THE CARD
Massive data breaches at Equifax, Exactis, National Public Data and TransUnion exposed personal information that criminals later used for identity theft and financial fraud. (Nastasic/Getty Images)
What this median leaves out
The $200 figure used in the federal estimate is a median. It marks the midpoint of reported identity theft losses collected by the FTC. Many cases fall above it. FTC Consumer Sentinel data shows that losses swing widely depending on how the fraud happens. When money is moved through bank transfers or payment apps, reported median losses are markedly higher than in cases involving unauthorized credit card charges.
Loan or lease fraud can leave you with balances that need formal disputes before lenders correct the record. Reversing a charge doesn’t automatically restore a credit file. Accounts opened in your name can generate hard inquiries.
Missed payments linked to fraudulent loans can appear before the account is identified as fraudulent. And lenders reviewing a mortgage or auto application evaluate the report as it exists at that time. A $200 median captures a reported dollar amount. It falls short of showing how identity misuse can stifle borrowing terms or access to credit later.
The time cost of identity theft
After identity theft, the first step the FTC directs you to take is to file a report at IdentityTheft.gov. That generates a recovery plan and an identity theft report, which can be used to dispute fraudulent accounts. This is your starting point, and not anywhere close to a resolution.
Victims are instructed to contact each affected creditor directly, close or freeze compromised accounts and request written confirmation that the account was fraudulent. If a new line of credit was opened, that often requires submitting more documentation, completing affidavits and following up until the lender updates its reporting to the credit bureaus.
The FTC also advises placing a fraud alert with one of the three nationwide credit bureaus, which must notify the others. A credit freeze must be placed separately with each bureau. If you later apply for credit, they must temporarily lift the freeze before lenders can access your credit report. The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) reports that victims frequently spend weeks resolving cases involving new account fraud. Complex cases can stretch even longer, especially when collection agencies become involved or when fraudulent tax returns trigger IRS identity verification.
1 BILLION IDENTITY RECORDS EXPOSED IN ID VERIFICATION DATA LEAK
An identity theft victim in Albany, New York, looks over documents he’s gathered. Victims of identity theft frequently spend weeks disputing fraudulent accounts, contacting lenders and restoring their credit reports after stolen data is misused. (John Carl D’Annibale/Albany Times Union via Getty Images)
During that period, you may be gathering records, mailing certified letters, waiting on hold with creditors or tracking dispute deadlines. The process moves at the pace of institutional review. All this time required to repair records is part of the cost of your stolen identity.
Earlier this year, a 57-year-old woman in Los Alamitos, California, discovered her identity had been stolen after receiving a voicemail from a Hertz rental location in Miami asking when she planned to return a Mercedes-Benz. She had never rented the vehicle, reported $78,500 in losses and spent nearly 10 days trying to recover from a single stolen ID.
Here’s where identity theft becomes more expensive
In its March 2025 Consumer Sentinel Network release, the FTC said consumers lost more than $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, a 25% increase from 2023. Identity theft made up a large share of those reports. When misuse goes undetected, it spreads.
A stolen Social Security number can be used to open multiple accounts over time. Hard inquiries appear across different credit bureaus. New lenders and collection agencies show up, and each additional account adds another dispute you need to resolve. Identity theft often doesn’t stop after the first incident.
The ITRC says 31.5% of general consumer victims were targeted twice in a year, and 24.6% were hit three times last year. Even though fewer people reported a first-time identity theft, repeat targeting is becoming more common. Once your information is exposed, it can be used again. Losses can grow fast, too.
The same ITRC report found that more than 20% of victims reported losses exceeding $100,000. As the fraud spreads, so does the cleanup. What starts as a single unauthorized account can turn into disputes with lenders, credit bureaus and collection agencies. That buildup over time is where identity theft becomes more expensive.
How identity theft protection and credit monitoring can help
If you rely on occasional credit checks or alerts from a single bank, you’re only seeing activity tied to one account. If fraud appears elsewhere, it may not surface until a lender flags it.
Identity protection services can track activity across all three major credit bureaus and alert you to new inquiries or accounts as they appear. Some also scan breach datasets for exposed personal identifiers, including Social Security numbers and email addresses. Earlier alerts mean fewer fraudulent accounts can accumulate before you step in.
5 MYTHS ABOUT IDENTITY THEFT THAT PUT YOUR DATA AT RISK
Identity theft tied to major data broker breaches has cost Americans more than $20 billion over the past decade, according to a Senate report. (Sara Diggins/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)
Many services provide three-bureau credit monitoring and real-time alerts when there are changes to your credit report. Some also scan known data breach records for exposed personal information and connect members with fraud resolution specialists who help with documentation and disputes. Certain plans include identity theft insurance that can help cover eligible recovery costs, subject to policy limits.
Monitoring does not prevent every identity theft attempt. It can reduce how far fraud spreads and how long it takes to contain it.
See my tips and best picks on Best Identity Theft Protection at Cyberguy.com.
Kurt’s key takeaways
The numbers tied to major data broker breaches show just how expensive stolen information can become. A single exposed record may seem harmless at first, but once that information spreads through the data broker ecosystem, it can resurface again and again. For many victims, the real damage is not just the money lost. It is the time spent disputing accounts, repairing credit files and trying to stop fraud from spreading further. Identity theft rarely happens in one clean event. It often unfolds slowly as criminals reuse the same stolen details across multiple lenders, services and databases. The good news is that you are not powerless. Monitoring your credit, limiting how widely your personal information appears online and responding quickly to alerts can reduce the damage if your information is misused. The earlier you catch suspicious activity, the easier it is to stop it before it spreads.
Have you ever checked your credit report or searched your name online and found information about yourself that surprised you? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable.
Cook doesn’t say when Apple plans on raising prices or which products will be affected. The company has already stopped selling the Mac Studio with 512GB of RAM in March and later raised the starting price of the Mac Mini to $799 after dropping the cheaper $599 option from its lineup. Analyst Tim Culpan also suggested that Apple could discontinue the base configuration of the MacBook Neo, while keeping the $699 model with 512GB of storage.
As AI companies continue to demand more memory in their sprawling data centers, suppliers are struggling to keep up. The shortage has led to surging RAM and storage costs, as well as price increases across game consoles, laptops, and other devices.
“There’s less supply at a time when consumers want devices and the memory guys are passing along huge price increases,” Cook tells the WSJ. “We definitely need memory pricing and supply to return to reasonable levels for consumer products.”
Apple is getting ready to take the wraps off its latest lineup of iPhones later this year, though it’s unclear how big an impact the memory shortage will have on pricing. The WSJ estimates that the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro could cost $1,299, a jump from the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro.
Empty Waymo vehicles swarm Atlanta neighborhood
Atlanta residents captured alarming video of dozens of Waymo driverless cars continually circling their quiet neighborhood for hours. Tech expert Kurt Knutsson warns this ‘AI takeover’ raises significant safety concerns, especially for children, highlighting a critical lack of human intervention and company accountability from Waymo regarding these autonomous vehicles and potential glitches.
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A getaway car with no driver? That is a new one. Police say that is what happened outside Hot 8 Yoga in San Francisco’s Marina district. Police records reportedly show that a burglar slipped inside the studio, grabbed activewear and got out in under three minutes. Waiting outside was a Waymo robotaxi.
The suspect allegedly loaded the stolen clothing into the trunk, climbed in and rode away as if the whole thing were a normal pickup.
That is what makes this case so wild. A basic burglary suddenly turned into a bigger question about self-driving cars, privacy and police evidence. What happens when a robotaxi becomes part of a crime scene?
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UBER UNVEILS A NEW ROBOTAXI WITH NO DRIVER BEHIND THE WHEEL
Police say a San Francisco burglary suspect used a Waymo robotaxi as a getaway car after stealing activewear from a yoga studio. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
How a Waymo robotaxi became the getaway car
The suspect allegedly used the autonomous vehicle the same way someone might use a regular ride-hail car. The Waymo vehicle dropped him off near the yoga studio, waited while the burglary happened and then drove him away. That is the part that makes you stop and say, wait, what?
There was no driver to look back and wonder why someone was loading stolen activewear into the trunk. No one behind the wheel to say, “Something feels off here.” The car simply followed the ride request.
In a statement to CyberGuy, San Francisco Police Department confirmed officers responded on Jan. 9, 2026, to a business on the 3300 block of Fillmore Street regarding a burglary that occurred at about 4:07 a.m. Police said an employee reported that an unknown suspect burglarized the business, stole items and fled in a vehicle.
SFPD described the case as an “open and active investigation” and said, “No arrest has been made at this time.” Anyone with information can call SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.
Police believe this may be San Francisco’s first known case of someone using a self-driving car to flee a crime scene. And yes, the stolen haul reportedly included men’s shorts. That bizarre detail gives the whole thing a strange twist. But underneath it all, there is a real question here. What happens when a robotaxi becomes part of the crime?
Why the Waymo getaway car case is hard to solve
At first, this sounds like an easy case to solve. Waymo vehicles have cameras. Riders need accounts. Payment information is usually tied to the trip. So, you might think the police would have a clear trail. That did not happen here.
Police reportedly obtained a search warrant for Waymo account information and footage from the vehicle. The detective on the case said the account information did not lead police to the suspect. He also said the company no longer had interior footage by the time the warrant was filed months later.
The outside footage had another issue. Faces were blurred for privacy. That created a strange problem. The same privacy protections that help protect innocent bystanders may also make it harder to identify someone suspected of a crime.
Waymo says it balances safety and privacy
When contacted by CyberGuy, Waymo declined to comment on this specific burglary. More broadly, Waymo says it carefully reviews each law enforcement request to make sure it satisfies applicable laws and has a valid legal basis. The company says it closely scrutinizes those requests and may narrow the scope or push back when needed.
Waymo also says it does not use facial recognition or other biometric identification technologies to identify people. That detail is important here because these cars see a lot as they move through a city. Waymo says its cameras and sensors help the vehicle understand its surroundings and drive safely in real time. The company also says that information helps improve the Waymo Driver over time. In other words, Waymo says its technology can recognize that it sees a person, but it does not match that person to an individual identity.
To me, that is where this story gets complicated. If a real crime happens, you want the police to have useful evidence. At the same time, you probably do not want every self-driving car turning into a rolling surveillance camera with no clear limits. That balance between safety, privacy and police access may become a much bigger issue as robotaxis show up in more cities.
Why robotaxis could complicate crime investigations
This case shows how quickly an old-fashioned crime can run into new technology. A burglar once needed a friend, a taxi or a stolen car. Now, someone can call a driverless ride with an app and leave the scene without ever dealing with a human driver.
That creates a problem for the police. If the ride was ordered with stolen information or a burner phone, the account may not point to the person who actually committed the crime. And even with all those cameras, the footage may not show what investigators need.
That is the part that stands out to me. We often assume more cameras mean more answers. But this case shows that assumption can fall apart fast. If key video gets deleted, faces stay blurred or the account information leads nowhere, a high-tech getaway car may still leave police with very old-fashioned detective work.
FACIAL RECOGNITION JAILS INNOCENT GRANDMOTHER, ATTORNEY SAYS
A Waymo robotaxi became part of a San Francisco burglary investigation after police say a suspect loaded stolen clothing into the trunk and rode away. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
What this Waymo case means to you
If robotaxis operate where you live or where you travel, this story should get your attention. These cars are no longer test vehicles quietly roaming around a few streets. They are picking people up, dropping them off and now, in this case, showing up in a police investigation.
That is what makes this so important. A self-driving car can become a witness, a source of evidence or even the ride someone uses to leave a crime scene.
At the same time, privacy protections can create a real tradeoff. Blurring faces may protect people walking down the street who have nothing to do with a crime. But it may also limit what police can use later.
And this case proves something else. Cameras alone do not guarantee answers. A vehicle can record plenty of data and still miss the one image, account detail or clue investigators need.
For riders, here is the part to remember. A robotaxi may feel private because no driver sits up front. But it still leaves a digital trail. Before you climb in, assume the trip, the account and some vehicle data may be recorded.
How to protect your privacy in a robotaxi
This case also gives riders something to think about. A robotaxi may feel more private because no driver sits up front. But the vehicle can still collect trip details, account information and sensor data.
Check the robotaxi privacy policy
Review the company’s privacy policy so you understand what it collects, how long it may keep certain data and when it may share information with law enforcement. You do not need to read every line like a lawyer. Look for sections about cameras, audio, trip history, account data and legal requests.
Secure your ride-hail account
Use a strong, unique password for your ride-hail account, and consider using a trusted password manager to create and store it securely. Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) when available. Also, keep your phone locked with a passcode, Face ID or fingerprint protection. If someone gets into your phone, they may also get into your ride apps.
Be careful what you say during the ride
Avoid sharing sensitive personal details during a robotaxi ride unless you really need to. That includes financial information, passwords, medical details or private family matters. Also, be careful about phone calls on speaker. Even without a human driver, you should treat the space like a connected vehicle.
Protect your payment information
Use a credit card instead of a debit card when possible. Credit cards often offer stronger fraud protections if an account gets compromised. Check your ride receipts and payment alerts. If you see a trip you did not take, report it right away.
Know what to do if something goes wrong
If you feel unsafe during a ride, use the app’s help or emergency option. Take screenshots of your trip details if you can do so safely. If you see a robotaxi near a crime or emergency, remember that useful footage may depend on timing and legal process. Police may need a warrant or another valid request before a company turns over data. That gap between what the car saw and what investigators can later use can make a big difference.
HOW SURVEILLANCE TECH LED POLICE TO ACCUSE THE WRONG PERSON
Police reportedly obtained a warrant for Waymo account information and vehicle video, but investigators said the records did not identify a suspect. (AP Photo/Terry Chea, File)
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Kurt’s key takeaways
A burglar using a Waymo as a getaway car sounds almost ridiculous, but the privacy questions are very real. These vehicles can capture a lot of what happens around them. Still, that does not mean police will always get clear evidence or a quick answer. This case also shows why timing matters. If footage is deleted, blurred or tied to a stolen account, a high-tech vehicle may not solve the crime as easily as you might expect. To me, this is where cities need to catch up. Robotaxis are already on the road. Now we need clearer rules for how long footage is kept, when police can access it and how innocent people’s privacy is protected.
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Would you feel safer knowing robotaxis keep more footage for police, or more concerned about what that could mean for your privacy? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Widow’s Bay just wrapped up its first season — a second has already been confirmed — and it tells a story that at first sounds incredibly derivative. It takes place on an isolated island in New England, which has a sordid history due to what the locals believe is a curse. In the first episode, a terrifying fog rolls into town, suggesting that a powerful evil is waking up again. Cue the Stephen King comparisons.
But it’s not long before Widow’s Bay’s distinct brand of horror / comedy makes itself clear. The show is largely centered on the island’s hapless mayor, Tom (Matthew Rhys), who has a misguided desire to turn Widow’s Bay into a tourist destination that can rival Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod. This, of course, runs counter to the whole curse thing. And the incoming fog is just the first sign that things are not going to go well for him and his plan, though Tom ignores the signs at every opportunity.
Image: Apple
What makes the show work is that, at its core, it’s just a really scary and tense story. From the very first episode, when Tom is stressing out about a visiting travel writer from The New York Times, there’s a steadily rising sense of dread: a tour through the island’s history that’s full of stories of death and, uh, cannibalism; a calendar about wolves that for some reason also has car crash photos; a ferry captain who says simply “bad things happen here.” The show makes you feel as uneasy as the island’s residents.
That sensation only grows over the course of the season, as each episode explores a different horror genre while building on the cursed lore of the island. The second episode takes place in a clearly haunted hotel, complete with a killer clown; later there’s a demonic party planning book that leads to a terrifying and unsettling beach gathering. Tom’s assistant Patricia (Kate O’Flynn) gets hunted by a Jason Voorhees–style slasher villain, and there’s even a darkly inventive take on a drug trip sequence, complete with jarring time skips.
It’s because it’s such a well-crafted horror story that the comedy in Widow’s Bay hits so hard. It’s not the easiest genre mix to pull off, as creator and showrunner Katie Dippold — who knows a thing about how funny horror can be — told me ahead of the show’s premiere in April. “It can be a great combo, but it can also be a bad combo,” she explained, noting that projects that successfully blend the two genres are “few and far between.” As if to prove her point, the new Scary Movie released this month was entirely toothless.
But unlike more overt attempts at infusing horror with comedy, most of the gags in Widow’s Bay are comparatively subtle — and scary in their own way. When Tom is looking through a collection of board games at the local inn, he finds one simply called Teeth; inside, there’s nothing but a pair of pliers. When Patricia finally kills the “boogeyman” who has been stalking her, she keeps her shotgun trained on his corpse at all times — from the ambulance to cremation — just in case. Even the episode titles can be hilarious. The finale, where just about everything goes wrong, is called “We hope you enjoyed your time!”
Image: Apple
This means that the jokes not only fit into the eerie nature of the world, they actually heighten it. And that was the goal all along. “I never wanted to have a moment where something scary happens and the characters don’t react truthfully,” Dippold told me. “If you’re truthful, then eventually you’ll find the comedy. That was the very hard rule.”
This all comes to a head as the show wrapped up its first season. Leading into the finale, Tom was put in an impossible situation, forced to choose whether to kill his adorably inept secretary Ruth (K Callan) in order to end the curse for good, or doom the island by not acting. In the last episode, with the town’s residents and tourists stuck in a shelter due to a destructive storm, Tom finds himself in Ruth’s house, and it’s genuinely painful watching him try to decide the right path. But amidst all of this tension, there are still funny bits, like Ruth casually noting that an old boyfriend “got bit by an animal and became that animal,” or a cheerful instructional video on ritual sacrifice. And this being Widow’s Bay, things are a bit more complex than they appear, leaving Tom with an even more difficult task in front of him.
You don’t just have to take my word for it. Guillermo del Toro recently called the series “hands down one of the most mesmerizing acts of narrative prestidigitation in horror.” That’s some high praise. But so is the fact that Widow’s Bay has managed to claim its own distinct lane in such a crowded moment. The finale title turned out to be incredibly accurate: I did, in fact, enjoy my time.
The first season of Widow’s Bay is streaming now on Apple TV.
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