From its opening minutes, Moves of the Diamond Hand is upfront about what it offers: You’re going to have a lot of strange conversations, and you’re going to roll a lot of dice. Get on board with this proposition, and the reward is one of the most creative roleplaying games I’ve seen in years, even if its many mysteries won’t be resolved until 2027.
Technology
New iPhone scam tricks owners into giving phones away
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Getting a brand-new iPhone should be a moment you enjoy. You open the box. You power it on. Everything feels secure. Unfortunately, scammers know that moment too.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard from a number of people who received unexpected phone calls shortly after activating a new iPhone. The callers claimed to be from a major carrier. They said a shipping mistake was made. They insisted the phone needed to be returned right away. One message stood out because it shows exactly how convincing and aggressive this scam can be.
“Somebody called me (the call said it was from Spectrum) and told me they sent the wrong iPhone and needed to replace it. I was to rip off the label on the box, tape it up and set it on my porch steps. FedEx was going to pick it up and they’d put a label on it. And just for my trouble, he’d send me a $100 gift card! However, the guy was just too anxious. He called me again at 7 am to make sure I would follow his instructions. Right after that, I picked up my box on the steps and called Spectrum, who confirmed it was a scam. There are no such things as refurbished i17 phones because they’re brand new. I called the guy back, said a few choice words and hung up on him. Since then, they have called at least twice for the same thing. Spectrum should be warning its customers!”
That second early morning call was the giveaway. Pressure is the scammer’s favorite tool.
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HOLIDAY DELIVERIES AND FAKE TRACKING TEXTS: HOW SCAMMERS TRACK YOU
Scammers often strike right after a new iPhone purchase, using urgency and fake carrier calls to catch you off guard before you have time to verify. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
How the new iPhone replacement scam works
This scam relies on timing and pressure. First, criminals focus on people who recently bought a new iPhone. That information often comes from data-broker sites, leaked purchase data or marketing lists sold online. Next, scammers spoof a carrier phone number. As a result, the call appears legitimate. They sound confident and informed because they already know the device model you ordered.
Once the call begins, the story moves quickly. The scammer claims a shipping mistake occurred. Then they insist the phone must be returned right away. To reinforce urgency, they say a courier is already scheduled. If you follow the instructions, you hand over a brand-new iPhone. At that point, the device is gone. The scammer either resells it or strips it for parts. By the time you realize something is wrong, recovery is unlikely.
Why this scam feels so believable
This scam copies real customer service processes. Carriers do ship replacement phones. FedEx does handle returns. Gift cards are often used as apologies. Scammers blend those facts together and add urgency. They count on you acting before you verify. They also rely on one risky assumption, that a phone call that looks real must be real.
REAL APPLE SUPPORT EMAILS USED IN NEW PHISHING SCAM
By spoofing trusted phone numbers and knowing details about your device, criminals make these calls feel real enough to push you into acting fast. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Red flags that give this scam away
Once you know what to watch for, the warning signs are clear.
• Unsolicited calls about returns you did not request
• Pressure to act fast
• Instructions to leave a phone outside
• Promises of gift cards for cooperation
• Follow-up calls to rush you
Legitimate carriers do not handle returns this way.
THE FAKE REFUND SCAM: WHY SCAMMERS LOVE HOLIDAY SHOPPERS
Once a phone is handed over, it is usually resold or stripped for parts, leaving victims with no device and little chance of recovery. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Ways to stay safe from iPhone return scams
Protecting yourself starts with slowing things down. Scammers rely on speed and confusion. You win by pausing and verifying.
1) Never return a device based on a phone call alone
Hang up and contact the carrier using the number on your bill or the official website. If the issue is real, they will confirm it.
2) Do not leave electronics outside for pickup
Legitimate returns use tracked shipping labels tied to your account. Carriers do not ask you to leave phones on porches or doorsteps.
3) Be skeptical of urgency
Scammers rush you on purpose. Pressure shuts down careful thinking. Any demand for immediate action should raise concern.
4) Use a data removal service
Scammers often know what phone you bought because your personal data is widely available online. Data removal services help reduce your exposure by removing your information from data broker sites that criminals rely on. While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.
5) Install strong antivirus software
Strong antivirus software adds another layer of protection. Many antivirus tools help block scam calls, warn about phishing links and alert you to suspicious activity before damage is done.
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.
Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android, & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.
6) Save messages and call details
Keep voicemails, phone numbers and timestamps. This information helps carriers warn other customers and spot repeat scams.
7) Share this scam with others
Criminals reuse the same script again and again. A quick warning to friends or family could stop the next victim.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Scams aimed at new iPhone owners are getting more targeted and more aggressive. Criminals are timing their calls carefully and copying real carrier language. The simplest defense still works best. Verify before you act. If a call pressures you to rush or hand over a device, pause and contact the company directly. That one step can save you hundreds of dollars and a major headache.
If a carrier called you tomorrow claiming a mistake with your new phone, would you verify first or would urgency take over? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Moves of the Diamond Hand is an Early Access videogame available on PC, macOS, and steamOS (including the Steam Deck, where I played it) from musician and game designer Cosmo D. The game looks and feels like a 2000s-era first-person RPG or immersive sim: environments are grimy, stark, and blocky; characters’ features are stretched over smooth heads a bit too small for their faces; an eerie soundtrack pulses over all. You’ll arrive on a train and immediately meet an old mentor, disgraced by some kind of political scandal. You convey your desire to join a powerful organization called Circus X, then declare which of several wildly different paths you’ll take into its fold — you can try joining the city council, but could find equal success crafting the perfect sandwich or joining the best band.
These options help introduce the central mechanic. The game gives you one upgradeable die for each of seven stats, ranging from standard fare like Physique and Observation to the more idiosyncratic Cooking and Music. To set a challenge, it will roll a die corresponding to one of those attributes, and you’ve got to match or beat it with your own roll.
Once you emerge into the train station, the complexity quickly multiplies. There are a plethora of sub-mechanics including cooking, performing music, laundering disguises, and mixing cocktails — all of which add additional dice with unique quirks. You can selectively re-roll dice in a manner similar to Yahtzee, introducing an element of strategy within each encounter, and your final score (win or lose) is translated into experience points. The basic system was introduced in Cosmo D’s last game, Betrayal at Club Low, but in a less flexible and elegant form; Diamond Hand feels like its evolution. (Disclosure: My husband has provided outside feedback for Cosmo D’s games.)
It’s all a little intimidating at first. But the game allows you to ease into its options, which happens quickly, since you’re rolling for virtually every action and verbal exchange from making small talk to opening a door. There’s a meaningful element of chance to all this, without descending into unbounded randomness. Some rolls can be mathematically impossible to win or lose at a given skill level, but it’s possible to still damage your health or gain an unwelcome status effect with safe challenges, preventing them from becoming purely rote. You can retry most actions if you fail them, but they’ll become slightly more difficult on a second attempt, so there’s a constant balancing act of deciding when to take the initial leap. The ambient low-level risk makes even simple spaces feel substantive and engaging — it negates the common RPG urge to speed through environmental detail and flavor text while looking for the “real” parts of the game.
Through countless skill checks, you’ll internalize the odd logic of the game’s world. The setting, Off-Peak City, is a garish metropolis shaped by the machinations of sinister corporations, corrupt politicians, and shady operatives, but also musicians, restaurateurs, and literally and figuratively underground tailors — a neon retro-future for streetwise aesthetes. What might be niche skills in any other game prove extraordinarily powerful here. The Music stat, whose uses include sewing (machines can, among other options, be literally operated by improvisation), calming aggressive animal-human hybrids (by whistling tunes), and mixology (which can be performed “rhythmically”), is arguably the single strongest power in the game.
Circus X, you’ll soon learn, is a secretive arts institution that influences everything from politics to the sandwich supply chain — imagine the Factory crossed with the Freemasons. While pursuing membership, you’re embroiled in a local election between a scandal-plagued technocrat, a former boy-band star, and the corporate-controlled clone of a mayor from decades past. In place of a Maltese Falcon, everyone’s scheming for control of a sentient Big Mouth Billy Bass. And meddling behind the scenes is the mysterious, anarchic Diamond Hand, frequently alluded to but not explained.
Diamond Hand’s story evokes real-world parallels, but as a jumping-off point for something that’s rich and alive in its own right. In perhaps the most obvious example, a company in Off-Peak City is pumping the place full of clones, supplanting human artists with corporate-guardrailed regurgitations of old media. But rather than stop at commentary, the game walks this out to explore the idea that clones are also conscious beings who are frustrated by their creative limits and lack of autonomy, while letting human characters reflect on their own relationship with nostalgia and artistic taste.
Put this all together and you’ve got a hard-boiled sci-fi thriller involving subway busking, finding library books, stumping for politicians, harvesting lettuce, arguing about jazz, and doing laundry, infused with the lizard-brain appeal of a nonstop game of chance. It’s irresistible.
Most of Diamond Hand’s main quests end in roadblocks, because its Early Access build includes only the first two of six chapters, with the next scheduled for this summer and a full launch set for the spring of 2027. But even in its current state, Diamond Hand is dense and tantalizing, delivering a string of absurd premises and dry humor with a straight face. (Among many tossed-off jokes that are also actual game mechanics, local pizza-makers require everyone to bake their own pie, so if you don’t like your order, you have only yourself to blame.) You’re granted experience points for letting characters ramble through their backstories and opinions — which lands somewhere between a sly gag about RPG infodumping and a straightforwardly clever decision — but the dialogue pays off even without that prize.
And for all its dystopian elements, there’s something idealistic about a world where art, for good or ill, deeply matters. Diamond Hand may be a work in progress, but it’s a recipe for becoming obsessed with skill and perfection, chasing the world’s greatest sandwich and the string of lucky dice rolls that will get you there.
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Getting hacked once is scary enough. But getting hacked again after changing carriers, replacing cards and trying to recover your accounts can make it feel like the criminals are always one step ahead. That is exactly what happened to Lela in Ohio, who reached out after a frightening string of account takeovers.
“All my accounts have been hacked,” Lela said. “I had my phone number transferred to another carrier, AT&T, and I’m experiencing it again. They have hacked my phone number again.” She said criminals accessed her checking accounts, credit cards and even started charging new cards before she received them.
Then she asked the question anyone in her situation would be asking: “Should I be just getting a new phone number instead of trying to recover the number I’ve had for 20 years?”
The answer is maybe, but changing your number should rarely be the first move. A new number can help in some cases. However, if hackers still control your email, bank login, recovery settings or wireless account, they may keep breaking back in.
SCAMMERS TARGET WIRELESS CUSTOMERS IN NEW PHONE SCHEME
A SIM swap or port-out scam can let criminals take over your phone number and intercept security codes for sensitive accounts. (Jacob Wackerhausen/Getty Images)
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Why your phone number matters so much
Your phone number may feel harmless. After all, it is how friends, family, doctors and businesses reach you. But today, that number is also connected to some of your most important accounts. It may be tied to your bank accounts, credit cards, email accounts, Apple ID, Google account, medical portals, shopping accounts and password resets.
That makes it valuable to criminals. If a scammer takes control of your number, they may receive your calls and text messages. That includes security codes meant only for you. From there, they can reset passwords, break into email, access financial accounts and keep returning even after you think you fixed the problem.
What is a SIM swap or port-out scam?
A SIM swap scam happens when a criminal tricks your mobile carrier into moving your phone number to a SIM card or eSIM they control. A port-out scam happens when they move your number to another carrier.
Once that happens, your phone may suddenly lose service. Meanwhile, the scammer may start receiving your calls and texts. That can give them access to verification codes for email, banking, credit cards and other accounts.
In some cases, victims do not realize what happened until money disappears or accounts get locked.
Should Lela get a new phone number?
Maybe, but not immediately. If Lela gives up her long-time number too fast, she could lose access to accounts that still use that number for recovery. Even worse, if a criminal still controls the old number, they may continue receiving password reset codes for accounts tied to it. Before changing the number, she should secure the number she has and update her most important accounts.
A new number may make sense if the number keeps being targeted despite carrier protections. It may also help if hackers keep using it to reset accounts, the carrier confirms unauthorized SIM swaps or too many accounts tied to that number have already been compromised. A new number may also be worth considering if the old number is widely exposed on the dark web or data broker sites. Still, keeping the number may be safer for now if she needs it to recover critical accounts.
First, lock down the wireless account
Lela should call AT&T directly using the official number on AT&T’s website or on her bill. She should avoid numbers from texts, emails or voicemails. She should ask AT&T to check for SIM swap attempts, port-out requests, unauthorized account changes, new devices, call forwarding, number transfer activity and unknown authorized users.
Then she should ask AT&T to add stronger protections, including a strong account PIN, port-out freeze or number transfer lock, SIM lock if available and extra account verification. She should also remove any unknown authorized users. This makes it much harder for criminals to move her number again.
Secure your email before changing everything else
Your email is often the master key to your digital life. If a hacker controls your email, they can reset passwords for banks, credit cards, shopping accounts and social media. Before changing every password, Lela should make sure her main email account is clean and secure.
She should change her email password from a safe device, sign out of all sessions, check recovery email addresses, review recovery phone numbers and remove unknown forwarding rules. She should also review connected apps and devices and turn on stronger two-factor authentication (2FA). If email remains compromised, a hacker can keep undoing every recovery step.
Stop relying on text message codes
Text message codes are better than having no protection. However, they become risky when criminals target your phone number. For important accounts, use an authenticator app, a security key or passkeys where available.
This matters most for email, banking, credit cards, Apple ID, Google account, social media, password managers, tax accounts and government accounts. This makes your accounts much harder to break into, even if a criminal gets control of your phone number.
ARE BANK TEXT CODES ENOUGH TO PROTECT YOU?
Hackers can use a stolen phone number to reset passwords, break into email and access bank or credit card accounts. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Change passwords from a safe device
If your phone, tablet or computer has malware, changing passwords from that device may hand the new passwords right back to the hacker. Before resetting passwords, make sure the device is safe. Update the operating system. Delete unknown apps. Run strong antivirus protection. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.
Avoid links in suspicious texts or emails. Then use a password manager to create unique passwords for every important account. Never reuse old passwords after a hack. Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at CyberGuy.com.
Protect bank accounts and credit cards next
Since Lela said criminals charged new cards before she received them, she should treat this as possible identity theft or account takeover. She should call each bank and credit card company directly and ask for the fraud department. She should explain that her accounts, phone number or identity may have been compromised.
Ask each bank to cancel compromised cards, issue new card numbers, review recent activity, add verbal passwords or extra verification and remove unknown devices from online banking. She should also turn on transaction alerts and ask whether wire transfers, Zelle or other payment tools need temporary limits. Finally, she should check whether criminals opened any new accounts in her name.
Freeze your credit and file an identity theft report
If criminals have enough information to keep attacking your accounts, a credit freeze can help stop them from opening new credit in your name. Place a credit freeze with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You can also place a fraud alert.
Then file an identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov. That report can help create an official recovery plan. It can also provide documentation if banks, lenders or credit bureaus need proof.
Check whether your personal information is exposed
If scammers already have your phone number, email, address, date of birth or other personal details, they may use that information to impersonate you.
A data removal service can help reduce the amount of personal information exposed on people-search sites and data broker sites. Data removal will not fix a hacked account by itself. Still, it can reduce the information scammers use to target you again. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting CyberGuy.com.
Warning signs your phone number may still be under attack
Even after you lock things down, keep watching for signs that criminals are still trying to use your number or accounts. These red flags should get your attention fast.
1) Your phone suddenly loses service
If your phone switches to SOS mode, loses service or stops receiving calls and texts, contact your carrier right away. That can be a sign of a SIM swap or port-out attempt.
2) You receive password reset codes you did not request
Random security codes can mean someone is trying to break into one of your accounts. Do not share the code with anyone. Go directly to the account website or app and change your password from a safe device.
3) Your carrier sends account change alerts
Take any wireless account alert seriously. This includes alerts about a new SIM, eSIM, device, PIN change or number transfer request.
HOW SIM SWAPPING LED TO A $1.8M CYBER FRAUD CASE
A new phone number may help after repeated attacks, but victims should first secure email, banking and wireless account settings. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
4) Your bank alerts show strange activity
Watch for small test charges, declined transactions, new payees or changes to contact information. Criminals often test an account before making bigger moves.
5) Your email shows unfamiliar logins
Check recent login activity, connected devices, forwarding rules and recovery options. If anything looks unfamiliar, remove it and change your password.
When changing your number may be the right move
If the warning signs keep showing up after you lock things down, then changing your number may be worth considering. Changing the number may help if the current number remains a constant attack path. But before switching, Lela should update her phone number on critical accounts first.
That includes email, bank accounts, credit cards, Apple ID, Google account, Social Security account, IRS account, password manager, medical portals, insurance accounts, investment accounts, utilities and shopping accounts. Then she should remove the old number from account recovery settings wherever possible.
Do not forget account recovery settings
A common mistake after a hack is changing the password but forgetting the recovery options. If the scammer added their email, phone number or device, they may still be able to get back in.
Check every important account for recovery phone numbers, recovery email addresses, trusted devices, backup codes, linked apps, forwarding settings, authorized users and payment methods. Remove anything unfamiliar.
Kurt’s key takeaways
A new phone number can help, but it is no magic fix. If hackers still have access to Lela’s email, bank logins, recovery settings or personal information, they may keep getting back in even with a new number. The smarter order is to lock down the wireless account first. Then secure email, stop using text codes, change passwords from a safe device and protect bank accounts. After that, freeze credit, file an identity theft report and remove exposed personal information from the web. Only then should you decide whether changing your number is necessary. Your phone number may feel personal, especially if you have had it for 20 years. But once criminals use it as a doorway into your life, the real goal is cutting off every way they can use it against you.
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Have you ever had your phone number, email or bank account hacked? What was the first sign that something was wrong? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Nothing’s next budget phone is the latest victim of RAMageddon. As 9to5Google reports, Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis announced in a post on X that a follow-up to the CMF Phone 2 Pro won’t be coming this year:
We were working on a successor but with memory prices where they are right now, we can’t build a phone that feels like a genuine step forward at a price that makes sense for CMF. As a result, we’ve decided not to launch a new CMF phone this year.
Last week, Nothing CEO and co-founder Carl Pei also said the RAM shortage has impacted the cost of the company’s mid-range phone, stating, “For Phone 4A, memory costs doubled between when we decided to build the device and when it launched. They’ve doubled again since.” According to Pei, “memory is now the most expensive component in a smartphone.” Nothing is far from the only company facing RAM pricing challenges — earlier this week, Tim Cook announced Apple will be raising prices, saying “the situation has become unsustainable.”
While there won’t be a new CMF phone this year, Evangelidis added in his post that CMF still has “several new products launching as well as some entirely new categories.” He also hinted that “the smartphone launch season at Nothing isn’t over yet.”
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