The United States of America recently turned 250 years old. What a spectacle! The fireworks were amazing, and millions of proud people celebrated across the nation — even around the world. France lit up the Eiffel Tower; Japan had fireworks. French fighter jets flew above New York City with trails of red, white, and blue — our first major ally streaking our shared colors through the sky. Meanwhile, shameful white nationalists paraded through our nation’s capital. This has always been a country of paradoxes.
Technology
Tips to follow from one incredibly costly conversation with cyber crooks
It is the crummiest feeling of getting fooled and ripped off by online swindlers.
A former New York Times writer courageously shares a day from hell when an orchestrated attack starting with a phone call ended with her handing crooks $50,000 in cash.
Before you rush to conclusions and think, “That could never happen to me,” think again.
CLICK TO GET KURT’S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK VIDEO TIPS, TECH REVIEWS, AND EASY HOW-TO’S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER
Woman talking on her cell phone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
The anatomy of a $50,000 scam
In “The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger,” Charlotte Cowles, a finance writer, explains how she was deceived by a very complex fraud.
It started when Cowles received a phone call from someone claiming to be from Amazon customer service, alerting her to suspicious activity on her account, which quickly escalated into a total nightmare scenario involving identity theft, drug trafficking and money laundering charges linked to her name.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE U.S. NEWS
Here’s what happened:
- The scam escalated when she was transferred to someone claiming to be from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), who informed her that her identity was linked to serious criminal activities, including money laundering and drug trafficking.
- The scammer, now pretending to be a CIA agent, convinced her that her assets were being investigated and that she needed to secure her funds by withdrawing $50,000 in cash.
- Under the pretense of protecting her from supposed criminal charges and ensuring the safety of her assets, the scammer instructed Cowles to place the $50,000 in cash inside a shoebox and hand it over to an accomplice who would arrive at her location.
- The scammer exploited personal information about Cowles, such as her home address, Social Security Number and details about her family, to create a sense of urgency and fear.
- Despite her background in financial journalism and personal finance, Cowles was manipulated into complying with the scammer’s demands, highlighting that scam victims can come from any demographic and possess various levels of education and financial literacy.
- The scam concluded with Cowles handing over the money to a stranger in a white Mercedes SUV. She later realized the extent of the deception and reported the incident to the police, though the money was never recovered.
WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE PASSES LAWS RESTRICTING AI-PRODUCED DEEPFAKE CAMPAIGN MATERIALS
The con’s manipulation
Charlotte is manipulated into believing her and her family’s safety is at risk, which leads her to withdraw a whopping $50,000 from her savings and hand it over to the scammers under the guise of protecting her assets.
Scammer on a laptop committing a crime (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: HOW SCAMMERS USE GOOGLE VOICE VERIFICATION CODES TO STEAL YOUR IDENTITY AND MONEY
Drawn into the scammer’s web of lies
Despite her background in personal finance and being considered rational and dependable, Charlotte is drawn into the scammer’s web of lies, highlighting the psychological manipulation techniques used by scammers.
The psychology of Charlotte’s scam
The scam taps into Charlotte’s deep-seated fears for her family’s well-being, initially hooking her attention. The scammer then isolates her by insisting she communicate with no one else, effectively cutting off potential sources of support or reality checks. The sense of urgency is escalated as the scammer pressures her to act swiftly and forego any form of verification.
The scam preyed on her trust in authority figures and her desire to resolve the fabricated crisis, leading her to make decisions that, in hindsight, seem totally irrational.
The lessons for all of us
Her account sheds light on how scammers use fear, urgency and isolation to exploit even the financially knowledgeable, underscoring the critical need for vigilance and skepticism toward unexpected requests for personal information or money.
More alarming are recent stats that younger adults that fall into the Gen Z, Gen X and millennial groups are 34% more likely to report getting ripped off by fraud, according to the FTC.
To enhance your protection against elaborate scams and identity theft, consider these strategies:
Cash and the word “fraud” written on a pad of paper (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM VENMO, ZELLE AND CASH APP SCAM THAT CAN WIPE OUT YOUR SAVINGS IN SECONDS
How to make yourself strong to help fend off scams and attacks
Here are four tips that can help you protect your identity, your data and your devices from online fraudsters and hackers. By following these steps, you can increase your security and confidence when dealing with online transactions and communications.
Tip No. 1 — Verify unexpected contacts
If you receive an unexpected text, email or call involving financial transactions of any sort, independently verify they are legit.
Tip No 2 — Make yourself resilient from online malware and attacks with strong antivirus protection
Equip all your connected devices with robust antivirus software to defend against malware, ransomware and other cyberthreats that could compromise your personal and financial information.
Having good antivirus software actively running on your devices will alert you of any malware in your system, warn you against clicking on any malicious links in phishing emails and ultimately protect you from being hacked. Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
These proactive measures can significantly lower your risk of falling victim to sophisticated scams by limiting access to your personal information and enhancing your ability to respond quickly to potential threats.
Tip No. 3 — Remove your personal information from the internet
Today’s scammers are crafty and take advantage of any personal details they can learn about you. Data removal services can make it tougher for them to find intimate details about you.
While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a data removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for removal services here.
On your own, you should take the time to make all your social media posts private or only accessible to friends and family to keep strangers from harvesting personal details about your life.
Tip No. 4 — Use identity protection services to know when your identity is being stolen
Theft protection companies can monitor personal information like your home title, Social Security Number, phone number and email address and alert you if it is being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals. Read more of my review of best identity theft protection services here.
MORE: PROTECT YOUR BACON: THE RISE OF PIG BUTCHERING SCAMS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
Kurt’s key takeaways
The story of Charlotte Cowles is a sobering reminder of how vulnerable we all are to online fraud, especially in times of stress and uncertainty. Scammers are constantly evolving their tactics and targeting new victims, regardless of their age, education or income level. No one is immune to the power of fear, isolation and urgency that scammers use to manipulate us into giving away our money or personal information.
The best way to protect ourselves and our loved ones from these scams is to be aware, alert and skeptical of any unsolicited or suspicious contact, whether it is by phone, email, text or social media. We should also take steps to safeguard our personal information online, such as antivirus protection, identity protection services and removing our data from public databases. By doing so, we can reduce the chances of becoming a victim of fraud and identity theft.
Have you ever been a victim of a scam or attempted scam? How did it happen, and how did you deal with it? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact
For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter
Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover
Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:
Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Our 250th birthday counts back to the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The declaration was a radical and astonishing document that still serves as America’s soul. But the beating heart of the nation wouldn’t come until more than a decade later, when the Constitution was ratified. That document is why I’m able to write this to you today. And we need you to help protect it.
The First Amendment to the Constitution is so potent that people across the world who live in places untouched by US law often seem to think they have the same rights it establishes. The First Amendment is our day-one theory of what makes a free society. It’s literally the first cure by the framers for a project they knew would be forever imperfect and incomplete — fixable only by way of the right to free expression.
The Verge exists today because of this great project. We believe in it deeply. The First Amendment affords us the knowledge that we’re likely free from imprisonment from expressing our freedom to speak. But journalism and speech are always under assault. It’s one of the reasons why we’ll always need lawyers despite likely having the strongest editorial ethics policy in the industry.
Here’s what the First Amendment says:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
This is a compelling and beautiful idea. But we’ve had to fight to keep it alive from the beginning..
John Adams, one of the fiercest revolutionaries who railed against British tyrrany and helped secure independence, completely fucked up the First Amendement when he became the second US president. Adams’ series of Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 look positively Trumpian in retrospect, railing against foreigners, expanding presidential power to arrest, imprison, or deport people, and perhaps most insidiously, making it a crime for American citizens to print “scandalous and malicious” writings against the government. Adams surely loved the country he created, but nonetheless shrunk before the magnitude of its liberties.
Fast-forward to World War I, when the First Amendment was again under attack, this time by the Supreme Court. The court’s awful decision under Oliver Wendell Holmes was later overturned, but its fearful message about free speech still sticks with us. You’ve probably heard the phrase “you can’t shout ‘fire’ in a crowded theater” — not actually true. The misquoting and misinterpretation here is darkly funny: Trevor Timm, in The Atlantic, notes the court decision the phrase refers to was actually about whether an American socialist “could be convicted under the Espionage Act for writing and distributing a pamphlet that expressed his opposition to the draft.” It almost sounds ripped from contemporary headlines. (Nearly a century later, the Espionage Act would be used again to target, this time, a New York Times journalist.)
Misunderstandings about the First Amendment still abound. On the front lines we most readily see it in police confrontations where armed agents of the state bungle their constitutional duties with disastrous results.
Cops are routinely so terrible at understanding America’s foundational law that there’s now a cottage industry of streamers and influencers who work as “First Amendment auditors” — people who intentionally flex their right to record in public to bait dummies into abridging their freedom of speech. It’s easy to go down TikTok rabbit holes where you’ll find someone recording an illegal traffic stop from inside their car, or a fully kitted streamer recording harassment on a public sidewalk. When the police inevitably show up to hassle someone for exercising their rights, the stakes are immediately raised.
In a best-case scenario, a higher-ranking cop arrives and dispels their colleagues’ unconstitutional conduct. In other cases, someone ends up getting detained or arrested for completely protected behavior.
It’s even worse than usual in 2026, because we now live under an administration that’s flooding cities with barely trained federal agents who see constitutionally protected behavior as a threat. This has resulted in deaths, assaults on reporters, and an untold broader cost of regular people having to endure the immense burden of confronting the justice system simply for doing things they have the fundamental right to do. The right to speak and assemble is especially valid when it’s in protest of the government. That’s the whole point of this thing! And yet.
The latest assaults on the First Amendment have been encouraged by people all the way up the chain of command. We’re being betrayed by officials who are supposed to protect us, people who swore an oath to the Constitution and ought to know better. The FCC is not supposed to regulate speech but has nonetheless become a nightmare of incompetence and civil rights suppression. Do you miss Stephen Colbert on The Late Show? Thank the Trump administration, which now operates a mob-like patronage system that has cowed the billionaire princes who own America’s broadcast networks. Or ask Jimmy Kimmel, who got kicked off the air after conservatives went nuclear over his tame remarks about Charlie Kirk, a man who spent his time poisoning our national discourse with none of the grace or wit employed by national talk show hosts.
The Trump regime in general has an incredibly disturbing record on free speech, from science to the operations of the largest social networks. Donald Trump rails against anyone who doesn’t bow to him, and the list of his victims is too long to enumerate. But here’s an important one: The president once threatened to jail Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for life. Zuckerberg is far more wealthy and powerful than Trump in many respects, but what did he do? Two years after the threat, Zuckerberg showed up on the White House lawn to celebrate Trump’s insane UFC fight show. He tapped out against a bully.
This is what makes everything really messy. We live in an age dominated by communication platforms that are so wealthy, powerful, and pervasive that they seem practically unrestrained by the US government, but paradoxically must still cozy up to a regime that has no actual respect for them or for their free speech. Trump once threatened to blow up the entire internet because he wanted platforms to censor things to his advantage. The CEOs of those companies still indulge him with flattery and photo ops.
This blurring of public and private interests has fueled a funhouse-mirror idea of “free speech culture” that’s actually designed to crack down on free speech. The loudest people crying about free speech culture do so as if theirs is not the freest ever in history, while simultaneously supporting actual government censorship, like banning books.
I can’t say it better than Ken White has, so just go read him on this point. White explains how “free speech culture” has emboldened the Trump admin and others to engage in real censorship. “When enough people think that all of free speech—including free speech law—is bullshit, then free speech rights won’t be enforced,” he writes.
Our constitutional punchbowl has been spiked by madmen who profit from confusion about our rights and the rule of law. It doesn’t have to be this way. Just remember: The First Amendment is a restraint on the government that prevents it from prohibiting your speech.
Moreover: Actual censorship is government suppression of speech. It’s entirely understandable that we’re confused about what censorship is because of how hard many people have worked to keep us confused. A social media platform moderating your post is not censorship — it’s actually free speech. Yes, that sounds completely counterintuitive, but it’s true. The alternative is a situation where the government forces private citizens to publish things they don’t want to, including hate speech.
Much was unsaid here, including the history of immense pain and suffering that has kept the First Amendment and our broader rights alive. I won’t claim to know what the fix is for our current mess, but I’ll say I really hate when our leaders say things like “this is not who we are” when they talk precisely about the things that define who we are. And part of who we are is a coalition that claims to want free speech in theory while simultaneously suppressing it in practice.
So what can you do? Yes, of course, vote. But there’s much more to do. Write or call your congresspeople (I promise this does matter). Participate in local elections, especially for school boards, which are on the front lines of book banning. And if you’re reading this, thank you for subscribing — but consider also supporting other newsrooms.
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Google general counsel explains AI-powered phishing rise
Halimah Delaine Prado, Google General Counsel, reveals the rise of AI-powered phishing scams originating from China’s ‘outsider enterprise.’ She explains how these criminals use artificial intelligence to create highly convincing fake websites, impersonating trusted brands like T-Mobile to defraud hundreds of thousands of Americans, causing millions in losses. Prado highlights Google’s strategy to combat these evolving threats.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Summer travel already costs enough. So, an email promising a $500 Booking.com travel credit can feel like a lucky break.
That is exactly why this message we received deserves a closer look. It uses a familiar travel brand, a big reward and a deadline to push you toward a blue “Redeem Now” button. The email also uses my real name in three places, which makes the message feel more personal and convincing.
However, the details in this email raise several red flags. The sender address does not even appear to relate to Booking.com. The subject line feels vague. The reward sounds broad. The deadline adds pressure.
Scammers know people are booking flights, hotels and last-minute trips right now. A fake travel credit can catch someone at the perfect moment.
BOOKING A SUMMER TRIP? HERE’S WHAT YOU’RE GIVING SCAMMERS
A fake Booking.com email promises a $500 travel credit while using pressure tactics and suspicious sender details to target travelers. (iStock)
Before you click anything, let’s break down what makes this email look suspicious.
Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report
- Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox.
- For simple, real-world ways to spot scams early and stay protected, visit CyberGuy.com – trusted by millions who watch CyberGuy on TV daily.
- Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide free when you join.
Fake Booking.com email starts with pressure
The subject line says “(1) Pending.” That wording is a red flag. It sounds urgent, but it does not clearly explain what is pending.
Scammers often use vague subject lines because they spark curiosity. You may open the message just to find out what needs your attention.
Also, the number “(1)” makes the email feel like an account alert. It hints that one item needs action. That can push you to click faster.
A real travel reward email should explain the offer clearly. It should not rely on mystery to get your attention.
Sender address does not match Booking.com
The biggest giveaway is the sender address. The display name uses a Booking. com-style label. However, the actual email address does not appear to relate to Booking.com at all. That is a major warning sign.
Scammers can copy a logo, brand colors and a button. Still, the sender address often exposes the fake. Always open the full sender details before clicking. Look past the display name. If the real address uses a strange domain, random letters or an unrelated company name, stop. That one detail can save you from a stolen password or a fake payment page.
Fake Booking.com email uses your real name
One detail makes this scam feel more personal: the email uses my real name in three places. That can make a fake message feel more legitimate.
Scammers use names, account-style details and fake customer IDs to lower your guard. They want you to think, “Well, they know who I am, so this must be real.”
But a real name does not prove an email is legitimate. Your name may already appear in old breaches, data broker lists, leaked marketing databases or public records. That personal touch should make you more cautious, not less.
GLOBAL SCAM CRACKDOWN LEADS TO 276 ARRESTS
Booking.com says travelers should keep communication and payments on its platform and report suspicious messages through official channels. (KairosDee/Getty Images)
Booking.com email shows a suspicious date mismatch
Another strange detail appears near the top of the message. The email itself shows “March 2026,” but it was actually sent to us on June 23, 2026.
That mismatch matters because real travel reward emails usually have consistent dates, campaign timing and account details. A March label on a June email can suggest a reused template, a sloppy scam setup or a copied brand-style message.
Scammers often move fast and recycle old layouts. So, when the date inside an email does not match when it arrived, treat that as another reason to pause before clicking.
Fake Booking.com credit uses a tempting reward
The message says you are eligible for a CA$500 Booking.com travel credit. That amount feels big enough to matter. It also feels believable enough to make you curious.
That combination is dangerous. Scammers do not always use wild dollar amounts. They often choose a number that feels exciting but still possible.
The email also says the credit can be applied toward hotels, flights or a Booking.com reservation in Canada. That broad wording makes the offer sound useful to almost anyone planning travel.
However, real travel rewards should be easy to confirm inside your official account. You should not need to click an email button to find out if a credit exists.
Booking.com scam email borrows loyalty language
The message mentions a Spring Genius Loyalty Event. That sounds official because Booking.com has used the Genius name for its loyalty program. Scammers use familiar program names because they make fake emails feel more believable.
Still, the email does not give enough proof. It does not explain real terms. It does not tell you to verify inside your account. It mainly pushes you toward the “Redeem Now” button.
That is another red flag. Real rewards usually appear in your official account, app or wallet area. A surprise email should never be your only proof.
Fake travel email uses flattery
The message says your activity placed you among a select number of loyal members. That line tries to make the reward feel personal. It suggests you earned something special because of your booking history.
However, the wording stays broad. It could apply to almost anyone. Scammers often use flattery to lower your guard. When a message makes you feel chosen, you may spend less time checking the details. That is exactly what the scammer wants.
Booking.com scam creates deadline panic
The message says you must respond before June 23, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.. That exact deadline adds pressure. It makes the credit feel like it could disappear at midnight.
Then the email says the allocation will be released if you take no action. In other words, it wants you to move quickly before you inspect the sender, links or account details.
Urgency is one of the most common scam tactics. When an email mixes a reward with a deadline, slow down. A real company will let you verify rewards by logging in safely through the official app or website.
The ‘Redeem Now’ button is the danger zone
The blue “Redeem Now” button is the part to avoid. A scam link can take you to a fake Booking.com sign-in page. From there, scammers may try to steal your email address, password, payment details or verification codes.
Some fake pages look convincing. They may use the same colors, fonts and logo style as the real site. However, the link behind the button tells the real story. Since you cannot fully trust a button in a suspicious email, do not click it. Open Booking.com through the official app instead. You can also type the website into your browser.
FIVE DATA BROKER OPT-OUT MYTHS THAT LEAVE RETIREES EXPOSED
Travelers should avoid clicking links in suspicious reward emails and verify any travel credit through the official Booking.com app or website. (martin-dm/Getty Images)
Junk folder warning should not be ignored
This email landed in our junk folder, and that is worth noting. Spam filters can flag suspicious sender patterns, bulk messages, strange links or known scam behavior. They are not perfect, but they can give you a useful warning.
So, when a reward email appears in junk, treat it with extra caution. Do not click first and investigate later. The safer move is to delete the message and check your account directly.
CyberGuy reached out to Booking.com about the suspicious email. Booking.com responded with general safety guidance for travelers and said it uses dedicated teams and machine learning tools to monitor, detect and block suspicious activity around the clock.
Booking.com responds to phishing concerns
Booking.com responded to CyberGuy after we reached out about the suspicious email. The company did not specifically verify this email, but said cybercrime and online fraud are not new or unique to Booking.com or the travel industry.
“At Booking.com, the security and data protection of our partners and travelers is a top priority. We have dedicated teams and employ machine learning tooling to monitor, detect and block suspicious activity around the clock and continuously work to enhance the robust security measures we have in place,” Booking.com said.
Booking.com also advises travelers to keep communication and payment on its platform, watch for unusual host requests or last-minute listing changes and report suspicious messages through its official customer service channels.
How to stay safe from Booking.com travel scams
A fake travel credit can look convincing at first, but a few quick checks can help you avoid a stolen login, fake payment page or follow-up scam.
1) Check the sender address first
Do not trust the display name alone. A scam email can say Booking.com, while the real sender address has nothing to do with the company. Open the sender details and look closely. Strange domains, random letters or unrelated addresses are clear warning signs.
2) Be cautious when an email uses your real name
Do not assume an email is safe because it knows your name. Scammers can get names from data breaches, people-search sites and marketing lists. If a message uses your name while pushing a deadline, reward or login link, treat it as suspicious.
3) Skip email links and open the app
Do not click “Redeem Now” from the email. Instead, open the Booking.com app or type the website into your browser. Then check your account for rewards, wallet credits or official messages. If the credit is real, it should appear there. Booking.com also advises travelers not to move communication or payment outside its platform because scammers often use that tactic to avoid platform protections.
4) Watch for pressure words
Words like Pending, Confirm, Final notice and Limited time can push you to act fast. Slow down when an email adds a deadline. Scammers use urgency because it keeps you from checking the facts.
5) Protect your login details
Never enter your password, payment details or verification codes from an email link. Also, use a password manager. It can help you avoid fake sign-in pages because it usually will not autofill your saved password on the wrong site.
6) Turn on two-factor authentication
Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) or passkeys for your Booking.com account, email account and payment accounts. That extra step can help block a scammer who steals your password. Never share a one-time code with anyone who contacts you by email, text or phone.
7) Use strong antivirus software
Use strong antivirus software on your devices to help detect malicious links, fake websites and suspicious downloads. That extra layer can help stop a scam before it steals your information or infects your device. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.
8) Use a data removal service
Scammers can use your exposed personal information to make phishing emails feel more believable. A data removal service can help reduce how much of your personal data appears on people-search sites and data broker lists. That can make it harder for scammers to target you with personalized travel scams. 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.
9) Report the fake email
Report the message as phishing or junk in your email app. You can also forward suspicious Booking.com-related emails to Booking.com’s customer service or report them through your account. This helps the platform track scams that impersonate its brand. Booking.com says travelers should report suspicious listings or communications through its official customer service channels so they can be investigated quickly.
10) Mark the message as junk
Since this email already appeared in the junk folder, your spam filter likely spotted something suspicious. Mark it as junk and delete it. If you already clicked, change your Booking.com password through the official site. Then check your card activity. Also, watch for follow-up scam messages that mention travel credits, refunds or account problems.
Kurt’s key takeaways
This fake Booking.com email works because it shows up when travel is already on your mind. A $500 credit sounds helpful when hotels and flights feel expensive. But the warning signs are clear. The vague subject line creates curiosity. The sender address does not appear connected to Booking.com. The use of a real name makes the scam feel more personal. The deadline adds pressure. The “Redeem Now” button pushes you toward a risky click. That is important because travel scams often work fast. One fake login page can hand scammers your account, payment details or personal information. The safest move is to ignore the email and check your account directly. If the credit is real, it should appear inside your Booking.com account. If it is fake, you just avoided a costly summer scam.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
With scammers using trusted travel brands to push fake credits, should companies like Booking.com do more to protect customers before they fall for the click? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report
- Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox.
- For simple, real-world ways to spot scams early and stay protected, visit CyberGuy.com – trusted by millions who watch CyberGuy on TV daily.
- Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide free when you join.
Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Most Americans don’t trust AI. It’s proven that it doesn’t know what safe toppings for pizza are. People don’t even want to listen to AI music. But none of that matters for some of America’s wealthy, who are turning to AI to teach their kids instead of traditional schools.
Companies like Forge Prep and Alpha School are charging families tens of thousands of dollars to turn their kids into beta testers for AI tutors and “interactive project-based workshops.” Unsurprisingly, Silicon Valley have been major adopters of this new model. Shaun Johnson, a San Francisco-based venture capitalist, told the Wall Street Journal that he plans to send his son to a $75,000 year Alpha Kindergarten. He said, “We recognize that education is likely broken the way it is and there’s going to be entrepreneurs that try to fix it… You want someone to be able to think on their feet and navigate the world, not necessarily a recitation of facts in a particular discipline.”
Ignoring Johnson’s fundamental lack of understanding about modern pedagogy, it’s unclear how notoriously sycophantic AI will train children to “think on their feet and navigate the world.” It’s also concerning that Alpha School co-founder MacKenzie Price has said she plans to keep “hot-button social issues” out of the classroom. Which, in the current political climate, could cover women’s rights, America’s history of slavery, and our immigrant past. That might not seem like a major issue when you’re talking about kindergarten, but in some locations, Alpha School goes through high school.
Companies like Forge also don’t share performance metrics, so there’s no evidence that these AI-guided private schools are improving educational outcomes.
-
North Dakota2 minutes ago
ND ATTORNEY GENERAL TO RELEASE 2025 CRIME STATISTICS – North Dakota Attorney General
-
Ohio5 minutes agoVeteran Officer Among 4 Dead in Ohio Shooting
-
Oklahoma10 minutes agoFFA members attend Oklahoma FFA Alumni Leadership Camp
-
Oregon17 minutes agoOregon’s Class Surges in Team Recruiting Rankings to No. 3
-
Pennsylvania20 minutes agoPennsylvania State Police on scene of ‘active incident’ in Marysville
-
Rhode Island25 minutes agoRhode Island participates in ‘New England Drive to Save Lives’ campaign
-
South-Carolina32 minutes agoGeorgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver named South Carolina Sheriff of the Year: SCSA
-
South Dakota34 minutes agoSouth Dakota native lived near Iranian missile & drone attacks
