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Watch out parents: Scammers are coming after your kids and teens

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Watch out parents: Scammers are coming after your kids and teens

What comes to mind when you think of someone getting scammed? A grandma on the phone with some jerk? If so, this will probably surprise you.

The total money lost by teens in online scams grew by nearly 2,500% between 2017 and 2022. Victims under the age of 20 lost a staggering $210 million in 2022 alone.

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Educating our kiddos on red flags is the first step in keeping them from becoming victims. That’s why I’m telling you about the scams and hacks targeting kids and teens right now.

‘Send me a pic’ 

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Sextortion scams increased an alarming 20% between October 2022 and March 2023. Scammers used to target adults, but teen boys have become their latest focus.

After three Nigerian men were arrested in connection with the sextortion of 100 young men and the 2022 suicide of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, DeMay’s family is speaking out. (handout)

I spoke with a lawmaker on my national radio show, South Carolina state house Rep. Brandon Guffey, who is working to bring harsher punishments for this kind of sexual extortion. His son was targeted and took his own life in July 2022. Such a tragic story. The family is now suing Instagram.

Common tactics: 

  • Scammers create fake social media and gaming accounts, posing as an attractive young girl.
  • They start talking to a teen boy, send over some pics, and then ask for nude photos or videos in return.
  • If the victim sends one, the scammers demand a payout and threaten to post the incriminating photo or video for all their friends and family to see if they don’t pay.

The threat of exposure causes major panic, and many kids try to make the payments. Don’t wait to talk about this one with your children. Let them know you’re there to help if something like this happens.

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Game over

Roblox and Fortnite are household names among both kids and cybercriminals. Both platforms have their own in-game currency, which requires a credit card and personal information tied to the account.

Common tactics: 

  • Apps and sites may promise to pay out in-game currency in exchange for clicking on bogus ads. Spoiler: The ads contain malware that helps crooks hack into the account.
  • Fake websites often claim to sell in-game currency. Many look real enough to fool kids and adults.

Brand bandits

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 08:  (L-R) Talent Manager, Jenner Communications, Kris Jenner, Model Kendall Jenner,  Founder, Kylie Cosmetics Kylie Jenner, Founder, The Business of Fashion Imran Amed and Founder and CEO, KKW Kim Kardashian attends an intimate dinner hosted by The Business of Fashion to celebrate its latest special print edition ‘The Age of Influence’ at Peachy’s/Chinese Tuxedo on May 8, 2018 in New York City.  (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Business of Fashion)

Today’s teens consider social media influencers a potential career path. Who wouldn’t want to make money just for posting online?

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Common tactics:

  • In an influencer scam, crooks pose as real brands and reach out to teens with promises of cash or gifts.
  • They’ll send a message claiming they love the victim’s account and they’re an excellent match for their brand — as long as they buy a few things upfront to get started. Yeah, it’s all a con.

Safety first

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It’s a scary digital world out there, and I want your whole family to navigate it safely. These tips will help keep your kids safe from scammers:

  • Have regular conversations about online dangers. Let your kids know they can always come to you with a shady situation.
  • Use a password manager on family smartphones and computers, and enable two-factor authentication on the apps your kids use regularly.
  • Make sure your kids’ social media profiles are private. The more info scammers have, the better for them.
  • Have your teen’s phone set up to block unknown callers and/or send them straight to voicemail.
  • For games with in-game currency, use a reloadable gift card instead of your credit card. Bonus: They can’t spend endlessly.

Keep your tech-know going 

A woman talks on a phone aboard a plane. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson )

My popular podcast is called “Kim Komando Today.” It’s a solid 30 minutes of tech news, tips, and callers with tech questions like you from all over the country. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts. For your convenience, hit the link below for a recent episode.

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PODCAST PICK: The meaning of “i” in iPhone

Do you know what it stands for? Plus, Drew Barrymore fell for a catfishing scam. Also, an AI-created ad targeting Hamas somehow lands on Hulu — we’ll dive into that. Ever wonder what it’s like to work for Bill Gates? I’ve got some insider info.

Check out my podcast “Kim Komando Today” on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player.

Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name, “Komando.”

Sound like a tech pro, even if you’re not! Award-winning popular host Kim Komando is your secret weapon. Listen on 425+ radio stations or get the podcast. And join over 400,000 people who get her free 5-minute daily email newsletter.

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Apple’s entry-level MacBook Pro could be up for a redesign

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Apple’s entry-level MacBook Pro could be up for a redesign

Apple is working on a “revamped” version of its entry-level MacBook Pro that it could launch as soon as the first half of 2027, Bloomberg reports. The company is also testing four new iPad Pros that are set to launch in the spring with a focus on “internal improvements.”

The updated MacBook Pro, which will keep the 14-inch screen size, will have a design that’s “in line” with what Apple is planning for the touch screen MacBooks it also has in the works, Bloomberg says. Those new touch screen laptops are set to be released between “the end of this year and early next year,” and Bloomberg has previously reported that they will get a Dynamic Island-like pill at the top of the screen.

Apple last updated the base MacBook Pro in October with an M5 chip bump. The company is working on an M6 processor, and Bloomberg says that Apple “finished work months ago” a different base MacBook Pro upgrade that keeps the laptop’s present design and is scheduled to launch this year. Apple will quickly move to the M7 line in 2027, including new Pro and Max chips, Bloomberg previously reported.

As for the iPad Pros, Bloomberg says that they’ll retain 11-inch and 13-inch screens. Apple last updated the iPad Pro line last October with the M5 chip.

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A missing kitten rode under a car hood. AI brought her home

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A missing kitten rode under a car hood. AI brought her home

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Ame thought Lucy might be hiding upstairs. The family’s kitten had missed dinner, which felt odd. Still, cats hide. They nap in strange places. Sometimes, they ignore everyone.

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But when breakfast came the next morning, Lucy still did not show up. “When we fed dinner one night, and she didn’t come running, I thought maybe she was upstairs in the kids’ bedroom, but when we fed breakfast the next morning, she didn’t come running again, so then I knew for sure she wasn’t in the house,” Ame said.

That is when a normal morning in Dayton, Ohio, turned into a frantic search. Lucy was less than a year old. Ame’s two young children were devastated. And wherever Lucy had gone, her family knew she had already spent the night away from home.

“If she had been out all night, we were really worried,” Ame said. Ame’s daughter, Evi, felt that fear immediately. “I was really sad and cried a lot. It was really heartbreaking,” Evi said.

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  • Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide free when you join.

PRO WRESTLING STAR KILLER KROSS SHARES SWEET, LIFE-ALTERING MOMENT WHEN A CAT CAME INTO HIS LIFE

A missing Ohio kitten survived a ride under the hood of a stranger’s car before AI photo-matching technology helped reunite her with her family in just over 24 hours. (Photo by Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)

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Ame uploaded Lucy’s photo and got a match

After the first wave of searching, Ame turned to Petco Love Lost. “I found out about Petco Love Lost through a friend of mine who also had a cat go missing. She said Petco Love Lost is a website where you can match from finders who have uploaded pictures of pets that they’ve found,” Ame said.

Ame created a lost pet profile and uploaded Lucy’s picture. The free nationwide database uses AI photo-matching technology to compare lost pet photos with found pet reports. Petco Love says the system looks at more than 500 visual markers to identify pets by features that stay with them wherever they go.

Then came the lead Ame needed. “It was actually very easy and quick. It was only about 10 or 12 hours before I got a lead on where Lucy might be,” Ame said.

A finder had listed a cat who looked like Lucy as found. Soon after, Ame received a photo match alert.

The price surprised her, too. “I was really surprised that Petco Love Lost is not subscription-based like most things are. It’s completely free, so it’s accessible to everyone,” she said. For a family already scared and stressed, that free access made a big difference.

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Lucy was found under a car hood

Then Ame learned where Lucy had gone. “She was stuck under the hood of somebody’s car. This person had driven to a shopping center across the highway, got out of their car and heard meowing and realized that the meowing was coming from under the hood of their car,” Ame said.

The driver got Lucy out safely. Thankfully, the kitten had not been hurt. The finder kept Lucy safe and uploaded her photo to Petco Love Lost as a found pet. That report connected with Ame’s lost pet profile.

From there, Ame could finally arrange the reunion her family had been hoping for. “I connected with the finder on Petco Love Lost and was able to message back and forth. We organized a time to meet up and we were just ecstatic, and overjoyed, and in shock that we actually found her and also that we found her so quickly and in such a short space of time. Having Lucy home is a relief,” Ame said. Ame’s family brought Lucy home a little more than 24 hours after she disappeared.

The reunion brought happy tears

For Ame’s children, Lucy’s return changed the whole mood in the house. Ame’s daughter, Evi, went from heartbreak to happy tears. “When she was found, my mom put her on my lap. I was having a little bit of some happy tears,” Evi said.

Then came the sentence every pet parent wants to hear after a scare like this. “When Lucy was found, I was so happy to have her back,” Evi said.

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That is the kind of reunion that sticks with you. A tiny kitten vanished, rode under a car hood, crossed a highway and still made it home because a finder uploaded one photo.

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An Ohio family found their missing kitten after Petco Love Lost matched a photo uploaded by a good Samaritan who discovered Lucy under a car hood. (Photo credit should read Inna Borodayeva/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Why Petco Love Lost worked when the microchip did not

Lucy’s story also shows why lost pet searches need more than one safety step. The finder tried to get Lucy scanned for a microchip. But that did not solve the problem.

“The finder took her to scan the microchip, they couldn’t even find it, they couldn’t locate it. Petco Love Lost was literally the only link between us and Lucy to get her back,” Ame said.

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That is important because many pet parents assume a microchip will always lead straight home. A microchip can help, but someone still needs access to a scanner. The chip also has to be found and connected to current contact details.

Petco Love Lost adds another option. Instead of relying only on tags or a scan, it uses a pet’s photo and physical features. Chelsea Staley, president of Petco Love, explains it this way: “Collars break, tags can fall off, and microchip scanners aren’t always immediately accessible. Petco Love Lost offers an additional layer of protection by using AI to recognize distinctive physical features that stay with pets wherever they go. You know your pet is one of a kind, and so does Petco Love Lost.” In Lucy’s case, that extra layer helped bring her back.

Why Lucy’s story matters during National Lost Pet Prevention Month

Lucy’s story hits at a time when many pet parents need the reminder. July is National Lost Pet Prevention Month. The month also brings holiday fireworks, which can scare pets and send them running. Petco Love says more pets go missing during the summer than during any other time of year, and fireworks help drive that spike. That makes Lucy’s story a good reminder to prepare before your pet bolts.

Petco Love encourages pet parents to register their pets on Petco Love Lost at petcolove.org/lost/register-pet/ while they are safe at home. Then, if something goes wrong, they can activate a search with a single click. Set it up before the fireworks start. Check it before guests come over. Take care of it before someone says, “I thought the cat was upstairs.”

What this means to you

A lost pet search can turn emotional really fast. You may be scared, tired and unsure where to start. Lucy’s story shows why preparation can help. Ame already had a clear photo of Lucy. She created a lost pet profile. Then a finder uploaded a found pet report, and the system connected them.

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That does not mean you should skip collars, ID tags or microchips. Keep those in place. However, Petco Love Lost can give you another way to search when those tools do not work fast enough. The biggest lesson is timing. Registering your pet while everything is calm can save precious time later.

Watch the CyberGuy Live replay: Lock Down Your Phone in 30 Minutes

Your phone holds your email, passwords, photos, banking apps and personal data. In this free CyberGuy Live replay, Kurt the CyberGuy walks you step by step through simple phone security fixes you can do at your own pace. You’ll learn how to improve your privacy settings, spot the latest phone scams, use trusted security tools and walk away with a simple checklist to stay protected. Watch the replay and get our checklist here: CyberGuyLive.com

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A free AI-powered lost pet database helped an Ohio family reunite with their kitten after traditional microchip identification failed. (Photo by:Marco Simonini/REDA/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

 

Kurt’s key takeaways

Lucy’s story could have ended badly. She slipped out, hid under a car hood and rode across a highway without the driver knowing she was there. Instead, one uploaded photo helped bring her home. Petco Love Lost matched Lucy’s image with Ame’s lost pet profile, and the family had her back in a little more than 24 hours. That to me is the reason this story is worth sharing. Technology can feel cold, but in this case, it helped a family get their kitten back.

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Have you ever had a pet go missing, and what helped bring them home? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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Comcast’s split could make or break Peacock

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Comcast’s split could make or break Peacock

NBCUniversal executives are about to find out whether Peacock will sink or swim in the streaming industry. Now that Comcast is planning to split NBCUniversal, Peacock, and Sky from its broadband and wireless businesses, Peacock will be forced to stand on its own — without the backing of a combined company that pulled in more than $123 billion last year.

In the years following its launch in 2020, Peacock was treated as an accessory to an Xfinity subscription. But once Xfinity stopped offering it as a perk and axed its free membership tier in 2023, it was a sign that Comcast believed Peacock had something worth paying for. But even with exclusive streams of the Olympics and live sports, like Sunday Night Football and the Big Ten games, Peacock still trails behind rival streamers today.

Peacock grew by just five million subscribers between March 2025 and March 2026, bringing it up to 46 million. Netflix’s more than 325 million subscribers easily eclipse Peacock’s user base. Even Disney Plus’s 132 million subscribers and HBO Max’s more than 140 million viewers make Peacock seem small in comparison. Part of that is because, unlike other major streamers, Peacock is only available in the US. Comcast co-CEO Mike Cavanagh said in March that the company doesn’t have plans for a global rollout of Peacock, but that may change as the soon-to-be standalone service scrambles for scale.

It’s also taking longer for Peacock to hop the hurdle of profitability — one of the biggest challenges for streamers. Peacock reported $2 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2026. However, it experienced $432 million in losses, an increase from the $215 million it reported losing at the same time last year. But NBCUniversal media chairman Matt Strauss claims Peacock will become profitable in the current quarter, according to Deadline. “There’s not one way to approach a streaming strategy or market,” Strauss said during the Evercore Global TMT Conference last month. “Sometimes you have to play to your strengths, which is what we’ve been doing.”

It’s not clear how long Peacock can rely on live sports and reality TV to keep its service afloat. The service canceled its hit series Poker Face last year, leaving it without a tentpole series that makes Peacock worth subscribing to, like Severance on Apple TV or White Lotus on HBO Max. Though Comcast co-CEO Brian Roberts and Cavanagh told investors that the company’s split isn’t a setup for a merger or acquisition, it still seems like a possibility.

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Peter Supino, a Wolfe Research analyst, said that he expects “one or both Comcast units to merge with peers or competitors,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Media executives who spoke to Oliver Darcy for his Status newsletter are similarly doubtful about Roberts’ and Cavanagh’s M&A denials, with some insiders speculating that Netflix could make a bid for NBCUniversal’s assets. Either way, Peacock will need to do something more than just tread water, or else a competitor may just have to keep it from sinking.

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