Don't Fall for These Common Holiday Scams

December 14, 2022

The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year. And that just doesn’t apply to people on Santa’s nice list. Scammers are out in force with clever schemes to steal your money and ruin this special time. In our top story, we’ve compiled a list of all the Christmas-time scams you’re likely to encounter this year and let you know how to spot and avoid them. Plus, we give you a few extra tips on how to take proactive measures to keep yourself safe from the bad actors who prey on people’s goodwill.

Other Highlights:

• Apple will finally allow third-party app stores on their devices in Europe.
• An excellent round-up of tech gifts for the fitness guru in your life.
• Your amazing dog deserves a great present this year too.
• … and more!

— Danny

The holiday season is here, whether you’re happy about it or are a grinch. It’s a time to shop, enjoy the festivities, and spend time with family, but make sure you avoid all the holiday fraud. Unfortunately, every year, thousands of people fall victim to scams. Read More »

Never replace another battery again with these stylish solar powered watches from Solios. Crafted from recycled stainless steel and eco-friendly vegan leather, these watches are made with highly durable materials that are meant to last you a life-time. If you're still looking for the perfect holiday gift for someone special in your life, be sure to check out the men's and women's collections at Solios! Plus, Solios is also offering free in-house engraving services until December 31st. Check them out!

For some people, working out isn’t just about staying fit and healthy. It’s practically a way of life. Working up a sweat releases endorphins and boosts levels of dopamine, resulting in a happier, healthier you. If you know anyone who loves to be active, they’ll be ecstatic to receive any of these gadgets as a gift. Read More »

From their goofy antics to their loving snuggles, dogs just make life better. And if you have a pup in your life, there’s a good chance you’re always looking for great dog products to keep them happy and healthy. Read More »

Portable power stations are great to have for emergencies, plus they’ll help you keep all your gadgets powered up when you’re outdoors or going off-grid. The same goes for small portable chargers and battery packs. But what do you do when your battery or power station runs out of juice? You get the Anker 625 Portable Solar Panel charger. Read More »

If there’s a gift for a Star Trek fan on your holiday shopping list, surprise them with this LCARS desk mat. LCARS (Library Computer Access/Retrieval System) is the name of the fictional computer operating system in the Star Trek universe, specifically in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager. This mat will transform their desk into a workstation from the starship Enterprise. And if they already have a bunch of Star Trek merch in their homes, this will match the decor perfectly. And it’s not just Trek-themed mats you can get. The same Amazon listing has mats in Star Wars, Mac OS, and Linux motifs. Plus, a bunch more. Check out which nerdy mat fits your loved one the best.

Wordle was just too easy, wasn’t it? You probably left that behind and moved on to Quordle, the true “hard mode” of the word-guessing game format. But now you’re stuck and so close to failing. Don’t worry, we’re here to help with a hint—and if you really need it, today’s Quordle Answers. Read More »

When cold weather comes around, people often rely on space heaters to keep their homes nice and cozy. But these products use a ton of electricity. And with some extremely simple math, you can figure out exactly how space heaters will impact your electric bill. Read More »

Are you a huge fan of Wordle and absolutely stuck today? Let me guess; you’re hanging out on guess four or five and feeling the pressure. We get it entirely: nothing feels worse than losing your streak. If you’re not ready to outright cheat, we have you covered with hints and today’s Wordle answer. Read More »

In accordance with the EU’s new Digital Markets Act, Apple will support third-party app stores and sideloading on European iPhones and iPads. A Bloomberg report states that Apple is using a “significant amount of resources” to implement this change in iOS 17, which launches in late 2023. Read More »

Available today, the iOS 16.2 unlocks an Advanced Data Protection mode for your iCloud storage. This optional setting expands iCloud’s use of End-to-End Encryption, providing increased security for device and message backups, notes, photos, Safari bookmarks, and more. Read More »

While Spotify still struggles to find song lyrics, Apple Music is taking things a step further with its new karaoke feature. But which devices support Apple Karaoke? You may be surprised and disappointed by the exclusivity of this feature. Read More »

Two years after debuting the Blob Opera, an AI-assisted music generator, Google still can’t let go of its gooey little characters. And we’re all the better for it—the Blobs are back in a new Guitar Hero-styled game called Blob Beats. Read More »

You’re looking for a last-minute gift, and thankfully, Google is running a last-minute sale. Now’s your chance to grab the Pixel Watch for just $300—that’s $50 off the usual price. We expect this to be the final Pixel Watch sale of the holiday season, and possibly the last Pixel Watch discount of 2022. Read More »

Today, Microsoft Research announced that it will discontinue development of Soundscape, a navigational app for visually-impaired people. The company plans to make the app’s code open-source on January 3rd, 2023. Read More »

It’s understandable to think that the CD is an obsolete technology. However, sales of the little plastic discs rose in 2021. There are still plenty of good uses for CDs. The most important is burning an old-school mix disc for your sweetheart. And you’ll need a CD burner program to do it. Read More »

Tesla’s ambitions for full self-driving (FSD) vehicles haven’t gone quite as planned. After stating all vehicles manufacturered since 2016 had “all the needed hardware” to drive themselves, then charging some customers a hardware upgrade fee, a judge has now ordered Tesla to upgrade an owner’s vehicle for free over false advertising. Read More »

If you’re thinking of upgrading your office chair (and know you aren’t getting one for Christmas), now might be the time to pull out your credit card. Steelcase is offering 15% off its High-Performance Seating with coupon code ELEVATE15. Read More »

Passwords: We all have far too many of them, and they’re probably not nearly as secure as we think. Passkeys are the next evolution of passwords, and they’re trying to bring us a more secure, password-less future. Read More »

It’s a bit odd when you’re the only one in a work meeting not using the webcam. A sea of floating heads are nodding and gazing off to the side as dutiful employees, and yours is merely a conspicuous grayish circle icon that looks like your face never finished uploading. Read More »

Decentralized VPNs are an interesting evolution of traditional VPNs, letting you pay your fellow users to get access to nodes all over the world. The most accessible dVPN out there is Mysterium VPN; I took it through its paces to see how it works. Read More »

Do you have important information in iCloud that you want to keep private? Advanced Data Protection lets you do just that, but there’s more to turning the feature on than simply flipping a switch. Make sure you understand the implications of doing so before you proceed. Read More »