Hey there, Monday, you look good! You, too, my friend. Summer’s not even over, but yummy pumpkin spice is back at Starbucks. Which company was the first to launch its Halloween merchandise online this year? Was it … A.) Michaels, B.) Target, C.) Party City or D.) The Home Depot? Answer’s at the end!

✅ Share the know-how. When you see icons under the main story in this newsletter for Facebook, X, LinkedIn and email, click one to share it instantly with your coworkers, family and friends. Let’s make sure we’re all tech-ahead and no one’s left tech-behind, in the dust! — Kim

Oh, no! An urgent text from the U.S. Postal Service about your package delivery. Yeah, we all know by now these texts are fake.

And we finally know who’s behind the scammy messages. I thought this was super interesting, and I bet you will, too. A Chinese phishing operation has been farming personal info for the last year and a half.

One big smish-mash

They go by Smishing Triad (paywall link) and their MO is simple: Send texts to lure people into scams. It’s no small operation; they send an estimated 100,000 messages per day.

It starts with a notification of extra fees required to deliver a package. USPS, FedEx and UPS are common names they use to text Americans. The messages typically include a link to a legit-looking website where you enter your financial info.

Fall for it and hackers add your details to Apple Pay or Google Wallet accounts on burner smartphones — and then go shopping. They can also use the stolen info to withdraw money from ATMs. Crazy, right?

But wait, there's more! Smishing Triad also sells its malware as a subscription service to other cybercrooks. Yep, they get paid for sharing their tools.

Don't touch that text

OK, we know who’s behind these texts, but that doesn't mean they’re going to stop anytime soon. With banks behind the curve on this one, it's up to you to stay alert.

When in doubt …

Go to the source. If you get a text from a well-known company or government agency, contact their customer service department to confirm the text you received is real. Here's a cheat sheet of official numbers:

📮 Postal service jokes don't need much setup. It's all in the delivery. (I know you’re gonna use that.)

A burglary happens every 30 seconds in the U.S., and homes without a security system are three times more likely to be targeted. Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to an intruder in your home.

Take control of your safety before it’s too late. Plus, right now, you can enjoy 20% off and get a free indoor camera with your purchase!

Why You Need SimpliSafe:

⚠️ Scammers’ new tactic? Using social media and messaging apps like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram to tell you you’re hot or offer tips to show you how to make money. About 86% of victims are tricked into transferring money themselves — without the crooks ever accessing their accounts. Come on! Please don’t fall for it.

In Zelle hell: One tech pro lost $1,600 using Zelle. Eventually, Wells Fargo credited him for the fishy charge. He agrees with lawmakers who say Zelle and banks are quick to blame victims for using it “wrong.”

September is the apple of my pie: Apple’s set to show off the new iPhone 16 line, Watch Series 10 and AirPods on Sept. 10. The iPhone Pros and Watch have bigger screens, and the new AirPods look like a cross between 3rd-gen AirPods and the AirPods Pro. If you need a new iPhone (JoJo, talking to you!), just wait a little longer.

🗺️ It’s a joke, OK? Stop sharing the mock electoral maps flooding social media as if they’re facts. The trend is to take a blank map, color it mostly blue or red, and slap a clever line about how either Democrats or Republicans could win the Electoral College. Want in? Here’s a generator to make your own.

“He’s replaced me with ChatGPT”: A 25-year-old said her dad, a first-generation Chinese American, has replaced her with AI. Dad now uses AI instead of asking her for help translating, composing email and keeping all his dad jokes in a dad‑abase.

Photoshop skills without all the training: It’s here with Adobe’s Magic Fixup. Imagine deciding you want something in an image in a different place or a little bigger. You can cut and paste it, then AI does all the work to make it look natural. Amazing stuff.

🎮 New Xbox consoles drop Oct. 15: The 1TB Xbox Series X now comes without a disc drive and starts at $450 ($50 less). The Xbox Series S gets a storage upgrade to 1TB (up from 512GB), but the price jumps to $350. The special edition Xbox Series X with 2TB of storage? $600. If you already have an Xbox, save your money and get a storage expansion card. Yup, Santa’s bag is going to be loaded.

Remember “Rickrolling”? It’s the prank when you trick someone into watching the video for Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up.” An AI CEO says his bot just did it to a customer. No kidding, the person asked for a video training session. When the AI couldn’t find one, it sent a link to the 1987 hit. Yes, they patched the glitch.

👕 I’m picky about my clothes and Barry’s: I like basics for both of us that we can dress up or down, that last and don’t cost a ton. Bonus if I can throw ‘em in the washer. Quince has washable silk tops and $50 cashmere. Go to quince.com/kim for free shipping and 365-day returns.* They offer awesome men’s styles, too! Shhh, he needed a closet makeover and his birthday is this week.

Email mile-high club: You can read, search and reply to emails without an internet connection. Your replies are sent when you have service again. How? In Gmail, hit the settings cog > See all settings > find the Offline tab. Click the box to enable.

📶 No bars: When your cell service is wonky, switch your phone to Airplane mode, wait a few seconds, then change it back. This will reconnect you to the nearest cell tower. Sweet!

Student in the family? A student Amazon Prime account is a heck of a lot cheaper than the regular price. Students get six months free, and then it’s half off a year ($69).

We all love a deal: But what if the 2TB hard drive you just purchased only holds 50GB? It happens, folks. There’s a free tool you can use to check if what you bought is what you got. Go to my site for steps. Do this with every drive!

A helicopter was about 75 feet above my house in Santa Barbara, and I looked up the tail number on Flightradar24. Is it an insurance company taking videos to decide on coverage or the county checking whether someone’s built something they can tax them on? Let me know what you think when you rate the newsletter below.

The answer: D.) The Home Depot. Their spooky stuff was for sale online in April! Six months early? Oof. In June, Lowe’s, Party City and Michaels joined the party. You can blame “Summerween.” (I’m not even going to make a joke here, because they write themselves with that word.)

💠 Last Halloween, my friend, Lucy, dressed up like a cat burglar on a jewel heist. She was Lucy in disguise with diamonds. Ba‑dum‑tss!

Hey, do you need a hand with your small business, a digital dilemma or other tech trouble in your life? Drop me your questions here. I read every single one. Thanks for being such a loyal reader of the best tech newsletter in the universe. See you tomorrow! — Kim