Oh, Sunday — the day to kick back and relax! If you’re new, welcome. If you’re not, you know what’s first in this free newsletter: Trivia! Steve Jobs used the “i” prefix for Apple products starting with the iMac in 1998. The "i" initially stood for "internet." What does it mean now? Make your best guess, and you’ll find the answer at the end.

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You’ve heard about people losing their money to online scams — romance, crypto, tech support, real estate and countless other types. But have you ever wondered who is doing the scamming? A large number of scammers are using innocent people to con and steal money against their wills.

Meet Xu Bochun, a 38-year-old aspiring actor from Shanghai. He thought he was signing up for a job as a movie extra in southwest China. Instead, he was kidnapped, trafficked through the jungle, and forced into a brutal life of cybercrime and romance scams.

He’s not the only one. If you’ve ever wondered how scammers can live with themselves, the truth is that many of them are doing it against their will.

Three months of hell

In June of last year, Xu responded to an ad offering $1,380 to work as an extra in a tourist town near the Myanmar border. When he showed up, he and other job seekers were ambushed by armed men and marched at knifepoint through the Myanmar jungle.

Xu was shackled with 80 other Chinese men and sold to a scam operation run out of the Red Lotus Hotel, overseen by the patriarch of a notorious crime family in the region.

He and the other prisoners were forced to use multiple phones and social media accounts to dupe people into investing in fake crypto platforms. When Xu didn't meet his targets, he was beaten. When others tried to escape or contact their families, they were shot dead.

After three months, Xu managed to send a message to a childhood friend during a supervised session. His family gathered evidence and his mother sold her house to raise the $85,000 ransom for his release.

A vicious cycle

I’ve already written about the deadly cartel scam compounds in Mexico. The United Nations estimates over 200,000 people are being enslaved and forced to work as scammers in Southeast Asia.

Many victims are lured by fraudulent job postings and kidnapped from Thailand, Taiwan and China. Sadly, these kinds of scam compounds are growing, and that means there are more and more desperate people trying to con you by any means necessary.

My advice to protect yourself

It’s the same advice I’d give to Xu: Remember, scammers prey on your desperation.

Xu needed a job. You might be looking for a foolproof investment or feeling lonely after a death or divorce. Stop. Slow down. Do your research. I’ve got more tips here.

When fewer people fall for these scams, the less lucrative they’ll be for criminals, and fewer people like Xu will be forced into a life of crime and violence.

I’m a creature of habit and stick to the same bottles and brands I know and love. And while I enjoy trying new bottles, the trial and error can get expensive. That’s where Firstleaf comes in.

Firstleaf is a personalized wine club that gets rid of the guesswork from wine selection, making it easy to find new favorites at a price you can’t beat. To start, I answered a few questions about different wines and foods I like. And wow! My first box had six different bottles from around the world. I found new favorites from Spain, Napa and Italy!

Here’s how Firstleaf really stands out:

Must be 21 and over to buy. Does not ship to Utah, Rhode Island, or Mississippi.

Restaurant wars: If you want a table at a trendy restaurant, forget greasing the palms of the concierge. AI bots are now scooping up table reservations (paywall link) and listing them on sites like Appointment Trader, sometimes at prices upwards of $1,000. To fight the bots, restaurants are starting to require a $25 or $50 deposit per person for reservations.

Check your business’s Google Maps listing: Malicious competitors are using the "Suggest an edit" feature to change the location of a business’s pin on Google Maps. You probably wouldn’t know if this happened to you; Google doesn't notify anyone. Duh.

Watch your kids, please: Maria Gomez-Perez, 12, was on Facebook telling several adult male strangers she was unhappy at home. On May 29, 31-year-old Antonio Agustin picked her up in Georgia and drove her to his home in Ohio. The other day, Maria told her father on Facebook she wasn’t coming home. Authorities tracked that message's IP address to Agustin’s home and arrested him.

Have a heart condition? You might have a smartwatch to keep an eye on your ticker, but one in five users says they feel intense fear when they get an irregular rhythm notification. That extra anxiety isn’t helping your heart. If you have an Apple Watch, try taking some deep breaths with the Mindfulness app before you panic.

Gotta run this by legal: In just six months, AI agents might talk to each other to solve problems, just like a team of employees. Say you want to run an ad campaign. An AI marketing agent would mock up the creatives and then check with an AI legal agent to make sure it’s compliant. You’ll still need an intern for coffee runs, though … for now.

Remember that hot site Cameo? The platform that lets folks pay for celeb shoutouts is stone-cold broke. The former $1 billion unicorn can’t afford to pay a $600,000 fine after violating the FTC’s rules for celebrity endorsements. New York and 29 other states involved will have to settle for splitting $100,000. If you want to buy a Cameo, better get it now.

These affordable, unique accessories should be in your bag:

Hear the world: If you ever ask anyone to repeat something they said, check out the new, dual-processor, almost-invisible hearing aids from Hear.com. The company has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, a 4.9 out of 5 rating with Consumer Affairs and a 100% money-back guarantee. Click here to find out today if you qualify for a risk-free trial.*

⌛ Quick travel booking tip: Based on average round-trip flight ticket prices, you can save up to 15% when you book on a Sunday. The cheapest day of the week to travel is Wednesday.

Use a Windows PC? Create a folder with your favorite wallpapers or pics. Right-click on your desktop, choose Personalize and set the background to a Slideshow with the folder you created.

YouTube trick: When you’re watching YouTube videos, press K to pause or play, J to rewind 10 seconds, and L to fast-forward 10 seconds.

If you can’t, trash can: To permanently delete a file on Windows without sending it to the Recycle Bin, hold Shift + Delete. On a Mac, select the file, click File from the menu bar, and then hold the Option key. You’ll see the option change like magic from “Move to Trash” to Delete Immediately.

Plus, Jacob wants out of FB jail, Linda looks to wipe her name online, Ed got brushing scammed, Tom needs ChatGPT help, Joel says his phone is tracking him and many more!

💰 Save money: Hit this link to see if anything you’ve bought on Amazon is on sale. I do this for stuff I use a lot.

Watch: This video of a 5-year-old with autism telling her mom she loves her for the very first time. Such a special moment.

Find: That mosquito in your room. Use your phone’s flashlight instead of the overhead light. It’ll exaggerate the skeeter’s shadows and make it easier to spot. And get these bloodsucker killers, too.

🤠 Make: Cowboy caviar, aka a tasty bean salsa with avocado and corn you can make without turning on the stove. Giddyap.

Clean: Your purse. The bottom is definitely filthy. A little dish soap and some water are your best bet. For tough stains, try this ink remover.

New spies, old tech: Why secret agents still send messages via radio.

🐶 “Ruff” luck: A family fell for this puppy scam twice on Facebook Marketplace. Know what to look for.

Dirty looks: A Chilean gang got caught planting cameras in a neighborhood. Guess where they hid them? Fake rocks.

The answer: Apple nerds say Steve Jobs also said that the "i" stands for "individual," "instruct," "inform" and "inspire." With today's prices for anything Apple, it's short for "indenture."

Sip happens when you’re loving amazing wines in all varieties at up to 60% off retail prices with Firstleaf! Try them for just $7.49 a bottle (only $44.95 for six bottles). I love their selections and I know you will, too!

Have a great day, and I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with another edition of the best free tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim