Hey, hi, hello, Monday! Let’s get you warmed up for a great day with some tech trivia. Billionaire Warren Buffett plays a certain game online for at least eight hours weekly. Is it … bridge, chess, dominoes or Monopoly? You’ll find the answer at the end.

💛 Today’s top story is all about shopping on social media. I know so many people who do this — and, more often than not, you end up with junk. Just use those buttons at the bottom of the article to share with someone you care about. — Kim

I remember the first time I fired up TikTok to see what it was all about. In about 10 minutes, the darn app's algorithms kicked into gear. On my feed, aside from people dancing all over the globe, were vids about vegetarian dishes, travel tips and golden retrievers. And you know what? It was pretty hard to put down — a total time suck. After three days, I removed it from my phone.

About 150 million Americans hang out on TikTok for, on average, an hour and a half each day. It's a big platform with significant money being made and spent. And you know what that means: Scammers and lots of them.

Everything under the sun

A woman named Brittany fell for a romance scam on TikTok. After she gave the guy $4,000, he disappeared and disconnected his phone. He's done this to countless women, by the way.

A man in Lafayette, Lousiana, shared on TikTok he was living in a cheap motel and needed money to feed his hungry dog. Before you say, "Poor guy, down on his luck," stop. Internet sleuths discovered he was making $6,000 per day this way and buying all sorts of pricey designer clothes.

What you need to know is TikTok isn't just for silly videos. Criminals are finding ways to rip off users in new ways.

Shop till you (TikTok) drop

According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), TikTokkers like to spend money. A whopping 49% of users have purchased something they saw on the app. TikTok knows this, of course, and is rolling out TikTok Shop.

As influencers try to engineer their vids to go viral, so do scammers. They're learning to game the algorithm, knowing people trust a video that's been liked, shared and viewed thousands or millions of times.

Speaking of … How can you tell the difference between an online influencer and a computer scientist? Ask them to pronounce the word "bios."

Before you hit ‘Buy’

• Heads-up when using discount codes, especially for a TikTokker's shop. Make sure you check the original shipping fee first. I've seen scammers try to make up for the “discount” by jacking up their shipping fees.
• Before buying something from a TikTokker, do a little digging on Google to see how other sellers are pricing that item. If the price on TikTok seems too good to be true, it probably is. Trust your instincts.
• Don't get sucked into hype and urgency. "There's only one left!" has one purpose: To get you to buy now.
• Scammers might pretend to be your favorite influencers, trying to tempt you into buying their so-called "exclusive" products. So, give their profile a good once-over before you make any decisions. Ask yourself, “Does the follower count seem legit? Are people actually engaging with their posts, commenting and liking?” Trust your gut — if something seems off, it probably is.

🛑 Don’t be conned by social media ads. Most of it is junk, especially a clock. It spends all day doing tick-tocks.

Put on your hazards: Criminals are putting fake QR codes on meters or parking lot signs and sending you to fake sites to pay, the BBB warns. Put your credit card in the meter, or at least run your finger over the code to see if it’s a sticker added later.

🦠 Bacteria Turner Overdrive: Scientists swabbed smartwatch bands, and the results are nasty — everything from E. coli to staph. A crazy 95% of bands tested positive for bacteria. Get this: The dirtiest bands belonged to healthcare workers. So many sources of ick! Grab the Clorox wipes.

Una hamburguesa, por favor: Around 350 Rally’s and Checkers fast-food spots are getting artificial intelligence (AI) ordering systems that automatically detect Spanish and switch languages. Reliability isn’t perfect, but, hey, it's a step in the right direction. The real reason they’re into it: It’s cheaper than paying people.

🎓 I picked the wrong major: AI jobs really pay. Netflix is paying up to $900K for someone with extensive machine-learning experience. Graphics card maker Nvidia and dating app Hinge are paying $400K. Amazon’s top AI job posted now pays up to $340K. There’s a reason the salaries are so high: These roles will replace thousands of jobs.

Spotify’s $38 million annual revenue mistake: White noise relaxing podcasts (think waves, rain or gentle static) have no room for ads and are played 3 million hours daily. Spotify sunk $1 billion into podcasting, bringing in just $215 million. Someone there doesn’t know how math is supposed to work.

Airbnb of education: Forget homeschooling — micro-schooling is hot. Parents hire someone (teacher or not) to guide their kids or a small group through lessons. One company, Prenda, has helped 1,000 adults start micro-schools, totaling 10,000 students. Plug for my amazing sister Dr. Davidson’s school, which offers a one-to-one student-teacher ratio in Southern California.

🛞 No spare tire for you: Honda says a spare tire can damage the electric battery, but a more reasonable explanation? They’re heavy (25 to 50 pounds), take up room and cost money to produce. One electric vehicle (EV) expert told the LA Times (paywall link) removing a spare only adds a mile or two of driving, though.

She doesn’t breathe: When 52-year-old Gina Stewart made the stellar career move from OnlyFans to Playboy, she was tired of all the time (and stress!) it took getting herself dolled up. So she handed over 1,000 real pics (yes, no clothes), and now, AI Gina is gracing magazine covers, among other places. Real Gina sits at home in her jammies, eating bonbons and collecting money. What a world.

I turn tech complexity into simplicity with my Daily Tech Update podcast. I’ll give you the top tech news and a useful digital life hack, all in under two minutes. It's the perfect match for your daily routine — no tech expertise required.

👉 Your journey to tech confidence is a click away!

You make yourself feel better about all the time you spend staring at your phone, computer, tablet and TV by popping on a cute pair of blue-light-blocking glasses. Or perhaps you even ponied up the dough to add it to your prescription specs.

Sorry, pal, but it was a waste of money — at least, according to a new review. Scientists conducted 17 trials and found special lenses don't make a difference in eye strain or sleep quality.

‘But I swear they work!’

The mind is powerful. There's no solid evidence the blockers protect against eye damage or strain or really even block a significant amount of blue light. Most lenses tested only block a portion of blue light — 10% to 25%.

Plus, blue light from devices is only about 1/1,000th of what comes from daylight. Blue light comes from the sun, too, and helps set our circadian rhythms. Exposing your eyes to sunlight in the morning is excellent for sleep.

Researchers say you won't hurt yourself wearing blue-light glasses, but this is your permission to stop wearing them.

See something you want to share in a YouTube video at a particular point? You can get a link that takes people directly to that moment. Your friends will thank you for sparing them the six-minute intro on that video that gets cool eventually.

• Click the Share button below the video. 
• Look for a checkbox below the link. It’ll automatically display the time you currently have the video stopped. You can stick with this time or choose another.
• Copy the link and share it on your preferred social media platforms, or email it to a friend.

✨ When someone views the link, the YouTube video will automatically skip right to the point you chose. Magic! Wait, no, just tech smarts.

That’s why I’m so excited to tell you about the latest innovation from SimpliSafe Home Security: 24/7 Live Guard Protection and the new Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Camera.

With a Fast Protect Monitoring plan, if an intruder breaks into your home, SimpliSafe monitoring agents can actually see, speak to and deter them through the camera, warning them they’re being recorded and police are on their way.

Right now, get 20% off any SimpliSafe system when you sign up for Fast Protect Monitoring. This huge offer is only available for a limited time.

Like ice cream, children are sweet but sometimes give you headaches.

The answer: Bridge. Warren Buffett once said, “If I'm playing bridge and a naked woman walks by, I don't even see her.” 

True story: Years ago, I sat next to Warren Buffett when Fortune Magazine voted me one of America's top 100 most influential women. We were chatting, and I asked him what it was like to be in a room with 100 women. He answered, “Kim, the only way I could get into a woman’s panties was to buy Hanes Underwear.” He’s so funny.

Thank you for letting me in your inbox. If you also get my free afternoon Tech Hacks newsletter, I’ll see you then with an important security tip for your devices. If not, sign up here right now so you get it. Stay amazing, friends! — Kim