Footage shows male senior swiftly strike ball in attempt to make goal, inadvertently hitting female player directly in mouth. A female high school lacrosse player [more…]
Florida teacher accused of kissing male student for about 6 minutes, unzipping victim’s pants, performing sex act on him
A Florida teacher is accused of kissing a male student for about six minutes and groping him — then on another occasion unzipping the victim’s pants and performing a sex act on him.
According to an arrest report WPLG-TV obtained Monday, Leroy Wright Jr., 46, of Miami was arrested last week on charges of offenses against students by authority figures, unlawful sexual activity with a minor, and depiction of obscene material involving a minor.
‘He is too educated for that. No. Not my friend.’
Police said someone emailed the principal of Miami Jackson Senior High School on April 28 saying that Wright — a reading teacher at the school — was “having a relationship” with a student, WPLG reported.
The principal on Thursday submitted a “personnel investigative model report” to the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Office of Professional Standards, and the report was subsequently submitted to the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department, the station said.
Police on Thursday interviewed the person who emailed the principal, and that person identified the victim to them, WPLG said.
Police said they interviewed the victim at his home in the presence of his mother, and the student said he first met Wright at the beginning of the school year when Wright asked him to join the Freshman Club, for which Wright was the adult sponsor, the station said. Police said the student joined the club, WPLG added.
The victim claimed the first sexual incident occurred April 29 when he hugged Wright as he was exiting Wright’s classroom, the station said.
Police said the student claimed Wright hugged him back and then kissed him for about six minutes while groping him, WPLG reported.
On May 1, Wright again kissed the student and groped him, the station said, citing authorities.
WTVJ-TV reported that the victim said he was in Wright’s car three days later, and while they were stuck in traffic, Wright unzipped the victim’s pants and performed a sexual act.
Police said Wright was informed prior to his arrest that the victim’s cell phone had been “forensically examined,” WPLG reported.
Wright was booked into jail Friday and remained there Wednesday morning, jail records indicate.
WPLG said Wright will appear before a judge Wednesday.
RELATED: Former teacher, 26, accused of having sex with 16-year-old male student
One neighbor told WPLG she couldn’t believe the charges against Wright, who holds a PhD: “He is too educated for that. No. Not my friend.”
The school district released a statement over the weekend, WPLG reported, adding that the statement confirmed Wright would be fired.
“The type of behavior this individual is accused of will not be tolerated, as it runs contrary to the professional conduct we expect from all employees,” the statement read, according to WPLG. “The district has initiated employment termination proceedings and will ensure the individual is precluded from seeking future employment with the district. At M-DCPS, the safety and well-being of all students remain our top priority.”
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Florida, Miami, Bad teacher, Child sex abuse, Leroy wright, Miami-dade county public schools, Offenses against students by authority figures, Unlawful sexual activity with a minor, Depiction of obscene material involving a minor, Kiss, Grope, Jailed, Crime
eBay issues sassy clapback at GameStop CEO over $55 billion offer: ‘Neither credible nor attractive’
The eBay board of directors did not seem pleased with GameStop’s CEO on Tuesday, firmly rejecting an offer from last week that was followed by continued online antics.
GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen offered $55.5 billion for the online auction site last Sunday, saying that with his expertise, eBay could become a rival to Amazon.
‘We have concluded that your proposal is neither credible nor attractive.’
This was followed by a series of comical posts on X by Cohen, who wrote messages like, “I’m selling stuff on eBay to pay for eBay.”
The CEO was selling memorabilia from video games and even GameStop signs before he was eventually suspended from the online marketplace.
On Tuesday, eBay announced that its board of directors was rejecting GameStop’s “unsolicited, non-binding acquisition proposal.”
“Dear Mr. Cohen,” eBay wrote in a press release. “The board, with the support of its independent advisers, has thoroughly reviewed your proposal and has determined to reject it.”
“We have concluded that your proposal is neither credible nor attractive,” eBay added.
Cohen’s proposal to buy 100% of eBay was valued at $125 per share in a 50/50 deal comprised of cash and GameStop’s own stock.
The formal offer from Cohen promised to reduce costs at eBay by at least $2 billion within 12 months. He intended on cutting the marketing budget in half while slicing $300 million off of product development and reducing administrative costs by $500 million, among other moves.
In its formal rejection though, eBay went on the defensive, saying it remains a “strong, resilient business that has delivered meaningful results over the past several years.”
“eBay’s board is confident that the company, under its current management team, is well-positioned to continue to drive sustainable growth, execute with discipline, and deliver long-term value for our shareholders,” the company added.
Paul S. Pressler, eBay’s chairman of the board of directors, specified the reasons for their rejection, such as the “uncertainty” of Cohen’s financial proposal, the impact it may have on “long-term growth and profitability,” and how GameStop governs its own C-suite.
RELATED: Debit card company promises to pay your bill … sometimes: ‘Buy now, pay maybe’
While the degree of animosity shown by eBay seems unusual, it comes after Cohen made several antagonistic posts, like asking eBay to please respond to his customer service inquiries.
“On phone with customer support @eBay. please respond @eBay,” Cohen wrote on X.
Cohen then called stock sales by eBay “insiders” into question, and he mocked the company’s lack of customer service on social media.
“You’d think with 2.4 billion in marketing spend, they could login to X,” he wrote.
At the time of this writing, Cohen had not made any additional public statements regarding eBay’s rejection.
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Ebay, Ecommerce, Gamestop, Gaming, Marketplace, Online business, Proposal, Return, Tech
Nebraska Democrat secures Senate primary landslide — but still plans to drop out
The winner of Nebraska’s Democratic Party U.S. Senate primary race on Tuesday came away with a landslide victory, despite her plans to drop out of the race before the November general election in a scheme to clear a path for a yet another candidate to take on Republican incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts in the deep-red state.
Cindy Burbank defeated Democrat opponent William Forbes, receiving 89% of the vote, after accusing Forbes of being a plant for Ricketts.
‘I have no expectations of being able to win in November.’
“Pete Ricketts, who is running for reelection, is putting in a candidate loyal to him in the DEMOCRATIC primary — to split the vote against him, so he wins easily. He’s running an anti-abortion activist named Bill Forbes, who has posted in support of Pete Ricketts!” Burbank’s campaign website states.
Independent Dan Osborn is also challenging Ricketts in November and appears to be Burbank’s preferred candidate.
Burbank claimed that Ricketts “knows he’s losing to Dan Osborn and this is his plan to cheat his way to victory.” She argued that Osborn “deserves a fair shot against Ricketts” in the upcoming general election.
The Nebraska Democratic Party, which originally planned not to field a nominee, similarly claimed that Forbes was a Ricketts “spoiler and fake Democratic candidate.” The party stated that its strategy was to secure Burbank’s victory and then have her withdraw from the race to allow Osborn to compete against Ricketts “one-on-one.”
After Burbank won Tuesday’s primary, she reconfirmed to the New York Times that she plans to drop out.
“I don’t want to split the ballot,” Burbank wrote. “I have no expectations of being able to win in November.”
RELATED: The insane dirty tricks Democrats are using to win this bright-red Nebraska Senate seat
Pete Ricketts. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Forbes, who denied being a spoiler candidate, argued that he has been “a Democrat my entire life.” He referred to Burbank as a “self-admitted placeholder and a disloyal hack being used as a tool to sabotage the Democratic primary and clear the path for another insider.”
RELATED: Republicans receive another grim midterm forecast
Dan Osborn. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc./Getty Images
Ricketts won Tuesday’s Republican primary, securing roughly 82% of the vote.
A Democrat-aligned Tavern Research poll indicated that Osborn has the highest chance of beating Ricketts in a one-on-one election. Among those surveyed, 47% stated they would vote for Osborn, while 42% selected Ricketts. However, in a race against Burbank, Ricketts led, receiving 48% of the vote compared to Burbank’s 39%.
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News, Nebraska, Cindy burbank, Bill forbes, William forbes, Pete ricketts, Dan osborn, Nebraska democratic party, Politics
‘Speaking of stupid Democrats’: AOC blasts billionaires and founding fathers in ridiculous podcast appearance
In a recent podcast appearance, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) made some shocking comments regarding billionaires and the founders of our country — and BlazeTV host Pat Gray is not surprised.
“Speaking of stupid Democrats, holy cow,” Gray says, playing a clip of AOC.
“There’s a certain level of wealth and accumulation that is unearned, right? You can’t earn a billion dollars. You just can’t earn that,” the congresswoman said on “It’s Open with Ilana Glazer.”
“You can get market power, you can break rules. You can do all sorts of things. You can abuse labor laws. You can pay people less than what they’re worth,” she continued.
“Since you didn’t earn that, you have to create a myth of earning it,” she added.
AOC went on to claim that “there are very few real archetypes” of “what America is all about.”
“I think about the civil rights and voting rights movement and how black Americans really created democracy in this country,” she said.
“White Americans have to be eliminated from every aspect of this society,” Gray comments, shocked.
“Anything good that happened in America didn’t come from white people. They’re all evil and bad, and they have oppressed and murdered their way to prominence,” he adds.
“You’re familiar with the father of our country, right?” executive producer Keith Malinak chimes in, showing a photo of George Washington that’s been updated by activists to have darker skin.
“George Washington, Black Lives Matter,” he adds, laughing.
Want more from Pat Gray?
To enjoy more of Pat’s biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
Bill gates, Billionaires, Black americans, Black lives matter, Blaze media, Blaze news, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Blaze podcast network, Blaze podcasts, Blazetv, Blazetv host, Civil rights movement, Congresswoman alexandria ocasio cortez, Father of country, Founders of country, George washington, Labor laws, Pat gray unleashed, Podcast appearance, Society, Stupid democrats, The blaze, White americans, White people
OnlyFans models are offended by Sydney Sweeney mocking their degeneracy on her TV show
Dressing up like a dog is apparently too degrading for some OnlyFans creators.
On the show “Euphoria,” Sydney Sweeney’s character has taken on the ridiculous task of doing pornography in order to pay for $50,000 worth of flowers for her wedding. The insane storyline has Sweeney posing as a dog and dressing as a baby — portrayals that have some involved with the subscription-based website up in arms.
‘You have to really grow and nurture a fan base.’
Leathers report
Several women who make money from the overwhelmingly pornographic fan site reacted to Sweeney’s scenes in a set of comments to Hollywood-centric outlet Variety. The women accused Sweeney’s character of being an over-the-top and rather unbecoming representation of a porn actress.
Scenes that showed Sweeney dressed as a baby or an animal have already disturbed regular audiences on their own, but the content was seen as “ridiculous and cartoonish” by these apparent industry professionals.
“There’s so much that they have her doing that is not even allowed on OnlyFans, and that alone is infuriating,” Sydney Leathers, an OnlyFans veteran, told Variety. “The age-play stuff, where she’s dressed as a baby in a diaper, for example. Credit card processors have very strict rules that you have to abide by, and the rules are getting stricter all the time.”
Former “Boy Meets World” star turned porn actress Maitland Ward said Sweeney was only perpetuating “stereotypes that sex workers have no moral compass and that they will do anything for money.”
RELATED: ‘DISGUSTING’: Megyn Kelly rips into ‘Euphoria’ clip with Sydney Sweeney
Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Lewd awakening
Calling it “beyond troubling,” Ward argued that any idea that sex work is connected to abuse is false.
“There’s always this untrue stigma that somehow sex work is synonymous with sex trafficking and abuse. And they just said, let’s make a joke of it. That is so funny. I’m not laughing.”
Ward reportedly makes at least $100,000 per month from OnlyFans and also reportedly does traditional pornography.
Same goes for Alix Lynx, another nude actress and OnlyFans creator, according to Variety. She stated that there were actually some good ideas hidden in the “Euphoria” script.
“When [Sweeney] goes to the influencer’s house to get video, coming from a marketing background myself, I thought, ‘OK, that’s f**kin’ smart. That’s a great formula.'”
However, Lynx said that it’s only a myth that being attractive and performing lewd acts are a ticket to the top.
RELATED: Sydney Sweeney spurns Cosmo girl’s desperate ‘MAGA Barbie’ bait
– YouTube
Naked ambition
“It’s portrayed that if you just dress up and do crazy s**t, you’ll instantly make money,” she explained. Another idea that “you just have to be hot and have big boobs and you’ll instantly cash out,” is also allegedly a myth, she claimed.
“It doesn’t work like that. You have to really grow and nurture a fan base.”
All the women Variety spoke with reportedly argued that it is too difficult to start an OnlyFans page and garner a grassroots following; women must first have a large online fan base. The task of building a subscriber base to pornographic content was described as a near-impossible feat.
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Align, Entertainment, Moral compass, Sex workers, Stereotypes, Porn actress, Onlyfans, Television, Sex work, Pornography, Feminism, Lifestyle
Are gas prices about to drop? What the UAE leaving OPEC means.
If you think this is just another oil headline, think again. This one hits your wallet directly, every time you start your car.
The United Arab Emirates, one of the most powerful players inside OPEC, is walking away from the cartel. That’s a huge change to the system that has controlled oil prices and, by extension, what Americans pay at the pump for more than half a century.
The UAE’s departure exposes long-standing tensions inside the group. Some countries have followed production limits; others have ignored them.
And for drivers already dealing with high gas prices, this matters more than anything coming out of Washington right now.
Market mover
For decades, OPEC has operated as a coordinated force, adjusting production to influence global oil prices. Less supply meant higher prices. More supply meant relief, but only when it suited the producers. It was never a true free market; it was controlled output designed to protect revenue.
Now one of the few countries that actually had the power to move markets is stepping away.
The UAE isn’t just another member. It is one of the rare producers with real spare capacity, the ability to quickly increase output and stabilize supply during disruptions. Alongside Saudi Arabia, it helped anchor OPEC’s influence. Take that away, and the cartel doesn’t just weaken; it loses control of the narrative.
So why should the average driver care?
Because this could be one of the first real signs that global oil pricing is shifting away from centralized control and back toward competition. And when competition increases, prices tend to come down.
Dire Strait?
But don’t expect that relief overnight.
Here’s the reality drivers are dealing with right now. Gas prices in the U.S. are already elevated, sitting above $4 per gallon in many areas. That’s not just about oil supply; it’s about geopolitics. Tensions tied to Iran and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most critical oil shipping routes in the world, are driving volatility and keeping prices high.
That’s the immediate pressure on your fuel bill, not the UAE’s decision — at least not yet.
The UAE exit is a medium-term shift. It means the country is no longer bound by OPEC production quotas. It can pump more oil if it chooses, and it has made it clear it wants to expand output significantly. More oil supply should push prices lower, but only if that supply actually reaches the market.
Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu/Getty Image
And that’s the catch drivers need to understand.
Volatile for a while
Oil prices don’t drop just because more production is possible. They drop when that oil is flowing freely, refined, and distributed. If geopolitical tensions continue to disrupt shipping lanes or production, the added supply won’t fully offset the pressure.
That’s why, in the short term, volatility is still the story.
So let’s answer the question every driver is asking: Will this lower gas prices? And when?
In the next one to two weeks, probably not. Prices will continue to react to global tensions more than anything else. But within two to six weeks, that’s when things could start to change. That’s typically how long it takes for shifts in crude oil prices to filter down to what you pay at the pump. If the UAE ramps up production and tensions ease even slightly, drivers could start seeing prices move down by late May into June.
We’re not talking about a sudden return to cheap gas, but a drop of 20 to 50 cents per gallon is realistic if conditions line up. For families commuting daily, running businesses, or planning summer travel, that kind of relief will help. And yes, this ties directly into the broader automotive landscape.
High fuel prices don’t just affect what you pay at the pump. They influence what people buy. When gas spikes, consumers start rethinking vehicle choices, holding off on larger SUVs, reconsidering trucks, or delaying purchases altogether. Automakers feel that shift immediately, especially as they try to balance EV investments with ongoing demand for gas-powered vehicles.
When prices ease, even slightly, it stabilizes that decision-making. It gives consumers more flexibility and helps normalize the market. That’s why this OPEC fracture isn’t just an energy story; it’s an automotive story.
RELATED: GM slams brakes on electric trucks as reality crashes the EV party
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
Priming the pump
Looking farther out, the bigger implication is what happens to OPEC itself.
The UAE’s departure exposes long-standing tensions inside the group. Some countries have followed production limits; others have ignored them. That imbalance has been building for years, and now it’s starting to break apart. When a cartel loses discipline, it loses its ability to control prices.
That’s good for drivers, but it comes with a trade-off.
Less coordination means more volatility. Prices could swing more sharply in response to global events. That’s not ideal for consumers or automakers trying to plan ahead, but it does reduce the ability of a centralized group to keep prices artificially elevated.
There’s also a strategic shift happening behind the scenes. The UAE wants flexibility, not restrictions. The country is investing in expanding production capacity and positioning itself to produce more oil, not less, in the years ahead. That aligns more with a competitive market than a controlled one.
For the United States, that could quietly become a win. More global supply, less cartel control, and increased competition all point toward lower energy costs over time. But again, timing is everything, and right now, geopolitical instability is still the dominant force.
So here’s the bottom line for drivers. The UAE just weakened one of the most powerful forces controlling global oil prices. That opens the door to lower gas prices and more competition. But in the short term, the same geopolitical risks that pushed prices higher are still in play.
If tensions ease and supply increases, you could see relief at the pump within weeks. If not, expect more of the same volatility that’s been hitting your wallet every time you fill up. Either way, this isn’t just another oil story. It’s a shift that will play out on American roads, in dealership showrooms, and, most importantly, at the pump.
Energy costs, Free market, Gas prices, Lifestyle, Oil production, Saudi arabia, United arab emirates, Align cars
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Play stupid games: Tennessee GOP makes Democrats pay a heavy price for childish tantrums over redistricting
Tennessee state Republicans passed a new congressional map last week that, applying the logic of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Callais ruling, carves up a Democrat-held district that was the product of a racial gerrymander. They managed to do so despite obstruction and gross incivility from their Democrat colleagues.
Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones, for instance, walked around the chamber blowing a bullhorn in the faces of lawmakers and subjecting them to potential noise-induced hearing loss. Jones — a Democrat who was caught on film throwing a traffic cone at a driver during a 2020 Black Lives Matter blockade — also set fire to a printout of the Confederate flag and repeatedly accused Republicans of racism.
‘Maybe next year we’ll explain the basics like “don’t start fires in the Capitol.”‘
Democrat state Sen. Charlane Oliver — the radical who threatened riots in 2024 over the passage of a bill she didn’t like — danced atop her desk in the chamber, yelling and holding up a banner that said, “No Jim Crow 2 Stop the Steal.”
Some of the Democrats yelled and chanted while Republicans calmly conducted the work at hand, while another got testy with police, barraging a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper with insults while interfering with an arrest.
Evidently, actions still have consequences in the Volunteer State.
Republican Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton notified Democratic House Minority Leader Karen Camper on Tuesday that members of the Democratic Caucus should expect to receive individual letters removing them from all standing committees and subcommittees in the statehouse, “except where membership is required pursuant to Rule 65 of the House Rules.”
RELATED: South Carolina GOP poised to erase district of geriatric Democrat who got Biden elected
Madison Thorn/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Sexton cited as cause Democrats’ actions “aimed at disrupting the democratic and legislative processes and creating disorder on the House Floor, including, but not limited to:
Interlocking arms in the well of the House; Blocking aisles on the House Floor; Instigating and encouraging disruptions of the legislative process in coordination with paid protestors and attendees in the gallery, including the distribution of earplugs to a member of your caucus;The use of prohibited props and noisemakers on the House Floor; Demonstrating a lack of respect toward fellow members seeking recognition to speak on legislation; andFlagrant disregard for the Permanent Rules of Order of the House.”
Rather than reflect on whether they went too far again or shouldn’t bemoan the loss of a racial gerrymander, state Democrats condemned the committee-removal consequence, painted themselves as victims, and descended farther into lunacy.
Minority Leader Camper said in a long-winded, reality-averse statement that the passage of the new map “felt like being stabbed in the back, then having the knife pushed in deeper and turned to finish the job.”
The minority leader then engaged in several paragraphs of what could only be described as partisan-hack numerology.
Camper, convinced there was a “symbolic scheme behind the handling of debate during this extraordinary session,” said:
there were supposed to be 47 minutes of debate on each side, which was somehow “a clear nod to the 47th President”;the duration of the “debate allotments” when it came to the “debate structure surrounding changes to election law,” when added up, would have “totaled 54 minutes — a nod to 1954, the year of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Decision“; andthe addition of 47 plus the time allotments also associated with the debate equals 74 — clearly a nod to 1974, the “year Harold Ford Sr. became the first Black member of Congress elected from Tennessee in the modern era.”
In conclusion to her embarrassing numbers game, Camper suggested that her protest last week was ultimately aimed at ensuring that these numbers wouldn’t add up — that there would instead be only 44 minutes of debate on the redistricting legislation in honor of the 44th president, Barack Obama.
“We are hurt. We are disappointed. But we are not intimidated,” wrote Camper. “And no committee assignment will stop us from fighting for democracy, voting rights, constitutional freedoms, and the people of Tennessee.”
State Rep. Justin Pearson — the Democrat who interfered with an arrest on Thursday and called a THP trooper “stupid motherf**ker” and “boy” — whined on X, “Speaker of the TN House Cameron Sexton just removed me and every Democrat — and therefore every Black elected official in the state legislature from any committee we served on. This move strips nearly 2 million Tennesseans from [sic] the representation they deserve in TN state leg.”
The Tennessee House GOP said of the Democrats’ responses, “Of course now they’re playing victim. Maybe next year we’ll explain the basics like ‘don’t start fires in the Capitol.'”
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Charlane oliver, Confederate flag, Congressional map, Democratic caucus, Democrats, House minority leader, House rules, Justin jones, Racial gerrymander, Tennessee, Us supreme court, Numerology, Radicalism, Leftism, Nashville, Karen camper, Embarrassing, Lol, Redistricting, Gerrymander, Callais, Politics
Social media scams are up 700%. Here’s how to stay safe.
Online scams are nothing new, yet they still account for a rising degree of theft year over year. According to new numbers released by the Federal Trade Commission, social media users in particular were tricked out of a staggering $2.1 billion — eight times higher than in 2020 — and these losses could get even worse as criminals tap into AI to execute more sophisticated cyberattacks. Here are the biggest social media scams to look for and what you can do if it happens to you.
Biggest social media scams of 2025
The FTC’s report identified three main traps that tricked social media users out of billions of dollars:
Investment scams accounted for half of the total losses last year. These scams usually involve get-rich-quick schemes where “influencers” sell courses that show victims how to make money by investing in the stock market. In some cases, scammers create chat groups filled with other supposed investors who all proclaim the benefits of the program, when in reality, they’re part of the scam too. Ultimately, victims end up paying for these courses, or even provide funds to be invested on their behalf, with no real payoff on the other side.
Don’t click on social media ads. Ever.
Shopping scams came in second place, accounting for 40% of the reported losses on social media. These scams typically feature an ad to a product that’s too good to be true — either the price is lower than usually advertised, or the link clicks away to an unknown third-party site instead of a trusted retailer. From here, scammers convince users to provide their payment information, stealing the money while leaving shoppers with a cheaper product than they thought they were getting, or in many cases, no product at all.
Romance scams, also known as catfishing, involve users who create fake online accounts so that they can target other users and foster a false relationship. Once the victim falls head over heels to the point that they would do anything for their supposed lover, the catfisher will request money for some kind of unexpected crisis, typically involving a broken-down car, a shattered phone, or a family member suddenly passing away. The victim sends the cash, the catfisher pockets the money, and they’re never heard from again — or worse, they try to get more money later.
How to protect yourself from social media scams
Luckily, there are several ways to avoid these scams as you surf your favorite social media sites.
First, limit who can see your posts and friends on social media. Most platforms let you set your profile as “private” or limit public access by making adjustments to the settings page. Some social media apps also bar strangers from sending you private messages. Once your account is locked down, both scammers and AI agents will have a harder time finding you to execute targeted scams.
RELATED: New call center tech beats ‘bias’ by masking Indian accents
L-R: Wodicka/ullstein bild/Getty Images; Taylor Weidman/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Second, be careful who you trust online. It’s OK to form friendships with people you meet on social platforms, but refrain from sharing personal information or buying products, services, or courses from anyone you don’t know in person. Many online scammers make their careers out of falsely befriending or romancing unsuspecting users just to squeeze them for cash. As a general rule of thumb, don’t trust anyone on social media unless you can verify they are the person they claim to be and that they are worthy of that trust.
Third, don’t click on social media ads. Ever. Especially avoid ads that showcase expensive products sold for a staggeringly large discount. Instead, go to the manufacturer’s webpage or find the same product in a trusted online store. If the manufacturer is actually hosting a deal, you should see the same discounted price on an official page, and if the price doesn’t match, chances are even greater that the unknown store with the great deal is trying to deceive you. To be safe, always buy from a trusted online retailer or the manufacturer itself.
Fourth, never provide personal information to anyone online, even if it seems harmless — that includes your mother’s maiden name, first pet, hometown, first car, etc. All of these are typically answers to the security questions that protect many of your online accounts that a criminal would love to hack.
Finally, if you do run into a scam online, stop what you’re doing and report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. This way, you can help them track down fraudsters and protect other users from losing hundreds or thousands of dollars to social media thieves.
Scams, Social media, Ai, Personal information, Tech
