Welcome to your tech wonderland Wednesday, friends! Here’s a trivia question to get us going. What inspired the iconic "ding" sound that welcomes you when booting a Mac computer? Was it a … A) Tibetan singing bowl, B) Beatles' song, C) cash register opening or D) classical piano key note. You’ll find the answer at the end.

🏠 You’ve heard me talk about SimpliSafe for years. SimpliSafe is having a huge 40% off sale you need to check out. I have it and really love the system. Just so you know, I don’t make any extra money or get residuals if you buy. — Kim

Scams never end. I found a few new ones that are spreading like wildfire across the U.S. When these hit my timeline, I make sure to pass them on to you. I want you to be prepared and not a victim.

1. Your day in court

Police in several cities, including Amarillo, Texas, are warning about this. You get a phone call that looks like it’s coming from law enforcement. The voice on the other end lays it on thick, claiming you've failed to appear for a court date, and oh boy, they've got a warrant out for you. Just pay up over the phone and this mess will disappear (not!).

• Always question: Real law enforcement won't demand payments over the phone.
• Caller ID can be faked: Spoofing is a common trick to make the call look real.

2. The delivery text snare

You get a text that appears to be from the USPS. "Click here," it says, "Your package can't be delivered until you update your address." It’s easiest to fall for those this time of year when more packages are coming your way.

• No link, no problem: Official USPS communications won't include unsolicited links.
• Check the details: Always keep track of what you ordered, where from and how it should arrive.
• Guard your info: Never, and I mean NEVER, give out your personal data through a random text link.

3. Gas station skimmer alerts

This one is trending in Colorado. An email in your inbox warns about gas station credit card skimmers. All you have to do is click a link for a list of affected locations. It’s a trap!

• Just delete: Treat unsolicited emails like uninvited guests. Don't let them in.
• Inspect before you swipe: Always give a visual check to any payment terminal. Pay inside or move on to the next station if it looks sketchy.

Stay informed, be skeptical and protect your personal info like it's gold — because to you and these scammers, it is.

Share this important alert with family and friends so they’ll have their scam guard up, too. As I like to say, “Knowledge is power.”

Talk to your kids: In Wisconsin, at least 10 middle school girls sent pics of themselves to a 15-year-old boy who was actually a 33-year-old man. The sicko creep threatened to use AI to put their faces in p*rn and send it to their friends and family.

Horrifying new tactic: Hamas is hijacking its victim’s social media accounts to livestream attacks and issue death threats. That includes Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. I am so tired of social media platforms saying they cannot do anything to stop these livestreams. Come on, they make billions of dollars!

🎶 It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me: Best Buy’s CEO says sales are in the toilet because of Taylor Swift. No, really. Corie Barry says the younger generation would rather spend money on experiences (like concert tickets) than expensive electronics. Can’t wait for the mean song about Corie.

Irish you good luck: Amazon, Glassdoor, Trustpilot, Expedia, Booking[.]com and Tripadvisor are teaming up to finally put a stop to fake reviews. Why? Because they care about us! Nope. The FTC wants to stop phony reviews with fines and penalties. It’s gonna take more than that.

License and username, please: A police officer in Minneapolis is being investigated by her department after a driver she pulled over recognized her — from her OnlyFans page. The driver subscribes to the cop’s page, saying he saw her have s*x. I’m pretty confident she has many more visits to her page now, too.

🧹 Not a babysitter: A dad who says he doesn’t “help” his wife clean, do laundry or take care of the kids is going viral on Instagram and TikTok. He’s not a jerk — he says, “I can’t ‘help’ my wife do those things because they are my job, too.” Reminds me of when I came home from doing a show and almost 2-year-old Ian had a diaper hanging down at his knees. I asked Barry, “Did you even think about changing his diaper?” Barry said, “The box says it holds up to 20 pounds.”

Achieve grapeness: A University of Nebraska-Lincoln student used AI to decrypt a 2,000-year-old Roman scroll. He was walking back from a party at 1 a.m. when he got a text that the AI program detected the first word: Purple. Even cooler, he got a $40K payout for the discovery. See it here.

In my no-nonsense, straight-talking podcast, I serve up everything tech in digestible, fun-sized pieces. New to the tech scene? Or maybe you're a pro? Doesn't matter. I’ve got you covered.

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Sure, you know about "Do Not Disturb," but are you aware you can set it to activate during certain hours automatically? My iPhone is set up like this, so I get my nightly beauty rest.

Let's say you've got your nightly wind-down routine. You can set "Do Not Disturb" to automatically turn on an hour before bedtime and off when you usually wake up. No more late-night pings or dings that tempt you to check your phone when you should be catching those Z's.

For iPhone Users:

• Open Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb.
• Scroll to the Set a Schedule section and tap Add Schedule. Here, select Time and set the From and To times that you want your phone to be in this zen-like state.
• Want calls from certain people to come through? Under Allow Notifications, select People > Add People and choose from your Contacts list.

For Android Users:

• Swipe down from the top of your screen and hit that gear icon.
• Find Do Not Disturb. Different Androids have this in slightly different places, but it's often under Sound or Notifications. Tap Do Not Disturb.
• Look for an option like Turn on automatically or Schedule. Set your start and end times there.
• Look for the Allow exceptions option to let important contacts reach you.

Pro tip: If you don’t want to sleep with a watch or fitness tracker because it's uncomfortable, check out the Withings Sleep Tracking Pad. It fits under your mattress and tracks your sleep cycles and heart rate. It can also detect snoring and breathing disturbances — perfect if your bed-fellow claims they don’t snore.

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 40% off any SimpliSafe system with a Fast Protect Plan. This huge offer is only available for a limited time.

Luke, I am your paw-ther.

The answer: B) The final chord of The Beatles' song "A Day in the Life." Jim Reekes, an Apple sound designer, wanted a sound that instilled happiness.

🥁 Imagine if I was asked to be a backup for Ringo Starr by the Beatles. You may say I'm a drummer, but I'm not the only one. (Yikes, even I groaned out loud writing that!)

If you love my jokes, bless you. If you can’t stand them and read anyway, bless you. Give a rating on today’s issue below. I’ll see you tomorrow with the best tech newsletter in the universe. Until then, stay your amazing self! Thanks for letting me in your inbox. — Kim