Crypto's surging, and so are scams
Americans reported $4.57 billion in losses from online investment frauds in 2023, up 38% from 2022. Credit: iStockphoto via Getty Images / Kameleon007
Bitcoin is not alone in setting new highs. Scams associated with the digital token and other cryptocurrencies also hit a record high.
Americans reported $4.57 billion in losses from online investment frauds in 2023, up 38% from 2022, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Of those losses, $3.94 billion were scams that referenced cryptocurrencies.
Investment scams were by far the costliest online fraud in 2023. The second-most costly scam was business email compromise ($2.9 billion in reported losses), where scammers pretend to be from legitimate companies. Tech support scams ($924 million) was third. By age group, victims of investment fraud were typically 30-49 years old. People 60 and older were the most common victims of tech support fraud.
A study published in JAMA Pediatrics found a decrease in “parent-child talk” when kids 12-36 months old use mobile devices. Credit: Getty Images / Fly View Productions
Language barrier
Giving toddlers access to mobile devices may keep them quiet — too quiet. A study published in JAMA Pediatrics found a decrease in “parent-child talk” when kids 12-36 months old use mobile devices. Children “heard fewer adult words, spoke fewer vocalizations and engaged in fewer back-and-forth interactions” while on the devices. The conclusion: Too much screen time may inhibit “a language-rich home environment” and impede language development.
Tinder expands ID verification
Tinder is rolling out enhanced ID verification to combat fake profiles. Users get a blue checkmark indicating their photo is authentic by uploading an image of a driver’s license or passport and video selfie, which only Tinder can access. Tinder issues the checkmark if everything matches the profile information. Reports have found that half the profiles on dating apps have false information and 10% are totally fake.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said progress in A.I. “will be one of the biggest factors in improving people’s quality of life.” Credit: Getty Images / Sansert Sangsakawrat
Tech firms pledge A.I. ‘responsibility’
OpenAI, Salesforce and other tech companies signed an open letter highlighting a “collective responsibility” to “maximize artificial intelligence’s benefits and mitigate the risks.” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said progress in A.I. “will be one of the biggest factors in improving people’s quality of life.” In the year since OpenAI’s ChatGPT launched, many have championed the benefits of A.I. and raised alarms about its significant risks. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
