Latchkey Daily is the free weekday brief for Gen X: the scams going around and how to stop them, technology made usable, and the money, family and caregiving questions of the sandwich years. Five minutes, one action, every weekday.https://latchkeydaily.com/en-ushttps://latchkeydaily.com/scams/alerts/2027-02-04-tax-refund-text-wave/https://latchkeydaily.com/scams/alerts/2027-02-04-tax-refund-text-wave/With filing season open, readers are reporting texts and emails claiming an IRS refund is waiting and asking for a Social Security number and bank login to release it. The IRS does not text or email about refunds.Thu, 04 Feb 2027 00:00:00 GMTScam alerthttps://latchkeydaily.com/watch/scam-of-the-week-toll-text/https://latchkeydaily.com/watch/scam-of-the-week-toll-text/The toll text that hit millions of phones this month: what it looks like, why the amount is small, where the link really goes, and the one phone setting that disables it. Replace youtubeId with the real video ID when published.Wed, 03 Feb 2027 00:00:00 GMTVideohttps://latchkeydaily.com/newsletter/issues/2027-02-02-deadbolt-day-one/https://latchkeydaily.com/newsletter/issues/2027-02-02-deadbolt-day-one/Why scammers who get your email don't read it, the ten-minute Gmail lockdown, and what AI is actually good for this week.Tue, 02 Feb 2027 00:00:00 GMTNewsletterhttps://latchkeydaily.com/scams/alerts/2027-02-02-toll-texts-california-wave/https://latchkeydaily.com/scams/alerts/2027-02-02-toll-texts-california-wave/Readers across California reported a surge of "FasTrak unpaid toll" texts this week, most from overseas numbers and all linking to lookalike domains. Amounts are $4.15 to $12.50 with a late fee threatened for today.Tue, 02 Feb 2027 00:00:00 GMTScam alerthttps://latchkeydaily.com/watch/deadbolt-gmail/https://latchkeydaily.com/watch/deadbolt-gmail/Lock down your Gmail in ten minutes: a unique password, two-step verification with a passkey, recovery options you control, and the forwarding rule scammers plant. Replace youtubeId with the real video ID when published.Tue, 02 Feb 2027 00:00:00 GMTVideohttps://latchkeydaily.com/newsletter/issues/2027-02-01-first-issue/https://latchkeydaily.com/newsletter/issues/2027-02-01-first-issue/A toll bill that isn't, the one setting that stops it, and why we named this thing Latchkey.Mon, 01 Feb 2027 00:00:00 GMTNewsletterhttps://latchkeydaily.com/protect/wifi-router/https://latchkeydaily.com/protect/wifi-router/The router is the front door for every device in the house, and most are still on the password printed on the box.Fri, 22 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTGuidehttps://latchkeydaily.com/protect/amazon/https://latchkeydaily.com/protect/amazon/Amazon has your cards and your address, and it is the most impersonated company in the country.Thu, 21 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTGuidehttps://latchkeydaily.com/protect/bank-login/https://latchkeydaily.com/protect/bank-login/Online banking is the account scammers are actually after; everything else is a route to it.Wed, 20 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTGuidehttps://latchkeydaily.com/protect/outlook/https://latchkeydaily.com/protect/outlook/Your Microsoft account is your email, your OneDrive files and often your Windows login. It resets everything else.Tue, 19 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTGuidehttps://latchkeydaily.com/protect/facebook/https://latchkeydaily.com/protect/facebook/A hacked Facebook account is used to scam your friends in your name, and it is the login for dozens of other apps.Mon, 18 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTGuidehttps://latchkeydaily.com/protect/android/https://latchkeydaily.com/protect/android/Your phone holds your bank, your email and your two-factor codes. A weak screen lock or a sideloaded app hands all of it over.Sat, 16 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTGuidehttps://latchkeydaily.com/protect/iphone/https://latchkeydaily.com/protect/iphone/Your phone is your bank, your email, your photos and your two-factor codes. A stolen passcode is a stolen life.Sat, 16 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTGuidehttps://latchkeydaily.com/protect/gmail/https://latchkeydaily.com/protect/gmail/Your email is the master key. Anyone inside it can reset the password on your bank, your Amazon and everything else.Fri, 15 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTGuidehttps://latchkeydaily.com/scams/amazon-impersonation-scam/https://latchkeydaily.com/scams/amazon-impersonation-scam/The Amazon impersonation scam is a call, text or email about a large order you did not place, a locked account or a Prime renewal, designed to get you to call a number or click a link where a fake agent takes your login, your card, or remote control of your device.Sun, 10 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTScamhttps://latchkeydaily.com/scams/bank-impersonation-scam/https://latchkeydaily.com/scams/bank-impersonation-scam/The bank fraud department scam is a call or text that appears to come from your bank's fraud team, warning of a suspicious charge and then walking you through "securing" your money by reading them a code, moving funds to a "safe account," or sending yourself a Zelle payment that actually goes to the scammer.Sun, 10 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTScamhttps://latchkeydaily.com/scams/grandparent-scam/https://latchkeydaily.com/scams/grandparent-scam/The grandparent scam is a phone call in which someone pretends to be a grandchild (or a lawyer or officer calling about one) who is in jail, in a hospital or in an accident and needs money immediately, sent by gift card, cash courier or wire, and kept secret from the rest of the family.Sun, 10 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTScamhttps://latchkeydaily.com/scams/irs-impersonation-scam/https://latchkeydaily.com/scams/irs-impersonation-scam/The IRS impersonation scam is a call, text or email from someone claiming to be the IRS, demanding immediate payment of back taxes by gift card, wire or crypto under threat of arrest, or offering a refund you can claim by clicking a link and entering your Social Security number and bank details.Sun, 10 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTScamhttps://latchkeydaily.com/scams/package-delivery-scam/https://latchkeydaily.com/scams/package-delivery-scam/The package delivery text scam is a text claiming a package could not be delivered because of a missing address detail or a small redelivery fee, with a link to a fake carrier page that collects your card number and personal details.Sun, 10 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTScamhttps://latchkeydaily.com/scams/recovery-scam/https://latchkeydaily.com/scams/recovery-scam/The recovery scam targets people who were already scammed, with a call or message from a "lawyer," "recovery agency" or "government investigator" offering to get the lost money back for an upfront fee, which is itself the scam.Sun, 10 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTScamhttps://latchkeydaily.com/scams/tech-support-scam/https://latchkeydaily.com/scams/tech-support-scam/The tech support scam is a pop-up, call or email claiming your computer is infected or a subscription is about to renew, which leads to a "technician" taking remote control of your computer and either charging for fake repairs or using the access to get into your bank.Sun, 10 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTScamhttps://latchkeydaily.com/scams/toll-text-scam/https://latchkeydaily.com/scams/toll-text-scam/The unpaid toll text scam is a text message claiming you owe a small toll balance and must pay through a link today to avoid a late fee; the link leads to a fake toll-agency page that takes your card number and personal details.Sun, 10 Jan 2027 00:00:00 GMTScam