Kim Komando Daily Tech Update
Kim Komando Daily Tech Update

Is someone recording you with smart glasses?

8 min
•Jan 16, 20263 months ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

This episode covers privacy concerns with Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and their potential for secret recording, including tips for detecting when you're being filmed. The episode also features a detailed caller story about a Venmo scam involving a fake charity collection that resulted in an attempted $2,000 theft.

Insights
  • Smart glasses present new privacy risks as recording indicators can be easily disabled or obscured by users
  • Scammers are increasingly using legitimate-seeming scenarios like youth sports fundraising to exploit people's generosity
  • Physical access to devices during payment app transactions creates significant vulnerability for financial fraud
  • Quick action with banks and law enforcement can help recover funds from digital payment scams
  • The intersection of emerging technology and traditional scam tactics creates new attack vectors for criminals
Trends
Wearable technology privacy concerns increasing as devices become more mainstreamDigital payment scams evolving to exploit contactless and mobile payment methodsLaw enforcement adapting to handle technology-enabled crimes more effectivelyConsumer awareness growing around smart device recording capabilitiesFinancial institutions improving fraud response times for digital payment platforms
Quotes
"They're the classic style, but with a camera they can record you at the gym, office and even during sex."
Kim Komando•Beginning
"If they keep adjusting their glasses, you're probably on camera."
Kim Komando•Early segment
"And that time he reached in my car, grabbed my phone and starts with a QR code on his phone."
Brenda•Mid episode
"It shows that he had attempted to send $2,000 somewhere."
Brenda•Mid episode
"It's a scam around every corner. It really is."
Kim Komando•End of call
Full Transcript
3 Speakers
Speaker A

Hi, Kim Commando here. Well, first up we have your digital life hack, and after that I'm going to play a call for my weekend national radio show. By now you've seen those Ray Ban meta glasses. They're the classic style, but with a camera they can record you at the gym, office and even during sex. Really? I'm Kim Commando for the current it's my five star rated newsletter read by almost a million folks. Sign up for free@getkim.com here's how to spot if you're being recorded by smart glasses. First, a tiny white LED on the right temple glows when recording problem. It's easier to cover with a black sticker or program it not to turn on. Next, the glasses make a sound when filming starts and stops, but it's pretty faint. Finally, you have to press a button on the top of the frames to start recording. If they keep adjusting their glasses, you're probably on camera. And yes, a man used his smart glasses to to secretly film himself having sex with a woman he met on a dating app. He sent her the videos as a thank you. The next day she had no idea she was being recorded. He pleaded guilty to voyeurism and got hit with a fine. It's not the last case for sure. Get my free newsletter@getchem.com Next up, a call for my weekend show, the Kim Commando Show. Enjoy. As we head into a new year, I want you to start at Protected not frustrated by slow, bloated, antiquated antivirus software? I've tested a lot of security tools over the years. You need one that keeps up with the times. Webroot Essentials is the antivirus security software I recommend. Listen to these results. Independent testing by Passmark software ranked Webroot 1 in performance, beating names you know like Norton, McAfee and Bitdefender. Webroot scans six times faster, uses five times less memory, and takes up 33 times less space. That means real protection without slowing down your computer. I've seen it myself. The difference is immediate. Webroot Essentials protects against viruses, ransomware, phishing, and more. It works on PCs, Macs, tablets, smartphones, even Chromebooks. So all your devices are covered right now. Save 75% on Webroot essentials@webroot.com Kim this 75% offer is exclusive for my listeners only. Go to webroot.com Kim live a better Digital Life with Webroot.

0:00

Speaker B

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2:14

Speaker A

Andrew, we read about, we hear a lot about Venmo scams. Yeah. And joining us right now, and we're going to start with all of our phone calls, is Brenda in Atlanta, Georgia. And now, Brenda, you have an interesting Venmo scam, I understand.

2:44

Speaker C

Yes, I do. It happened Christmas Day. I was coming home from an event, and there was a gentleman, young boy, standing in the median. And I thought he was trying to cross the road, so I kept my car a little bit further back.

2:59

Speaker A

And.

3:18

Speaker C

And then he motioned for me to come up, and I rolled down the window and said, I'm sorry, I thought you were trying to cross the road. And he said, no, my coach is having us out here collecting money for our basketball team. So I handed. Attempted to hand him a $5 bill. And he said, no, no, no, the coach doesn't want us to take any money, but he wants you to Venmo him. And I said, well, that's not a very good idea. And he said, please, it's just, just $2. I have to show the coach that I'm really trying. So I picked up my phone and I opened Venmo and I said, tell me his name. I'll venmo $5. And that time he reached in my car, grabbed my phone and starts with a QR code on his phone. And I reached and grabbed his phone out of his hand and said, give me my phone back right now. Give me my phone back. And he continued messing with my phone and then finally handed it back to me. And I gave him his phone, and then I just drove up, left.

3:19

Speaker A

Yeah.

4:25

Speaker C

And as soon as I got to my driveway, which was two minutes, I called 911 and I said to the police officer, I'm not sure what just happened, but please go and check it out. So then sitting in my driveway, I looked at my Venmo and I couldn't see anything that had happened until I went to transactions. And it shows that he had attempted to send $2,000 somewhere. And it just showed a number, but it was not my. My Venmo account. So the police officer called me in about 10 minutes and said, we've got the suspect in the back of the police car. Do you want to press charges. And I said, yes, I absolutely do. And apparently he had gotten a woman the day before on Christmas Eve to zell him $2,000. And I don't know the story there, but she also wanted to press charges. So I. My Venmo showed that the funds would not be available until December 31st. So on Friday, the next day, I went to my bank and. And talked to them, showed them what had happened, and they said, we probably can't do anything about it. But they called the scam department at the bank, and by Monday, the money was back into my account. But in the meantime, I had changed my password. I had deleted the bank account attached to my Venmo, and I had transferred enough money out of that account that it should have come back insufficient funds. And you know what? Of course, afterwards, I felt so gullible and so. Yeah, but you know what?

4:26

Speaker A

But it was Christmas. Yeah, but you were just trying to help, you know, I mean, it's Christmas day. The kid asked for, you know, even just $2. Who would not say no to $2. Right?

6:10

Speaker C

You know, my kids both did sports, and I know they had to do, you know, collections and sales. And to be honest, I thought, you know, what's. What's a couple of dollars? But when he grabbed the phone out of my hand, then I knew this was. This was not good. But it's a shame. You can't help kids when they're really legitimately doing something, you know? Well, the good news is the money was put back into my account, and I got a police report. He's still in jail, and he was 17 years old. And we don't know a lot of details, but you shouldn't have given him.

6:19

Speaker A

His phone back when you stole his phone. You should have kept it.

6:53

Speaker C

That did enter my mind, but I didn't want to be arrested for.

6:57

Speaker A

Fire to be like, in the pokey on Christmas Day.

7:03

Speaker C

I know that would not have been good. Well, you know what?

7:07

Speaker A

I'm really glad that you called in and took some time, because this serves as a warning to everybody. You know, you want to help, and that's our nature, because we're all good people. We want to try to help, but we. We. You can't, you know, ask for a legitimate source or ask for, you know, where can I actually go online to authenticate where this is? And unfortunately, Brenda, as you learned, it's now. It's now you've got this whole other drama rama that you have to deal with in your life, which a complete nightmare. It's a scam around every corner. It really is. Hey, want to stay in the tech now without wasting your time? Join nearly a million folks who get my free newsletter the Current, where you see the latest in tech in just five minutes every single day. You're just going to love it. It has a five out of five star rating over on Trustpilot. Sign up right now@getkim.com that's getkim.com.

7:10