The Current powered by Kim Komando

Marissa’s best friend of 15 years stole her newborn’s pictures. Passed the kid off as her own to strangers online, even faking a birth story. We talk to Marissa about the fallout and the rise of “digital kidnapping.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Researchers found 28 of 30 car apps sent drivers’ data to advertising or tracking companies. Incogni CEO Darius Belejevas joins me to explain why this data is so valuable to insurers and lenders, and what you can do to protect yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tomi Mikula spent eight months negotiating car deals for free to learn exactly how dealerships profit. Now his own multi-million dollar company, Delivrd, charges a flat $1,000 to negotiate for you. We talk to him about how the business works and some of the biggest mistakes buyers make. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EmilyCC has been streaming 24/7 for four years. Every meal, every road trip, every moment she's awake, and even when she sleeps, strangers are watching. The kicker? She gets paid for it. I talk with her to find out why she streams and why she can’t stop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My niece Danielle bought carbon monoxide detectors through online AI ads. One of them blared a fake 4 a.m. emergency warning her family's air was combustible. Even though they were just fine. She shares her wild story with us, and what to check before you buy one for yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lori Schott lost her daughter Annalee to suicide in 2020 after social media consumed her life. She has spent every year since advocating to get platforms and parents to change. Her fight helped lead Meta to an historic $18 billion settlement, the largest of its kind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lukas Petersson and Axel Backlund of Andon Labs gave $100K to an AI agent named Luna to open a store. Not only did she write code. She signed a lease. Haggled with suppliers. And hired human employees. The result? Andon Market in San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just like the rest of us, Caleb got tired of picking up after his dog. So he built the Poopcopter. Scans, scoops, and dumps. Tech does ‘ruff’ work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A listener's sister spent five years and emptied out her entire IRA on her "boyfriend." The kicker? She's never met him in person. Classic romance scam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Travis has a wife. Well, two. Sort of. He's also married to Lily Rose, his AI companion. His real wife of 22 years? Cool with it. We talk to Travis about this unconventional setup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Brown's doctors missed his cancer diagnosis. So he built an AI agent that caught what they didn't. Saved his life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Police ambushed Joel Feder and his wife in a Kohl’s parking lot. Guns drawn. The tipster? Flock cameras. Wrongly tracked him for days over stolen plates he never took. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

UC Berkeley professor Hany Farid spent his career detecting AI fakes. Now he can’t tell what’s real. Other experts are getting fooled too. What that means for the rest of us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Long before GPS knew where your car was, Roy was the voice guiding drivers. He recorded over 5 million navigation phrases in the '90s. Now he's the calming voice at Disney parks. Roy shares hilarious retro tech stories, including weird street names. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elliot and his fiancée go on a wild police pursuit in Waymo. Against their will. Rating? Zero stars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your Ring doorbell may be doing more than watching porch pirates. Dr. Matthew Guariglia breaks down how home cameras became part of a giant surveillance web. Plus, why so many people are getting rid of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30 years in tech. Christina got laid off. She didn't sulk. She dusted off her entrepreneur cape and built her own AI consulting company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wall Street Journalist Danielle Crittenden suddenly lost her 32 year old daughter. Her devices are still connected. I talk with her about her late daughter and what happens to our digital lives after we’re gone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A grandmother was arrested. Spent five months in jail. The culprit? AI facial recognition. It wrongly linked her to a fraud case in a state she's never visited. She's not the only one. University of Virginia researcher Maria Lungu shares how and why AI gets it wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chrichelle was born legally blind. She's experiencing the world in a whole new way thanks to her Meta Ray-Ban glasses. Now she's empowering the visually impaired community and teaching them how to use it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Storm Duncan is selling his 14-acre California home. He won't take cash. He wants Anthropic stock instead. I talk with him about why he's ditching prime real estate and going all in on the future of AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trapped upside down in a sinking car in freezing water. 19-year-old Andi Burns thought it was the end. Until her Apple Watch called 911. Listen here for her incredible story of survival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine your pet goes missing, and hours later you get a photo of them on an operating table with a demand for $2,700 to "save" them. It’s a terrifying new scam that happened to a Florida family. I spoke with them about how they were almost duped. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your kid's post-screen meltdown isn't because they love the app. It's because the app was designed to keep them wanting. Neuroscientists call it a digital slot machine. I speak with Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff, author of Dopamine Kids, about how she broke the cycle with her own tween daughter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your smart devices could be someone else's weapon. A global crackdown wiped out four massive botnets linked to 300,000 attacks. Intelligence Analyst Allan Liska explains who's behind it and what it means for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I told my wife I might not wake up." That's what David Grant said when his doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. When he turned to ChatGPT, it diagnosed him in minutes. I speak with David about the moment AI saved his life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your TV is watching you. It takes screenshots of what you're watching and sells that data to advertisers. I spoke with Aaron Alva, an attorney and former FTC insider, about why this is happening and how to stop it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See those dome cameras at the grocery store? Those aren't just for shoplifters. Those run AI that tracks every step you take, every pause you make to figure out what you want to buy. Yes, it's watching you. Plus, who really invented Bitcoin, a loyalty points scam to watch for, and a ChatGPT trick to outsmart your mechanic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your phone is not private. A U.S. Customs agent can legally search it when you return home from your trip abroad. They scan every picture, text, or email. In 2025, agents searched 55,318 devices. I’ll tell you why this is happening and how to protect yourself. We’re also looking at why some workers are choosing to retire early rather than retool for AI again. Plus, no more repeating yourself twice at drive-thru. Philips’ new espresso machine will remember your coffee order. Brew and conversation go a long way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seven fingers? Extra teeth? Those tells are gone. New research from UC Berkeley confirms we've crossed what they call the "Indistinguishable Threshold," the point where AI-generated faces have become so realistic that people perform no better than a coin flip when trying to distinguish them from real photos. That's why I sat down with Dr. Hany Farid, digital forensics professor at UC Berkeley and the person many call "The Deepfake Detective," to talk about what this means for trust, elections, and the spread of misinformation in a world where seeing is no longer believing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gmail. Google Maps. The App Store. Every one was dismissed like an absurd April Fools' prank. But each had the last laugh. Then I cover why AI tax scams are getting smarter by the minute. I'll show you how to avoid them. Plus, your wine fridge is getting smart. It can scan hundreds of bottles and know your collection better than you. Wine not? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every message you've ever sent? Not as private as you think. Guy Kawasaki, Apple's original evangelist and Silicon Valley icon, sounds the alarm in his new book, Everybody Has Something to Hide. I sat down with him to talk about what's at stake, why Signal is the only app he trusts for private messaging, and why he wants you to use it too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The average person keeps their router for 7 years, but most of the security updates stop after 3 to 5 years. I’ll show you how to check if yours is still protected. Someone is crashing Zoom calls and selling it as a podcast. Plus, title fraud is one of the fastest-growing crimes in America. I’ll have one simple step to keep your home safe. Let’s take a trip down memory lane. Half of all CDs ever made were AOL trial discs. How do I know? I was making $25,000 a month running the computer section, until they asked me to pay them. I said no and made my own radio show. Sometimes saying no is the best move you ever make. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Google invite you didn't ask for. It's skipping your inbox and going straight to your calendar. It just shows up. But here's the good news. I'll tell you how to fix it in 30 seconds.From your iPhone to your router, I have a few tips to keep you safe. Plus new research on pancreatic cancer and a landmark case found Meta and YouTube guilty of addicting kids to social media. And the age-old argument: is it Gif or Jif? The man who invented it, Steve Wilhite, weighs in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your family tree has been hiding in plain sight. AI just learned how to read it. I'll show you a free tool that searches 8 billion records. I tested it myself. Turns out my grandmother outsmarted an entire Ukrainian village to score a ticket to America. Plus, the real story behind the Komando name. Also: Scammers are now building fake Zoom waiting rooms that look identical to the real thing. And there's an AirPod trick going viral. All it takes is a twist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leave all your stuff plugged in? That's a hidden electricity drain driving up your electric costs. I have simple fixes to save money. Good news: You won't have to unplug a thing. Plus, Amazon launches one-hour deliveries, new sleep apnea masks, and why AI agents are coming for entry-level office jobs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if someone paid you $20 an hour to do your chores? Right now, people are strapping cameras to their heads to wash dishes and fold laundry. Not for social media, but to teach AI how to do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Natasha and Randy wanted a ride to their cruise ship. Instead, their driver turned out to be an impostor using someone else's Uber account. I break down the red flags they missed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Friday the 13th, and nothing's scarier than downloading an app that turns out to be spyware. I dig into the most common ones that track your location, contacts and health data. Chances are, you have some of these installed. Scary! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask a chatbot what it knows about you, and the answer might stop you cold. I tried it and AI turns into the most honest mirror you've ever looked into. Plus, the jobs actually safe from AI, Iran-linked hackers targeting Stryker, and meet Tilly Norwood: the AI-generated actress taking on Hollywood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 states require age verification to access social media or adult content online. You’re not handing your ID to Instagram. You’re handing it to a third-party company you’ve never heard of. Here's what to know. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bloody pig mask and live cockroaches were just the beginning. The Current exposes the disturbing true story of eBay executives who launched a campaign of psychological terror against a small publication. From anonymous threats to federal prison time, discover how a Fortune 500 giant tried to crush the truth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your phone isn't listening. The truth is scarier. Today's episode breaks down exactly why all those ads seem magically made for you. Plus: how a hacker used Sony's own chatbot to steal $20,000 worth of PlayStation games, and why you should avoid ChatGPT for medical emergencies. Phone dying? Here's a quick iPhone battery check that could save you $700 today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where, when, and how you book your trip changes what you pay. It's called dynamic pricing, and every hotel booking site does it. Here's how to beat it. Plus, some of my fave Amazon deals and how Google Flights predicts your trip. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Think AI is just a job killer? It’s actually creating a new class of $200,000-a-year careers. From “vibe coding” to high-paying roles that require zero programming skills, ASU’s Dr. Ross Maciejewski reveals how to future-proof your paycheck and master the human-tech partnership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You posted a pic of your meal. Harmless? Nope. AI tools can now pinpoint your location to within a few feet just from the pixels. No GPS needed. I break down how it works and the five things you can do right now (under two minutes) to lock it down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Texas company sold a list of 435,000 Alzheimer's patients to anyone with a credit card. The fine? $45,000. I break down why HIPAA doesn't protect your family and what you can do right now.Plus, the Windows printer setting that's been driving you crazy for years and the sneaky calendar scam hiding on your iPhone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York Times reporter Kashmir Hill talked to over 100 psychologists about how these bots are fueling real-world delusions. It’s a must-hear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your phone has been keeping a secret diary of everywhere you go. I'll break down the hidden location tracking feature sitting on your iPhone or Android right now. Plus, the creepy AI tool that can pinpoint exactly where you are just from a photo you posted online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A stranger glances at you in line at Starbucks. Ninety seconds later their phone knows your name, your job, and your last three Instagram posts. Today, Kim breaks down Meta's facial recognition push, what you can do to protect yourself, and why a leaked internal memo makes the whole thing even more alarming. Plus what parents need to know about Lyft riding solo, a security flaw that left businesses wide open to hackers for nearly a year, and a podcast episode you are not going to want to miss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices