Internet scams have reached incredible levels in the past few years. A recent AP-NORC survey found that 58% of American adults receive daily scam attempts. That number jumps all the way up to 92% for people who receive them on a monthly basis. That is an enormous amount of scamming!

That said, it's no surprise that the reader who requested this wants some advice. Scammers are rapidly developing new tactics using AI. Gone are the simple days of a man with a thick accent claiming to be John from Microsoft; AI allows bad actors to look and sound however they please.

So what can you do? Here's my advice for staying safe from scams.

The year is 1997. It is a May afternoon in New York City and in the Equitable Center on Seventh Avenue a chess match is taking place. On one side, world champion chess player Garry Kasparov makes the opening move. On the other, a representative from IBM waits to make a move on behalf of the company's supercomputer, Deep Blue. The game is a rematch – Kasparov had beaten the machine the prior year – but this time, IBM has implemented some upgrades.

The match is intense, and the two sides stay tied until the final round. Kasparov decides to try a risky strategy to throw the computer off but ultimately fails, losing the match in just over an hour. The world is shocked. Artificial intelligence (albeit a comparatively primitive form) has surpassed human intelligence in a highly publicized event.

“What's the easiest user friendly computer for older people?”

If you ask any tech geek this question, their reply to you will almost certainly include “what are you using it for?”

So let's break that down. All listed prices are assuming that you're buying a used or refurbished device – new devices will obviously cost much more.

Just over ten years ago, Mattel surprised the world with the release of Hello Barbie, a doll capable of having simple conversations with children through Wi-Fi connectivity. The public response was swift. Here are some headlines from the time:

Why you should say 'goodbye' to Hello Barbie (CNBC)

Advocacy Group is Saying 'Hell No' to 'Hello Barbie' (Time)

Privacy advocates try to keep ‘creepy,’ ‘eavesdropping’ Hello Barbie from hitting shelves (The Washington Post)