The $7,000 bank scam, Wi-Fi tips and tricks & the truth about free TV boxes (199, Nov 7, 2026)

Listener Debbie shares how scammers posing as Citibank’s fraud department tricked her into authorizing $7,000 in transactions.

Rich breaks down the biggest holiday scams to watch for, according to Visa’s 2026 Holiday Threats Report, and how to avoid them.

Listener Greg asks where to buy reliable refurbished phones. Rich recommends Back Market, Angie’s Green Go Surplus on eBay, Amazon Renewed, Samsung Certified Re-Newed, Apple Certified Refurbished, Google Store refurbished Pixels, and Best Buy.

Rich explains T-Mobile’s new T-Mix wireless plans, which let customers choose their own perks and change them every 90 days, with insights from T-Mobile CMO Allan Samson.

Rich tries Bryan Cranston’s Dos Hombres tequila at the T-Mobile party and gives it a thumbs-up.

Tom in San Clemente asks how to safely recycle old laptops without exposing personal data. Rich recommends professional hard drive shredding or Staples recycling at staples.com/recycling.

Rich shares his experience taking a driverless Waymo ride in Los Angeles and why he thinks robotaxis have a bright future.

Ron in San Diego asks whether he needs to notify his bank before switching computers. Rich explains what to expect and recommends Costco and Slickdeals.net for laptop deals, including an ASUS Vivobook 16 on sale at Best Buy for $350.

Beth in San Diego asks about the vSeeBox V6 Plus, an Android TV box promising thousands of channels without subscriptions. Rich recommends returning it and using Roku or Fire TV instead, with TheStreamable.com/matchmaker to compare TV services and Tubi or Pluto TV for free streaming.

Pete Tenereillo of PathSense explains how apps track your location, the difference between precise and approximate location, and why you should check your location permissions and turn off data selling in app settings.

Cindy in Long Beach reports fraudulent charges on her Visa card and asks about suspicious Gmail addresses. Rich explains Gmail’s plus-addressing feature and recommends credit cards, virtual card numbers from Privacy.com, and Apple Pay or Google Pay for safer purchases.

Amazon is offering a complete Thanksgiving dinner for $25, including turkey and sides, at Amazon.com/ThanksgivingMeal.