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Beware of text messages with promises to win or a call to action! Because it is precisely messages like these that repeatedly lead to unexpected costs on your mobile phone bill. If you reply carelessly or contact a specified number, you can quickly fall into an expensive trap. We explain below which types of text messages are particularly risky and how you can protect yourself against them. These text messages are aimed at your money Not every text message is for information purposes. In particular, messages with alleged prizes, vouchers, or urgent instructions often have a clear aim: to trigger a quick response. A short reply or a callback is often enough to trigger costs. Formulations that create time pressure or suggest urgency are typical. Examples include messages such as “Last chance to confirm,” “Your prize expires today,” “Please reply immediately,” or “Act now to avoid costs.” Such statements are intended to tempt recipients to respond quickly without checking the content or possible costs. It is precisely this pattern that makes such text messages particularly dangerous. Promises of prizes are the most common lure Travel vouchers, special prizes, or exclusive benefits are among the most popular lures. The text messages appear serious, mention well-known brands or suggest a benefit that has already been won. To receive the alleged prize, recipients are asked to contact a specific number or reply by text message. These are often special numbers or premium services for which a charge is made. Numbers with the dialing codes 0900, 0137, or 0180 in particular are often associated with high per-minute charges. The costs are incurred immediately and only appear later on the mobile phone bill. Many people only realize that they have been ripped off when they receive their bill. Is SMS advertising even allowed? Unsolicited advertising text messages are generally not permitted, under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Electronic mail includes not only SMS, but also MMS, emails, and RCS messages. Advertising messages via messenger services such as Whatsapp are also covered by this regulation. If advertising is sent without consent, this constitutes unreasonable harassment of consumers and is illegal. If there is no consent, those affected can demand that the sender refrain from sending further messages. In many cases, consumer centers and courts see this as a clear breach of competition law. The provisions of the Telecommunications Act also apply. If such a text message mentions telephone numbers or requests recipients to call back, the costs incurred must be clearly stated. What you should do if you are affected If you have received a suspicious text message, you should not reply under any circumstances and should not contact any of the numbers provided. Keep the message and document the sender and content. You should report violations to your mobile carrier. These measures protect against SMS cost traps Ignore text messages with promises to win or urgent requests. Never click on links contained in such messages and do not download any files from them. Before responding, check that the costs are clearly and unambiguously stated. Set up a block for premium text messages with your mobile phone provider. Use spam filters or the blocking functions for unknown numbers on your smartphone. Related content How to avoid being scammed by a toll-collection SMS and similar smishing attempts This ethical hacker’s one tip changed how I think about digital scams Be careful! That legit PayPal email might be a phishing scam Read...

With all the stuff you have to keep charged these days, your desk and nightstand are probably cluttered with all kinds of cables and power adapters. Juggling all of that can be a nightmare. That’s why I love wireless charging stations, like Acer’s all-in-one wireless charging stand. Normally priced at $80, it’s now 29% off and down to $57! View this Acer deal This charging station has everything you could want, including multiple charging pads, extra ports, and a digital clock display. This charging hub has 7 total charging options: two wireless pads for phones (one angled up to serve as a stand), a pad on top of the clock for earbud cases, and another pad on the side for your Apple Watch. Around the back, you get two USB-C and one USB-A for wired charging of other gadgets. Note that this charging station is generally platform-agnostic, but the watch pad is only compatible with Apple Watches. The phone pads work with iPhones and all Android phones, and the USB-C/USB-A ports work with all USB-compatible devices. There are buttons on the back for adjusting the clock display and switching between Celsius and Fahrenheit. This charging hub also comes with various safeguards to keep your tech safe, including protections against overcurrent, overvoltage, and extreme temperatures. Your desk needs this wireless charging station! It’s so convenient—no need to fumble with cables most of the time—plus it’s organized, clutter-free, and complete with a handy clock display. Perfect for home offices. Get it now for 29% off while you still can! Save 29% on this all-in-one wireless charging stationBuy this wireless charging station Read...

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These days, your home office could do better than a wimpy laptop or a towering desktop PC. If you care about getting the most performance for the least amount of money, you’re better off with a mini PC. “But what if I’m a gamer?” you ask. No worries! Today, this GMKtec M8 mini PC is on sale for just $371 on Amazon (that’s 30% off its MSRP) and it has just the right features to serve as a passable gaming machine. View this Amazon deal Despite the freakishly low price, the GMKtec M8 has a surprisingly decent configuration: a Ryzen 5 Pro 6650H processor, 16GB of ultra-fast LPDDR5 memory, and a spacious 1TB SSD. That’s a great combo for the price, providing enough hardware to smoothly handle Windows 11 (we don’t recommend less than 16GB of RAM) as well as your apps and browser tabs without slowing to a crawl. You can also user-upgrade later up to a total of 8TB of storage. But let’s talk about the gaming bits. Right out of the box, you get AMD Radeon 660M integrated graphics with 16 cores, which itself is powerful enough to handle 4K video editing and modest gaming frame rates. It’s also powerful enough to support triple 8K/60Hz displays, which you can connect via HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, and USB4 ports. But there’s also an OCuLink port for attaching a high-speed external GPU, allowing you to unlock ultra-high gaming performance if you wish. All of this for just $371, down from $530? That’s an insane deal, so don’t pass this opportunity up. Grab the GMKtec M8 on sale while you can! Save 30% on this Ryzen mini PC with external GPU supportBuy now on Amazon Read...

The hit drama has got us talking about the sport - but in the UK there are barriers to taking part. Read...