Robert Richardson Your Social Security raise gets announced October 14. The scam calls come first. Every October the Social Security raise gets announced, and every October the fake calls start first. The raise is automatic, so you never need to call, sign up, or pay. Here is how to spot the fake calls and where to check the real number. Oct 6, 2026
Robert Richardson Two men were arrested in Tyler for tampering with gift cards. Here is how to check yours. Two men were arrested in Tyler, accused of tampering with gift cards and putting them back on store racks. Here is how the trick works, the warning signs to look for, and the quick check that protects your holiday gifts. Oct 2, 2026
Robert Richardson Medicare Open Enrollment starts Oct 15 and the scam calls start first Every fall, scammers call pretending to be Medicare and ask for your Medicare number. Real Medicare does not call out of the blue asking for it. Here are the red flags, what to do instead, and where to get free, honest help comparing plans. Sep 29, 2026
Robert Richardson The Bitcoin Data Center Appeal: Everything Tyler Needs to Know Before Wednesday In July, Tyler said no to a 12-megawatt Bitcoin mine downtown. Now the developer is back with an appeal. Here is what happened, what the noise report does and does not measure, and what 12 megawatts actually means for the grid. Sep 1, 2026
Robert Richardson Fake Online Stores and Social Media Ads That 70% off ad for a name-brand laptop or pair of shoes might not be a store at all. Here are the five signs it is a fake, and what to do if you already clicked buy. Sep 1, 2026
Robert Richardson Deed Fraud and Seller Impersonation: The Scam Hitting East Texas Property Owners Scammers are impersonating property owners to sell homes and land out from under them, sometimes without the real owner ever knowing until it's too late. Here's how the scam works, the warning signs to watch for, and a free tool Smith County offers to help catch it early. Aug 13, 2026
Robert Richardson How to freeze your credit with all three credit burows and why you might want to do so. A breach at a Texas hearing aid provider exposed 29,000 people's Social Security numbers, and a separate vendor breach hit 3 million Texans. Here's exactly how to freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, for free. Jul 27, 2026
Robert Richardson Smith County talking about doing away with BitCoin ATMs (and why we think thats a good thing) Sheriff Larry Smith is pushing Texas lawmakers to ban Bitcoin ATMs after a local scam cost an elderly woman $13,000. Here's how the scam works, why Texas leads the nation in losses, and what to watch for. Jul 27, 2026
Robert Richardson Hard drive scams across Amazon and other online third party retailers Counterfeit storage drives are flooding online marketplaces, and some even ship straight from Amazon's own warehouse. Here is how to spot a fake before it costs you your family photos. Jul 22, 2026
Robert Richardson How to Repair Missing or Corrupted Windows System Files If your computer has started freezing, crashing, or throwing strange error messages, Windows has a free built in tool that can find and repair damaged system files on its own. Here is exactly how to run it. Jul 22, 2026
Robert Richardson Nextdoor AI scams? A Tyler reader wrote in wondering why Nextdoor sales have turned into a minefield of fake out-of-state offers. It is a real, documented scam pattern, and once you know the script, it is easy to spot and easy to stop. Jul 21, 2026
Robert Richardson Card Skimmers Found in Smith County! What They Are and How to Spot Them Five people were arrested in Smith County in June 2026 for running a card skimming operation on gas pumps. Before you swipe at the pump again, here are five quick checks that can save you from losing hundreds of dollars to card fraud. Jul 16, 2026
