Current Events in October 2022

If AT&T is your carrier and you’ve got kiddos in the family, that combination is being fused by the carrier with the launch of its first kids-focused tablet.

The tablet is a version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite where the hardware and software are designed specifically with parents of young kids in mind – easy to set up and restricted access to apps, the internet, and other safety points of concern.

In an email to ConsumerAffairs, an AT&T spokesperson said that the table is perfect for little hands, too, with an 8.7-inch display with a rugged, durable case to handle the toughest of tough love and a battery life estimated at up to 11 hours. 

The price and the bonus content

Consumers actually have two price options: They can either purchase the device online or in stores for $250 upfront or spread that $250 over 36 months (a little less than $7/mo.).* 

AT&T customers also get access to Samsung’s Kids platform for free. That way, parents have the ability to quickly toggle out of “kids mode” and use the tablet like any other tablet when they need it.

*(0% APR, 36-mo. installment agreement with. $0 down for well-qualified customers. Tax on full price due at sale. Credit card may be req'd [except MA, PA, ND]. $35 activation fee and other fees may apply). 

And the all-important parental controls

Parental controls are nothing to be messed with and both Apple and Google (for Android) have made sure that those controls remain well-guarded.

AT&T/Samsung are following suit with the new tablet, allowing parents to set limits on playtime as well as give access to specific contacts and apps. Parents can also check the usage report to see what their child is doing or make sure they’re only seeing what’s appropriate when using this tablet.

How do you know if this tablet is the “right” device for your child? When that question was posed to AT&T, they said this:

“AT&T has teamed up with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to create free digital resources found on AT&T ScreenReady to help families use technology safely and responsibly. Parents can use the AAP’s interactive Family Media Plan tool to help create healthy digital habits for their family.”

Walmart and Netflix have teamed up to create a new movie-watching experience for customers at the Netflix Hub, which is now available in over 2,400 Walmart stores nationwide. 

What was previously just an online store that sold clothes, toys, and games from popular Netflix shows and movies, has now transitioned to include an in-store component that has more goodies for families to pick up before movie night. 

“I have so many fond memories of perusing the movie aisle looking for the perfect film to watch with my family on movie night, sometimes sneaking a bag of candy or popcorn into the cart along the way,” said Frank Barbieri, vice president of content and digital at Walmart. “This is something I thought my kids would never experience, until now."

Themed snacks, gifts, and collectibles

The in-store version of the Netflix Hub will have more movie and TV show offerings than the online store. Shoppers can expect to find themed snacks, toys, gifts, collectible items, and music from some of the most popular things on Netflix. 

The offerings will also change depending on the season and time of year. As Walmart prepares for the holiday season, shoppers can find advent calendars or holiday cards related to shows like Stranger Things or Squid Games. However, these items will be consistently updated throughout the year to keep the offerings as updated as possible. 

With the holiday season fast approaching, the Netflix Hub will also be full of potential gift ideas for the avid movie or TV watcher in your family. Shoppers can pick up t-shirts, board games, or jewelry -- everything from Cocomelon to Cobra Kai. 

To make the movie-watching experience more personal at home, shoppers can purchase new Concession Kits. These are also themed to your favorite movies and TV shows and can include a combination of snacks, drinks, or even collectible cups to enjoy while streaming. 

Walmart will also offer a Netflix Streaming Gift Card, which will allow customers to start streaming the latest movies and shows without needing to link a credit card to a Netflix account. 

Auto insurance premiums are rising for a number of reasons linked to inflation, but that’s not the only aspect of the industry that is wearing on customers.  Consumers say the real trouble starts when they file a claim.

The J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study shows customer satisfaction with the auto claims process has dropped seven points on a 1,000-point scale from 2021 as customers start to lose patience with the process of getting their vehicles repaired.

As we recently reported, car insurance premiums are rising because it costs more to repair or place vehicles that have been in an accident. Medical costs associated with auto accidents are also surging.

“Insurers are in a tight spot with their own profitability strained and a host of external factors causing their customers to grow increasingly disillusioned with the entire claims experience,” said Mark Garrett, director of global insurance intelligence at J.D. Power. 

Consumer frustration

Satisfaction is down across nearly all factors in the study but the J.D. Power study shows satisfaction with the repair process registered a 9-point year-over-year decline. Consumers have expressed growing frustration with the slow pace.

Maryam, of Scottsdale, Ariz., said she was in a recent car accident and didn’t enjoy the Geico claims experience.

“No adjuster was assigned to my claim and no one contacted me to process the claim,” she wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review. “The claim representatives are extremely unprofessional and unknowledgeable of how to answer questions regarding an insurance claim.”

Empathy helps

The study found that when insurance companies provided customers with an accurate time cycle for a claim to be settled their satisfaction score rose. The authors also found that a little empathy goes a long way.

“In a world that seems to have become rude and disingenuous, the customer service department at Progressive, in my experience, are (sic) their Greatest Brand Ambassadors,” Bryan, or Corpus Christi, Texas, wrote in a glowing ConsumerAffairs review. “I will look at Progressive for business based solely on the respect EARNED by the employees I have had the pleasure to interact with.”

Who’s handling the claims process the best? None of the Big 5 companies show up in J.D. Power’s top 3. Amica Mutual ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction with a score of 903. NJM Insurance Co. ranks second and Erie Insurance ranks third.

The study also concludes that insurance companies’ effort to manage expenses by pushing customers to use digital channels of communication is counterproductive, noting that not all customers are comfortable using them.

Like a growing number of major retailers this year, Walmart is in full holiday mode. The company has announced its month-long Black Friday plans, top toys list, new holiday return policies, and an updated gift guide and toy selection for the 2022 holiday season. 

Now, to tie all of those things together, and improve customers’ online shopping experience, Walmart has also enhanced its website and mobile app. The updates, which were rolled out this week, will make it easier than ever to make purchases this holiday season – and beyond. 

“As many of us start preparing to welcome friends and family members into our homes for the holidays, Walmart is taking the same actions to get our ‘house’ ready for holiday shopping,” wrote Brock McKeel, senior vice president of site experience and Walmart eCommerce. “We’re pulling out all the stops for our customers on Walmart.com, ensuring that they have fast, frictionless, engaging, and personalized shopping experiences that save them time, save them money, and make shopping on our site just as easy as shopping in one of our stores.” 

Saving money, prioritizing convenience 

Walmart says its new digital features are all about helping consumers save money and facilitating a fast, convenient shopping experience. 

One of the new features tags all sale items in green. The green price tag will help shoppers easily identify which items are on sale and what the discounted prices are. 

For shoppers in a hurry, there will now be the option to immediately “buy now.” Rather than going through the entire checkout process, or scrolling through tons of items, Walmart shoppers can skip right to the end to make shopping faster. 

Additionally, Walmart will start showing suggestions of items that shoppers either regularly purchase or that are increasingly popular. The website and the app will start showing how many people have added certain items to their cart and how many people are looking at specific items. 

When it comes to Black Friday, consumers won’t have to stress about missing out on big-ticket items. Walmart will now offer virtual queues, which will allow shoppers to continue browsing the site or app, while virtually holding their spot for popular items.

Not only will this feature highlight on the screen how long shoppers are able to hold something in their carts, but shoppers can wait in multiple queues to make sure they get everything on their shopping lists. 

“Every improvement to the site experience helps us create a faster, more engaging, and more personalized experience for our customers, and we’re just getting started,” McKeel wrote. “The closest store to our customer is in their pocket, and they can trust us to make it easy for them to save time, save money, and ultimately, live better this holiday season.”

If you have an IRA or 401 (k) retirement account and did nothing as the market went on a wild roller coaster ride, you probably did exactly the right thing. Despite wild swings in major market averages during the week, Wall Street is ending up about where it started.

But it took strong nerves for investors to hold the line. Stocks plunged during the week as major technology companies reported weaker-than-expected earnings. Amazon shares fell sharply on Thursday after the company reported lower earnings and tempered its outlook, dragging the market down with it.

Days earlier it was Meta, the parent company of Facebook, that tanked shares by reporting a second straight quarterly revenue decline and warned of another decline in the current quarter.

In particular, Meta’s Reality Labs division, which produces its VR headsets, lost over $9 billion in the first three quarters in its quest to build the metaverse.

The plunge prompted an emotional on-air mea culpa by CNBC’s stock-picking guru Jim Cramer, who told viewers in June to scoop up Meta shares saying it couldn’t go much lower. However, it did.

After all the carnage of the week stocks turned in a strong showing on Friday with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rallying over 800 points. It ended the week just about where it started.

Many market analysts say stocks have rallied lately because investors are becoming convinced that the Federal Reserve is preparing to “pivot” from its aggressive policy of raising interest rates, setting off a massive market rally.

Good news for retirement savers

For retirement savers, this week’s gut-wrenching market may have underscored the value of not making any sudden moves. Retirement savers with 401 (k) accounts actually got some good news during the week. Because of inflation, they can add more to their savings accounts.

The Internal Revenue Service is increasing contribution limits on 401(k)s and IRAs in 2023 to account for the rising cost of living. It coincides with the Social Security Administration’s previous announcement of an 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment for retirees next year.

In 2023, the annual contribution limit for 401(k)s, 403(b)s, most 457 plans, and Thrift Savings Plan is $22,500. That’s a $2,000 increase from the current year. If you are 50-years-old or older you’re eligible for “catch-up” contributions that exceed the $22,500 ceiling.

The amount of money Americans would like to have in their pocket before retiring has constantly gone up over the last couple of decades. In this era of high inflation, it’s taken a huge leap forward.

The Northwestern Mutual 2022 Planning & Progress Study found that when asked, Americans 18 years old and older estimated that needed to accumulate savings of $1.2 million before retiring. That’s a 20% increase over the 2021 study.

Yet despite that lofty goal, the study found Americans are actually now saving less for retirement. Americans' average retirement savings has dropped 11% – from $98,800 last year to $86,869 now. The age at which they expect to end their working days is now up to age 64, an increase from 62.6 last year.

Sign of the times

Christian Mitchell, executive vice president and chief customer officer at Northwestern Mutual, says the rising retirement savings goal is probably a sign of the times.

"It's a period of uncertainty for many people, driven largely by rising inflation and volatility in the markets," he said.  "We've also seen upticks in spending year-over-year not only as a result of inflation, but also as people have resumed a sense of normalcy in their lives following the earlier days of the pandemic. These factors are leading many people to recalibrate their thinking about how much they'll need to retire and how long it will take them to get there."

But if you’ve only saved an average of $86,869 for retirement can you really get to $1 million by retirement? Experts say you can if you start early enough and maintain discipline.

Many financial advisers suggest saving and investing up to 15% of your salary. According to CNBC, you can retire with $1 million if you invest about 9% of a salary of $70,000 before age 30 and the money earns an average of 6%. 

The longer you wait the more you will need to invest. If you are in your 40s you may need to sock away as much as 25% of your salary each year.

Other potential income

But the goal of $1.2 million in a retirement fund assumes that the retiree will no longer have any other income once they stop working. Today, many people who retire continue to work part-time at jobs they enjoy. Some even start second careers, earning a paycheck long after they’re “retired.”

"It's one of those questions on so many people's minds – how long should I expect to work in order to save enough for retirement?" said Mitchell. "It's really difficult to answer because there are all kinds of considerations to factor in. But too many people grapple with it in a bubble. With greater clarity you can make a more confident call and getting professional advice can provide that clarity."

In ConsumerAffairs latest round-up of class action settlement announcements, we found another pile of cash that companies are paying consumers to settle claims brought against them in a variety of class action lawsuits. 

At TopClassActions, we found all the details of the settlement and how to apply. 

General Electric (GE): In early 2020, GE confessed that its current and former employees may have had their information stolen through a data breach of one of GE’s providers. The breach reportedly compromised sensitive information such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license information, bank account numbers, passport data, and birth dates.

As the terms of the settlement are spelled out, class members can receive reimbursement for lost time and out-of-pocket expenses. Depending on the time lost, money spent on things like credit freezes, etc., compensation could range from $18 to $3,500.

Applicants have until Dec 22, 2022 to file. Full details and enrollment are available on this website.

Toyota/Lexus: If you’re one of the nearly 3 million former or current Toyota or Lexus owners whose vehicle was recalled due to a faulty Denso fuel pump, the parties have reached a settlement and are ready for those affected by the situation to file for damages.

Under the terms of the settlement, class members can receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket repairs, an extended warranty, a customer support program, and loaner/towing coverage.

The only box left to check is the one for final approval on the settlement and that’s scheduled for Dec. 14, 2022. Then, the deadline to seek reimbursement is 90 days after the final judgment, estimated to be March 14, 2023. 

To find out more about the settlement and application process, go to this website or phone 1-833-512-2318.

Automotive Parts that affected a variety of cars: The latest round of settlement distributions that’s part of a massive $1.2 billion settlement resolving antitrust allegations is ready to go.

The settlement will benefit lots of consumers – everyone from A to V (Acura owners to Volvo owners_ – who purchased or leased certain new vehicles in the U.S. between 2002 and 2018 – or who paid to replace one or more qualifying vehicle parts (many of them being electric or hydraulic braking systems). A full list of eligible vehicles and applicable time periods can be found on the settlement website.

Smashburger: Smashburger fans should check out the sizzle the chain has agreed to in settling claims that it falsely advertised its hamburgers as containing “double the beef.” And the good thing is that consumers do not need proof of purchase to benefit from the settlement.

The settlement benefits consumers who purchased Triple Double hamburgers, Bacon Triple Double hamburgers, French Onion Triple Double hamburgers and/or Pub Triple Double hamburgers from Smashburger anytime between July 1, 2017, and May 31, 2019.

It’s not like class members will get a giant windfall like burgers for life, but they will receive a $4 cash payment per purchased product for a maximum payment of up to $20 per household. If they’d rather get a voucher instead, the people who opt into vouchers will receive up to 10 vouchers with each voucher having a $2 cash value. 

Go here to find out more about the settlement and to apply as a class member. Applicants have until late January 2023 to get their application in.

For more than 20 years it hasn’t paid to save your money. Banks paid less than 1% on savings accounts and certificates of deposit (CD) didn’t pay much more.

But as the Federal Reserve has aggressively raised a key interest rate, that has begun to change. A new report by the Financial Technology Association (FTA), a Fintech trade group, shows banks have begun to increase the interest they pay in order to attract savers.

In particular, the report found online banks are taking the lead, with the interest rate on a passbook savings account rising above 2% in October for the first time in years. That stands in sharp contrast to brick-and-mortar banks. According to Bankrate, the average rate on savings accounts is around 0.16% with some of the larger banks paying almost nothing.

There are plenty of other savings instruments that pay more in interest but many consumers feel more comfortable with the traditional savings account. The money is available for withdrawal at any time, there are no minimum deposits, and the funds are insured up to $250,000 by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

Current rates

The report found that Ally Bank offers attractive terms this month. The current savings account rate has risen to 2.35% and the bank is paying an additional 1% cash bonus for new accounts.

At Marcus, the online affiliate of Goldman Sachs, the rate on a savings account is also 2.35%. It’s even higher at LendingClub, where the rate is 3.12%.

Savers who don’t mind tying up money for longer periods of time can earn even higher rates. According to Bankrate, CIT Bank is paying 4% on a minimum deposit of $1,000 in an 18 month CD and the account is FDIC-insured.

Marcus is paying 3.6% on a 12-month CD with a $500 minimum deposit, an offer matched by Bask Bank. Brick-and-mortar banks pay considerably less. Chase only pays 0.1% on a 12-month CD with a $1,000 minimum deposit.

To explore the best online banks, check out ConsumerAffairs’ guide to the top 10 online banks, with thousands of verified consumer reviews.

Government bonds

Loaning money to the U.S. government currently pays even more. Currently, most U.S. Treasury bonds are paying more than 4%. 

The two-year Treasury bond currently pays around 4.4%. Bonds can be sold during that time at either a profit or loss but kept the full two years until maturity, the bondholder is guaranteed to get all of their money back – plus interest – a guarantee backed by “the full faith and credit” of the U.S. government.

Just about the only savings instrument that currently pays more is the Treasury Department’s I Series bond. If purchased before Friday, Oct. 28, it pays 9.6% for the first six months. After that, the bond carries a still attractive rate of 6.48%, resetting every six months to correspond with the inflation rate.

The bond-holder can cash in the bond after 12 months, but if they hold it for fewer than five years they lose three months of interest.

As with any investment, it pays to do your research and consult with a qualified and objective financial adviser.

Ford generated some automotive world excitement when it brought back the Ford Bronco as a rugged SUV for the 2021 model year. But for some owners that excitement quickly turned to angst.

Earlier this year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into complaints from some Bronco owners that their vehicles experienced “catastrophic engine failure” after as few as 2,000 miles.

In July, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) reported it had received 26 complaints about Bronco engine failures. According to ConsumerAffairs researchers, at least 47 2.7L engine failures have been reported on one forum, Bronco6g.com. An estimated 25,538 2021 Broncos are equipped with 2.7L engines.

“Under normal driving conditions without warning the vehicle may experience a loss of motive power without restart due to catastrophic engine failure related to an alleged faulty valve within 2.7 L Eco-Boost Engines,” ODI said in a report.

Ford’s 2.7L EcoBoost engine is also used in the best-selling F-150 pickups, though the issues appear to primarily be affecting Ford Broncos. Complaints have come from owners of both the 2021 and 2022 Bronco models. 

What’s causing the failures?

So what’s causing the engines to fail? Karl Brauer, executive analyst at automotive site iSeeCars.com, says there are reports of the valves dropping into the combustion chamber, causing all sorts of internal damage.

“The big question is, how widespread is it, and can Ford identify the models with the problem or will they have to recall every single vehicle with that engine?” Brauer told ConsumerAffairs. “So right now we don’t know if it’s a huge problem or a minor one, but it could go either way.”

Grant Feek, CEO of automotive marketplace Tred, agrees that the engine’s valves may be the culprit.

“Speculation from owners seems to focus on the theory that valves are becoming brittle when exposed to heat, leading to their eventual failure,” Feek told ConsumerAffairs. “This could be the result of an engineering defect, or maybe inferior materials that can’t withstand engine temperatures.”

Feek says his review of online forums suggests that around 70 Broncos have suffered this fate.

Close call

There have been no injuries related to the engine failures but according to some complaints registered with NHTSA, there have been some close calls.

“My wife was driving the vehicle and was enveloped in smoke and the engine stopped and she was stuck in the middle lane of a busy road in rush hour,” one Bronco owner told NHTSA. “A dangerous section of road a few miles from our house. I drove down and gave her my SUV and then called AAA who towed it to the dealership.”

Ford has acknowledged that a “select number of engines” are failing and that the company is investigating a potential problem. At one point last year someone speculated about the faulty values on the Bronco6G forum but the post has been deleted.

Autoweek recently reported on the issue, adding more fuel to the faulty valve theory. The report suggested the root cause of the problem appears to be that the valve keepers, which lock the valve spring retainer to the valve, are failing.

In preparation for the holiday season, Amazon will now offer customers a new way to pay for their orders: Venmo. 

Starting immediately, shoppers can check out either on Amazon.com or the Amazon app through their Venmo accounts. 

“We want to offer customers payment options that are convenient, easy to use, and secure – there’s no better time for that than the busy holiday season,” said Max Bardon, vice president of Amazon Worldwide Payments. “Whether it’s paying with cash, buying now and paying later, or now paying via Venmo, our goal is to meet the needs and preferences of every Amazon customer. We’re excited to continue to offer customers even more options when it comes to how and when they want to pay for their order.” 

“We know that the Venmo community of nearly 90 million users value the safety, security, ease, and familiarity that paying with Venmo helps to bring to the checkout experience,” said Doug Bland, senior vice president and general manager, head of Consumer at PayPal. “The ability to pay with Venmo on Amazon continues our ongoing commitment to offer the community more ways to spend, send, receive, and manage their money with Venmo.” 

Ease and convenience paying with Venmo

Checking out at Amazon with your Venmo account was designed to make things easier for shoppers, and offer yet another way to pay. 

Amazon has made the option as simple as adding any other payment method to your account. When ready to checkout, select payment methods, and begin the process of linking your Venmo account. After that, you’re all set. Paying with Venmo will then be an option at checkout for all future Amazon purchases. 

You can also opt to use Venmo as your default payment setting, meaning Amazon will pre-select your Venmo account as the primary payment method moving forward. 

Amazon says its customers can feel confident knowing their purchases are secure through Venmo. Additionally, using Venmo on Amazon doesn’t come with any additional fees, and customers will be able to pay the same way they would with Venmo – using their Venmo balance, or their linked credit or debit cards. 

The company has already started rolling out the Venmo feature to users, and all Amazon customers will be able to pay with Venmo by Black Friday.  

Consumers hoping home prices will fall enough for them to buy a house are seeing their wish come true. By one metric, prices fell from July to August at the fastest pace on record.

Make no mistake, prices are still sky-high. But the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices, which tracks U.S. home prices, showed a 2.6% decline in annual home price appreciation when compared to the previous month.

The median home price in August was 13% higher than in August 2021. But July’s median price was 15.6% higher year-over-year. The 2.6% difference was the biggest one-month drop-off since the survey began 27 years ago.

The index breaks the country down by market size, with 10 and 20-city averages. Miami, Tampa, and Charlotte reported the highest year-over-year gains among the 20 cities in August. 

Prices fell the least in the South

Miami led the way with a 28.6% year-over-year price increase, followed by Tampa in second with a 28.0% increase, and Charlotte in third with a 21.3% increase. All 20 cities reported lower price increases in the year ending August 2022 versus the year ending July 2022. But that doesn’t mean it’s getting any easier to buy a home.

"Despite the ongoing deceleration, August's housing prices remain well above year-ago levels in all 20 cities,” said Craig Lazzara, managing director at S&P Dow Jones.  Florida continues to hold the top two spots, with Miami taking the lead over Tampa. Price growth continued strongest in the Southeast and South.

While a slowdown in prices helps, many would-be buyers face strong headwinds in the form of higher interest rates that have sharply reduced home affordability. The decline in home prices can be linked to higher mortgage rates that average more than 7%, more than double last year’s 3% average rate.

Anyone who is doing their holiday shopping early, heads up! Two new studies show there may be trouble on the way.

One says that one in seven experience package theft; another says that shipping scams are mounting up, adding another layer of woe.

In C+R Research’s latest annual package theft report, more than a quarter of Americans said they’re concerned that they could lose their gifts to porch pirates. And those thefts can be costly, too, with the average value of stolen packages ringing up at $112.30.

Where you live apparently matters to thieves. According to C+R, thieves may be zip code snobs. The researchers said that about half (49%) of those who’ve had a package stolen live in the suburbs, 39% are city dwellers, and 12% live in rural areas.

Delivery services are on alert, too

Unfortunately for delivery services, they’ve got two problems. One is that nearly half of those surveyed don’t think retailers and delivery companies do enough to prevent package theft. The other is that scammers seem to be loving delivery scams like there’s no tomorrow.

According to its latest Brand Phishing Report, Check Point Research (CPR) says hackers are imitating one major shipper and one major retailer in attempts to lure people into giving up personal data. 

DHL places at the top of the list for most impersonated, accounting for 22% of all phishing attempts worldwide. DHL also has a make-believe affiliate named “BHL” that some scammers are using to leverage cybertheft, too.

Another major firm scammers are impersonating is Walmart, which has 5% of all phishing attacks globally.

How consumers can protect themselves and their packages

To beat porch pirates at their game the C+R researchers said there are several things consumers can do to protect their online purchases.

“If you know a package is expected to be delivered – be diligent in collecting it as soon as possible to lessen the opportunity for porch pirates to steal it,” the researchers suggested.

“That's why most people (60%) keep a close eye on delivery tracking, and 43% sign up for delivery alerts.”

Some consumers stay home when they know a package is on the way, but not everyone can afford to do that. In those situations, the researchers suggest more preventative measures, such as installing a doorbell camera, sending the package to their workplace or a relative’s home, or opting to pick up their online order in the store.

When it comes to packages being delivered, many – if not most – consumers simply don’t know if DHL, UPS, the Postal Service, Amazon, or FedEX is in charge of the delivery.

“DHL is the brand most likely to be imitated, it’s crucial that anyone expecting a delivery goes straight to the official website to check progress and/or notifications,” Omer Dembinsky, Data Research Group Manager at Check Point said in an email to ConsumerAffairs. 

“Do not trust any emails, particularly those asking for information to be shared. In [the latest quarterly analysis], we saw a dramatic reduction in the number of phishing attempts related to LinkedIn, which reminds us that cybercriminals will often switch their tactics to increase their chances of success.”