Good morning! Medicare's enrollment season kicks off today, so we're starting there, plus two more easy ways AI can help you this week.
In today's issue: the AI scams to watch for as Medicare Open Enrollment begins, a free AI assistant that can plan your next trip, and a free tool that checks whether a suspicious text or email is really a scam.
Let's get started.
NEWS
Medicare Enrollment Starts Today — Watch Out for These AI-Powered Scams
Today kicks off Medicare's yearly Open Enrollment period, which runs through December 7. This is your window to review your coverage or switch plans for the new year.
It's also prime time for scammers. The Better Business Bureau says it now takes criminals very little time to use AI to build a fake Medicare website, or a letter and official-looking seal that look just like the real thing.
Here's the good news: real Medicare representatives never call, email, or show up at your door out of nowhere. If someone claiming to be from Medicare contacts you first, offers a “free” gift or health screening for your information, or pressures you to share your Medicare or Social Security number, that's a scam.
Takeaway: This Open Enrollment season, remember: Medicare won't call you first. If you want to check a plan or make sure you're really talking to Medicare, hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE yourself.
TRY THIS
Let a Free AI Assistant Plan Your Next Trip
Planning a trip can feel like a lot — flights, hotels, figuring out what to do each day. Google's free Gemini app can take a lot of that off your plate.
Open the Gemini app on your phone, or go to gemini.google.com on a computer, and sign in with a free Google account (the same kind you'd use for Gmail). Then just describe your trip in plain words — something like, “Plan a 4-day trip to Charleston, South Carolina for two people in November, with a mix of history and good seafood restaurants.”
Gemini will put together a day-by-day plan using real restaurants, sights, and neighborhoods, and it even accounts for travel time between stops. It can help you compare flights and hotels too, and you can ask it to email the finished plan to yourself or a travel companion.
Takeaway: Next time you're planning a trip, try describing it to the free Gemini app the way you'd describe it to a friend — dates, people, and what you like to do — and let it build the itinerary for you.
STAYING SAFE
Not Sure If a Text or Email Is a Scam? Ask an AI to Check
Ever gotten a text, email, or link that felt a little off, but you weren't quite sure? There's a free tool built just for that.
It's called Scamio, made by the security company Bitdefender. You paste in the suspicious text, email, or link — or even a screenshot — and Scamio's AI chatbot tells you whether it looks like a scam, and explains why.
You can use it on the web at scamio.bitdefender.com, or send the suspicious message to Scamio through WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, the same way you'd message a friend. It's free, with nothing to install — just a one-time account sign-up. One thing to keep in mind: Scamio is still fairly new, so treat its answer as a helpful second opinion, not the final word. When in doubt, don't click the link, and verify directly with the company using a phone number you look up yourself.
Takeaway: Next time something feels fishy, paste it into Scamio (scamio.bitdefender.com) before you click or respond to it.
Until tomorrow,
EZ AI