Good morning! Today we're tackling a viral video controversy, a sneaky phone scam, and a free tool that could make conversations easier to follow.
In today's issue: a fact-check on that viral plane-crash video, a warning about a fake jury-duty phone scam, and a free app that captions real-life conversations.
Let's get started.
NEWS
That Shocking Plane Crash Video? It Was Real — Here's How to Tell
On November 1, a small jet crashed into a Florida neighborhood near West Palm Beach, and everyone on board died. Video of the crash spread quickly online — and so did a claim on social media that the footage was “100% AI-generated.”
It wasn't. The fact-checking site PolitiFact traced the video back to the local resident who actually filmed it, and confirmed that major news outlets — the Associated Press, CNN, CBS News, and the BBC — had all independently verified and aired that same real footage.
Here's the twist: the viral claim leaned on an “AI detector,” a tool that's supposed to flag fake videos. When PolitiFact ran the original footage through that same tool, it came back clean — proof that these detector tools can get it wrong in either direction. A media researcher at Clemson University has a name for what's happening here: the “liar's dividend.” As AI makes fake videos easier to create, some people swing too far the other way and start doubting real footage, too — even tragic, well-documented news events.
Takeaway: Don't trust a single “AI detector” app, and don't trust your gut feeling about whether a video “looks fake.” Instead, check whether trusted news organizations — not just social media accounts — are reporting the same footage. That's still your best proof either way.
STAYING SAFE
The Caller Says You Missed Jury Duty and Owe $25,000 — Even If He Sounds Completely Official
In Crestview, Florida, a woman named Narissa Jenkins got a call from someone claiming to be a sheriff's deputy. He told her she'd missed a federal jury summons and now had a warrant out for her arrest — unless she paid $25,000 immediately.
The caller used a real officer's name, and caller ID showed the sheriff's office's actual phone number. He told her to deposit the money into a bitcoin ATM at a gas station, calling it a “federally approved depository.” Instead of paying, she drove straight to the sheriff's office — and learned the whole thing was fake.
Sheriff Eric Aden said scammers increasingly use AI voice tools, along with “spoofed” caller ID that copies a real phone number, to make these calls sound completely legitimate. A national radio report this past August found this same scam is turning up more often, and getting more convincing, nationwide as scammers lean on AI.
Takeaway: No real court or sheriff's office will ever call demanding instant payment to avoid arrest — especially not by bitcoin ATM or gift card. Hang up, and if you're worried, call your local courthouse or sheriff's office yourself, using a number you look up independently rather than one the caller gives you.
— WEAR-TV
TRY THIS
A Free App That Puts Captions on Real-Life Conversations
If you or someone you love has trouble hearing in noisy restaurants, at family gatherings, or during doctor visits, Google has a free app that can help: Live Transcribe.
Once it's turned on, it listens to the conversation around you and instantly types out what people are saying right on your phone screen — like closed captions, but for real life instead of just TV or video calls.
It can also be set up to make your phone buzz, or your smartwatch vibrate, when it hears important sounds nearby — someone calling your name, a doorbell, a siren, or a dog barking.
Takeaway: On an Android phone, search “Live Transcribe” in the Google Play Store to download it for free, then turn it on any time you need extra help following a conversation.
Until tomorrow,
EZ AI