Latest news with #GoogleVoice
USA Today
6 days ago
- USA Today
Avoid giving your real phone number to strangers and do this instead: Video
Our phones are a direct line to us, but sometimes we don't want to give our numbers out to just anyone. They have more information attached to them than we might realize. Instead of giving your real number to someone on a dating app, sellers on Facebook Marketplace or putting it on your real estate business card, consider this: Get a free second number! Skip the usual phone providers and use a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) instead. These services make calls over the internet, instead of the standard method of phone poles and cell towers. Many of these numbers can be accessed via a web browser or an app, so you don't need to buy another device, either. Safe and convenient? Please and thank you! Watch this video to see how you can get a second phone number for free. Google Voice number There are different VoIP apps, but one of the most popular services for this is Google Voice. Just sign up via the website or app to get a phone number. You can choose the number with a specific area code or tied to a specific city. Once it's established, it works just like a regular phone. You can make and receive calls, texts and voicemails. Most Google Voice calls made in the U.S. to the U.S. or Canada are free. However, some some domestic and international calls do have a fee. Messages and calls made to your Google Voice number can also be automatically forwarded to your actual number, so it comes through just like any other call or text does. To turn this setting on or off, look for the Call forwarding option under Settings. Shop top-rated related products: What's my Google Voice number You can find your Google Voice number under the Account section in your Settings. Also consider adding it as a note on your phone or in your contact card for an easier way to find it. Can Google Voice receive texts Yes, Google Voice can receive texts. However, you don't want to use a VoIP number for accounts that require a 2-factor authentication text code. Some banks won't send codes to these numbers.
Android Authority
12-06-2025
- Android Authority
Google services are experiencing a major disruption right now (Update: Mostly fixed)
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority TL;DR Google reports a disruption impacting Gmail and many other Workspace services. Problems were first noticed a little over an hour ago, just before 11a PT. Companies beyond Google also appear to be dealing with some connectivity issues of their own. Update, June 12, 2025 (03:34 PM ET): Literally just one minute after publishing our report, Google has updated its status dashboard to share that the problems are more or less fixed. The company says that everything except Google Meet should once again be fully operational, and engineers are currently trying to sort that one out, too. Original article, June 12, 2025 (03:29 PM ET): Have you spent the past 10 minutes trying to figure out what's wrong with your internet connection? Conversations not fully loading? Sites acting slow or just refusing to respond? You're not alone. We currently appear to be in the middle of a rather significant service disruption impacting not just Google, but a whole swath of sites across the internet. Google reports on its status dashboard that it first became aware of an issue a little over an hour ago, affecting what appears to be a majority of Workspace services. The company specifically points to Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Google Cloud Search, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Meet, Google Tasks, and Google Voice. We've personally observed the fallout of this incident across quite a few of those. In Google Voice on the web, conversations stopped syncing up with mobile devices. And when trying to check out a location in Maps on Street View, imagery was slow to load and navigation ultimately unresponsive. Even Gemini might be hit, as we noticed the AI chatbot just spinning its gears when presented with a query, never actually delivering an answer. Over on DownDetector, everything from Spotify to Twitch is spiking, suggesting that we might be looking at some kind of backbone connectivity failure that's impacting otherwise unrelated companies — or it could just speak to how many are relying on Google services. We're keeping an eye on this developing situation and will update with anything new we learn. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How to protect yourself from the 'Found in China' phone scam
Question: My iPhone was stolen 6 months ago, and I just received a text from someone in the Philippines claiming they have my phone, asking me to remove it from my iCloud account so they can reset it. What should I do? Answer: Having a smartphone stolen is stressful enough without having to deal with scammers. Activating Lost Mode was the right thing to do, but it could also be how the thieves figure out how to contact you. This scam targets iPhone users after their stolen devices are marked as lost in Apple's 'Find My' system, which prevents the thieves from using it. A user loses their phone and remotely locks it through Find My, enabling Lost Mode. This feature not only disables the phone for anyone who tries to use it but also allows the owner to display a custom message on the lock screen — often something like, 'This phone is lost. Please call me at [your or a spouse's number.' The victim then receives a text, email, or even a phone call from someone claiming to have found the phone. They often say they're in a different country — China and the Philippines are common locations in many reports — and that they want to return or reset the device, but can't because it's locked to the original Apple ID. Getting tired of email clutter? How to start using Gmail aliases Their request? They ask you to remove the device from your iCloud account so they can perform a factory reset, so your data gets wiped out. They might claim they bought the phone secondhand and didn't realize it was lost, or that they work at a repair shop and just want to restore it. Sometimes they're even polite and apologetic, hoping to earn your trust. This is a well-composed scam, and the goal is simple: trick you into disabling Activation Lock, which is Apple's anti-theft protection. Once the phone is removed from your iCloud account, the thief can wipe it clean and resell it on the black market at full value. What makes this scam especially effective is that it preys on people who are already upset about losing their phone and hopeful that someone has found it. But this isn't about reuniting you with your lost device — it's about getting around Apple's security so the bad guys can cash in. In most cases, they get your contact information directly from the message you posted using Lost Mode. If you included your phone number or email address, you've essentially handed them a direct line to try and manipulate you. Even if you didn't, these are sophisticated, organized crime rings that have other ways of figuring out who owned the iPhone. Laptop battery starting to fail? How you can keep it running as long as possible Never remove your device from your iCloud account unless you have it physically back in your hands. Avoid posting personal phone numbers or emails in the Lost Mode message. If you must include contact information, consider using a throwaway email or a Google Voice number. Ignore calls or texts from people claiming to have your phone, especially if they're asking you to disable Find My. They're likely to be relentless and, in some cases, may keep trying to convince you for many months. Apple designed Activation Lock to protect your device and your data. The only way thieves can make use of a locked iPhone is if they convince you to unlock it for them, so don't do it! This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ways to protect yourself from the 'Found in China' phone scam Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Former L.A. Pol Who Admitted to Calling in a Bomb Threat to City Hall Will Collect Pension
The disgraced former Deputy Mayor of Public Safety for Los Angeles, who agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of making a bomb threat against City Hall and lying to LAPD officials and his boss Karen Bass about the call, will collect a publicly-funded pension despite the serious charge and the city's $1 billion shortfall. Bass's office confirmed to Los Angeles that Brian Williams, 61, was allowed to quietly retire from his position on April 19 - nearly five months after the FBI raided his Pasadena home in December, leading to him being removed from the critical public safety role just weeks before a series of deadly wildfires ripped through Los Angeles County, killing nearly a dozen Angelenos in the blaze that tore through the Pacific Palisades. The Mayor's office declined to provide details on Williams' pension, which he will be eligible to collect even as he faces ten years in prison on the federal explosive charge. He is expected to face a federal judge "in the coming weeks," in DTLA, according to the United States Attorney for California's Central District. "Brian Williams worked for the city for many years, including under both Mayor Bass and former Mayor Hahn. For specifics on his pension, we'd suggest reaching out to LACERS," Bass's office said in a statement to Los Angeles, referencing the L.A. City Employees' Retirement System, who did not immediately return a request for comment. On October 3, as the first anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israelis was approaching, and rallies protesting Israeli's retaliatory strikes on Gaza were disrupting Los Angeles, Williams, prosecutors say, decided to take action. While he was in a virtual meeting with "multiple people in connection with his official duties," prosecutors say, Williams used the Google Voice application on his personal cellphone to place a call to his city-issued cellphone. Williams then left the virtual meeting and placed a call to the Chief of Staff of the Los Angeles Police Department to "falsely state" he had just received a call from a non-existent attacker who threatened to bomb City Hall, according to prosecutors. About 10 minutes later, Williams sent a text message to Mayor Karen Bass and several high-ranking city officials in the Mayor's office, writing: 'Bomb threat: I received phone call on my city cell at 10:48 am this morning. The male caller stated that 'he was tired of the city support of Israel, and he has decided to place a bomb in City Hall. It might be in the rotunda.' I immediately contacted the chief of staff of LAPD, they are going to send a number of officers over to do a search of the building and to determine if anyone else received a threat.' While the LAPD bomb squad executed a search, Williams showed other officers the record of an incoming call "that appeared as a blocked number on his city-issued cell phone," and said that was the unknown male caller who had conveyed the threat. It didn't take long for investigators to learn the call was coming from inside the house. After meeting with the LAPD, Williams again texted Bass and her high-level staff, according to his plea agreement, writing: "At this time, there is no need for us to evacuate the building, I'm meeting with the threat management officers within the next 10 minutes. In light of the Jewish holidays, we are taking this thread, a little more seriously. I will keep you posted.'A lawyer for Williams has not returned a call for comment. Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of L.A.'s FBI field office said in a statement that Williams had 'not only betrayed the residents of Los Angeles, but responding officers, and the integrity of the office itself.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
That Time L.A.'s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Called in a Bomb Threat on His Own City Hall
"False flags" are a staple of conspiracy theories. Many infamous attacks and threats, the theory goes, were cooked up by the government itself to spread fear and justify crackdowns. But a bomb threat against Los Angeles City Hall turned out to be exactly that kind of scheme—albeit a poorly cooked up one. Brian K. Williams, former deputy mayor for public safety, pleaded guilty on Thursday to calling in a bomb threat during a meeting on October 3, 2024. According to his plea deal, Williams used Google Voice to place a call to his work phone, then told the Los Angeles Police Department chief of staff and texted other officials that the "caller" had threatened to blow up city hall. Williams implied that the threat was sent in by a pro-Palestinian activist. "I'm tired of the city support of Israel. I have decided to place a bomb in City Hall. It might be in the Rotunda," he quoted the non-existent caller as saying. The meeting was during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and a few days before the anniversary of the October 2023 attacks on Israel. After police searched city hall and found no bomb, Williams showed them the call record from the Google Voice number. He then texted other officials to say "There is no need for us to evacuate the building." But the investigation of the threat didn't end there. The Los Angeles Times reports that detectives "conducted surveillance that led them to conclude that Williams was responsible for the bomb threat." They then turned over the investigation to the FBI, which raided Williams' house in December 2024. He was placed on administrative leave immediately after. As deputy mayor for public safety, Williams oversaw the Los Angeles Police Department as well as the Fire Department, Emergency Management Department, airport police, and seaport police. He was promoted to the job in February 2023 from his previous post as executive director of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission. Williams "not only betrayed the residents of Los Angeles, but responding officers, and the integrity of the office itself, by fabricating a bomb threat," Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, said in a press release. "Government officials are held to a heightened standard as we rely on them to safeguard the city. I'm relieved that Mr. Williams has taken responsibility for his inexplicable actions." Inexplicable indeed. The plea agreement didn't explain William's motive, and his lawyer Dmitry Gorin simply told the Los Angeles Times that the "aberrational incident was the product of personal issues which Mr. Williams is addressing appropriately, and is not representative of his character or dedication to the city of Los Angeles." It's one thing for the government to exaggerate dangers, mix up different kinds of threats, or get swept up in mass panic. It's another for a government official to make up a lie from scratch. Yet that's what really happened in Los Angeles. The post That Time L.A.'s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Called in a Bomb Threat on His Own City Hall appeared first on
