Don't let a voice clone swindle your money

Plus, skip calling the IRS — do this instead [The Penny Hoarder Daily]( [The Penny Hoarder together with Identity IQ]( These days phones can do some pretty cool things. You could find your job, home and spouse all from your phone — maybe in the same afternoon if you're lucky. You can even make money and pay your taxes using just your phone (more on both below). But there's a dark side to this technology too. If you follow the news at all, then you already know that scams of all kinds are on the rise. Sadly, our very cool phones have become one of the easiest ways for very uncool scammers to target us. That's where sponsor, IdentityIQ, can help](. Imagine getting an urgent phone call from a family member in need of money, only to discover that "family member" was actually an AI voice clone created by a scammer to swindle your money. IdentityIQ offers identity theft solutions to protect you from these scams. We'll tell you more about using it to shut down human and artificial scammers below.   [Don't call the IRS]( [This Is a Lousy Time to Call the IRS for Help]( Are you someone who loves being put on hold? Great! Right now is the perfect time to call the IRS. The two weeks after Presidents Day are the busiest time of the year for IRS call agents, so you're sure to find yourself on hold, grooving to some staticky slow jams on a loop. For normal people, though, we recommend that you save your sanity, skip the phone lines and use these online self-serve tools from the IRS instead. [The Penny Hoarder together with IdentityIQ]( [Help Protect Your Money from AI Scams and Avoid Giving Away Thousands]( What if a close family member called you with terrible news and needed money fast? Pretty soon, you discover that your loved one is completely unaware of this call ... and you've just paid a scammer. As many as one in four people have been victimized by AI voice clones like this, or know someone who has been. But we found a way to protect your identity and money. A company called [IdentityIQ]( offers identity theft solutions to shut down human and artificial scammers. They also offer antivirus software and VPN (virtual private network) tools to protect your identity online. A membership with IdentityIQ also includes credit monitoring, parental controls, app alerts for possible fraud, and education so you can take action at the first sign of trouble. Whether you’ve heard of them or not, IdentityIQ is one of the biggest ID theft solutions in the industry. They’ve earned their rating of “Great” on TrustPilot. It’s easy to [become an IdentityIQ member]( and let the experts worry about protecting your personal information and finances from deepfakes and voice cloning while you focus on living your life. [Get Protected]( [😲 Ways People Earn Extra Money Without Leaving the House]( Some of our favorite side gigs are the ones you can do from the comfort of your own couch. If you’ve got a smartphone and a cozy place to chill out, you have everything you need to try these [five side gigs that pay real money](. These side gigs may not replace your main source of income, but you might be surprised how easy it is to make some fast cash without leaving the house.   [Win a contest and you're set for life]( [Contest Winnings Could Set You Up for Life]( It's a timeless question: What would you do if you won a lot of money from a contest? If you want to try your luck at winning a financial windfall, we've rounded up a handful of national contests with cash prizes that pretty much any adult in America can enter. We wouldn't consider winning a contest to be solid financial planning, but somebody has to win that money. Why not a Penny Hoarder like you?   [🗓️ Rent's Due Soon but Your Bank Account Is Near Zero]( No feeling is worse than when you think you can’t make rent. But we can help change that. Instead of figuring out what you have to forgo this month, we can help you find ways to make the money you need. That doesn’t have to mean winning a contest, landing a second job or going into debt. Here are [seven creative but simple ways to put extra cash in your bank account]( so you don’t feel that panic at the first of the month.   [Our WFH Job Board: Vetted Jobs Posted Weekly]( We have the job board for anyone looking for remote work and WFH roles. The Penny Hoarder WFH job board is different because every post is vetted by a real human being (who happens to work remotely too). And if salary info is available, we'll include it in the post. 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