Kristen Hagopian Show - 12 03 25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
And we are back with a Christnegophian show and we
are all well, or pretty much all of us are
in serious, full holiday season mode. It's wonderful and we
know what we earn this, you guys, So, if you're
anything like me, you're really thinking about how you can
show all the people on your gift list how much
you care about them, whether it's friends or family or

(00:26):
even you know, co workers.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
We've all been through a lot and we've pulled off.
We've pulled off.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
A pretty amazing year, kept each other relatively saying people,
it's Miller time and in all seriousness, if you're anything
like me, a lot of people on your gift list
are people who already have everything and ask for nothing.
Am I right? And they're so cool they're not going
to ask for anything. They're not going to make up
anything they want. So we're kind of stuck, or are we?

(00:51):
So for those on your list who have everything, you
know who they are. Our next guest suggests perhaps gifting
them with a some rather than some thing, without them
even having to leave the couch.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
This is unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
Try this on for size, like maybe an hour long
live tour of Madrid's most scenic sites with an expert guide,
or I don't know, maybe a cooking lesson straight from
a chef in one of Paris's finest cooking schools.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
You name it.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Virtual is going crazy cool out there, my friends. My
son often asked to explain to me the latest and greatest.
You know, that's always humbling experience and it might just
be that incredible gift that you're looking for without breaking
the bank. Here to tell us more is repeat hit
guest lifestyle expert Mom and Amazon Explore Experience curator Vina

(01:41):
Crown Home back by popular demand with more on this
incredible concept Vena welcome. How are you no complaints?

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Honey? It's all good. We've got here in the Philadelphia area.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
It's staying decently warm out so I'm my whining is
not at its highest levels at this point.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
What's it like in your neck of the woods?

Speaker 3 (01:59):
You know, I'm in Boulder, and I have to tell
you that the sun is shining. It's a little bit chilly,
but no snow on the ground just yet.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
There you go, There you go.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
The less that I have to slip on, you know,
the more the world's a better place. So your welcome
planet Okay, so Bina, You've got a lot of nationwide
listeners and they're like me, and they're already stressing out
a bit over gift giving every year they go out,
you know, and it's always this paradox, isn't it, Where
the people we care about the most and want to
show our love to the most are the ones that say,

(02:28):
you know, I've already got everything. That's why we love
them because they're so grateful for everything they've got. But
you want to give them a little something, and you
may have dropped the perfect solution right in their lap.
Interactive experiences offer this crazy different twist to holiday gifting.
Tell our listeners more about the concept and where it's
grown in the past year.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
You know, absolutely, you know, we have so many loved
ones who have everything or experience seekers, so gifting Amazon
Explore can give them a virtual experience from the comfort
of their very own home. And these virtual excerts experiences
will give your loved ones memories they'll never forget. You
can go sightseeing, or cook your favorite international cuisine, or
shop unique items from around the globe, giving the gift

(03:10):
of experiences perfect for family and friends as holiday season.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
That's unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
So how do we go say, I know that my
mom would love who know, you know, a trip to
name the place, my dad would maybe love, a tour
of the world's greatest golf courses or something nutty like that.
Just the possibilities are really kind of endless. So how
do we go about gifting these experiences for the holidays?
You know, for somebody who's a complete newbie like me
at this What are the steps we take to get

(03:36):
that done?

Speaker 3 (03:37):
You know, you can gift an Amazon gift card and
then you go ahead and boo team and at Amazon
dot Com slash Explore gift From November twenty fifth through
the twenty ninth, experience seecerts can save up to fifty
percent off US Customers have access to a wide range
of live stream, interactive experiences from across the globe from
the comfort of their very own home. You can shop

(03:58):
unique items, learn how holidays are celebrated around the world, and
gift experiences to family and friends. And that's what's so
fun about Amazon Exploilers over four hundred and fifty hand
picked experiences to choose from, and it's just amazing. There's
something for everyone.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
Oh my God, you are totally talking my language here,
because forever you've had personal shoppers out there, and I
can understand why they say this, but personal shoppers are like, oh,
gift cards, it's so impersonal. I live to receive gift
cards for the holidays. They're so easy. You put them
in your wallet, when you're done, you drive home. You're
not bringing home a bunch of bulky boxes full of

(04:33):
stuff you're never going to use. I love the flexibility
of gift cards, and people I send them to love
them as well. And now we have a whole new
gift card experience that is brilliant. Okay, So whoever you're
thinking about on your gift list, these are trips that
offer something for all ages. You know, I've got, you know,
beautiful kids, a wonderful husband, wonderful parents in laws. Nothing

(04:55):
is off limits. There's something out there for everybody. It's incredible. Like,
what are some of the the craziest places you're reading? Like,
oh my god, I didn't know we could do that, Like,
what are some of the places they're talking about They're
just knocking people off their feet.

Speaker 3 (05:07):
Well, you're absolutely right, there is something for everybody of
all ages. Like I said, there's four hundred and fifty
hand picked experiences worldwide. So you know, some of our
favorites have been going to Tuscany and doing a pasta
making class Tuskana Sisters. I did that with my eleven
year old son. It's so much fun.

Speaker 4 (05:24):
You know.

Speaker 3 (05:24):
Just the other day we went to Virginia for a
live roadside experience of Mystic fortune telling chickens. I mean,
that is something I will never forget. But you can
go to Florence and you can go to a family
craft store, you can see all the hot scenic spots
in Madrid. You could take a Peruvian cocktail making class.
There is something for everyone, and it's so exciting each

(05:46):
and every time. You can do something with your parents,
you can do something with your children, you can do
something by yourself. Like I said, something for everyone and
a memory you will never forget.

Speaker 1 (05:56):
Isn't that fantastic? Okay, So I'm taking notes as we're talking.
I love the trips you're talking about here. You are
definitely the person to ask this. Here's a bonus round.
So if you had your pick of, say anywhere, you
could go on one of these virtual trips. I guess
it would depend on who you are going on the
trip with. But if you had your pick up anywhere

(06:16):
you could go on any of these virtual trips, where
would it be and why? What's like calling at you like,
oh my god, I can't wait for XYZ to get
on this virtual trip list Ooh.

Speaker 3 (06:25):
I mean I have to say, like my husband and
I have been talking about taking a cooking class together,
and that's been something we talked about. Okay, the holidays,
we're going to do a cooking class. So for me,
it would be to learn how to do like a
sushi making class in Japan with a professional sushi chef.
I mean that sounds absolutely amazing to me.

Speaker 2 (06:44):
Oh, it totally does.

Speaker 1 (06:45):
And taking a slightly different gear on this, you know,
we have a lot of listeners who are either oh,
who knows, maybe they're a little set in their ways,
maybe for physical reasons or maybe any other reasons. They're
not quite keen on getting on a plane, or they're
not quite keen on doing anything that requires physical stuff
that they can't manage, whether it's you know, getting in

(07:06):
a car somewhere or doing a lot of walking somewhere.
If you've got people who are even physically incapacitated. Let's
say this stuff which was inconceivable ten years ago. Now
you may have perhaps a grandparent or a friend or
a high school friend from way back when who now
for whatever reason, can't do as much physical traveling. And
this has just opened up doors that even ten years

(07:29):
ago would have seemed inconceivable. The feedback on this has
to be incredible.

Speaker 3 (07:32):
It absolutely is incredible. You know a lot of people
you know, like you said, use it as a way
to have new memories, to have new experiences, to learn
a new skill like cooking their favorite international cuisine. You
can go on historical walking tour. I mean, so many
different options, and I love that. There's also the ability
to shop unique items that will get sent straight to

(07:53):
your door, and you can shop via your host, so
it gives you that experience of really being there, but
from the comfort of your own home, you know. I
also love Amazon Explore for the ability to pre travel
before you get on a plane. So if that's something
you're thinking about in the sure, Amazon Explorer can give
you the option of pre traveling a place so you
know exactly what you want to do when you get
there one day in real life. So many different options,

(08:16):
and it does. It gives you the gift of escaping
today and going somewhere new and having a beautiful memory
from it.

Speaker 2 (08:23):
It's sure as heck.

Speaker 1 (08:24):
Does you know when I was talking about having you
on the air, I was on social media talking about
having you back and talking about the concept that we
were going to be discussing today and kind of put
the feelers out to see what.

Speaker 2 (08:34):
People would love to see.

Speaker 1 (08:35):
We got some amazing listeners out there, and one of
the biggest ones that kept grabbing me that I never
even thought about, which would be so ridiculously cool courtesy
of our listeners' suggestions here is if they could do
like another lunar landing and get hardware software something extra
serious credit, if they go to mar or slightly longer trip,
offer virtual trips up there.

Speaker 2 (08:55):
Can you imagine? I mean literally, the possibilities are endless.

Speaker 3 (08:58):
Absolutely, I mean you say that, I'm like that. That
would be incredible. And I have to tell you that
I think my dad, my husband, my eleven year old
would be so into that experience. We would all be
tuned in for exactly that. So virtual travel, I mean,
possibilities are endless, and to the moon we.

Speaker 2 (09:16):
Go right, absolutely, yes.

Speaker 1 (09:18):
And another thing that they were talking about online again
see my earlier notes that my listeners are far deeper
than I am, especially before after my coffee, But they're
talking about even learning, you know, surgeries. God forbid, someone
on the other end of the planet needs a certain
type of surgery done or whatever, and the real expert
of it is either in New York or London or whatever.
It just seems like even you know, as much as
it's going to be amazing for play, imagine what it

(09:40):
could be for educational purposes. It's just really a crazy
new frontier that we're kind of exploring here and we're
on the ground floor with courtesy of Amazon.

Speaker 2 (09:48):
Right.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
I mean, that's what's beautiful about live stream and interactive
experiences is that anything is possible. And exactly what you
just said, I mean, how great is the ability to
interact to someone live stream to do just that surgery,
medical procedures, anything. And you're right, Amazon explorers at the
forefront of really giving people unique, live virtual experiences from

(10:11):
the comfort of their very own home.

Speaker 2 (10:13):
I love it.

Speaker 1 (10:13):
It kept so many of us saying while we were
all closed up for the pandemic, and now it's just
going light years ahead when it comes to travel, fun, serious, medical,
and so much more. Viena, It is always so much
fun to connect with you, though I wish I had
an hour. Thank you so much for taking the time,
and very happy holidays to you. Come on back anytime.

Speaker 3 (10:30):
Same to you. Happy holidays, Talk to you soon.

Speaker 2 (10:33):
Thanks, and we'll be right back right after this small
not too.

Speaker 5 (10:40):
Stay the best of all circumstance.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
Let's close my.

Speaker 1 (10:49):
Hands and we are back with the Christinegopian Show. And
this next bit of subject matter didn't used to make

(11:12):
me really sit up and take notice. And then I
hit my forties a short while back, and things started
happening to this girl that I can't even go into
detail on in polite company. Don't get me wrong, I'm
you know, still healthy as a horse. But amongst the many,
many amusing happenings that let me know mother nature was
in the driver's seat, heartburn of all things came up

(11:35):
front and center at the least expected time, and not
just for me, not just for me, my husband, other
family members, and it's you know, it's not just people
thirty forty and above. I've got beautiful little kids in
our family tree. Who got hit with this stuff out
of nowhere, It's everywhere. And are you ready for this?
Seventy percent of Americans, seventy percent, at some point or another,

(11:56):
have been forced.

Speaker 2 (11:57):
To give up what they love due to heartburn.

Speaker 1 (11:59):
We're in this other guys, men, women, everybody, and who
better to break down the latest outstanding tools to beat
it back is internal medicine expert doctor Clinton Coleman.

Speaker 2 (12:09):
Doctor Coleman, Welcome, good morning, Thanks for having me. It's
a pleasure having you on. Okay, So, while there's some solace.

Speaker 1 (12:17):
In the fact that an amazing number of Americans are
also battling heartburn once in a while, I'm pretty sure
we would do anything to never ever get it again.

Speaker 2 (12:27):
Why do we even get this stuff?

Speaker 6 (12:28):
First?

Speaker 5 (12:28):
Explain that heartburn actually has nothing to do with the heart.
The easiest way for me to explain it to patients
is just to talk about how food and how it
gets to the stomach where digestion takes place. So as
you eat, you chew, you swallow, the food goes down
your esophagus, which is your food pipe. The lower part
of the esophagus, there's a muscle an area called the
lower esophageal sphincter, which acts like a gate or door

(12:52):
that allows food and prevents those strong stomach acids from
coming back up. Now, when those strong stomach asides come
back up, that's the called reflux, and we get that uncomfortable, burning,
gnawing sensation and the chests in the throat. You may
also get a sour, bitter taste in the mouth. Now,
there's common triggers that we associate with heartburn, like foods

(13:12):
that are high in acid or citrus, spicy foods, tomato, chocolate,
if you had coffee this morning, caffeinated beverages. Alcohol, Also,
bad eating habits, whether you're overeating or eating late and
going directly to bed can exacerbate heartburn. Smoking is a
common trigger that we don't think much about because it

(13:33):
causes that lower sophageal sphincter to relax and stress. Stress
is a major trigger for heartburn, and you know, suffice
to say, we've all been stressed for the past few years.

Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, I know, and I'm taking notes as we're talking,
And I certainly don't smoke, But coffee is a food
group in my house, so I'm very guilty on several
of those other things there. So now, we know why
we get it. You know, what should we be avoiding
to keep it far far away? You know, you hear
about leaning away from the spicy peppers, that kind of stuff,
But are there any you know, surprise foods that we

(14:06):
never would have guessed about that people are like, no
way when you're talking to them in your office, that
maybe we should be avoiding as well.

Speaker 5 (14:12):
I think one of the common myths is something like
dairy or milk people take to try to relieve that
burning sensation. But anything that has a high fat content
can actually exacerbate your heartburn. So you know, carbonated beverages,
so some people actually take ginger rail to relieve their heartburn,
but just those bubbles can actually cause those acid to

(14:33):
come back up and affect you. So there's a lot
of things. The good thing is, there's a lot of
things that we can do to address that. I think
I try to encourage patients to lose weight, to exercise,
to be active, because that can really prevent and relieve heartburn,
avoiding those trigger foods. Sometimes people we don't know what's
causing our heartburn, so I recommend keeping a food diary

(14:57):
of you know, whenever you have symptoms to write down
with what food you just ate, Maybe that'll help you
identify some of the foods of treating stress. So we've
all been stressed out recently, using enough, using things like
relaxation techniques, meditation, and speaking of stress, I think it's

(15:17):
important to highlight next GM's twenty four hour survey. They
found that sixty four percent of their responds were actually
so stressed about returning to normalcy that it was heartburn
and inducing. So you can imagine all we've been through
and actually going back to normal is making your stress worse.
So you know, that's a huge problem.

Speaker 2 (15:35):
Something I was talking about briefly earlier.

Speaker 1 (15:37):
You know, when I was a kid, and I'm dating
myself a bit here, I did loads of babysitting, you know,
all kinds of fun stuff, And there was one particular
beautiful kid I used to look over look after and
he basically had the equivalent of what you're talking about
right now. He was a bit of a premi beautiful kid,
no other issues, but terrible acid reflux. And now, I
mean that was like the one kid that I knew

(15:58):
growing up. Almost seems like it's a far more regular
thing amongst you know, even the eighteen and under set
where nexium is really coming to the rescue for people
of all ages. Are you finding in your professional research
that is something that's hitting kids a little younger? Maybe
it was just never diagnosed back in the day, you know,
they kind of just let it slide, and now we're

(16:18):
just far more on top of it. What do you
think the reason is we're hearing about so many younger cases?
Is it the stress or what do you put your
finger on.

Speaker 5 (16:25):
Definitely, we don't eat as well as we should, So
we eat a lot of processed foods, lot of fried,
fatty foods, and that's one of the staples of our diet.
Overweight and obesity are very common, and they're also associated
with heartburn. And we definitely are all stressed, right especially,
Those are common triggers. But some of the things that

(16:45):
we forget about is, you know, tight fitting clothes are
in style, right, so those can actually compress the stomach
and you know, make the stomach acids go back up
in the wrong direction. So there's a lot of different
things that we aren't aware of as far as a
lifestyle that that's why we're seeing more heartburn.

Speaker 1 (17:07):
When we're talking to other people one thing that I
also find comes up and I'm guilty of this too.
I'm kind of stuck back in the eighties or the
nineties or even the turna millennium, where you think that
the stuff out on the market that can help, you're
unaware of all the new things on the market.

Speaker 4 (17:22):
You know.

Speaker 1 (17:23):
I talked before about how a couple of family members
are finding tremendous relief with nexium and they had no
idea it existed. Like they went to their doctor saying, yeah,
same stuff I've had for decades, you know whatever, Just
had to let you know. And they try this and
it's an absolute switch up. You know, they wish this
thing existed decades ago. What kind of feedback are you
getting from people who have suffered from this type of

(17:43):
thing for decades and now they're finally getting a chance
to get some relief.

Speaker 5 (17:46):
That's spot on, because no matter what we do, as
far as our exercising, our lifestyle and eating correctly, sometimes
no matter what we do, we still have frequent heartburn.
So something like nexium twenty four hour, which is a
pro ton pump inhibitor, So what that does is actually
directly blocks the acid production and the stomach and you know,

(18:07):
proactively relieves your and prevents your symptoms all day, all night.
That way we can get back to, you know, enjoying
our daily activities. Next tum twenty four hours if you're
suffering from frequent harbor and it is something that I
would strongly encourage you.

Speaker 2 (18:21):
To take outstanding.

Speaker 1 (18:22):
So you've got people out there, They've done everything they can,
they've been eating all the right stuff, steering clear of
all the stuff they shouldn't, and they're still getting hit
with this. In addition to nexium, is there anything else
that doctors are finding is a good solution for a
one to two punch? Or is nexium the one thing
they ask them to try and that seems to shut
it down for a good majority of people.

Speaker 5 (18:41):
I think it's the latter. You know, it's so effective
that you really don't need much else outside of, you know,
avoiding the main culprits. So I think if you avoid
the main culprits and you be active, and you reduce
your stress, and you optimize all the things that you
can do, then you take proactively nextem twenty four hour
would be good to go.

Speaker 1 (19:01):
I love that, you know, and I'm talking about you've
got the pumps that administer this type of stuff. And
then my twisted brain immediately goes to you know, if
you could do like a caffeine pump, you know, that
would save me tremendous amounts of energy in the morning,
so much extra time to get some work done. But
you know I'm being facetatious, of course, But a girl
can dream, can't she? Doctor Clinton Coleman, thank you so
much for all that you do. I knew the time

(19:22):
was going to fly. You've got an open mic anytime.
The information that you're sharing is so important. It impacts
so many people, not only the nearly one hundred million
Americans they either have, but all of their family members
that don't want to see them suffering or in any
kind of pain. This is exactly what they need to
hear more about to turn the corner on that. It's
brilliant stuff. We live in amazing times. You've gotten open

(19:43):
mic anytime, sir. Please join us again in the new
year whenever your schedule allows.

Speaker 5 (19:46):
Thanks for having me. Happy holidays.

Speaker 1 (19:48):
Happy holidays to you, sir, and we'll be right back
gang right after this.

Speaker 2 (19:57):
Not too.

Speaker 1 (20:09):
And we are back with the Christen Egopian show, and
I know that this next guest has got the goods
on a bit of subject matter that just about every
one of our nationwide listeners has a beef, with myself included,
and that is robo calls. It's getting absolutely insane on
our landline back at the house, and I can't be
the only one it goes. It goes actually way beyond annoying,

(20:31):
it goes into potentially dangerous because from annoying robo calls
to fake messages and text messages you got. The scams
targeting your hard earned money and personal info have become
big business for cyber criminals and it doesn't look to
be slowing down anytime soon. According to a recent data
collected by the FTC Federal Trade Commission, fraud reports have

(20:54):
more than doubled in the past ten years. It's big
business and their main targets. We're looking at older adults, teens,
kids off in the prime target. It's nice, right, So
it's more important than ever to know the warning signs,
be prepared because the more we can collectively tick off
the scammers, the happier I'll be. And with that common
goal in mind, joining us via our Newsmaker line is

(21:17):
veteran journalist, consumer advocate, and money saving expert Elizabeth Leamy
here to help us navigate the ever changing world of
scams and keep our money and personal info safe. Elizabeth, Welcome,
Happy holidays.

Speaker 4 (21:30):
Hey, same to you, Leah. Let's get some information out
there and get the bad guys nothing.

Speaker 1 (21:36):
And that's always a very satisfying feeling too, you know.
So first of all, talk to us about what, say,
the top scam trending is right now?

Speaker 2 (21:45):
You know, what should we be watching out for. The
stuff's always evolving.

Speaker 1 (21:48):
We think we've got our arms around it, and then
they try to up their games, so we got to
up our game too.

Speaker 2 (21:52):
What should we be looking out for out there?

Speaker 4 (21:54):
Yeah, you know, I swear the scammers are like evil
geniuses who are always coming up with something new to
try to con us. And they do have something brand
new trending right now, a terrible scam that is targeting
multiple banks and their customers across the country. And it's
particularly tricky because the scammers are using our familiarity with

(22:16):
bank fraud alerts against us. Really obnoxious. So here's how
it works. I'm going to go through it step by
step for you. You receive a fraud alert first via text
message that appears to come from your bank. The scammers
then ask you to validate whether you made a certain
purchase or sent a certain amount of money. That sounds

(22:38):
really familiar, right, like a bank fraud alert. But of
course you say no because it's a fake charge that
they made up, and that's the opening that they use
to call you and pretend to be from your bank's
fraud team, and they then ask for your help catching

(22:59):
the bad guy. And then they proceed to either ask
you to share your banking user name and password a
big no no, or they ask you to send money
to yourself or a third party, supposedly to stop the
fraud and catch the bad guys, but of course it's
all a ploy.

Speaker 2 (23:15):
They have just.

Speaker 4 (23:16):
Gained access to your account or gotten you to send
money to them, and that's when they disappear. And Chase
has been doing a nice job of letting consumers know
about scams like this, so I've partnered with them to
help get the word out. And the main thing people
need to remember is no bank employee will ever call, text,

(23:36):
or email you and ask for your banking password or
for you to send money. Only crooks will do that.
You should never share any of this sensitive information with
anyone unless you initiated the contact period.

Speaker 1 (23:49):
Yeah, you're right, and I'm taking notes as we're talking here,
because you bring up so many important points and this
is why we do all of our banking a chase too.
They really seem to have their finger on the pulse
of this stuff. But one of the evil parts you
talked about there is the fact that they're preying on
populations out there, like, you know, my kids are in
their teens and they just started their own bank accounts
and god forbid, you know, they've got their cell phone

(24:10):
numbers on there and stuff too. They could be at school. Hey,
they're you know, young Missigopian, young mister Ugopian. This is
going on with your bank. We're gonna need your account number.
And as much as I try to school them, it
could be jarring enough to say, oh, well, you know,
they call them my numbered whatever. They must have had
this and they you know, suddenly they're giving information they
shouldn't be. And the next is maybe the next generation
is slightly older than us because back in the day

(24:32):
when they were first doing their bank accounts, and these
people are you know, quick as whips. But when they
came to doing bank accounts, saying the seventies, eighties, early nineties,
they would still do a lot of stuff via phone.
So they're gonna think that this is okay. It's it's nutty.
So with no shortage of freaking scams out there right now,
how can we easily spot, like really nail it a
suspicious email? Things I can teach my kids, you know,

(24:54):
the suspicious text or the phone call.

Speaker 2 (24:56):
What steps do we take if we do?

Speaker 1 (24:57):
You know? I always thought to just delete it, get
rid of it, but maybe there's more we can do
to try to kick button keep them from calling somebody else.

Speaker 4 (25:06):
Well sure, yeah, So I've got a whole list here
of red flags. The first one is unsolicited calls, texts,
and emails. I mean, these are really the first tip
off to a ripoff, and you should go on high
alert anytime you receive an unsolicited message from somebody claiming
to be from your bank or another official sounding entity.
And then the other one that usually helps me is

(25:28):
spelling and grammar errors or odd wording in these messages,
scams and text I mean, they often contain these dead
giveaways because frankly, they're frequently written by people who are
not native English speakers, So take a moment to stand
for errors like this. Tell your kids. And then the
next is urgency and intimidation. If the message you receive

(25:49):
says you must act now, it's an urgent matter, or
it's an emergency, well, frankly, the bad guys are trying
to fluster you into rushing and making a mistake. So
slow down and when they say, speed up, and then
a couple more for you. Lots of links. If you
receive a message containing lots of links from someone you
don't know, do not click on them. I mean, that's

(26:10):
as simple as it is. The message could be about
a fake banking matter or something else entirely, but the
scammers are trying to get you to click so that
they can instantly infect your phone or computer with malware,
or so that they can engage with you in a
conversation a dialogue and try to steal your money. And
if after all of these red flags you're still not sure,

(26:31):
what I always do is search the subject matter of
the message you received to see if it's a scam,
or even copy and paste the message itself right into
a search engine. Frankly, most scammers are big copycats, so
chances are what you're receiving has already made the rounds
of cyberspace and you'll quickly find posts debunking it and

(26:54):
explaining the scheme you're seeing. And that's perfect advice for
teenagers because they're constantly on their phones and you know
online anyway.

Speaker 1 (27:01):
I know you're right and with the numbers, so now
we know what to keep an eye out for. But
with the number of scams, you know, just going up,
they're definitely on the rise. What are some things we
can do in addition to knowing what to look for?
What are other things we can do to protect ourselves
from becoming the next victim without driving ourselves nuts and
just obsessing? Is there a middle ground? Can we thread

(27:21):
that needle?

Speaker 4 (27:22):
Yeah? You know what, There is a simple but memorable,
overarching tip that I actually came up with that stops
all of the incoming scams in their tracks. So listen up, people.
All you have to remember be the hunter, not the hunted.
In other words, do business nice people and companies that
you research and you seek out, not those that come

(27:45):
after you. And if you want to be more specific
about it, when someone asks for money, your personal information.
Stop and take these steps I mean, and the conversation
without providing any money or sensitive information. Look up your
bank's toll free number yourself and call to report the
suspicious contact. Alternatively, you can actually visit the local branch

(28:05):
of your bank or stop into your local police precinct.
At Frankly, going low tech is a great way to
combat high tech crime.

Speaker 1 (28:13):
Be the hunter, not the hunted. That's the exact same
advice I gave myself when I went a husband hunting.
I got twenty five and it worked great then and
it works great now. This is advice you can use
for so many things. I'm digging it good stuff, And
in all seriousness, you're doing something so important here, because
you know, every time we think we're ahead of the
curve and we've got oh, we've got this down, we

(28:33):
know exactly how to protect ourselves. It's exactly as you say,
the evolve into a new level of like doctor evil,
and it's frustrating as heck. We want to help our
kids stay safe. We want to help our folks stay safe.
We want to help us stay safe. So okay, so
we're learning from you how to fight back, and that's great,
But keeping our accounts kind of safe and padlocked virtually

(28:54):
in the first place is probably even better. So how
do we go about doing that without being a huge
pain to work our bank itself? You know, we just
want to again thread that needle where we're protecting everybody
from having stuff stolen or scammed, but we don't want
to make other people's lives nuts like the bank tellers
and the people working at Chase. How do we do
it in a way that makes everybody happy and keeps
things where they're supposed to be.

Speaker 4 (29:14):
Sure, well, you're onto something. I mean, prevention is the
best medicine, as they say, so my advice for prevention.
First of all, only access your accounts via reliable sources.
Type your own bank website directly into your browser, Chase,
dot Com, et cetera, et cetera, or look up your
credit card company's phone number on the back of your
physical card. As I mentioned a moment ago, never share

(29:37):
your username, password atmpin, or social security number with anyone.
And you know those two factor identification codes banks now
text us for added security. Don't share those with anyone
except your bank either. The other thing is only send
money to people you know and trust, and then two
more things set up account alerts on your bank accounts

(29:59):
and credit so you are notified of transactions made to
your account. Let technology do some of that work for you.
That's a nice, low key way to handle it, and
really important. Check your credit score regularly because if scammers
are using your financial information, your score is likely to
take a hit. Using technology as a tool so you
don't constantly have to be checking yourself. Chase dot Com

(30:23):
slash Credit Journey again free and open to anybody.

Speaker 2 (30:26):
Brilliant.

Speaker 1 (30:27):
Chase has got it down and we are so appreciative.
Elizabeth Leamy, I knew the time would fly. Thank you
so much for all of this great info. This is
clearly a consumer issue that is not going away, and
it's great to know people have someone like you in
their corner to help them through it unscathed. You've got
an open mic anytime. Happy holidays to you and yours,
and please join us again in the next year.

Speaker 4 (30:47):
Ah, thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 2 (30:49):
You bet we'll be right back in right after this.

Speaker 6 (31:01):
The best of all.

Speaker 1 (31:17):
And we are back with the kristin a Gophian show.
And are you guys ready for this report? This was
something that really surprised me. A twenty twenty three So
this is from last year, a report by the Entertainment
Software Association. Who knew there was such a thing. It's
called the ESA. It indicates that video games topped the
list of most asked for gifts, and that part's not

(31:38):
so surprising. You had a staggering seventy two percent of
kids most likely to ask their parents for a video
game related items. Okay, this year will probably be no different,
but it may not be just the kids making the ask.
And joining us via our Newsmaker line is influential generational
and tech expert Scott Steinberg, known for forecasting the next thing,

(32:00):
which is just what we need to know in this
holiday season, and he is joining us be our Newsmaker
line to give us more Welcome Scott, Happy holidays to
you and yours.

Speaker 6 (32:08):
Hey Christin, I'm doing great about yourself.

Speaker 1 (32:10):
No complaints. Though weather's getting a little better. You know,
it's blue skies. It's going to get cold, but that's
the holidays here in the Philadelphia area. So long as
I can get around and get all of my errands done,
then I'm a happy camper. And I've been looking so
forward to having you join us because people have a
lot of questions. People don't have time to keep up
with the trends, to keep up with the latest video
game news, and we look like dorks when we try

(32:32):
to ask about it with our kids. So here's you
to save the day. So we're used to kids asking
for video games, but talk to us a bit about
how the trends have shifted. For lack of a better word,
what are you seeing out there on the street.

Speaker 7 (32:44):
Sure, so obviously kids still love video games. I'm actually
surprised the figures weren't closer to ninety nine percent. But
that said, what we see in recent surveys is that
about one hundred and ninety one million people are playing now.
And by the way, the average age of a game
player is around thirty six years old. Just the kiddo's,
it's also the adults guilty as charged. I think the
entire family really is going to want to play with

(33:06):
video games as the perfect gift this holiday season.

Speaker 1 (33:08):
Right Like, that doesn't surprise me at all. You know,
we all have our various ways of decompressing. This is
something that has been proven to help people relax to
how people decompress. It definitely has a place in our
lives and when you get together, you know, with friends
and can do various games regardless of age. You made
light of it, but I love that people of all
ages are enjoying this. It's so true. So with that

(33:30):
again in mind, with the fact that so many of
the guys in our life, especially the ones that are
impossible to shop for, you know who, you are out there,
With that in mind, talk to me about the gaming
gift trends for this holiday season. Dig a little bit
deeper if you would, and kind of, you know, fine,
tune it for me, no worries.

Speaker 7 (33:49):
So right off the bat, we're seeing that games are
becoming much more epic and cinematic in nature. For example,
there's a new title called Star Wars Outlaws that's based
on the iconic sci fi franchise and all is a
mix of play styles from racing to adventure.

Speaker 6 (34:02):
All in one game.

Speaker 7 (34:03):
Another trend we see reflected in the market and also
in games like this, is how titles keep evolving and
growing over time, so they're always adding new storylines, missions, maps,
and the like. So that's a big shift that we're
seeing as well. And of course games overall are becoming
much more approachable and playable. The nice part is you
don't necessarily have to be a gamer to get into.

Speaker 1 (34:23):
The oh and that is fantastic because you had me
at Star Wars. That's a name that you know, I'm
so delighted. You know, I'm in my fifties, and I'm
so delighted that in this day and age, in this year,
with all of the various technology out there, that Star
Wars is still such.

Speaker 2 (34:37):
A huge name.

Speaker 1 (34:38):
That is like a Christmas present in itself. Tell us
a little bit about the new Star Wars products and
what people can expect.

Speaker 6 (34:43):
Yeah, so I was saying.

Speaker 7 (34:44):
Star Wars Outlaws is the first open world action adventure
that's set in the franchise, brand new storyline.

Speaker 6 (34:50):
Fans are going to love it.

Speaker 7 (34:51):
Set between the events of Empire Strikes Back in Return
of the Jedi, you play as Kves, So she's an
outlaw that's trying to navigate her way through the Galaxies
crime syndicates with the help of an adorable alien companion
named Nix. You're going to visit some familiar locations, some
brand new ones, five huge locales, so sometimes you'll be
sneaking around bustling cities and cantenas. You can race speeder

(35:12):
bikes across alien landscapes.

Speaker 6 (35:14):
If you want, you can even.

Speaker 7 (35:15):
Take her ship the Trailblazer, and rocket off in space.
So as you can see, it's every bit as epic
and cinematic as the franchise.

Speaker 6 (35:22):
Have inspired it.

Speaker 1 (35:23):
Well, you had me at Star Wars, because the Star
Wars franchise has such a strong and passionate and generations
old following. I realize I'm dating myself saying that, but
there's nothing like Star Wars, and I'm so happy to
hear that it still has such a presence when it
comes to these types of games as well.

Speaker 2 (35:43):
So talk to us a bit about this new game.

Speaker 1 (35:45):
I would be so thrilled with myself if I could
actually take a look at this game and recognize the characters,
recognize the plot lines, recognize what you're trying to do
in the game. What's this game about, how did it
come about? And what can they expect from this new game.

Speaker 7 (35:57):
So what I think is this game is actually for teen,
it's appropriate for ages thirteen and up.

Speaker 6 (36:03):
Honestly, I think everybody in the family's going to enjoy it. Though.
What we're talking about is the type.

Speaker 7 (36:07):
Of title that's approachable for beginners, so you can dive
right in and start playing even if you haven't clocked
in much time behind the controller.

Speaker 6 (36:13):
Of course, if you're a lifelong gamer.

Speaker 7 (36:15):
Like me, we are seeing an array of titles like
this that also if you say want to unlock every
storyline and question and the ask, see, well guess what
you can spend weeks doing it. Like I said, games
really are the gift that keeps on giving, and they
provide so much play value.

Speaker 6 (36:28):
It's good value for the money.

Speaker 1 (36:30):
This is fantastic and it's so true because you know,
we've got like two hundred stations coast to coast and
just stuffed with gamers, hardworking people, gamers of all ages,
all backgrounds, all passions with regards to what they lean
towards when it comes to their gaming. And you've just
outlined how they are all going to find. You know,
there's something for everyone out there, and that's what I

(36:50):
love most about this. Where do our listeners go to
find the game and get a little more information on
all that you guys offer and everything that they're thinking
might be a hit this holiday season.

Speaker 6 (37:00):
Yeah, if they want to pick it up.

Speaker 7 (37:01):
They can go to any major retailer this holiday season.
Huge sale going on through December second, twenty five percent off.
It's on PlayStation five, Xbox Series S n X, and
you can even get it for your Windows PC on
Steam or Ubisoft Connect. But if you just want to
get the dets right off the bat, you can go
to www. Dot star Wars Outlaws dot com.

Speaker 1 (37:21):
Outstanding will put links to all of that on our
social media as well, and I knew the time would fly.
Trends expert futurist Scott Steinberg, thank you so much for
taking time out of your crazy busy day. We all
wish you the happiest holidays, and you've got an open
mic anytime.

Speaker 2 (37:37):
Please join us again when you can we'll do Thanks again, Chris,
and until.

Speaker 1 (37:41):
Next week, save those pennies, pay with cash and you
all stay frugal out there.

Speaker 6 (37:52):
Steam the best