Win a security deposit small claims case against a landlord with ChatGPT

Check suspicious texts and emails for scams with Norton in ChatGPT

Tom's Guide writer Amanda Caswell added the Norton scam-detection app inside ChatGPT and tested it on real messages by uploading screenshots. The first test, a text about a part-time job, came back 'Unknown,' with only general advice to be careful with unsolicited job offers. A real email claiming a payment had been declined, which looked believable because Caswell had just updated a credit card, was flagged within seconds with 'high confidence' as phishing aimed at payment details. A vague money-making email from someone named Mark was flagged with high confidence as a 'gambling scam,' and a real Lollapalooza lineup email that had landed in spam was judged legitimate, with a note to stay cautious.

Check a pre-IPO investment offer after a refused payout with ChatGPT

A 77-year-old retiree in Bengaluru, India, was approached by people posing as representatives of IIFL Wealth Management who promised 'pre-IPO allotments in sizable quantities.' Over several weeks the retiree paid in money for share allotments that showed large paper profits. When a request to release ₹40 lakh was refused, the retiree grew alarmed and started investigating the company's background in ChatGPT, according to the police report. The search showed it was a fraudulent organization with a lot of complaints against it. By then ₹67.10 lakh was already lost, but the check stopped further payments, and a police report was filed on January 3 with the Cyber Crime Police Station under IT Act Sections 66C and 66D.

Spot a jury duty scam targeting your spouse with ChatGPT (partial)

On July 21, men posing as sheriff's deputies told Kimberly Fudge, 38, a Florida finance manager, that Fudge had missed federal jury duty and faced arrest. Fudge spent nearly 10 hours driving and feeding $25,000 into cryptocurrency machines as 'bail'. Following the callers' script, Fudge texted spouse Jonathan for money, and Jonathan sent $3,000. At a second request, Jonathan asked ChatGPT why a spouse would make such a demand. It listed ordinary explanations, then flagged a possible scam, and Jonathan called 911. The money already sent is gone; reports went to the sheriff's offices, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and the FTC, but the family is 'not counting on recovery.'

Ask ChatGPT whether an online crypto 'investment' is a scam

Margaret Loke, a 70-something widow in San Jose, met a man called 'Ed' on Facebook who persuaded Loke to 'invest' in crypto through an app that showed big profits. Loke wired money from an IRA, including $120,000 and a final $62,000, and took out a $300,000 second mortgage. When the account was 'frozen' and Ed demanded a million dollars to unfreeze it, Loke asked ChatGPT, which replied: 'no, this is a scam, you better go to police station'. That warning came too late: Loke lost nearly $1 million in a 'pig butchering' scheme, faces a huge tax bill for withdrawing the IRA at once, and could lose the house.

Find a mystery Microsoft charge, cancel it and get a full refund with Muse

Diego found a mystery $83 Microsoft charge on a checking account and asked Muse to look into it. In about two minutes it identified Drawboard PDF Plus at $83.49 a year, renewing each September, and found the same charge from the year before. Muse turned off recurring billing in Diego's Microsoft account; with no self-serve refund for third-party subscriptions, it opened a live chat with Microsoft Support, where Diego had to type a 6-digit verification code. A full $83.49 refund to PayPal within 30 days was approved. Muse then audited the account and found an unused Microsoft 365 Family subscription at $129.99 a year, whose renewal Diego had it cancel.

Get a parking garage refund over the phone with Muse after the valet turned the car away

Kyle G paid for parking in San Francisco, but the valet refused the car because Kyle only had a phone key. After the meeting, Kyle asked Muse to handle the refund. Its first call failed because customer support needed more details; Muse came back, asked Kyle a couple of questions and called again. On the second call a full refund was approved.

Check suspicious texts and emails for scams with Norton in ChatGPT

Tom's Guide writer Amanda Caswell added the Norton scam-detection app inside ChatGPT and tested it on real messages by uploading screenshots. The first test, a text about a part-time job, came back 'Unknown,' with only general advice to be careful with unsolicited job offers. A real email claiming a payment had been declined, which looked believable because Caswell had just updated a credit card, was flagged within seconds with 'high confidence' as phishing aimed at payment details. A vague money-making email from someone named Mark was flagged with high confidence as a 'gambling scam,' and a real Lollapalooza lineup email that had landed in spam was judged legitimate, with a note to stay cautious.

Plan a week of meals for a family of four under $300 with ChatGPT

To test whether AI can trim a grocery bill, a WDIV Local 4 newsroom team in Detroit asked ChatGPT to create a weekly meal plan and grocery list for a Detroit-area family of four with two children, targeting around $300. When the team priced the list at Kroger online, including store savings and coupons, the total came to approximately $250. The station noted that it did not check whether the groceries would actually provide enough food for a family of four for a full week.

Shortlist used Volvos and prep dealer questions with ChatGPT

Sara Clarke, replacing a car bought in 2010, used ChatGPT to search dealerships within a few hours of the Washington, DC, area for Volvo XC60 and V60 models, narrowing by year, mileage, trim, features and color. Its results were similar to Clarke's own searches, though it occasionally surfaced cars that were older or more expensive than requested. It then drafted questions for dealers, such as asking for the CPO inspection checklist and a Carfax or AutoCheck report, whether dealer add-ons were required and the out-the-door price with all taxes and fees. Clarke used those alongside consumer guides to collect quotes by email, phone and text. Its financing-office advice was useful, but it kept recommending steps Clarke had already done, such as asking for all-in pricing. Clarke said it didn't guarantee a better price but kept the process organized and less stressful.