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Mary Peltola campaign and Dems backed covert scheme to field spoiler candidates in Alaska Senate race: report
The campaign for Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola actively participated in an effort to peel votes away from incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by recruiting namesake and spoiler candidates, according to an investigation The New York Times published Wednesday.
The covert operation — internally dubbed the "ballot composition project" — allegedly involved aides from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), top campaign advisors, party lawyers and an operative who traveled across the state under assumed names.
The effort began in the summer of 2025, when a Peltola staffer was directed to comb through state voter rolls to compile a list of Alaskans named Dan Sullivan, according to the report. The plan worked earlier this year when Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher and left-leaning voter from Petersburg, switched his voter registration to Republican shortly before filing his candidacy in the Senate race.
TRUMP SAYS 'WE ARE LOOKING INTO' OTHER DAN SULLIVAN ON ALASKA BALLOT, WARNS ABOUT GOVERNOR'S RACE
PERSONAL ATTACKS FLY AS SULLIVAN, PELTOLA SPAR OVER CORRUPTION, CHARACTER AND CONTROVERSY
Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager who was fired in August, told the Times that while Peltola was not directly involved in orchestrating the project, she was "definitely aware."
"Alaskan voters need to know," Rios said. "There was a lot of speculation, and voters should get the full picture when making their decisions."
Rios later attempted to retract her comments prior to publication, but the newspaper noted that her initial interviews were corroborated by text messages, internal documents and 11 other sources.
Central to the plan was Democratic operative Jerid Kurtz, who allegedly traveled through Alaska using aliases such as "Zane," the report states.
TOP ELECTION SCHEMES ROILING KEY MIDTERM RACES AS BOTH PARTIES ACCUSE RIVALS OF TRICKERY
Kurtz allegedly met potential recruits at local pubs and diners, offering outside financial backing to persuade conservative and independent candidates to run and split the right-leaning vote.
Beyond the second Sullivan, operatives recruited other potential candidates, including drywall contractor Gerald Heikes, according to the report.
GOP SENATOR, EX-HOUSE DEM EMERGE FROM ALASKA’S ‘JUNGLE PRIMARY’ DESPITE FAR-LEFT MEDDLING
They also allegedly successfully pressured progressive candidate David Leslie to drop out of the race to avoid siphoning votes from Peltola, paving the way for Heikes to claim the fourth spot on Alaska’s ranked-choice ballot.
Campaign advisers and the DSCC also weighed creating a third party "MAGA party" to siphon votes from the incumbent senator before abandoning the idea in May, according to the report.
Jacquelyn Lopez, an attorney with the prominent Democratic firm Elias Law Group — which represents both the DSCC and Peltola’s campaign — was looped into discussions regarding the third-party strategy and field operations, the Times wrote.
Internal messages allegedly showed staff asking whether they needed to "follow up with Jackie about maga party stuff," while another noted that Lopez was in touch with Kurtz.
"The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign and did not recruit any candidates into the race," Peltola’s campaign said in a statement to the Times. The DSCC echoed that stance, stating it had no role in recruiting either Sullivan or any other Republican candidate.
In a statement to Fox News, the DSCC said it was not involved with Dan J. Sullivan, while pointing to Republicans' allegations of political shenanigans.
"Republicans have a long history of recruiting and propping up candidates in an attempt to boost their own campaigns — including recruiting a prisoner with a New York address to run against Mary Peltola and spending nearly half a million dollars to secure a spot on the ballot in Alaska for an Arizona resident in the Senate race this cycle," a DSCC spokesperson said.
The White House pointed to a social media post by Communications Director Steven Cheung on X: "BREAKING: Democrats' secret, CORRUPT plan to stack Alaska's ballot EXPOSED!"
The report came just days before Election Day and amid a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block certification of the election if the incumbent Sullivan loses due to voter confusion over the two identical candidate names.
Under Alaska's four-person general election system, Peltola enters Tuesday as the sole Democrat on the ballot, facing off against Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, Dan J. Sullivan and Gerald Heikes.
UCF gets another big win by dodging a field-storming fine after stunning upset over BYU
The UCF Knights pulled off one of the biggest wins in program history when they beat the BYU Cougars in an overtime thriller on Saturday.
Now, the school has earned a victory that the athletic department might be even more excited about: not getting fined for the post-game field-storming.
Field-storming sometimes gets a bad rap, but if ever there was a time for it, beating the No. 2 team in the country when you're unranked is probably it.
TEXAS BANS FAN WHO WAS CAUGHT FLIPPING OFF FLORIDA PLAYERS IN POSTGAME VIDEO FOLLOWING GATORS' UPSET
So, that's what Knights fans did ... even if it was a little tricky getting down the field at Acrisure Bounce House.
Alright, so they might need to pony up a few bucks for more canopies, but they won't need to pay the Big 12 as a mea culpa for the field storming.
Why not?
Because it turns out that the school did such a good job preparing and implementing a plan in the event of a good ol' fashioned field stormin' that there's no need for a fine.
MARYLAND IS GOING TO SOME EMBARRASSING LENGTHS TO MAKE SURE STUDENTS STAY UNTIL THE END OF GAMES
"We provided the Big 12 Conference w/thorough documentation of our safety preparations, including coordinated escorts for visiting players, coaches & officials," said UCF athletic director Terry Mohajir, per On3's Brett McMurphy. "We’re proud of our athletics staff for their planning, preparation & execution in helping protect everyone involved."
So the trick to not having to cut a check after a field storm is to prepare for a field storm.
Paradoxically, if you're expecting a field storming ... then maybe that win is not worth storming the field.
THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!
But while there's no way UCF came into that game thinking they'd be beating a really solid BYU team, it happened, and they were ready.
Which, in the end, saved them a heck of a lot of money.
Ms Rachel pushes racism narrative in Florida soccer dispute involving 3-year-old prodigy
Children’s YouTube creator Ms. Rachel called it racist for police to respond to a Florida youth soccer game, where a Black league official said the parents of a 3-year-old player were causing a disturbance.
In an Instagram post, the pink headband radical political activist who is best known for entertaining toddlers with her "Songs for Littles," has donated thousands of dollars to liberal candidates during this election cycle. She's hopped on as many pet Liberal causes as she can find.
And then the headlines of the cops being called on the Black boy playing soccer started flooding in on social media.
MS RACHEL BUILDS SPRAWLING MEDIA EMPIRE WHILE SHELLING OUT THOUSANDS TO PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATES
Ms. Rachel quickly declared she was "LIVID" over what she says is an incident where cops "were called on a 3-year-old Black boy because he's too good at soccer."
As OutKick has reported, the cops were not called to a Winter Park, Fla., soccer field because the boy named Nevada was too good at soccer. Bodycam footage obtained by OutKick shows an unidentified league official explaining to police how the boy's parents caused a "disturbance" after the official held the boy out of the game, so other kids could get game experience.
"He was kicked out of the league," Ms. Rachel, who's hailed as a champion of children, declared. "I need my sports people to show up!!! This is racist, sick, traumatizing and disgusting," she added.
Even with the bodycam footage readily available for her to watch, Ms. Rachel's statement remains on Instagram. OutKick reached out to Ms. Rachel to ask if she'd like to clarify her stance on the situation being an example of racism. Neither Ms. Rachel, nor her representatives at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), have responded.
THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!
Instead of correcting the record for the millions of fans she has on social media, Ms. Rachel quickly pivoted to posting a video claiming ICE broke the wrist of a 20-year-old student who has special needs.
What Ms. Rachel missed about the Florida soccer story, because she's not interested in hearing the truth, is that the parents of the boy were using him as a content factory for likes and followers on TikTok and Instagram, where Nevada was a star before Saturday's incident.
MOMS FOR LIBERTY CO-FOUNDER WARNS PARENTS ABOUT MS RACHEL’S POLITICAL ACTIVISM, ‘NOT MR ROGERS’
The kid was encouraged to dominate 5U beginner soccer kids by a father who yelled to keep the ball. The words "pass the ball" never come out of the father's mouth. There's no doubt that the boy is talented. "Nevada Missed 3 games this season and still ended the season with 40 goals in just 4 games," the parents bragged in a May Instagram post.
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The family parlayed Saturday's incident into a GoFundMe that has now generated over $46,000. They have shown no interest in correcting the record. Mom and dad continue to push the same narrative that the cops were called on the boy. And Ms. Rachel doesn't appear interested in correcting the record, either.
"The reality is that Rachel Griffin Accurso, who plays the character of Ms. Rachel, should not be trusted with your kids," Fox News Digital's Karol Markowicz wrote in September.
Peltola campaign's alleged Dan Sullivan spoiler plot takes new turn as DOJ faces major legal hurdle
The Department of Justice faces an uphill legal battle in Alaska, where it is trying to convince a federal court that confusion between two Senate candidates with nearly identical names could be enough to delay certification of the election results.
Roughly two weeks before Election Day on Oct. 22, the DOJ filed a federal lawsuit seeking to delay certification if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses and votes cast for another candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan could have changed the result, pending an investigation into whether voters mistakenly selected the wrong candidate.
The DOJ's complaint stems from a controversy in Alaska where two individuals by the name of Dan Sullivan, one a retired school teacher and the other the state’s incumbent senator, appear alongside each other on the state’s ballots. Although Alaska has traditionally been a Republican stronghold in Senate elections, the state's race could carry greater national significance this year as Republicans seek to defend their narrow Senate majority.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that the campaign of Mary Peltola, the Democrat running for Senate in Alaska, reportedly worked with operatives to recruit another Dan Sullivan to run for Alaska’s Senate seat, hoping voter confusion would draw support from the incumbent Republican senator. Citing interviews, text messages and documents prepared for a potential lawsuit, the Times reported that the effort also targeted other potential spoiler candidates, despite the Peltola campaign’s repeated denials of involvement in the second Sullivan’s candidacy.
TODD BLANCHE CHALLENGES DANA BASH FOR ONLY CITING PART OF CONSTITUTION DURING HEATED ELECTION CLASH
On Sunday, Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee filed a proposed motion to dismiss the Justice Department's lawsuit, arguing that the federal law cited by the DOJ governs voter registration, not candidate eligibility or ballot design. They also urged the court to resolve the case before Election Day.
Conservatives have argued that two similar names on the same ballot could possibly lead to voters who would prefer to reelect the state’s Republican senator accidentally voting for the retired school teacher. Opponents of the effort to remove Daniel J. Sullivan from the ballot argue that sharing a name with an incumbent is not grounds for disqualification and that Alaska's ranked-choice voting system allows voters to rank both candidates, potentially limiting the effects of mistaken selections.
Alaska’s Division of Elections initially sided with conservatives, disqualifying Sullivan the school teacher by finding that his candidacy was not a genuine, good-faith bid for office but instead was designed to confuse voters into mistaking him for the senator. Alaska Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews overturned the decision in June, holding that the Division of Elections had no authority to void a candidacy on that basis.
Alaska's general election ballot identifies the incumbent as "Sullivan, Dan S.," with Republican and incumbent designations, while listing the other candidate as "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.," without a party affiliation, a measure some argue is enough to clear up potential confusion. Lawyers at the Justice Department, however, remain unconvinced.
Although Attorney General Todd Blanche has suggested that officials could examine ranked-choice ballot patterns for signs of confusion, the Justice Department has not explained how those patterns could establish that individual voters mistakenly selected the wrong candidate. Voter privacy protections pose a major obstacle to a potential federal case, as it would be nigh impossible to tie specific voters to specific ballots to serve as evidence of confusion.
ALASKA HAS A VOTING SYSTEM LIKE NO OTHER STATE; REPUBLICANS WORRY IT COULD COST THEM IN NOVEMBER
"This is just the stuff that is just impossible to measure after the fact," Notre Dame law professor Derek Muller said of the DOJ’s plan to infer voter intentions from anonymous ballots.
Attorney General Todd Blanche, in interviews with the press, has provided some insight into how he would like the DOJ to go about solving this problem.
"So because of rank-based voting, voters… they write not just one, not just two, but multiple names on the ballot. And so there are a number of scenarios where it could be obvious that a voter was confused by the way they wrote down candidates," Blanche told CNN’s Dana Bash.
Blanche's comments suggest that the Justice Department could examine ranked-choice ballot patterns for potential signs of confusion, although such patterns alone would not establish whether voters intended to support a different candidate.
"It will be obvious from the results and from the ballots that voters were confused, and that could be obvious from the way that they rank the Dan Sullivans or not including a Dan Sullivan on the ballot," he said in a later interview with CBS.
Don Palmer, senior legal fellow for election integrity at the right-of-center Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that he feels the Justice Department might have a case if the agency's lawyers construct it properly. Statistical analysis of ballots alone, he maintains, will likely not be sufficient to convince a judge of the administration's position.
"You'll have the opportunity to interview witnesses, do some statistical analysis, and make a decision whether or not the campaign wants to contest the results of the election," Palmer said. "So it's actually quite a high standard where you have to bring in witnesses. You can't generally just prove it with some statistical analysis … the campaign would have to show to the court through statistical and expert testimony, plus witness testimony, plus affidavits, that enough voters were confused, that they made inaccurate choices on what they intended to do. Then and only then could the court determine whether the race should be overturned."
"If voters voted for the non-Republican Dan Sullivan as their 1st choice but voted down ballot for Republicans as their 1st choice otherwise, that could indicate patterns of confusion whereby voters were looking to vote straight Republican as their first choice and were prevented from doing so because the inclusion of Daniel J. Sullivan on the ballot confused matters," a spokesman for the America First Policy Institute told Fox News Digital.
Ben Hovland, a senior fellow at the left-of-center Center for American Progress and an expert on elections, was more bearish on the DOJ’s prospects.
SEEING DOUBLE: SECOND DAN SULLIVAN ADVANCES, SETTING UP BIZARRE ALASKA SENATE BALLOT
"You've never seen a claim like this made under the National Voter Registration Act," he told Fox News Digital. "This is not a matter of federal law. This is a state ballot qualification issue and the Alaska Supreme Court addressed this issue months ago. For the Department of Justice to step in at this point and sort of make this claim, you know, doesn't appear to be about winning in a lawsuit because it doesn't seem like there's any scenario where [they win], this is clearly about trying to sow confusion or sow doubt or set the stage to undermine the results of the election if the administration doesn't like what the voters will have to say."
Walter Olson, a senior legal fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute, also isn't convinced that the Justice Department will be able to get its case off the ground.
"I wouldn't expect Blanche's local allies to get very far in this effort unless a federal court rules in favor of his theory that Alaska violated federal (as opposed to state) law by letting the schoolteacher stay on the ballot," Olson told Fox News Digital. "I think the state is likely to beat Blanche in federal court on that point, and that should end the case."
Alaska has already moved to have the DOJ's case dismissed.
The DOJ did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
FBI reports 67% jump in violent crime arrests under Trump compared to Biden’s final months
The FBI has made significant gains in combating crime and arresting violent offenders and child predators over the past 21 months under the Trump administration, according to data released by the agency on Wednesday.
In that timeframe, the FBI arrested more than 47, 000 violent criminals and gang members — a 67% increase compared to the final 21 months of the Biden administration.
Arrests of child sex predators and human traffickers also rose 13%, reaching just over 6,000, agency figures show.
KASH PATEL TO TOUT 'LARGEST' YEAR-TO-YEAR VIOLENT CRIME DROP IN US HISTORY
"Over the last 21 months under the Trump administration’s leadership and working alongside our Department of Justice and law enforcement partners, this FBI has delivered the largest reduction in violent crime in United States history," said FBI Director Kash Patel.
Patel highlighted several key metrics, including a 30% drop in the national murder rate, a 114% increase in violent crime suspect arrests, and the seizure of over 4,600 kilograms of fentanyl — an amount capable of killing more than 350 million Americans.
FBI REPORTS LARGEST DROP IN VIOLENT CRIME AND MURDER SINCE 1937 AS HOMICIDES FALL MORE THAN 18%
Additionally, law enforcement apprehended 10 of the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted fugitives, 2.5 times the number captured over the previous four years, as well as six fugitives from a newly created "Most Wanted Fraudsters" list within its first four months.
The FBI faced intense criticism from Republicans during the Biden administration over allegations of political bias, government overreach, and its handling of high-profile investigations.
Addressing the shift, Patel added that his agency faced one of the highest threat environments in American history when Trump began his second term.
"This FBI and law enforcement responded by delivering in the biggest way they ever have," he said. "This is what happens with a President who backs the blue, an Attorney General who relentlessly prosecutes criminals, and good cops all over the country getting the job done."
50,000 airline miles stolen from a travel expert
If you're anything like me, you've probably spent years collecting airline miles, dreaming about the trip you'll eventually take. Maybe it's a business class seat to Europe or that vacation you've been putting off. You keep earning points and watching the balance grow. But what happens when you finally check your account and discover someone else has already spent them?
That's exactly what happened to Katy Nastro, a travel expert with Flighty, a flight-tracking app that provides real-time updates on delays, cancellations and gate changes. During our conversation on "The CyberGuy Report" podcast, Katy shared how more than 50,000 American Airlines miles vanished from her account. Someone had redeemed them for a flight without her permission.
What surprised me was that Katy knows the travel industry inside and out. Yet she still found herself dealing with a problem that could happen to anyone with a frequent flyer account. Her experience offers a warning, especially as holiday travel approaches.
9 WARNING SIGNS OF IDENTITY THEFT YOU SHOULD NEVER IGNORE
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Katy had just landed in New York and was riding home in an Uber. Like many frequent travelers, she opened her American Airlines app to check how many miles she'd earned from her latest trip. Instead, she noticed a substantial drop in her balance. At first, she figured the app had made a mistake. She remembered redeeming about 10,000 miles recently, but the balance was off by roughly 50,000. So she refreshed the app. The missing miles were still missing. That's when she called American Airlines.
The airline told her that someone had redeemed the miles for a ticket in another person's name. Katy had been saving for a trip to Asia. Unfortunately, those miles were now associated with a flight she knew nothing about.
"I really had this just stomach drop moment," Katy told me.
She had spent years earning those rewards, including through long flights to Australia. Suddenly, someone else had benefited from all that travel.
"I naively never thought this could happen to me because I work in the industry," she admitted.
I found that particularly revealing. Katy had previously warned people about loyalty account theft. Even with that experience, she never expected to become a victim herself.
You might assume the airline could simply reverse an unauthorized redemption. After all, the ticket was booked in someone else's name. Unfortunately, Katy discovered that getting her miles back required additional work. American Airlines instructed her to submit a formal fraud complaint by email. She also had to file a police report and provide documentation before the airline would restore her miles.
"I had to have the police report filed with them before anything was credited," Katy explained.
She eventually recovered her miles, but the process didn't end there. Katy also had to create a new email address and establish a replacement American Airlines AAdvantage account. Thankfully, the airline transferred her existing status along with her restored rewards. What caught my attention was the police report requirement. Katy had to involve local law enforcement even though the theft happened entirely online. She understood why the airline might want official documentation, but she questioned whether the process needed to be so cumbersome.
There's another concern for travelers. Airline loyalty points generally don't carry the same protections as money stolen through an unauthorized credit card purchase. In fact, American Airlines' current AAdvantage terms say the airline has no general obligation to restore miles withdrawn without authorization.
The company may review requests submitted within three months of the unauthorized withdrawal, but reimbursement remains discretionary. That makes discovering suspicious activity quickly especially important. Also, keep in mind that each loyalty program has its own fraud procedures. A police report may be requested, but the requirement isn't universal.
I asked Katy something that had been bothering me. Who was actually flying around using her miles? She had no idea. The airline identified a redemption involving someone else's name, but Katy didn't know who was behind it or where the traveler was headed. Loyalty programs often allow members to book tickets for other people. Some also permit mileage transfers or gifts. Those legitimate features can create opportunities for criminals who gain unauthorized access to an account.
For example, someone who controls your account could redeem miles for a ticket under another person's name. Depending on the program, the points might also be transferred or exchanged for other rewards. However, Katy never learned exactly how someone accessed her account. During our conversation, she acknowledged that password reuse may have played a role.
"I think I fell into the trap of using the same password for everything," she said.
That's an easy habit to fall into. If criminals obtain a password from one compromised service, they may try using it to access other accounts. And here's something worth remembering. A loyalty balance may look like a collection of numbers on your screen, but those numbers can pay for expensive flights.
Katy shared another piece of advice that might surprise anyone who's been patiently saving miles for years. She believes travelers should think twice about holding on to their rewards indefinitely.
"I would highly suggest that you should not be waiting on those miles," she told me.
Her concern comes down to depreciation. Airlines can change their award pricing, which means a flight that once required 50,000 miles might eventually require considerably more. I compared holding on to miles to buying a new car and watching its value drop after driving off the lot. Katy agreed. In her view, people often wait too long for that perfect first-class redemption. She recommends considering redemptions within a year instead of endlessly saving for a future trip.
Of course, you still want to check whether an award flight offers reasonable value. Spending 80,000 miles on an inexpensive economy ticket could be a poor deal. However, if you need to travel during a busy holiday period, using miles for an economy seat may make sense.
Award tickets can also offer more flexibility than certain restrictive cash fares. Just check the airline's cancellation and redeposit rules before booking. We've shared more strategies in our article, Are airline miles still worth it?
And if you're looking to earn more rewards for your next trip, check out my picks for the best airline credit cards of 2026 at CyberGuy.com to see which programs might work best for you.
YOUR CREDIT CAN LOOK NORMAL WHILE SOMEONE STEALS YOUR IDENTITY
Watch out for fake airline alerts and customer service scams
During our conversation, I told Katy about something I've been seeing more frequently. I receive emails that look like legitimate airline notifications, claiming miles were redeemed from my account. Some are convincing enough that I've nearly clicked them myself. That's a particularly sneaky approach because many airlines send real notifications when members redeem rewards. Criminals can imitate those messages to create panic and lure people toward fake login pages.
Katy warned that scammers also create fake airline support accounts on social media. Someone looking for help with a delayed flight or missing miles might contact what appears to be an official account. The conversation can then move to a private message or even WhatsApp, where the criminal asks for personal information. Katy's warning was clear. Avoid sharing sensitive account information through social media conversations. If you receive a suspicious redemption notice, open the airline's official app yourself. Check your account activity directly rather than following links in the message.
Before your next trip, take a few minutes to secure the loyalty accounts you've spent years building. These steps can help you spot unauthorized activity sooner and make your accounts harder to compromise.
Open your airline and hotel loyalty apps at least once a month. Review recent redemptions and compare your current balance with what you expected. Katy said she sometimes went several months without checking her account. That made it harder to know when the unauthorized redemption occurred. Setting a recurring calendar reminder can help you catch unusual activity sooner. Also, enable account activity and redemption alerts if your loyalty program offers them. That way, you may find out about suspicious transactions before you notice missing miles.
Never reuse your airline password on another website. A password manager can generate strong, unique passwords and store them securely. Also, protect the email account connected to your loyalty program. Someone who gains access to that inbox may be able to reset your rewards password.
Look for two-factor authentication (2FA), passkeys or other login verification options offered by your airline or hotel program. These protections vary by provider, so check your account's security settings. Also, review any unfamiliar changes to your contact information and remove devices or sessions you no longer recognize when the service allows it.
If an email or text claims someone used your points, resist clicking its links. Instead, open the official airline app or type the website address into your browser. Legitimate-looking logos and familiar formatting offer no guarantee that a message is genuine.
Also, be skeptical of anyone claiming to represent airline support through an unsolicited social media message. Use strong antivirus software to help detect malicious links, block dangerous websites and protect against malware designed to steal your passwords. While antivirus software can't stop every phishing scam, it provides an additional layer of protection if you accidentally click something suspicious.
Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.
FAKE BOOKING.COM TRAVEL CREDIT SCAM TARGETS TRAVELERS
Contact your loyalty program through its verified customer service channels as soon as you notice an unauthorized redemption. Ask the airline to secure your account and investigate the transaction. Save your account statements and any correspondence. If the airline requests a police report, follow its instructions and keep a copy. Don't delay because some programs impose deadlines on fraud claims.
Katy suggested using a dedicated email address for loyalty programs. That can make account notifications easier to track and reduce exposure if an unrelated service suffers a breach. Another option is to use an email alias, which helps keep your primary address private. It lets you create unlimited email aliases, helping you organize travel accounts while reducing spam and unwanted exposure. You can also follow my guide on how to create and use email aliases.
For recommendations on private and secure email providers that offer alias addresses, visit CyberGuy.com.
Your personal information may already be circulating on data broker websites, making it easier for scammers to target you with convincing airline phishing emails or impersonation attempts. Consider using a personal data removal service. It helps remove your personal information from hundreds of data broker and people search sites and continues submitting removal requests when your details reappear. While no service can erase everything or directly prevent someone from stealing your airline miles, reducing your online exposure can make it harder for scammers to gather personal details and tailor their attacks.
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting CyberGuy.com.
Be careful about sharing photos of boarding passes, luggage tags or travel confirmations online. These documents can contain booking reference numbers, frequent flyer details or barcodes that expose information about your trip. Criminals may use those details to access reservations or impersonate travelers. Avoid posting travel documents on social media, and securely dispose of printed boarding passes after your trip.
You can use an AI assistant like ChatGPT with scheduled tasks to monitor airline loyalty programs for changes that could reduce the value of your miles. Set up a daily alert to check for announced changes to redemption rates, award pricing or loyalty program rules. You can even ask it to track news about American Airlines AAdvantage or other programs you use.
That way, you may hear about upcoming changes while there's still time to redeem your miles at current rates. Keep in mind that airlines don't always announce devaluations in advance, so AI can't predict every change. For step-by-step guidance, check out my article on 8 seriously annoying tasks you can hand off to an AI agent.
I keep thinking about Katy sitting in the back of that Uber, casually checking her mileage balance and discovering that 50,000 hard-earned miles had disappeared. I've collected airline miles for years, and I know how much planning goes into using them. The thought of some stranger enjoying a trip on my points would make me furious. What concerns me even more is that Katy works in the travel industry and still couldn't explain exactly how someone got into her account.
That tells me we should give our loyalty accounts the same attention we give our financial accounts. Check your balances, use unique passwords and pay attention to unusual activity. And while I love saving miles for a great trip, Katy makes a convincing argument for enjoying those rewards while they still offer good value.
I encourage you to listen to The CyberGuy Report podcast at cyberguy.com/podcast/ to hear my full conversation with Katy Nastro. Her experience might change how you think about the miles you've been collecting. And if you want more ways to make those rewards go further, visit CyberGuyLive.com to sign up for my free upcoming webinar: 5 Ways to Travel Smarter and Save Money on Oct. 31 at 11 AM ET/8 AM PT.
If someone stole 50,000 airline miles from your account, do you think the airline should be legally required to give them back, or should that responsibility fall on you? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Hard Rock Bet Promo Code: Claim $500 in No Sweat Bets for Game 5 of the World Series, or Any NBA Game
Tonight brings us a jam-packed sports schedule. We have Game 5 of a great World Series, and we have 12 NBA games to choose from. Hard Rock Bet is offering new users a chance to wager on the game of your choice and receive $500 in no sweat bets.
The Brewers and Rays play for the fifth time, and this is the first time that the Rays feel like they have some of the momentum. Milwaukee comes into the game with their first loss in almost four weeks. They had won eight straight games before last night. The Rays still have their backs against the wall, but at least they made some progress last night.
Tonight the Brewers are sending their Ace to the mound, and they still have a bullpen the Rays haven’t found a way to hit. Jacob Misiorowski gets the nod tonight, and if he can go deep into the game, it could be the deal-sealing difference. The Rays haven’t selected a starter for tonight. It is more likely they will have an opener for the game and turn the ball over to whichever matchup they think is best.
Odds are subject to change
The NBA schedule features a ton of great games tonight. Let's take a look at some of the games on the schedule. The first game of action is between the Heat and Hawks. Giannis looks to give the Heat their first win of the season, and the Hawks look to build on their success from last season.
The 76ers head to Indiana to play the Pacers. Philadelphia still needs some time to gel and figure out how all of their new pieces will work together. The Pacers are trying to get Tyrese Haliburton back up to speed.
Oklahoma City and Dallas have one of the last games of the night with a 9:30 tip-off. The Thunder have already suffered two injuries to starters, but they have one of the deepest teams in the league. Luckily for them, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP and can step up even more this season. Dallas is a young team with Cooper Flagg at the center of the team. Kyrie Irving is back after missing last year due to an ACL tear.
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FanDuel Promo Code: Bet $5, Get $150 on Game 5 of the World Series, Rays vs Brewers
The Brewers and Rays play for the fifth time in the World Series, with the Brewers getting their second chance to close out the series. FanDuel is offering new users a chance to earn $150 in bonuses from a $5 wager. Simply bet $5 tonight, and you’ll receive a $50 bonus bet token. Do this for three days straight to earn $150.
With the World Series nearing a close — at most three games remaining — it makes sense to look at who has done the best for both teams in this series. This doesn’t mean the player will be the World Series MVP, but it is worth looking at who has had a key moment or two and how they’ve impacted the series.
Jackson Chourio — Milwaukee Brewers — in just four games, Chourio has 10 hits. Do you know who else has had 10 hits in four World Series games? That would be Babe Ruth. If you are mentioned as matching his productivity, you’re doing something right. Chourio hasn’t had a ton of RBIs or even huge hits in the series, but his being on base constantly has made a major difference for the club.
Liam Hicks — Tampa Bay Rays — Hicks hasn’t been elite in the World Series, but he does have four hits in 15 at-bats. He also has four RBI and a home run in the series. In addition, two walks and a hit-by-pitch have put him on base another three times. Hicks had a big hit in Game 4 that put Junior Caminero on third base. Caminero was the tying run. He’s only played in three games this World Series, but has made an impact in all the games.
It is possible that neither of these guys wins the World Series MVP. However, if the Brewers win, Chourio has a great chance. Hicks could win it if the Rays somehow come back, but what happens over the next three games would dictate that.
Tonight is a great opportunity for new users to wager $5 on the game and receive a $50 bonus bet token from FanDuel. Three total days of betting $5 on games will give you $150 in bonus bets.
Odds are subject to change
Betr Promo Code FOXNEWS: Claim $200 in Bonuses 4x Sweat-Free Bets for Rays-Brewers Game 5
If you didn’t stay up for last night’s World Series game, you missed one of the best of the postseason. Tonight we have Game 5 and Betr is offering new users a promo code of FOXNEWS to earn $200 in bonuses and four sweat-free wagers.
Game 5 starts tonight at 8:00 ET, and this will be the second game the two teams will play today. Game 4 saw the Brewers hit a home run roughly around midnight that gave them the lead. Then the Rays scored two runs in the bottom half of the frame to give themselves the win.
The Brewers now send out their best pitcher to the mound in hopes of closing out the season. Milwaukee has the luxury of sending Jacob Misiorowsi to the hill tonight after they used virtually everyone in the bullpen. Misiorowski was statistically the best pitcher in baseball this season, but he hasn’t been quite as elite in the postseason.
The Rays may have won yesterday, but they are figuring things out for the pitching of their own. They don’t have a starter announced for tonight, but that doesn’t mean they have no option. It is likely the team will have some sort of opener for the game and go through the bullpen again. With multiple innings and pitchers used yesterday, it is hard to believe the arms would be fresh.
The biggest questions tonight are which arms will be available, how long they will pitch and how effective they will be. The good news for both teams is that the opposing team has to answer that question. Will the Brewers or Rays bullpen be more effective? Wager tonight on Betr with promo code FOXNEWS to earn $200 in bonuses and four sweat-free wagers.
Odds are subject to change
Fanatics Sportsbook Promo Code FOXNEWS350: Bet $20, Get $350 on Knicks-Bulls, Lakers-Clippers and More
The NBA is taking over Wednesday night with 12 different games tipping off tonight. Fanatics Sportsbook is offering new users promo code FOXNEWS350 to earn $350 in FanCash from a $20 wager.
With 12 games on the schedule, it makes sense to share a thought on every game and which matchups are worth paying the most attention to.
With so many options to bet on tonight, take the time to review each matchup and pick your favorite. Fanatics Sportsbook is offering new users $350 in FanCash from a $20 wager with promo code FOXNEWS350.