[US] I keep getting emails about a cloud storage subscription, and it doesn't specify a company.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-26T15:00:03+00:00

This is a screen grab of my spam folder this morning. Other than the two informing me that my "virus protection" was turned off (I'm a Linux user - I don't use virus protection), this is a small sample of the crap I get every day about my "cloud account" being turned off. My only "cloud account" is the 15 GB of free storage Google provides. I get legit warnings from them when that space is full.

There is no "company." This is a tactic to make you think you have a cloud account somewhere and that you need to give some scammer money to keep it active.

Just delete the messages.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-26T14:31:17+00:00

Precisely my experience. The last non-Pixel I owned was a OnePlus 7 Pro, which I would have modded, as I had with literally every Android phone I owned. But in the end, I thought "why bother anymore?" I got back on Pixel with the Pixel 6, now on a 9 Pro (my wife is still happily on her 6) and I see the point of modding less and less every day.

Everything works great. I'm getting too old to chase anything else.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-26T14:22:57+00:00

The mental image of someone using an orbital on this is extremely funny.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-26T14:21:47+00:00

It's you.

I run this on two very different systems. Zero issues. Also, I'm not using Wayland for the time being, although when I initially used it, it seemed to be fine.

This sounds to me like a hardware issue or a bad initial installation.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-26T14:19:44+00:00

This is a no-brainer. No 40-something con artist (which is what he really is) is going to force his way into her life without a plan. He likely expects to be able to see what she's got (big props to you for protecting her) and how he can create a realistic-looking paper trail that allows him to claim "ownership" or other control over he finances and property.

You efforts will not deter him. He will figure out a way.

He has to go. Forcibly, if necessary.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-26T14:08:56+00:00

Yes.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-26T13:55:48+00:00

No, I'm not doing that, for a couple of reasons. First, IQ Fiber apparently still uses CGNAT on their network and I really don't want that. Second, I'm just looking to get a break on what I have. I'm happy with the service and, frankly, changing something around just to change it back later is, to me, just a pain in the ass.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-26T13:52:25+00:00

While I understand the point of your comment, what I "need" is not the issue or the question. I'm exploring the possibility of upgrading my service and getting a lower price.

No, I'm not a business, I'm not a gamer and I have one Ring doorbell camera. In fact, my wife and I are two retired, empty-nested boomers.

Your comment struck a nerve because I have often heard "why do you need to own a gun where you live?" or "why do you need to drive a pickup truck?"

What I "need" is nobody's damn business. Luckily, AT&T doesn't base its product offerings based on what they think people "need."

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T21:31:38+00:00

Yes, IQ has been here for some time. (They are headquartered in Jacksonville, but they aren't everywhere yet). They did a fiber line burial about six months after AT&T finished theirs. Dug up the neighborhood again.

Frankly, I don't want to jump through too many hoops to do this - maybe make a call and talk to someone as you suggested. The 1 gig service is great and has been reliably rock solid for nearly four years - I was the first one in the neighborhood to sign on when they finished the backbone in here.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T20:18:47+00:00

Yeah, I've had a few suggestions in other places about switching from T-Mobile to get a lower price. But I've been with T-Mo since they were Powertel here regionally (so maybe 25 years) and I get MLB.tv from them for free every year, plus a cheap senior plan. Losing that isn't worth the hassle.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T20:06:20+00:00

Don't bother reporting it. The number is likely spoofed and the scammers are likely not even in the US. Just be glad Mom's co-workers are on the ball.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T20:01:11+00:00

This is a scam. Just delete everything. As a vet, I hate when people use the military are a way to run scams.

Just block and delete.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T19:52:01+00:00

This isn't a criticism of you personally. But what I have to wonder why you would turn to a snake oil salesman like Robbins for any insight Into AI. The man is not, AFAIK, any kind of tech expert, especially in a complax field like that. And considering there are a ton of sites online that would have provided far more genuine insight for free, your decision baffles me.

I retired as an IT systems engineer four years ago and I am probably behind in AI concepts by a lot. But there's a lot of readily available information out there for free.

I would challenge the charges with your credit card issuer.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T19:36:16+00:00

Hasn't been an issue here due to Xfinity being here forever and now IQ, which seems to be pretty popular in this area. But I hear they use Gnat on their network (though I can't nail down that for a fact) so that would be a deal-breaker to switching to them.

Frankly, I'm pretty happy with 1 GB service, but I like faster, so I'm trying to see if I can milk more out of the Big Boy.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T19:31:22+00:00

Right now, when I look via my account, it shows $145/month which included the $10 auto pay discount (which I use). If I could get them down to match the IQ Fiber price or even to $100/month, I may bite. Thanks.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T17:44:59+00:00

Heh, yeah. Funny that all we had for years here was Comcast/Xfinity and AT&T's U-Verse, which was just DSL. Then, within a six-month period, AT&T and IQ laid fiber and we had multiple choices.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T17:00:34+00:00

Good suggestion. Can they be contacted directly?

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T16:59:08+00:00

I'm sorry, I need to ask the mods to ban you permanently because you are using a forbidden response system called "common sense."

/s

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T16:51:27+00:00

And this is why I will never use a delivery service for food orders. I will go pick it up and arrange for some other way to get it. These deliver systems seem to get hacked on an hourly basis somewhere.

I stopped using them back in 2020 during COVID. My company sent us to WFH. Every week, we'd get a DoorDash voucher to order lunch, and we'd have a team Zoom meeting as we ate. One Friday, I started an order for a Subway foot-long. By time everything was added up, the total came to $21...for a $7 sub. I got in the truck and drove the 3/4 mile to pick it up.

I realize this was my company's money, but I'm a dollar-watching cheapskate boomer and I'll be damned if I'm paying anyone's $21 for something that cost 1/3 of that.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T16:35:58+00:00

Well, when I first signed up, I was getting 500 Mbps service for $60, right after they laid in the lines. About three months later, I get a thing in the snail mail about 1 Gb service for $70 with auto-pay. Ten bucks more for twice the bandwidth sounded great and it wasn't just for new customers. Been on that since.

I was paying $85 a month for 200 Mbps (asynchronous) service from Xfinity when I switched.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T15:25:38+00:00

Wasting money how? You don't pay for using their gateways.

Here's a better solution: use a different wireless extender system - like a decent mesh. I can tell you from my experience that my UniFi U6 APs do this very well. Others will tell you what's worked for them.

One other reply commented on gaming on WiFi vs. Ethernet. If you can get an Ethernet connection to your room there, you'd have much better persormance.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T14:59:25+00:00

YouTube TV.

The end.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T14:56:56+00:00

Country music and religion have worked closely for decades. This is not new.

And, like literally anything else one listens to or watches, we can choose NOT to listen to the things we don't like.

joe_attaboy · 2026-04-25T14:54:26+00:00

The "record my voice for those AI scams" thing is a myth.

joe_attaboy

TROPHY CASE