Carolyn Hax: Stepparent resents husband's ex over teen's support agreement
Adapted from an online discussion.
Dear Carolyn: My husband had a baby when he was 19, was named on the birth certificate and paid support from birth. When his son was 1, his ex moved away. Her attorney created a new support order with a section that said my husband consented to the move. My husband was 20, couldn't afford a lawyer and was not a very involved father. The deal was less than current support, so he took it.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
14 minutes ago
- News24
Arson suspected after fire destroys a farmhouse at Princess Diana's family estate
Be among those who shape the future with knowledge. Uncover exclusive stories that captivate your mind and heart with our FREE 14-day subscription trial. Dive into a world of inspiration, learning, and empowerment. You can only trial once. Start your FREE trial now
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
New Attack Steals Your Windows Email, Passwords, 2FA Codes And More
The latest Katz malware version can steal most everything. Infostealers are the new black. When it comes to hacking fashion, malware that steals user credentials has been in vogue for a while now. We've seen the evidence in the 19 billion compromised passwords that are already available online, or the 94 billion browser cookies published to the Dark Web and Telegram channels. Microsoft has been spearheading the fight against the credential-stealing criminals, leading the recent global takedown of large parts of the Lumma Stealer network infrastructure, for example. Yet, the danger still persists; in fact, it is evolving. New research has revealed that a notorious threat to Windows users has emerged in the form of a new variant that can steal most anything and everything. Here's what you need to know about Katz. There is nothing particularly unusual about the way that the Katz Stealer malware is distributed. Victims are targeted through the usual cybercriminal methods, including phishing emails, malicious advertisements, dangerous search results, and dodgy downloads. Once installed, however, Katz looks to see if you are using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or the Brave web browser and goes into what is known as headless mode. This is pretty much as it sounds, a browser with no visible interface, running 'headless' in the background but with the body able to render pages and interact with the web as normal. Katz can also bypass Google's app-bound encryption protections for Chrome, according to security researchers, which would aid in the credential-stealing payload. And it's the payload that has us shaking our collective heads in disbelief. A May 23 analysis of the latest Katz Stealer malware, by the Nextron threat research team, has revealed the true extent of this steal-everything threat to Windows users. According to the full analysis, which I would recommend you go and read, after you finish here, of course, the range of Katz when it comes to data that can be stolen is, well, extensive. As well as the usual mitigation advice for consumers to deploy two-factor authentication and passkeys on all accounts where available, apply all operating system and browser security updates as soon as possible and be alert to all the usual phishing tricks, the Nextron threat research team recommended the following for enterprise users: Nextron also suggested watching out for the scanning of Windows registry keys and files associated with popular browsers and wallet applications, as this is indicative of Katz Stealer activity. As Sergeant Phil Esterhaus used to say, if you know you know, 'be careful out there.'
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Google Issues New $1 Trillion Threat Security Advisory
Google issues new scam threats advisory. dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images Whether it's the FBI warning about smartphone attacks leveraging fears of deportation in the U.S. foreign student population, recommendations to use a secret code as AI-powered phishing campaigns evolve, instant takeover attacks targeting Meta and PayPal users, or confirmed threats aimed at compromising your Gmail account, there is no escaping the cyber-scammers. Indeed, the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, whose advisory board includes the head of scam prevention at Amazon, Microsoft's director of fraud and abuse risk, and the vice president of security solutions with Mastercard, found that more than $1 trillion was lost globally to such fraud in 2024. But do not despair, despite the Federal Trade Commission warning of a 25% year-on-year increase in losses, Google is fighting back. Here's what you need to know. There can be no doubt that online scams, of all flavors, are not only increasing in volume, but they are also evolving. We've seen evidence of this in the increasing availability and cost-effectiveness of employing AI to empower such threat campaigns. No longer the sole stomping ground of solo actors and chancers looking to make a few bucks here and there, the scams threat landscape is now dominated by organized international groups operating at scale. The boundary between online and physical, offline fraud is blurring. Hybrid campaigns are a reality, combining phone calls with internet calls to action. The Global Anti-Scam Alliance State of Scams Report, published in November 2024, revealed the true cost of such crimes: $1.03 trillion globally in just 12 months. A March 2025 report from the Federal Trade Commission showed that U.S. consumers alone had lost $12.5 billion last year, up 25% from 2023. And that GASA report also found that only 4% of victims worldwide reported being able to recover their losses. Something has to be done, and Google's Trust and Safety teams, responsible for tracking and fighting scams of all kinds, are determined that they are the people to help do it. 'Scammers are more effective and act without fear of punishment when people are uninformed about fraud and scam tactics,' Karen Courington, Google's vice president of consumer trusted experiences, trust & safety, said. In addition to tracking and defending against scams, Google's dedicated teams also aim to inform consumers by analyzing threats and sharing their observations, along with mitigation advice. The May 27 Google fraud and scams advisory, does just that, describing the most pressing of recent attack trends that have been identified. These are broken down into five separate scams, each complete with mitigating best practice recommendations, as follows: Customer support scams, often displaying fake phone numbers while pretending to be legitimate help services, are evolving and exploiting victims through a combination of social engineering and web vulnerabilities, Google warned. Along with the protection offered by Gemini Nano on-device to identify dangerous sites and scams, Google advised users should 'seek out official support channels directly, avoid unsolicited contacts or pop-ups and always verify phone numbers for authenticity." Malicious advertising scams, often employing the use of lures including free or cracked productivity software and games, have also evolved. 'Scammers are setting their sights on more sophisticated users,' Courington said, 'those with valuable assets like crypto wallets or individuals with significant online influence.' Google uses AI and human reviews to combat the threat and block ad accounts involved in such activity. Only download software from official sources, beware of too good to be true offers, and pay particular attention browser warnings when they appear, Google said. Google's teams have seen an increase in fake travel websites as the summer vacations get closer, usually luring victims with cheap prices and unbelievable experiences. Again, these will likely impersonate well-known brands, hotels, and agencies. Google advised users to use its tools such as 'about this result' to verify website authenticity. 'Avoid payment methods such as wire transfers or direct bank deposits,' Courington said, 'especially if requested via email or phone.' The old chestnut of package tracking scams has not vanished, more's the pity. 'These scams often trick users into paying additional fees that real delivery services would never request,' Courington explained. Google has seen these scammers employing a tactic whereby the websites and messages used are changed dynamically, based on when the link is sent to the victim. Scam detection in Google Messages has been deployed as one level of protection by Google, but Courington also recommended users should verify the status of any expected package with the shipping company or seller rather than by a link from an unknown source. And finally, there's also no escaping the road toll scams that continue to appear. 'A toll road scam involves scammers sending fraudulent text messages claiming that you owe unpaid toll fees,' Courington warned. Thankfully, these are not always the most realistic of threats, with Google analysts seeing users spammed by toll road fee claims in states that don't even have any toll roads. The best mitigating advice remains stopping to pause, count to ten, and ask yourself if the claim is a plausible one. If it is, then confirm it directly with the toll operator rather than via a link in a message.
