Technology

Guess what? GPUs are really, really expensive right now. I know, shocking, right? I kid, but it's true that graphics card prices have been on a rapid rise ever since the ongoing RAM shortage started. And no, it doesn't look like the prices will improve anytime soon.

We're now deep into tax season with most people filing between now and the April 15 deadline. This also means that we're now deep into scam season for fraudsters and cybercriminals.

Over the years, Mashable has covered countless scams during the tax season period that prey on individuals just trying to file their taxes.

This week, Google published a post sharing their own tools and tips to avoid getting scammed this tax season. As the company points out, Alloy's annual State of Fraud report found a 67 percent increase in fraud attempts. The most common? Tax-related refund update scams.

So, here's what Google is doing to help.

SEE ALSO: Why you shouldn't use ChatGPT to do your taxes Scam Detection on Pixel phones

Google says Pixel users experience 70 percent fewer spam calls thanks to Call Screen, a feature that detects and filters out spammers when they're calling your Pixel phone. 

However, Google has another new layer of protection that can even actively monitor the call in real-time and alert the user when the conversation is headed into scam territory. Scam Detection alerts is an opt-in feature in the Pixel's Phone app. Using AI, Scam Detection lets users know when conversations start sounding like scams and will send a notification, a sound alert, and vibration to the device to let the user know.

Detect text scams with Circle to Search

One common scam during tax season comes in the form of text messages or DMs in messaging apps that claim to come from the IRS or have important information about your tax refund.

Google already has Scam Detection built into Google Messages on Android devices, but Circle to Search now provides another layer of protection. 

Simply long-press the home button on your Android device and circle the potentially fraudulent message or post. Circle to Search will fact check the message and let you know if its suspicious or not.

On iOS devices, this feature can be utilized with Lens via the Google app. Simply take a screenshot of the message, open Lens, and then tap on the screenshot for Google to make its determination.

SEE ALSO: Google wants to fill Fitbit with AI — and your medical records Google Safe Browsing

Google's Chrome web browser also has its own layers of protection for users with Google Safe Browsing

Simply go to Settings, then Privacy and Security, followed by Security, and select Enhanced protection. Google Safe Browsing will scan the websites you visit against a database of known threats and let users know if they are on a phishing website or other nefarious webpage.

Gmail alerts

When a known scam, spam, or malware gets delivered to your Gmail inbox, Google immediately flags that email to let users know about the malicious activity that awaits.

Gmail shows "high-visibility warning banners" that point out suspicious emails, links, and senders. The red or yellow banners are hard to miss and ensure one place that fraudsters can't take advantage of you is in your inbox.

Ad transparency

See an ad that seems too good to be true? 

Click the three-dot icon next to any ad in Google Search and head to the “About this advertiser” section. The advertiser's name, location, and whether they've been verified by Google all appears here.

Google's ad transparency tools will make sure scammers don't weaponize Search ads to carry out their schemes.

The real joy of Pokémon Pokopia for Nintendo Switch 2 is seeing all sorts of weird little creatures show up in your towns, but not all of them arrive in the most intuitive of fashions.

Take Hoppip, for example. This pink plant fella is in Pokopia, but at the moment only in a time-limited, event-centric way. If you want Hoppip in your Pokopia environment, there are a couple of things to know. Keep reading to find out.

SEE ALSO: Pokémon Pokopia: How to power up Rock Smash How to get Hoppip in Pokémon Pokopia

The main thing to know about Hoppip and its evolutions Skiploom and Jumpluff is that they're currently only available in Pokopia as part of the "More Spores for Hoppip" seasonal event, which is only available from now until March 25, per our friends at IGN. That means you've only got a few days at most to get this done.

Thankfully, there really isn't much to get done in order for Hoppip to grace your town with its presence. All you have to do is finish work on the Pokémon Center in Withered Wasteland, the game's opening area. This is part of the tutorial for Pokopia, so there's a good chance anyone reading this has already done that. If not, just keep following the main story quests until it's done.

SEE ALSO: 'Pokémon Pokopia': How to get the Suck ability to move water around

Once you have the Pokémon Center built, simply log into Pokopia during the day before the event runs its course. When your character wakes up, you should see a notification that a Pokémon is "the talk of the town," which means Hoppip has shown up. Go to that Pokémon Center we talked about earlier and you should find it, which kicks off the whole event. Participating in the event, which entails collecting cotton spores on Dream Islands, will net you some fun items that you can then use to create habitats to attract Skiploom and Jumpluff.

Congrats on becoming friends with Hoppip. If only we could all be so lucky.

It's been roughly 10 years since headphone jacks were stripped from nearly all of our smartphones. On one hand, this was a tragedy—but it's one that occurred for a good reason. More than one, actually. In some ways, our phones are better off for having kissed this beloved port goodbye.

If you’ve been eyeing a Lexus NX but don’t want to splurge, the Toyota Crown Signia quietly steps up as a surprisingly roomy and practical alternative. Toyota has been blurring the line between mainstream and premium, and the Signia is its boldest move yet—stylish, calm, and effortlessly upscale.

GPU undervolting has become a favorite pastime for many enthusiast PC gamers. For years, we've been told that a simple undervolt drastically lowers temperatures and power consumption while also resulting in quieter operation, but the truth is that, in most situations, running your GPU at its default settings is completely fine.

Presence detection can make your Home Assistant automations feel much smarter. Instead of relying on basic motion sensors, you can track your location to a specific room and even determine exactly where in the room you are. These weekend projects tackle presence detection in different ways.

The treasure trove that is Prime Video's library of weird and wild documentaries never ceases to impress—and offer a nice jolt to my weekend viewing sessions.

The Android Debug Bridge allows you to run all sorts of terminal commands on Android devices remotely. Since Amazon's Fire TV Sticks run Android at its core, here's how I unlocked a few "hidden" features of my Fire TV with ADB.

Chuck Norris, the legendary action star and martial artist, has died at the age of 86. Norris' family revealed that he passed away yesterday morning after being hospitalized in Hawaii.

Netflix has quietly become one of the best places to scroll your way into some fascinating documentaries and docuseries. And just as with finding a good movie or series to binge, the challenge with docs isn’t finding something interesting—it’s deciding where to start.

Luxury SUVs are often associated with high price tags, making them feel out of reach for many buyers. But in 2026, not every model wearing a premium badge demands a premium budget. One Mercedes-Benz SUV stands out as one of the most affordable entry points into the luxury segment, offering the brand's signature refinement at a surprisingly accessible price.

Free promotions often come with a catch. Sure, you can get some limited-edition merch or a brand-new device, but most of the time you need to spend some cash to qualify. Can you claim that this type of "free giveaway" is free at all? It's a grey area, at best.

But sometimes you really can get something for nothing: Dairy Queen recently gave away cones for free, Krispy Kreme handed out green doughnuts for St. Patricks Day, and Ben & Jerry's has confirmed that it's running its free cone day once again in 2026. And Rita's is doing something similar by offering a truly free giveaway to celebrate the first day of spring.

SEE ALSO: Dunkin' is giving away free ring boxes on National Proposal Day — how to claim yours today

On March 20, customers who visit one of Rita's 600+ locations across the U.S. can get a free 6-ounce Italian Ice. You can choose from a number of flavors, including the new Mystery Peeps Italian Ice Flavor.

Rita’s expects to serve about one million cups of its signature Italian Ice during this promotion. To be one of those lucky million, find your nearest Rita's location and set out in search of your free ice on March 20. We're all feeling the spirit of spring right now, so what better way to celebrate?

Just days after reporting that some systems couldn’t access their C: drives due to a buggy Samsung app, Windows devices are now greeted with ‘You’ll need the Internet for this’ error across Microsoft’s own apps. This time, the issue is directly tied to Windows 11’s March Tuesday patch update (KB5079473). What was supposed to be a routine security fix has instead triggered a bizarre sign-in error.

Think your Linux PC is secure just because it’s Linux? Well, I hate to break it to you, but Linux—while it might be more secure than Windows—is not invulnerable. The architecture is solid, the open-source model helps, and yes, the threat landscape is smaller. But none of that matters if you've left the wrong settings unchecked. Here’s a quick look at five common settings that people leave enabled (or disabled) that are making their Linux PCs less secure.

Warm up those print beds, the weekend is here! That means it’s time to extrude some filament in the pursuit of some exciting new 3D printing projects. This week’s projects all rely on additional parts from elsewhere, but there’s plenty of value to be had from them.

Pokémon officially turned 30 a few weeks ago (feel old yet?), but the merch drops are still going strong. Case in point: PopSockets just launched its brand new Pokémon Day and Night collection on March 19.

As the name implies, the lineup gives you two distinct aesthetics to choose from: pastel, sun-soaked designs or moody, dark-purple galaxy themes.

SEE ALSO: 10 of the coolest and weirdest 'Pokémon Pokopia' builds we've seen so far

PopSockets went all out with a full ecosystem of MagSafe accessories that feature four fan-favorite creatures: Mew, Gengar, Espeon, and Umbreon.

Prices run anywhere from $20 to $50. You've got $45 MagSafe cases for all four characters (along with a few matching wallets) split between the two themes: a dark, cosmic look for Gengar and Umbreon, and bright pastel colors for Mew and Espeon. The grips range from $35 to $50; our fave is the Tidepool Dome Mew Aura Sphere. They even threw in some $40 magnetic PowerPacks (so your phone doesn't die while playing Pokémon GO), along with $30 suction mounts and a few beaded phone wristlets.

Where to buy the PopSockets x Pokémon collection

You don't have to wait around for this one. The entire Day and Night collection is available to shop right now directly on the PopSockets website.

Opens in a new window Credit: Pokémon Pokémon Day and Night Collection   Shop Now

If your Wi-Fi connection is constantly disappointing you, there's one commonly recommended fix: setting up a mesh system. But that's going to cost you some money, and you might not even need one.

Let's be honest: Notifications on Android Auto can be super annoying. Between lengthy group messages and random app alerts, it's easy to get overwhelmed while driving. The good news is that there are ways to fine-tune exactly how and which notifications appear on your Android Auto screen.

When we think of the Clock app, we see it as nothing more than a way to check the time or set alarms. But beyond its obvious purpose, it includes a hidden feature, Focused Sessions, that can help you stay focused. If you’ve missed this feature until now, try it out and work with fewer distractions.