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IIHS has identified dozens of safe vehicles under $20,000

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• IIHS and Consumer Reports have identified 45 used vehicles priced under $10,000 that offer strong crash protection for teen drivers.

• Another 29 used models under $20,000 include advanced safety features such as automatic emergency braking and highly rated headlights.

• The organizations also recommend 22 new 2026 model-year vehicles that meet stringent crashworthiness and safety technology standards.

When teens begin driving, their first car is almost always a used model. But how safe are older cars when compared to late models? Safer than you think.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has updated its list of safe used cars for teens and identified 45 used vehicles available for less than $10,000 and another 29 models priced under $20,000. The vehicles feature advanced safety technologies such as automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection and highly rated headlights.

We curate this annual list specifically for teens because driving holds extra risk for them, said Rebecca Weast, senior research scientist at IIHS. That said, the suggestions are suitable for drivers of any age looking to balance affordability with crash protection and crash avoidance.

Researchers evaluate vehicles using crash-test performance, handling, braking, and usability criteria. All recommended vehicles earn at least average Consumer Reports scores for braking and handling, while also demonstrating strong occupant protection in IIHS crash tests.

Important considerations

Top-tier used vehicles must additionally have good or acceptable headlight ratings and effective automatic emergency braking systems.

For families considering a new vehicle, IIHS identified 22 recommended 2026 models that offer advanced crash protection and driver-assistance technologies at relatively affordable price points.

To qualify, vehicles must earn either a 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ designation and receive a Consumer Reports Safety Verdict of Best. Recommended vehicles also include features such as blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and strong seat belt reminder systems.

What to avoid

The groups continue to advise parents to avoid high-horsepower vehicles, sports cars, minicars, and large pickups or SUVs for inexperienced drivers. Researchers say powerful vehicles can encourage risky driving behavior, while very small vehicles may not provide adequate protection in collisions with larger vehicles. Large trucks and SUVs can also be more difficult for novice drivers to control.

The updated recommendations also include several electric vehicles. While IIHS notes that EVs can be just as safe as gasoline-powered vehicles, parents should be aware that their instant torque and rapid acceleration may present additional challenges for inexperienced drivers.

Beyond safety ratings, IIHS encourages families to consider reliability, insurance costs and outstanding recalls before purchasing a vehicle.

Tellers are being trained to recognize out-of-character behavior and intervene

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Bank tellers are increasingly serving as the first line of defense against financial targeting older and vulnerable customers.

• Financial institutions are training frontline employees to recognize warning signs of fraud and intervene before money leaves an account.

• Industry experts say teller intervention has prevented millions of dollars in losses as become more sophisticated.

Online banking has replaced many bank tellers, but these employees at brick and mortar financial institutions are playing an increasingly important role in preventing their customers from being scammed.

While technology, artificial intelligence, and fraud-detection software have become essential tools in the fight against financial crime, experts say the human element remains one of the most effective safeguards. In many cases, it is a conversation with a vigilant teller that stops a scam before money changes hands.

Banks across the country are reporting growing numbers of customers arriving at branches seeking to withdraw large sums of cash or wire money under suspicious circumstances. Often, customers have been manipulated by scammers posing as government officials, law enforcement officers, tech support representatives, romantic partners, or even distressed family members.

Law enforcement officials say tellers are uniquely positioned to spot unusual transactions and ask the right questions. In some cases, they know their customers and can recognize behavior that seems out of character.

What tellers look for

Common warning signs include customers appearing nervous, secretive, or unusually rushed. Some scam victims remain on the phone with fraudsters while conducting transactions, while others insist they must complete a withdrawal immediately to avoid legal consequences or protect their accounts.

This trend didnt just happen. Many financial institutions have expanded employee training programs to help tellers identify these red flags. Staff members are taught to ask probing but respectful questions about the purpose of large withdrawals or wire transfers and to recognize common scam narratives.

In some cases, tellers have persuaded customers to pause a transaction long enough to verify claims made by scammers. Others have involved branch managers, fraud specialists, or even local law enforcement when they suspect a customer is being victimized.

Particularly helpful for older adults

Consumer advocates say these interventions are particularly important for older adults, who are often targeted by fraud schemes involving fake government agencies, investment opportunities, or emergency requests from supposed relatives.

The financial stakes are significant. According to fraud prevention experts, victims can lose thousandsor even hundreds of thousandsof dollars in a single transaction. Once money is withdrawn in cash, wired overseas, or converted into cryptocurrency, recovery is often difficult or impossible.

Banks acknowledge that preventing can be challenging because customers have the legal right to access their money. Nevertheless, many institutions encourage employees to engage customers in conversation when transactions appear suspicious.

As scammers continue to adapt their tactics, industry observers say the role of bank tellers is becoming increasingly important. Their ability to recognize warning signs, build trust with customers, and intervene at critical moments is helping prevent financial losses that technology alone cannot always stop.

Hidden texting flaw allowed attackers to impersonate trusted contacts

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Researchers discovered a flaw that allowed attackers to impersonate trusted contacts in text message conversations on both Android and iPhone devices.

• The vulnerability affected all major U.S. wireless carriers, including Verizon, T-Mobile and Google Fi, as well as messaging apps on Apple and Google smartphones.

• Carriers and smartphone makers have now patched the flaw after working with researchers at the University of California San Diego.

A security flaw that allowed attackers to impersonate trusted contacts in text message conversations has been patched after researchers at the University of California, San Diego, uncovered the vulnerability and worked with carriers and smartphone makers to fix it.

The flaw affected both Android and iPhone devices and could be exploited across major wireless carriers, including Verizon, T-Mobile and Google Fi, as well as smaller operators such as Mint Mobile.

Researchers said the vulnerability stemmed from a little-known feature that allows emails to be delivered as text messages. While the capability was introduced by carriers more than two decades ago to help popularize texting, the translation between email and text message formats created opportunities for attackers to disguise their identities.

Design problem

"Email and text messaging weren't designed to work together," said Stefan Savage, a professor of computer science and engineering at UC San Diego and one of the study's senior authors. "It's a little bit like reading postcards to someone over the phone and needing to figure out where the sender and recipient information and the message itself are."

According to the researchers, attackers could exploit inconsistencies in the way email information is converted into text messages. By using special characters and formatting tricks, bad actors could make messages appear to come from someone already stored in a victim's contact list.

In some cases, the researchers were able to inject fraudulent messages directly into existing text conversations with known contacts, increasing the likelihood that recipients would trust the messages.

The attack did have limits. While attackers could send convincing messages that appeared to come from trusted contacts, they could not intercept or view replies sent by victims.

"There are no standards for converting emails to texts and that opens the door to all sorts of vulnerabilities," said Sumanth Rao, a UC San Diego doctoral student and the paper's lead author.

Carriers response

The researchers disclosed the vulnerability to carriers and technology companies, which subsequently implemented fixes. Verizon, T-Mobile and Google modified the way email address information is translated into text messages to prevent the impersonation technique.

Google also patched the vulnerability in Google Messages, while Apple addressed the issue in its Messages app for iPhones.

Verizon is taking an additional step by eliminating the ability for customers to send text messages via email, a process the company expects to complete by March 2027.

The findings raise broader questions about the security of traditional text messaging, which many consumers continue to use for personal and business communications.

Dangerous miscalculation

"The whole ecosystem of cellular communication is built on the assumption that the system that transports text messages from phone to phone, or email to phone, is reliable and robust," the researchers wrote. "That is not the case."

Savage said consumers often assume that a text message's displayed sender accurately reflects who sent it.

"People don't realize that there's no guarantee that text messages have integrity," he said. "You can't count on authenticity."

The researchers presented their findings at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy in San Francisco.

Experts say its not just the economy

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Major restaurant chains including Wendys, Jack in the Box, and Pizza Hut have closed locations as operators face shrinking profit margins, rising labor and ingredient costs, and higher transportation expenses.

• Industry experts say changing consumer preferences, increased competition, aging customer bases, and economic pressures such as inflation and tariffs have made it harder for many franchise locations to remain profitable.

• Today's diners expect strong value, convenience, and seamless digital experiences; brands that fail to keep pace with technology, service expectations, and perceived value risk losing customers and closing more locations.

Has your favorite chain restaurant closed your favorite location? For a growing number of consumers, the answer is yes.

Wendys, Jack in the Box and Pizza Hut are just a few of the chains that have shuttered stores in the last few years. Yes, the economy might have something to do with it, but the industry experts we consulted said there are other factors at work as well.

"The closings come down to margins, Eric Lam, CEO at Berry AI, told ConsumerAffairs.

For years, operators could cover thin unit economics with promotions to increase traffic and price increases. Both of those are tapped out now. What's left is operational efficiency; the seconds and percentages that decide whether or not a location makes money. The chains' closing units are likely running blind to what's happening inside their four walls, and couldn't fix it fast enough once the cushion disappeared."

Brandon Dorsky is a co-owner, consultant and former chef of Yeastie Boys Bagels, which operates multiple food trucks in Los Angeles. He traces the multiple closings to both underlying economic pressures and evolving consumer demographics.

Changing tastes

Some chain closures have impacted brands with an aging core customer base or a style of food fare that is waning in popularity, whereas others are seemingly the result of expiring leases and increasing profit compression from the rising costs of labor and ingredients, he told us.

Milos Eric is a co-founder of OysterLink, a hospitality job platform. He takes a more nuanced view.

Firstly, consumers have become more cautious and selective about where they want to spend their money, he said. It means the competition in this market has become brutal. Many chains were in their prime when traffic was steadily growing, but now the times have changed.

Secondly, Eric says operators have to face higher food prices because of tariffs, general inflation, and higher cost of labor.

Costs off the chart

Chains are closing because the cost and difficulty of owning and operating a food-service business are off the charts, Joel Libaba, of Franchise Selection Specialists, told us. And these costs are being passed on to consumers.

Specifically, Libaba points to transportation costs, which have surged since the start of the Iran war. But there are other things working against franchisees.

Specifically, transportation costs are ridiculously high because of the price of diesel fuel.

Its still difficult to find a stable workforce in the food business, he said. Staff shortages provide one more reason for today's busy consumers to skip restaurants.

Robin Gagnon, co-founder and CEO of We Sell Restaurants, says it all comes down to inflation. The pie is getting smaller.

Perceived value wins

Consumers today are more selective with their spending, prioritizing experiences where they perceive the value as worth the price, Gagon said. They're evaluating the full experience, including food quality, speed, consistency, convenience, digital ordering, atmosphere and whether the brand still feels relevant. When a brand's prices outpace the customers sense of what they are receiving, traffic falls.

So, without significant declines in inflation and increases in consumer income, chains may continue to struggle. Gagon said its not that consumers are refusing to spend, they just expect more when they do.

Today's consumers expect a seamless experience, largely driven by technology: frictionless ordering, loyalty integration, delivery execution and personalized offers, Gagon told us. Brands that aren't keeping pace in the digital world fall behind quickly.