u/mystical__sapphire

PSA! DO NOT call phone numbers provided by AI until you search for them to validate their authenticity.

I was talking to Gemini about how to check on my Citi credit card application because there was an error mid-registration. It provided me a scam number it told me was the official Citi credit card application Status Line phone number (1-888-201-4501--scam, do not call). I told Gemini it was a scam, and it actually argued with me initially, until I told it never to suggest that again and clarified the number it gave me was a scam. I then asked it for that phone number in another conversation, asked what the number was, and it had no recollection. Was it trained to give that scam number accidentally or intentionally? My partner is a machine learning research scientist and he agrees Gemini is horse crap.

It was a slightly longer conversation. I have noticed Gemini hallucinates more when the conversation is extended, to the point that I'll restart conversations when it starts misspelling things or if I feel the information it's giving me is incorrect.

Anyway, a man with an Indian/Punjabi accent asked for all my personal information when I called at 4 am, including asking for my card information to verify me. I asked why and he repeated, "For verification to get you to the service team," a couple of times with increasing frustration that probably matched mine. "But that doesn't make sense," I said, and he muted for a moment (probably cursing in first language), then told me to call 1-800-922-4226 (do not call; I never did).

Interestingly, that phone number has a single Google result that is kind of weird because it leads to a blank Blogger page that leads to another Google result that discusses how to get people's information with their phone number. The original number Gemini told me to call, 1-888-201-4501 (scam, do not call--this was reported both in the conversation and to the feds), looks very similar to Citi Bank phone numbers, including the real status line phone number. I'm providing the phone numbers for informational purposes in case anyone wants to try to recreate this and catch them. Thanks babes. 🖤 Stay safe out there.

PSA! DO NOT call phone numbers provided by AI until you search for them to validate their authenticity.

I was talking to Gemini about how to check on my Citi credit card application because there was an error mid-registration. It provided me a scam number it told me was the official Citi credit card application Status Line phone number (1-888-201-4501--scam, do not call). I told Gemini it was a scam, and it actually argued with me initially, until I told it never to suggest that again and clarified the number it gave me was a scam. I then asked it for that phone number in another conversation, asked what the number was, and it had no recollection. Was it trained to give that scam number accidentally or intentionally? My partner is a machine learning research scientist and he agrees Gemini is horse crap.

It was a slightly longer conversation. I have noticed Gemini hallucinates more when the conversation is extended, to the point that I'll restart conversations when it starts misspelling things or if I feel the information it's giving me is incorrect.

Anyway, a man with an Indian/Punjabi accent asked for all my personal information when I called at 4 am, including asking for my card information to verify me. I asked why and he repeated, "For verification to get you to the service team," a couple of times with increasing frustration that probably matched mine. "But that doesn't make sense," I said, and he muted for a moment (probably cursing in first language), then told me to call 1-800-922-4226 (do not call; I never did).

Interestingly, that phone number has a single Google result that is kind of weird because it leads to a blank Blogger page that leads to another Google result that discusses how to get people's information with their phone number. The original number Gemini told me to call, 1-888-201-4501 (scam, do not call--this was reported both in the conversation and to the feds), looks very similar to Citi Bank phone numbers, including the real status line phone number. I'm providing the phone numbers for informational purposes in case anyone wants to try to recreate this and catch them. Thanks babes. 🖤 Stay safe out there.

What do you all think of using long introductory offers to consolidate and manage debt, like through balance transfers? Does anyone have experience or suggestions concerning this or related cards? I was looking into personal loans, but this seems simpler and less expensive.

My $1400 CareCredit account (for the vet) just passed the 0% APR period, and it has a really high interest rate of like 30%, so I am looking to switch it over, as I got laid off and was unable to pay it off right away.

Limits: I recently got the Wells Fargo Reflect card with a $13,000 limit and the Citi Diamond Preferred card with an $11,000 limit. I have a 750 credit score, 7 years of credit history, and 30% utilization rate across all credit cards. I will not be getting more any time soon. When I did a balance transfer, my credit score got a boost, I think because the credit utilization ratio improved. I wanted to let everyone know Citi is sometimes willing to give higher limits. I was afraid I'd only get $5,000. Another customer with slightly longer credit history got approved for $15,000. I've seen some really low limits from Citi too, like someone else got $500 within a year ago.

Rewards: Wells Fargo Reflect has very high rewards offers, like $20 at Chewy and 30% back at Sam's Club. Citi Diamond Preferred has no rewards; I might not even carry it with me once I do the CareCredit balance transfer. DiscoverIt has a less savory quarterly rotating cash back incentive program, despite boasting 5% back.

Repercussions: The biggest downside is that opening new lines of credit has dropped my score quite a bit. I did unfortunately have a missed payment for the first time ever, but my score was initially 819 before I started churning last year. It's still at/near the top credit tier at 751, but it bothers me regardless. I shouldn't have closed DiscoverIt last year; I was too impatient and it reduced my average age for lines of credit. So, don't close your cards, friends! Any cards I later stop using (once the 0% APR intro period ends) will be held onto indefinitely, locked, and only used once every 3-4 months for specific rewards, especially the Wells Fargo Reflect card.

Rewards Cards: If you're not looking for balance transfers and just want rewards, I recommend your favorite grocery store's card if it offers 5% back. It feels like I'm throwing money away if I just use a debit card. My OG is AmEx Everyday Cash Rewards. Chase Prime Visa from Amazon has equally good offers; they both have Disney+ rewards. But you need to set a reminder to check them monthly because they expire periodically. Chase Total Checking is also doing $400 back after $1000 in deposits within 90 days, must have direct deposited $500/mo to avoid $12/mo fee, no clawback upon account closure. Free money for anyone struggling to make ends meet!

Hello all! I'm trying to establish a good Dashing strategy in east Orlando. My first week, I Dashed with pay-per-trip. I was fully experimenting and not hard on myself, and I leaned into it heavily. I learned to decline certain orders, and now I do $1-2/mile only. I live directly by UCF, so that is my zone usually. Yes, college students with small tips on most orders. Lake Mary/Sanford is better, but I'm not sure if it's worth the drive, and it has peak pay less; it's usually 11:30-1:30 am. I'm female, there are a lot of dark complexes, and I feel unsafe working past 10 pm. I work during peak pay hours mostly. I rushed more than I am comfortable with during the first week.

Week 1 (pay-per-trip):
Tuesday + weekend w/ peak pay for some of it
$424
20 hours active
30 hours Dashing
58 deliveries
That is ~$14/hr :( (low-key v depressing and I want to fix this)

Last week, I was very busy, but I switched it to hourly to see which is better. I'm very sorry this is not a larger sample size, but it does average to the same pay, so I'm curious if I should do pay-per-trip. I tried to do longer orders and drove a little over the speed limit lol.

Week 2 (hourly $14-16/hr):
Weekend w/ peak pay
$70
3.5 hours active
5.5 hours Dashing
10 deliveries
~$13/hr

Current Stats:
Platinum
Acceptance 81% (is this too high? should I cherry pick and lose Platinum?)
Completion 99% (Red card issue that has been fixed)
On-time 100%
Quality 100%
Customer rating 5/5
68 orders total (I'm very new to this!)

For those in the same market or a similar one, do you recommend doing hourly or per trip? Or does it depend on time of day and week? I will be working again this weekend to experiment with this. I even tried to ask AI, and I don't think it has any idea what it's talking about.

I was previously in insurance sales before I was laid off, so I'm wondering if I'm focusing too much on stats, and just need to cherry pick and lose Platinum status? Thank you in advance for your feedback! :) Have a great week, everyone!

TL;DR: Orlando pay-per-trip or hourly? Peak hours.

What are your favorite tips and best practices for keeping a low budget with beauty and hygiene?

For example, my favorite low-cost makeup brand is Essence. I like to buy my Dove antiperspirant in packs on sale on Amazon. I find that Tresemme has a good, movable hairspray. I get the "expensive" Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation and Jane Iredale SPF powder on eBay. I spend more when it matters, but I don't use them in excess. Huge fan of Cerave for skincare; CVS tends to have coupons.

When trying to achieve a new look, I no longer buy multiple items at once to try because it doesn't all get used.

What hair bleach does everyone use? I recently had success with Schwarzkopf BlondMe. Struggling with shampoo as well because each product seems to have some sort of controversy lmao.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions! :)

Bonus Tip: You can use an HSA card for tax-free purchases of SPF products, even makeup like Jane Iredale, as well as menstrual products. Look into all the things you can get with an HSA card. I suggest doing that to avoid taxes where you can and contribute the max. That avoids sales tax and income tax on the purchase.

First, my apologies if this is at all off-topic.

Has anyone both felt a paranormal presence and also experienced some sort of NHI or UAP encounter? I'd love to know if anyone has experienced both at different points in their life, and your stories, in case there is a pattern.

I've felt a ghost presence at age 7 and found out someone died in the home in Illinois. As an adult, I saw a black hollow-triangle UFO in broad daylight 3-4 miles away, 1-2 miles in the sky, in Central Florida above a hospital in June 2021 during COVID, the week many people were dying in Italy. It was the day after UFO Awareness Day, I later found out. I don't know why I saw it and no one else did. I couldn't sleep properly for years and still struggle some nights.

I am interested to see if there is a correlation for the general public.

First, my apologies if this is at all off-topic.

Has anyone both felt a paranormal presence--and also experienced some sort of NHI or UAP encounter? I'd love to know if anyone has experienced both at different points in their life, and your stories, in case there is a pattern.

I've felt a ghost presence at age 7 and found out someone died in the home in Illinois. As an adult, I saw a black hollow-triangle UFO in broad daylight 3-4 miles away, 1-2 miles in the sky, in Central Florida above a hospital in June 2021 during COVID, the week many people were dying in Italy. It was the day after UFO Awareness Day, I later found out. I don't know why I saw it and no one else did. I couldn't sleep properly for years and still struggle some nights.

I am interested to see if there is a correlation for the general public.

First, my apologies if this is at all off-topic.

Has anyone both felt a paranormal presence and also experienced some sort of NHI or UAP encounter? I'd love to know if anyone has experienced both at different points in their life, and your stories, in case there is a pattern.

I've felt a ghost presence at age 7 and found out someone died in the home in Illinois. As an adult, I saw a black hollow-triangle UFO in broad daylight 3-4 miles away, 1-2 miles in the sky, in Central Florida above a hospital in June 2021 during COVID, the week many people were dying in Italy. It was the day after UFO Awareness Day, I later found out. I don't know why I saw it and no one else did. I couldn't sleep properly for years and still struggle some nights.

I am interested to see if there is a correlation for the general public.

First, my apologies if this is at all off-topic.

Has anyone both felt a paranormal presence and also experienced some sort of NHI or UAP encounter? I'd love to know if anyone has experienced both at different points in their life.

I've felt a ghost presence at age 7 and found out someone died in the home in Illinois. As an adult, I saw a black hollow-triangle UFO in broad daylight 3-4 miles away, 1-2 miles in the sky, in Central Florida above a hospital in June 2021 during COVID, the week many people were dying in Italy. It was the day after UFO Awareness Day, I later found out. I don't know why I saw it and no one else did. I couldn't sleep properly for years and still struggle some nights.

I am interested to see if there is a correlation for the general public.

First, my apologies if this is at all off-topic.

Has anyone both felt a paranormal presence and also experienced some sort of NHI or UAP encounter? I'd love to know if anyone has experienced both at different points in their life, and your stories, in case there is a pattern.

I've felt a ghost presence at age 7 and found out someone died in the home in Illinois. As an adult, I saw a black hollow-triangle UFO in broad daylight 3-4 miles away, 1-2 miles in the sky, in Central Florida above a hospital in June 2021 during COVID, the week many people were dying in Italy. It was the day after UFO Awareness Day, I later found out. I don't know why I saw it and no one else did. I couldn't sleep properly for years and still struggle some nights.

I am interested to see if there is a correlation for the general public.

First, my apologies if this is at all off-topic.

Has anyone both felt a paranormal presence and also experienced some sort of NHI or UAP encounter? I'd love to know if anyone has experienced both at different points in their life, and your stories, in case there is a pattern.

I've felt a ghost presence at age 7 and found out someone died in the home in Illinois. As an adult, I saw a black hollow-triangle UFO in broad daylight 3-4 miles away, 1-2 miles in the sky, in Central Florida above a hospital in June 2021 during COVID, the week many people were dying in Italy. It was the day after UFO Awareness Day, I later found out. I don't know why I saw it and no one else did. I couldn't sleep properly for years and still struggle some nights.

I am interested to see if there is a correlation for the general public.

The user AdUsed3239 is browsing this forum and contacting users, pretending to be a Muslim woman converting to Christianity. It is actually a man in the UK who is allegedly an ex-Christian, using this conversion to disguise his identity and motives. He sends women unexpected explicit content and abusive messages when they end contact after his weird messages. Please block them from this board and report to prevent abuse.

Edit: Sorry, I meant converting to Christianity.