Lottery officials from the Mega Millions division issued a warning on Tuesday, Dec. 15, about “scammers impersonating Mega Millions online and promoting fake ‘special drawings’ using the game’s familiar logo.”

According to Mega Millions, the scam is the latest in “many” fake lottery-related incidents that use words and images from well-known lottery brands to trick players into believing they are participating in a legitimate game or winning prizes that don’t exist.

“These criminals use many tricks to create an appearance of legitimacy,” said Khalid Jones, lead director of Mega Millions. “All these scams have one thing in common: They claim to have won a high-value lottery ticket and attempt to scam you out of your money or personal information.”

Mega Millions did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

Your car’s audio system is one of its most important features, and its quality varies from car manufacturer to car manufacturer. Nissan plans to add a new feature called Personalized Sound to some Nissan and Infiniti vehicles. Settings can be customized on the center infotainment screen and support multiple user profiles for in-car sound and Bluetooth music apps.

Nissan, which announced the new system on December 15, says it is the first of its kind in the U.S. auto industry.

How does it work?

An audio system that adjusts to your hearing may sound complicated, but Nissan says it’s easy to set up and can be completed in about three minutes.

Even if you manage your retirement savings wisely and are careful with withdrawals from your IRA or 401(k), there’s no guarantee you won’t outlive your money. Social Security, on the other hand, is guaranteed to pay monthly benefits for the rest of your life. Therefore, the more you can enjoy these benefits, the more financially secure you may feel in retirement.

The good news is that there are steps you can take to increase your Social Security benefits. Here are three key strategies to focus on.

1. Increase your income with a side job

The more money you earn (up to a certain threshold), the larger your Social Security check will be in retirement. But did you know that it’s not just your salary that counts toward future benefits?

Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods, LLC issued a recall notice on December 11 for four decorated pound cake products due to undeclared soy allergens.

In a recall notice published Dec. 15 on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website, the Richmond, Virginia-based company said a soy-containing cake peeler was used to prevent affected cakes from sticking.

“These products may contain soy, a known allergen that is not listed on the product label,” the notice states.

According to the FDA, soy allergy can cause mild symptoms such as hives and itching, as well as severe anaphylaxis.

But according to AAA experts, that may not be a good idea. The engine only needs as much time as it takes to fasten your seatbelt and make sure the lubricant gets to the critical parts of the engine.

“When it’s cold and there’s no snow or ice, start your car, get in, put your seatbelt on, adjust your mirrors, and then start driving your car normally. This is the best way to heat up the engine, and it also warms up the internal heat,” David Bennett, AAA’s senior manager of automotive, told USA TODAY. “If you start it and leave it for five minutes to warm up, you’re just wasting gas.”

If your car has ice or snow buildup, Bennett recommends scraping it off and turning on the defroster.

The telecommunications company has agreed to a settlement to resolve a lawsuit that accused it of failing to protect customer information and causing two data breach incidents in 2024.

In the first incident on March 30, 2024, AT&T announced that customer information, including addresses, social security numbers, and passcodes, was published on the dark web.

Four months later, on July 12, 2024, AT&T announced that in a second incident, customer call and text message records were illegally downloaded, according to the settlement website.

Ford says the pickup will be upgraded to a new model with extended range electric vehicle (EREV) technology, which includes a generator for charging, an estimated range of more than 700 miles, and additional charging capacity.

Ford made this announcement on Monday, Dec. 15, along with several other announcements, including offering a wide range of hybrid and gasoline powertrains in its vehicles to complement the upcoming new universal EV platform that Ford unveiled in August. The company predicts that by 2030, hybrids, long-range EVs and electric vehicles will account for half of all Ford vehicles sold globally, compared with 17% today.

The Dearborn automaker also said it plans to hire “thousands of new employees” in the U.S. over the next few years as it shifts production at various plants and launches a new business building battery energy storage systems at facilities in Kentucky and Marshall, Michigan.

Here are five important facts about COLA to help explain the details of this important Social Security benefit.

1. It all depends on CPI-W

CPI-W stands for Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage and Office Workers and is one of the key inflation indicators that tracks about 30% of the U.S. population. This is the metric that determines whether and how much COLA increases will be announced next year.

2. History paints an interesting picture

Looking back at the history of the COLA since 1975, it’s easy to see what was happening to the economy in the months before the COLA was announced. For example, when the 1980 COLA was announced, it was a whopping 14.3%. That’s no surprise, considering the inflation rate that year was 13.5%.