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Spot a Fake Black Friday Store Before It Takes Your Money

Posted on November 11, 2026 by wjimenez275

Spot a Fake Black Friday Store Before It Takes Your Money

Black Friday is weeks away, but the fake stores open early. They’re counting on you being excited about a deal and in a hurry to grab it before it’s gone.

The numbers are worth knowing. Americans lost $2.1 billion to scams that started on social media last year, according to the FTC. Shopping scams were the most common kind, and more of them started on Facebook than on any other platform. Most begin the same way: an ad for something you actually want, at a price that seems almost too good.

The good news is that you don’t need to pay for special software to protect yourself. Most of what you need is free, and some of it is already on your computer.

How the scam works

You’re scrolling Facebook or Instagram and see an ad. Name-brand boots, a designer purse, a TV, all at a huge discount. You click, and the site looks completely real: the brand’s logo, professional product photos, a countdown clock, maybe a little pop-up saying someone in another state just bought one.

You pay. You get a confirmation email. And then nothing. The package never comes, the customer service line goes to voicemail, and a few weeks later the site has vanished.

These sites are easier to build than ever. AI can write the product descriptions, clean up the photos and make the whole thing look polished in an afternoon. That’s why “it looked professional” isn’t a safety check anymore.

The warning signs

Before you click Buy on a store you’ve never used, look for these:

  • A price that’s too good to be true. Real retailers rarely knock 70% to 90% off name-brand products. Scammers do it all the time, because the price is the bait.
  • A brand-new website. Fake stores don’t last long, so they’re almost always new. Search the store’s name with the word “scam” or “reviews.” If nothing comes up at all, that’s a warning too.
  • A strange web address. Look closely at the address bar. Endings like .shop, .store or .top aren’t always fake, but they’re common with scam sites. So are addresses that add extra words to a brand name.
  • No real way to contact anyone. A legitimate store has a phone number, a street address and a return policy you can read. A contact form and nothing else is a bad sign.
  • An odd way to pay. If the site pushes Zelle, a wire transfer, gift cards or cryptocurrency, stop. Real stores take credit cards.

Step 1: Turn on the protection you already have

Every major web browser has a free scam and phishing warning built in. It checks the sites you visit against a constantly updated list of known bad ones and warns you before the page loads. Take a minute to make sure yours is on.

Chrome (Windows or Mac)

  1. Click the three dots in the top right corner and choose Settings.
  2. Click Privacy and security, then Security.
  3. Choose Enhanced protection.

Enhanced protection checks sites in real time and gives you stronger warnings than the standard setting.

Edge (Windows)

  1. Click the three dots in the top right corner and choose Settings.
  2. Click Privacy, search, and services.
  3. Under Security, make sure Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is turned on.

Safari (Mac)

  1. With Safari open, click Safari in the menu bar, then Settings.
  2. Click the Security tab.
  3. Check Warn when visiting a fraudulent website.

Safari (iPhone and iPad)

  1. Open Settings, tap Apps, then Safari.
  2. Turn on Fraudulent Website Warning.

One more thing: when you do see one of these red warning screens, believe it. Don’t click “continue anyway” just because the deal looks good.

Step 2: Check a store before you buy

Browser warnings only catch sites that have already been reported. Brand-new fake stores can slip through for a few days. For any store you haven’t bought from before, run a quick check first.

ScamAdviser (scamadviser.com): Copy the store’s web address and paste it into the search box. You’ll get a trust score from 1 to 100, plus details like how old the site is and where it’s hosted. A low score or a site that’s only a few weeks old is your cue to shop somewhere else.

Google Safe Browsing site status: Search for “Google Safe Browsing site status” and paste the address into the box. It tells you whether Google has flagged the site as dangerous.

Step 3 (optional): Add a free scam blocker

If you’d like an extra layer that works in the background, Malwarebytes Browser Guard is a free add-on from malwarebytes.com that works in the major browsers. It blocks known scam and phishing pages, cuts down on pop-ups and trackers, and shows safety ratings next to your search results so you can spot a bad site before you click it.

You’ll see paid VPNs advertised for this job. They can work, but for most people, the free tools above cover the same ground.

Step 4: Pay the safe way

This is the one that saves you when everything else misses.

Always pay with a credit card. If the order never shows up, you can dispute the charge with your card company and, in most cases, get your money back. Debit cards offer weaker protection, and the money comes straight out of your bank account while you wait. Zelle, wire transfers, gift cards and crypto are like handing over cash: once it’s gone, it’s usually gone for good.

Already ordered from a store that looks fake?

Don’t wait to see if the package shows up.

  1. Call your credit card company and dispute the charge. Tell them the merchant appears to be fraudulent. Ask whether they recommend a new card number.
  2. Change your password if you created an account on the site, especially if you used the same password anywhere else.
  3. Report it to the FTC at its ReportFraud website. Reports help them track and shut down these operations.
  4. Watch your statements for the next few months for charges you don’t recognize.

The bottom line

A deal that shows up in an ad, from a store you’ve never heard of, at a price that seems unreal, deserves 60 seconds of checking. Turn on your browser’s protection, paste the address into ScamAdviser, and pay with a credit card. That covers almost every fake store out there.

If you’d like help setting any of this up on your computer or phone, I can connect remotely and walk you through it. Schedule a session here, email me at billj@askbillfirst.com, or AskBillFirst | Contact Us.

Filed under: Quick Wins | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a comment »

The Estimate Assassin: Check Any Quote with AI Before You Sign

Posted on November 7, 2026 by wjimenez275

Last week I showed you how to give AI a job title before you ask it anything. This week, let’s put that trick to work on something that can save you real money: the estimate.

A furnace quote right before winter. A mechanic’s list of “while we were in there” repairs. A hospital bill full of codes nobody can read. Most of us look at the total, wince, and sign, because we don’t know which lines are fair and which ones are padding.

You don’t need to become an expert. You just need a second opinion that’s free, fast and on your side.

What you’ll need

  • A phone with ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot installed. All three can read a photo. I’ll use ChatGPT in the steps below because it does this job well.
  • The estimate, on paper or on screen.
  • Five minutes.

Step 1: Cover the private stuff

Before you take a picture, cover or crop out your name, address, phone number, account numbers and anything like an insurance member ID. The AI doesn’t need any of that to judge whether $400 for a part is reasonable.

Step 2: Snap it

Open the ChatGPT app, tap the + next to the message box, and choose Camera to take a photo (or Photos if you already have one). Lay the paper flat in good light, and make sure every line is readable. If the estimate runs more than one page, add each page.

Step 3: Hire your consumer advocate

Paste this in with the photo, and fill in the brackets:

Act as a consumer advocate who is protective of my money. This is an estimate for [what the job is] from a [contractor / mechanic / medical provider] in [your city and state]. Go through it line by line. For each item, explain in plain English what it is and whether it’s necessary, recommended or optional. Flag anything that looks overpriced, duplicated, vague or padded. Tell me what this kind of job typically costs in my area, and be honest about how confident you are. Then give me five questions to ask before I agree to anything, and a short, polite script I can use to ask for a better price or a clearer breakdown.

That’s the whole trick. The answer you get back reads less like a search result and more like a friend in the trade walking down the page with you.

Tweaks for different kinds of estimates

Car repairs: Add “Tell me which repairs are urgent for safety and which can wait a few months, and whether the labor hours look normal for this job.” Ask whether the parts are original equipment or aftermarket, because the price difference can be big.

Home repairs and contractors: Add “Point out anything that should be spelled out in writing but isn’t, like permits, cleanup, warranty or the brand and model of equipment.” Vague line items like “materials” or “misc.” are where padding likes to hide.

Medical bills: First, call the billing office and ask for an itemized bill, not the summary. Then add “Explain each billing code in plain English and flag anything that looks charged twice or doesn’t match a [visit / procedure] like mine.” Duplicate charges and services you never got are more common than you’d think, and the billing office can’t fix what nobody points out.

What AI can and can’t tell you

Here’s the honest part:

  • It’s great at explaining. What a line item is, what a code means, what questions to ask. That alone puts you in a much stronger spot.
  • It’s good at spotting red flags. Duplicates, vague items, “recommended” add-ons dressed up as must-haves.
  • Its price ranges are educated guesses. It doesn’t know your contractor’s costs or this month’s prices in your town. Use its numbers as a starting point for a conversation, not as proof that someone is ripping you off.
  • It doesn’t replace a second quote. For anything big, get at least one more estimate. Now you’ll know exactly what to compare.

And be nice about it. Walking in with good questions gets a much better result than walking in with “the computer says you’re overcharging me.”

Coming up next

Next week: using your phone and a little AI to build a home inventory in an afternoon, the list you’ll be very glad to have if you ever need to file an insurance claim.

As always, if you get stuck with any of this, or anything else on your computer, I can connect remotely and help. Schedule a session here, email me at billj@askbillfirst.com, or AskBillFirst | Contact Us.

Filed under: Future Tech, Quick Wins | Leave a comment »

Give AI a Job Title

Posted on November 2, 2026 by wjimenez275

If you’ve tried ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot and come away thinking “that was pretty generic,” there’s a good chance the problem wasn’t the AI. It was the question.

Here’s the single easiest fix I know: before you ask anything, tell the AI who to be.

(A quick note for my newsletter readers: I know AI isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, which is why it lives here on the blog now and the newsletter sticks to security and quick tips. If you’re curious, read on. If not, no hard feelings.)

Why it works

Think about calling a help line. If you get someone who answers every question the same way, you hang up frustrated. If you get the person who actually knows the subject and knows how to talk to a regular person, the whole call goes differently.

AI works the same way. Ask it a plain question and you get a plain, middle-of-the-road answer written for nobody in particular. Give it a role first, and it picks the vocabulary, the level of detail and the priorities that a person in that job would use.

How to do it

Start your request with three things:

  1. The job: “Act as a…”
  2. Who it’s helping: a little about you and how much you already know.
  3. What you want back: a list, a short answer, step-by-step instructions, a draft you can edit.

That’s it. Takes about ten extra seconds to type.

Five job titles to try

Copy any of these, fill in the brackets and paste it in.

1. The patient tech support person

Act as a patient tech support person helping someone who is comfortable with email and web browsing but nothing more technical. Explain how to [what you’re trying to do] on my [computer or phone model]. Use numbered steps, no jargon, and tell me what I should see on the screen after each step.

Yes, I’m aware I’m handing out my own job here. Don’t worry, I’m still a phone call away when the steps don’t match your screen.

2. The editor

Act as a friendly editor. Here is an email I wrote to [who it’s going to]. Make it clearer and more polite without making it longer or changing what I’m asking for. Then tell me in one line what you changed.

Great for complaint letters, notes to the HOA and anything you’ve rewritten three times already.

3. The budget travel planner

Act as a travel planner who is protective of my money. I’m planning [number of days] in [place] in [month] for [number of people], and my budget is [amount] not counting airfare. Give me a day-by-day plan, the free things worth doing, and the common tourist traps to skip.

4. The chef who works with what you’ve got

Act as a home cook who hates wasting food. I have [list what’s in your fridge and pantry]. Give me three dinner ideas I can make in under 45 minutes with what I have, and tell me if I’m missing one cheap ingredient that would make a big difference.

5. The doctor’s-visit coach

Act as a patient advocate helping me get ready for a doctor’s appointment about [symptom or condition]. Explain [term or test result] in plain English, then give me a short list of questions to ask my doctor.

This one comes with a big asterisk: AI is a way to walk into the appointment better prepared, not a replacement for the appointment. It can be confidently wrong, and it doesn’t know your history. Use it to come up with good questions, then let your doctor answer them.

A few ground rules

  • Be specific about yourself. “I’m 70 and use an iPad” gets you a very different answer than nothing at all.
  • Push back. If the answer misses, tell it what’s wrong: “Too long, give me the short version” or “I don’t have that menu, I’m on Windows 10.” It doesn’t get its feelings hurt.
  • Keep private things private. Don’t paste in account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords or anything you wouldn’t put on a postcard.
  • Double check anything that matters. Prices, dates, laws and medical facts should all get a second look from a real source.

Coming up next

Next week: how to use that same trick on a contractor’s estimate or a repair quote before you sign it. I call it the estimate assassin.

And as always, if you get stuck with any of this, or with anything else on your computer, I can connect remotely and help. Schedule a session here, email me at billj@askbillfirst.com, or contact me at AskBillFirst | Contact Us.

Filed under: Future Tech, Quick Wins | Leave a comment »

What’s News in Tech: Passwords

Posted on January 2, 2026 by wjimenez275

A New Year – It May Be Time To Change Your Passwords. 

Happy New Year. I hope the new year arrived safely for you. 
Unfortunately, your accounts may not feel the same way. 
With the beginning of the year, you may want to consider going through your online accounts and changing your passwords, which should be done right away if a site you use has been breached and use a different password for every site. With companies and websites being hacked regularly, there is no doubt that your credentials, including email, usernames and passwords, are being sold around the dark web. 

There are several ways to find out which website or company you’ve signed into has been hacked.
One of the best is Have I Been Pwned. You enter your email address(es) into the form and it will tell you which companies that you’ve signed into have been breached. You absolutely should change your passwords to those sites. Another site to use Avast Hack Check which operates the same way. 

Besides hacks, there are other ways your password could be breached. If a person had your login credentials, user name, email address but not your password, they could try to crack your password. If you haven’t changed your password in a while, or if you use the same password at multiple sites, or you use the same password base but only change a number or letter, it probably wouldn’t take long at all for someone to figure out what your password is. A few examples, taking the most commonly used passwords of 2025 and yes, these are still the top five most common passwords being used, hopefully by none of you:

  • 123456 would be cracked instantly
  • 111111 would be cracked instantly
  • admin would be cracked instantly
  • qwerty would be cracked instantly
  • password would be cracked instantly

Forgive@h3r, which comes up later in this article, would take 400 years to crack.

To test your passwords to see how quickly they could be cracked, you can safely enter them at Security.Org and it will show you how quickly your passwords can be cracked.

What makes a good password? 

  • A password should be at least 12 characters long (ideally 16 characters or more); 45 percent of Americans use passwords of eight characters or less, which are not as secure as longer passwords.
  • A password should include a combination of letters (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and characters.
  • You must have a unique password for each online account.
  • A password shouldn’t include any of your personal information like your birthday or address, as identity theft and data breaches can compromise such information. It’s also best not to include any information that can be accessed on social media like kids’ or pets’ names.
  • A password shouldn’t contain any consecutive letters or numbers (i.e. ABCD, 1234, etc.)
  • A password shouldn’t be the word “password” or the same letter or number repeated.

I recently read an article from Mauricio Estrella. He was going through some life-altering things. Per company policy, he was forced to change his password at work every 30 days.

“I’m gonna use a password to change my life,” he recalls thinking.

He continues:

“My password became the indicator. My password reminded me that I shouldn’t let myself be a victim of my recent breakup, and that I’m strong enough to do something about it.

My password became: “Forgive@h3r”

I had to type this statement several times a day. Each time my computer would lock. Each time my screensaver with her photo would appear. Each time I would come back from eating lunch alone.

In my mind, I went with the mantra that I didn’t type a password. In my mind, I wrote “Forgive her” every day, for one month.”

Changing that password changed the way he thought of his former spouse. It was a recurring refrain, he says, a reminder to forgive her, accept the uncoupling, and embrace a recovery from depression.

“In the following days, my mood improved drastically,” Estrella continues. “By the end of the 2nd week, I noticed that this password became less powerful, and it started to lose its effect. A quick refresh of this ‘mantra’ helped me. I thought to myself I forgive her as I typed it, every time. The healing effect of it came back almost immediately.” You can read the whole article here.

Sound like something you can do? Of course. Think about things weighing on your mind. Turn them into a password and Change Your Life.

Using a Password Manager
If you want a secure password but don’t want to have to remember it each and every time, especially when you have a different secure password for each website, get a Password Manager. It can generate a password for each site, save it and apply it whenever you want to sign into that site. Some of you may be thinking that you can do that for free by allowing the browser to save your passwords. I would highly recommend that you do NOT do that. If someone got onto your computer it’s very easy to export those password files and save or upload them. A password manager is secure in that even if someone did try to upload the file the passwords are all encrypted. 

Some of the best Password Managers are:

However, if you’re using a different one, for example, I use RoboForm, continue using it. It’s keeping your passwords safe. Also, learn the features. RoboForm will tell me if I’m using the same password on different sites and it will also alert me to sites that have been hacked. 

Another benefit to using a password manager is that you can install it on the various devices you use and have access to your passwords when signing in on your computer, phone, tablet, etc.

Multi Factor Authentication (MFA):
You’ve probably used MFA or 2-Factor Authentication when you signed into your bank’s website, or other financial or tax websites. 
MFA is a security method where you must prove your identity in two or more different ways before getting access to an account or system. It greatly reduces the chance that someone can break in using only a stolen or guessed password. One way would be your password, but then the second factor kicks in and you get a text or call to your phone with a code. Without that code, you aren’t able to access the site. It protects your login to that site from being hacked. 

Why MFA is important:

  • Usernames and passwords can be stolen through phishing, data breaches, or reused passwords; MFA adds a second barrier even if those credentials leak.​
  • Security agencies and major tech providers report that enabling MFA can block the vast majority of automated account‑takeover attacks, making accounts dramatically safer for both individuals and organizations.

Filed under: 3-Second Tips, Future Tech, Quick Wins, Stay Safe | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Cash In Those Old Visa Debit Cards for an Amazon Gift Card

Posted on December 20, 2018 by wjimenez275

Do you have old Visa Debit cards laying around with a few dollars on them? They’re usually not worth taking out to use so they lay in a drawer until they expire and then you throw them away.

Did you know that you can add them to your Amazon account and then use them to buy Amazon gift cards or reload your own gift card balance?

You’ll need to know the balance left on the card but you can usually find that by calling the number on the back of the card or going to the website listed on the back of the card. Once you have that balance you’ll need to add that card to your Amazon Wallet.

1 – Simply log-in to “Your Account” on Amazon.com.

2 – On your account page, click on “Payment Option”which will take you to your “Amazon Wallet”.

3 – Scroll down to the “Add a New Payment Method” and add your Visa gift card to your Amazon account like you would with any debit or credit card.

Your next step is to go to the Amazon Gift Card area. You should see “Gift Card” on the option bar towards the top of the Amazon site.

If you have the option to “Reload your balance”, click on that link and you can add money to your personal gift card balance by entering the amount using the newly added Visa card as payment.

You can also choose to send an eCard to yourself or to someone else by selecting that option and following the steps on the page to add the eGift Card to your shopping cart and then you can use the newly added Visa card as payment for that eGift card:

AmazonECard

Once these new balances are in your account as gift cards, you can use them as part of your purchase and you no longer have those cards laying around with nothing to do.

Filed under: Quick Wins | Leave a comment »

Reading The Most Recent Posts on Your Facebook News Feed

Posted on August 14, 2017 by wjimenez275

Maybe you haven’t thought about it when reading through the news feed on your Facebook page, but when you do, notice that you see most of the same posts time and time again.

The reason for this is that Facebook shows you the “Top Stories” which are the most popular stories from friends, Pages and groups at the top of your News Feed. Facebook wants to show you things it thinks you might be interested in seeing. Out of thousands of potential stories it could show you each day Facebook runs each story through an extensive check. Facebook then prioritizes stories it thinks you’ll like, comment on, share and actually read. It figures the more important the stories are to you the more you’ll come back.

Facebook also looks at who posted the story. Facebook figures the more you’ve interacted with the author in the past the more likely you’d like to see future posts from that person. You may have liked something someone had posted, or commented on it. If you’ve clicked on a post to read it or shared a post, Facebook takes that into consideration and then shows you more of that person’s post. That’s why you see more posts from people you’ve interacted with and fewer posts from those you haven’t.

BUT, what if you want to see the news feed by the most recent, so in chronological order, and not by the Top Stories?

On your phone or tablet,

  • click on the triple bars at the top of the feed.
  • From the menu that comes up, scroll down to Feeds. You’ll see a link to Most Recent.
  • Select Most Recent and your news feed will change and will start at the top with the most recent and as you scroll down you’ll see the posts in chronological order.

On your computer,

  • choose News Feed from the menu bar on the left side and
  • select Most Recent.

Keep in mind that Facebook’s default order is Top Stories so you’ll have to perform these steps each time you access Facebook. Try it though and see the difference.

Filed under: Quick Wins | Leave a comment »

Get Money Back When Shopping Online

Posted on April 30, 2017 by wjimenez275
Wouldn’t it be nice to get a percentage of what you spend online back? With Ebates, you can.
Have you heard of Ebates? Have you used it in the past but forget to check it when you’re buying something?
There is a large list of stores that you can shop online, including Crate&Barrel, Macy’s, Groupon, Kohl’s, Walmart, American Eagle, Men’s Wearhouse, Amazon, Best Buy and many more, over 2,000 in fact. You can see the list here – Ebates.
When you sign up, you can go to the Ebates website, click on the store you’re planning to shop at, scroll through the different deals and shop. Ebates will automatically credit your Ebates account with the percentage of funds and then send you a check or apply the balance to your PayPal account every quarter.
If you’re someone who forgets to use Ebates first, there is an add-on you can add to your browser so that when you visit a shop to buy something, Ebates will pop up in the upper corner and remind you what percentage of rebate you will get and give you a click-through that will reopen the website but under the Ebates link so that you get credit.
You can even download the app to your phone if you do a lot of shopping over your cell phone.
To get these browser add-ons or phone apps, go to Ebates, scroll all the way to the bottom and under the Apps, Tools & Services you will see the links for the Ebates Buttons and the Ebates Mobile Apps.
So, if you like getting cash back while you shop, join Ebates.

Filed under: Quick Wins | Leave a comment »

Facebook Tip: Stop Receiving Notifications From a Facebook Post

Posted on May 24, 2016 by wjimenez275

So, you’ve commented on someone’s post and now you’re receiving notifications every time someone else comments on it. Sometimes this is a good thing, as you’d like to continue to see the updates, but other times you don’t and the notifications keep piling up.

To stop receiving notifications from a Facebook post that you’ve commented on:

  • Go to the original post
  • Click on the little gray down arrow at the top right-hand corner of the post
  • Choose “Turn Off Notifications”

You’ll still get notifications if someone comments on your comment but not for all of the other comments for the post.

Filed under: Quick Wins | Leave a comment »

Computer Tip: How to Easily Enlarge Webpage or Email Fonts

Posted on May 20, 2016 by wjimenez275

Every now and again you may come across a webpage or an email and the fonts are just too small to read. There is an easy way to enlarge, or decrease if needed, the fonts on the screen so that you can view the screen easier.

On a Windows computer –

  • Hold down the Ctrl key and press the + (plus) key. Every time you press the + (plus) key the font will enlarge more.
  • To reduce the font size, hold down the Ctrl key and press the – (minus) key. Every time you press the – (minus) key the font will decrease more.

On a Mac computer –

  • Hold down the Command key and press the + (plus) key. Every time you press the + (plus) key the font will enlarge more.
  • To reduce the font size, hold down the Command key and press the – (minus) key. Every time you press the – (minus) key the font will decrease more.

 

If you have a mouse with a wheel, if you hold down the Ctrl key on Windows or the Command key on a Mac and the scroll the wheel on the mouse up or down, it will also enlarge or decrease the font.

Filed under: Quick Wins | Leave a comment »

Setting Your Browser to Open Multiple Pages When You Start

Posted on May 17, 2016 by wjimenez275

With more people using web-based email programs, like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook Online, and also needing to do searches or view the news, they find themselves opening up multiple tabs once they open their browser. Wouldn’t it be nice if those tabs opened up automatically for you when you open your browser? Let me tell you how to do this in Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome.

In Microsoft Edge,

  • Click the three dots at the upper right of the browser.
  • From the drop down menu, click Settings. 
  • Under the “Open with” options, click the button next to “A specific page or pages”.
  • Click in the box just under that option. Click on Custom. You can remove any websites that are there by clicking on the X to the right of them and you can add new websites to open by adding them in the box showing “Enter a web address”, such as http://www.google.com or mail.google.com. Click the + to add it to the list.

In Internet Explorer,

  • Click on Tools (gear) at the upper right of the browser.
  • From the drop down menu, click on Internet Options.
  • Under the General tab, there is a Home Page box. Enter each of the website addresses you want to open in this box, each on their own line.
  • Click OK to save and close.

In Firefox,

  • Click on the three horizontal lines at the upper right of the browser.
  • From the drop down menu, click on Options.
  • On the “General” page, choose “Show my home page” When Firefox starts.
  • In the “Home Page” box,  enter the addresses of sites separated by a pipe | (a key usually above the enter key on the keyboard). Or, you can open up all the sites in tabs and hit the “Use Current Pages” button.
  • Close that tab and they should all save.

In Safari,

  • Open a new Safari window.
  • Create tabs and open all of the websites you’d like to start Safari with.
  • Open the Bookmarks menu and select “Add Bookmarks for These X Tabs”.
  • Add a name for the bookmarks folder, like Start Pages.
  • Open the Safari menu and select “Preferences”.
  • Click on the General tab.
  • Select “A new window” from the “Safari open  with” setting.
  • Select “Choose tabs folder” from the “New windows open with” setting.
  • Select the folder you just created in the window that appears. The next time you open Safari, these tabs will start automatically.

In Chrome,

  • Click on the three horizontal lines at the upper right of the browser.
  • From the drop down menu, click on Settings.
  • In the “On startup” section, click the button next to “Open a specific page or set of pagers”.
  • Click on Set pages to the right of that option.You can remove any websites that are there by clicking on the X to the right of them and you can add new websites to open by adding them in the box showing “Enter URL…”, such as http://www.google.com or mail.google.com. Repeat as desired to open multiple pages when starting Google Chrome. Or, you can open up all the sites in tabs and hit the “Use Current Pages” button.
  • When done, click OK. You can then close out of the Settings tab.

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