Because we love to know what you like, we keep track of how many views each article has (we kind of have a thing for data, if you haven\u2019t noticed already). And because we also love a good top-10 list, allow us to present the top 10 most popular, most read Compass Articles of 2024, as chosen by the most esteemed critics on the whole internet: you<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s start a little light. Virtually everyone has solicited at least a touch of dating advice from their friends at some point; in this case, The Compass is your friend and the advice is \u201cdefinitely do not say these words in this particular order to a romantic prospect, ever.\u201d We\u2019re not sure what resonated more here, the relatability of seeing lines just like these from Cybertruck-driving tech bros on Hinge or the soul-melting cringe-by-vicinity of imagining yourself saying them under any circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our personal fave (or should we say least fave)? \u201cDo you like Star Wars? Because Yoda only one for me.\u201d Just. Don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As much as we love seeing what hits with our readers, you know the crew at Spokeo hates one thing: scams. But we do love doing what we can to help you avoid those scams, and that\u2019s where this safety article comes in. Turns out, text message scams can cost Americans upward of $330 million in losses per year, which makes exploring this extra-subversive new scam even more important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Basically, wrong number text scammers start with an \u201coops, wrong number\u201d text to the victim\u2019s number, then play out a catfish-style long con, fostering a sympathetic, often emotional relationship with the recipient before making a move on their money or private information. Thankfully, we\u2019ll fill you in on all the red flags to look out for and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Singles, we\u2019ve got your back so hard that this year, we conducted an entire, Spokeo-exclusive, super in-depth study on the best states for those seeking love. The study\u2019s results are a combo of common and little-seen metrics like the percentage of never-married adults, cost of living, romance crime victim stats, and even the states with residents most likely to ghost you. And like us, you may be pleasantly surprised to hear that the list features words like \u201cMassachusetts,\u201d \u201cIowa\u201d and \u201cSouth Dakota\u201d way more than words like \u201cCalifornia\u201d or \u201cNew York.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This one is exactly what it says on the tin. Phishing fraudsters have largely made the switch from emails to texts (as the article notes, 98% of us will look at a text while only 20% will open a marketing email), so being able to identify when those texts are even a little sus is now a crucial life skill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The specificity of the clues and telltale signs detailed here is especially helpful \u2013 you\u2019ll never see texts like a \u201cUSPS delivery failure notice\u201d or an \u201curgent\u201d message about your Apple account the same way ever again. But you will see scammers coming from a mile away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t have to be an SEO analyst to understand the popularity of this piece. No one on the face of the planet enjoys the experience of going through the airport security line, so anything we can do to reduce the friction of that slow, awkward, shoeless, and often embarrassing song and dance is going to attract some eyeballs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only do we dive into the pros and cons of PreCheck and Clear \u2013 both of which can expedite the security line slog significantly \u2013 to help you make your own choice, we also reveal some eyebrow-raising concerns about background checks, the associated biometric data, and the potential future of these programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are few things as enthralling as Anna Akbari\u2019s story of how she and two other women \u2013 all victims of the same deceit \u2013 caught \u201cEthan,\u201d a masterfully manipulative fraudster who may be history\u2019s most prolific catfish. The extremely long form, canny, and often Machiavellian game of catfish detailed in Akbari\u2019s book, There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America\u2019s Biggest Catfish<\/em>, is impossible to take your eyes away from. In this CliffsNotes version of the story, we also get to give ourselves some flowers for playing a key role in busting the case wide open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Double feature this one with the book for the perfect entree and side-dish pairing. The catfish and the hushpuppies, if you will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The beauty of the internet is that sometimes, it hits you with something that you have no idea you need in your life. Something that you\u2019d never be interested in until you see that special headline sparkling in the distance, the one with that internet-specific je ne sais quoi<\/em>, and suddenly you become extremely<\/em> interested. Enter, The Decline of Pay Phones in Every State<\/em>. How did we go from 2.1 million pay phones in 1999 to the FTC all but abandoning them in 2018? If Mississippi has seen a 98.8% decline in its pay phone population (it has), exactly how many pay phones remained in 2016? You need to know. And we can tell you with startling exactitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wake up, babe, new Spokeo research just dropped. And not just any research, we\u2019re talking about an analysis of over 12 million properties that aren\u2019t actively marketed or sold through traditional real estate agents. It\u2019s a low-key method for finding your way into owning a home, and it makes for some high-key interesting finds. For example, you\u2019ll learn which state has the highest number of cities with Best Places to Live rankings and which city ranks highest of all major cities in terms of the likelihood of these properties selling (second place is Phoenix, Arizona, but you\u2019ll have to read the article for number one).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe this one really hit home with all the millennials for whom the prospect of homeownership seems about as real as a bigfoot sighting. Hey, we\u2019re happy to do what we can to help, even if it\u2019s just window shopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tinder is many things, including things that would be highly inappropriate to write here, but one thing Tinder is not? A search engine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But, with some limitations, you can use the dating app to find a specific person who you suspect might be swiping, which can be especially useful in the case of cheating partners (or more optimistically, long-lost loves and missed connections). It\u2019s all about squeezing and narrowing down those search parameters to work within Tinder\u2019s algorithm \u2013 and maybe enlisting some help from Spokeo People Search<\/a>, too. We\u2019ve got all the Tinder tips right here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/cringeypickuplines.jpeg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n1. 5 Cringey Pickup Lines to Avoid<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"what](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4559756.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2. Wrong Number Text Scam: T<\/a>he Confusing New Scam to Watch Out For<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/best-states-for-singles-hero.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. 10 Best States for Singl<\/a>e<\/a>s in 2024<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"woman](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/woman-receiving-fake-text-message-1160.jpg?resize=1024%2C526&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n4. How to Identify a Fake Text Message: Online Skills 101\u00a0<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/TSADBWG_0.jpg?resize=1024%2C730&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n5. Jumping the Security Line: What to Know About Programs Like TSA PreCheck and Clear<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/shutterstock_2376208007.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n6. There Is No Ethan<\/em>: How Spokeo Helped Reel in History\u2019s Biggest Catfish<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"decline](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/00PN6UJH_2.jpg?resize=1024%2C730&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n7. The Decline of Pay Phones in Every State<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/new_home_best_cities.jpg?resize=1024%2C554&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n8. Top Cities for the Best Off-Market Real Estate Properties<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"how](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/6-HowToFindSomeoneSearchPeopleOnTinder_2260x1160.jpg?resize=1024%2C526&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n9. How to Find & Search for Someone on Tinder<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/thought-catalog-tRL_Rkh6D8o-unsplash.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n10. How to Tell If Someone Blocked You on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n