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Financial scams are among the most common crimes. For example, in 2023, 15% of Americans said at least one member of their household had fallen prey to one, including 8% reporting that it had happened to themselves personally. (The latter figure translates into roughly 21 million U.S. adults.)
So we at Bored Panda decided to expand on the issue and asked our readers on Facebook to share what they believe to be the biggest frauds in the history of mankind. From the diamond industry to double taxation, here are the most popular answers that we've received.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Without a doubt: Religion
#2
Tax breaks for the wealthy
Nerenahd Dhaneren 6 months ago
I'd say capitalism is the greatest scam ever. Sure, it drives innovation and generates wealth. However it will destroy humanity in the long run by: 1) turning the planet uninhabitable because of greed; 2) creating so much wealth concentration that in a century or two the 1% will own 99% of world assets. Good luck trying to take that power away from them.
#4
Privatized healthcare
Ray McArdle 5 months ago
As someone in the hospital as I type, who has been told my child cannot be discharged because hi electrolytes are low, and who was told by a different doctor yesterday that electrolytes don't matter because his PICC line has been replaced, and my child is bored out of his mind, and after the news was delivered, the resident threw his hands up because he knows it's all about money, that US healthcare system. I have good health coverage from my company and they are milking it. Oh, they also contacted Child Protection Services in the event that I get any ideas about complaining. We're effectively PRISONERS!!!
#5
The idea that one group of people is innately better than another group of people
#6
The diamond industry. Super corrupt and monopolized. Diamonds are great, but it's time to step away from them being the coveted stone.
cerinamroth 6 months ago
They won't be coveted for long now that there are ways to produce them in 15 minutes! (Although they are microdiamonds, they will still force prices down.) Don't buy anything except lab-grown diamonds, people! It's the only way to be sure you aren't propping up the deeply unethical diamond mining industry.
#8
That if we work hard we'll be able to live comfortably!! afford to buy a house, car, and holidays, when the reality is we can barely afford food and energy
censorshipsucks 6 months ago
yep, you're hamsterwheeling. Basically going to work to pay for somewhere to sleep and a car to take you to work so you can earn money to pay for the place to sleep and the car to take you to work so you can... ad infinitum.
#9
Millionaires running their companies into the ground, filing for bankruptcy, then rinse and repeat.
General Anaesthesia 6 months ago (edited)
Imagine bankrupting a casino, a place where people go to practically beg you to take their money. Then imagine doing that four times. Scam.
#10
the importance of politicians
Verena 5 months ago
Well, in a normal democracy with a multiple ( = more than two) party system, the solution is easy: Found a new party, run for elections, do better. It happens constantly in the Netherlands and Germany, in Germany it takes a couple of years to reach a seat in parliament because you need at least 5% of the voters voting for you. In the Netherlands there is no barrier and new parties come and go. Interestingly enough, no one does really better.
#11
The trickle down effect
Little Wonder 6 months ago
We should try the trickle UP effect. Increase pensions and welfare payments, people will have more money to spend, which will make more money for businesses which can even lead to new jobs.
#12
That the rich deserve or are entitled to obscene wealth and privilege
Nerenahd Dhaneren 6 months ago
I'd say capitalism is the greatest scam ever. Sure, it drives innovation and generates wealth. However it will destroy humanity in the long run by: 1) turning the planet uninhabitable because of greed; 2) creating so much wealth concentration that in a century or two the 1% will own 99% of world assets. Good luck trying to take that power away from them.
#13
The 40 hour work week
Justin Tyme 5 months ago
Forty hours was a short and easy work week in most of the jobs I had.
#14
Insurance of any kind. You use it, the rates go up. You don’t use it, the rates go up
Carl Roberts 6 months ago
You use it, the company cancels your policy. My dad had the same homeowner's policy with AAA for almost 50 years. It was their top policy, and therefore had the highest premium. We had a house fire (the damage was mostly contained to a single room). The cost for repairs was less than what my dad had paid to AAA over the previous 5 decades. Not only did they require us to use their preferred contractor (which, BTW, has an F rating on the BBB, and has thousands of complaints), but the immediately cancelled the policy AND since all these are in cahoots with each other, nobody would insure the house afterwards. We were only able to get insurance on the house again after my dad passed away nearly 7 years after the fire, because AAA had blacklisted him. Oh, and get this, the fire was caused by a defective water heater, AAA sued the manufacturer (for far more than what they paid out to us), and won.
#15
At this point in time subscription services. Everything is that way now and the monthly fees for each item adds up.
Little Wonder 6 months ago
When my PC died last year I went to get latest versions of various bits of software I'd been using for years and all of them are now subscription based. Found some good open source ones in the end because no thank you.
#16
Double taxation. I get being taxed for roads, services and schools (can’t have roads if there’s no money to build them and can’t have schools and teachers if no one pays for that) but we are taxed on our income, fine. Then with the money we got left over, we get taxed again on anything we buy that isn’t groceries. Buy a used car, that tax has already been paid but they tax each new owner for the same car.
#17
Having to buy water to drink something that's already natural but it was never originally owned by anyone
#18
The banking system, particularly loans and especially mortgages. Diabolical, evil, criminal, sinful
censorshipsucks 6 months ago (edited)
it's not the loans per se, it's the profiteering pricks on wall street who want a certain level of interest return on the loans. You think paying 6% in usa or whever is bad? Try africa where we are ALSO paying ""investors"" in wall street... at 12%. Most of our loans are owned by USA or china.
#19
Interest and credit scores.
René Sauer 5 months ago
Well, interest I dunno. Loans are a business just as any other. They don´t give out money because they have good hearts. But there should be methods in place to control them, that it doesn´t get to high and such.
#21
Government works for the people
censorshipsucks 6 months ago (edited)
the problem is more how your voting system works. In usa you have too few choices of political parties; bascially you can choose fascism (republicans) or centre-right (democrats). Yes really you guys only have rightwingers, except Bernie. In my country we have over 40 political parties on the ballots for our upcoming elections and three major parties of those who actually get above 10% of the vote. The trouble WE have is that the opposition parties are not strong enough to demonstrate competence but ARE strong enough to prevent votes in parliament.
#22
Adulting, it's really not all it's cracked up to be
Little Wonder 6 months ago
The worst part is I don't FEEL like an adult, I just have all these stupid adult things that need doing.
#23
Anyone thinking they “own” land or homes. Try not paying your taxes and see how that goes. We are renting everything from the government
censorshipsucks 6 months ago
not true. The taxes etc you are paying are funding things like sewer pipes and garbage removal.
#24
Job agencies. The get about $5 an hour of your pay for you doing the same and more if you went for a job without them. It’s a dam wall restricting jobs and have removed all Human Resources from companies to help the employer to get away with treating people like s**t.
#25
Schooling, judging by the number of people who "did their own research" with their conspiracy theory articles
What do you think ?
Molly Whuppie 6 months ago
Streaming services now that they are suckering people into paying to watch ads.
Jeevesssssss 5 months ago (edited)
I think the one I read about that upset me most (and finally pushed me into giving up KitKats, Curiously Cinnamon, Maggi noodles, and Haagen Dasz - all Nestle or Nestle-owned) was what Nestle did with baby formula in Brazil. They went around the most deprived areas, really pushing formula at new mums, either for free or very cheaply. Once the mothers had stopped lactating and were dependent they jacked up the price. As well as not being remotely affordable, the women didn't have the means to sterilise their equipment and they mostly weren't literate either, so couldn't read the mixing quantities even if they could have afforded anything like enough formula. I can't remember all of the details (I read about it in Chris Van Tulleken's excellent book 'Ultra-Processed People - why do we all eat stuff that isn’t food and why can't we stop?' which I highly recommend) but it really upset me at a deeply visceral level. (Formula is a literal life-saver if you can't produce or don't produce enough... 1/2
Gavin Johnson 5 months ago
I live in Buxton, yep the home of Buxton Water. Nestlé have their bottling plant just outside of the town. You can buy Buxton Water in the local supermarket, it’s been through the pipes across town, put into plastic bottles, wrapped up into pallets, shifted way out of town, stored in a distribution centre, put back onto a wagon, shipped back to the town and put on display for you to buy and transport home, this will cost you roughly £1 a litre OR you can wander into town and fill as many bottles or containers as you like from St Ann’s Well, that’s it, FREE OF CHARGE, all you need is a bottle. FREE! And yet Buxton Water still sells in the supermarket 🤷🏻♂️
Molly Whuppie 6 months ago
Streaming services now that they are suckering people into paying to watch ads.
Jeevesssssss 5 months ago (edited)
I think the one I read about that upset me most (and finally pushed me into giving up KitKats, Curiously Cinnamon, Maggi noodles, and Haagen Dasz - all Nestle or Nestle-owned) was what Nestle did with baby formula in Brazil. They went around the most deprived areas, really pushing formula at new mums, either for free or very cheaply. Once the mothers had stopped lactating and were dependent they jacked up the price. As well as not being remotely affordable, the women didn't have the means to sterilise their equipment and they mostly weren't literate either, so couldn't read the mixing quantities even if they could have afforded anything like enough formula. I can't remember all of the details (I read about it in Chris Van Tulleken's excellent book 'Ultra-Processed People - why do we all eat stuff that isn’t food and why can't we stop?' which I highly recommend) but it really upset me at a deeply visceral level. (Formula is a literal life-saver if you can't produce or don't produce enough... 1/2
Gavin Johnson 5 months ago
I live in Buxton, yep the home of Buxton Water. Nestlé have their bottling plant just outside of the town. You can buy Buxton Water in the local supermarket, it’s been through the pipes across town, put into plastic bottles, wrapped up into pallets, shifted way out of town, stored in a distribution centre, put back onto a wagon, shipped back to the town and put on display for you to buy and transport home, this will cost you roughly £1 a litre OR you can wander into town and fill as many bottles or containers as you like from St Ann’s Well, that’s it, FREE OF CHARGE, all you need is a bottle. FREE! And yet Buxton Water still sells in the supermarket 🤷🏻♂️
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