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A year ago, we released a publication on the subreddit r/Scams, showcasing lazy, offensive, and just all-around pathetic attempts to rob people of their money.

Not much has changed since then. Scammers are still targeting innocent folks through phone calls, emails, social media, and even dating apps.

So to remind you to keep your eyes open, we at Bored Panda put together a follow-up article on r/Scams. Below, you will find some of the most popular posts its 329K members have recently made, and all the dirty practices used today. Stay safe!

#1

Got A Message From A Scammer, Decided To Play With Em A Little

Got A Message From A Scammer, Decided To Play With Em A Little

W0lfhatK1d Report

RELATED:
    #2

    These Scams Are Getting Complex

    These Scams Are Getting Complex

    dredgehayt Report

    We managed to once again get in touch with a representative of the subreddit's moderator team and their representative agreed to have a little chat with us.

    Recently, various independent creators have also been drawing everyone's attention to the world of scamming.

    "I am a huge fan of Jim Browning's content, and I am actually subscribed to him on YouTube," the mod told Bored Panda. "I really appreciate his deep-dives into scams. It's also been interesting to see him branch out and collaborate with other YouTubers, like Mark Rober."

    "I also am a huge fan of Kitboga's old content, and especially anything involving [his character] Edna. I may or may not have started to adopt 'how on God's green luscious flat Earth..." into my day-to-day vocabulary."

    #3

    Meatball

    Meatball

    [deleted] Report

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    #4

    Just A Heads Up Y'all!

    Just A Heads Up Y'all!

    jfahmy Report

    If we were to compare these people's work side by side, we would see there are multiple ways you can approach scamming.

    "From a popularity standpoint, I think [Jim Browning and Kitboga] both excel in different ways. With Jim Browning, people really love his vigilante style, his ability to showcase what a scammer's device looks like, and sometimes being able to show a scammer being reported or brought to justice," the mod said. "His delivery is more serious than Kitboga's, as he's reporting on facts and information."

    According to them, Jim Browning's content also provides that rush that comes from seeing someone get karma handed back to them. "You see the 'bad guy' getting what's coming to them in the end." A great example of Jim's work is his 'Spying on the Scammers' mini-series where he shows just how methodical he can be.

    #5

    So.. Nigerian Princess??

    So.. Nigerian Princess??

    Cunillingus_Giver Report

    #6

    Scam Text Message. Tricking Them With Cat Facts!

    Scam Text Message. Tricking Them With Cat Facts!

    dravack Report

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    #7

    I Used To Live In Los Angeles. I've Never Owned A House. I Get These Texts All The Time! I Have No Idea How This Scam Even Works Or What The End Game Is. But I've Started Replying In Ways That Make Me Giggle

    I Used To Live In Los Angeles. I've Never Owned A House. I Get These Texts All The Time! I Have No Idea How This Scam Even Works Or What The End Game Is. But I've Started Replying In Ways That Make Me Giggle

    sniperwolfjob Report

    Browning's colleague and competitor, however, has a more laid-back style. "Kitboga has a talent for making really funny and engaging content," the mod of r/Scams pointed out.

    "He has a mastery of adopting different personas, holding full-blown conversations with himself, and wasting scammers' time for hours, sometimes days. He mixes in scam education with entertainment; he will break down the steps of the scam to you throughout his videos. I think both creators really speak to their audiences and provide a niche type of content that appeals to the masses!"

    #8

    Why Bother Making A Bot To Message This?

    Why Bother Making A Bot To Message This?

    Ok_Table7457 Report

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    #9

    I Could Still Imagine People Doing It

    I Could Still Imagine People Doing It

    Alclis Report

    #10

    At Least He Had A Sense Of Humor

    At Least He Had A Sense Of Humor

    hugesnailcock Report

    Major scamming trends depend on a lot of factors. For example, when the pandemic took over the world, we saw a spike in malicious phone calls. But when travel restrictions were lifted and people began going places again, scammers started stealing money from them with too-good-to-be-true vacation packages.

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    However, in its Consumer Protection Data Spotlight, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said 2021 was a banner year for social media scammers, with $770 million in social-media–originated fraud losses reported to the agency.

    Over 95,000 people who reported losing money to social-media–related fraud represent more than 25% of all fraud loss last year, the FTC highlighted. For context, these numbers represent a stunning 18-fold increase over similar type losses reported in 2017.

    #11

    I Just Caught This In The Wild

    I Just Caught This In The Wild

    bPhrea Report

    #12

    Whatsapp Scam, I Don’t Know Why They Didn’t Respond?

    Whatsapp Scam, I Don’t Know Why They Didn’t Respond?

    aloofwatermelon Report

    #13

    Destiny’s Child Tour Money

    Destiny’s Child Tour Money

    jrpgamer Report

    #14

    Reminder To Be Careful Of Scams! This Was Well Done

    Reminder To Be Careful Of Scams! This Was Well Done

    JWalterZilly Report

    "My personal opinion (as one mod out of many on this team) is that people are trusting," the moderator of r/Scams commented on these findings. "I don't think it's gullibility, per se. These scams are tricky sometimes. But, we as people want to defer to the idea that people are honest, and have our best interest at heart. We don't want to necessarily defer to the truth that some people may lie or take advantage of us. That's our nature as humans."

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    "With social media, you don't necessarily feel like you are in front of (or interacting with) a real person; you can't pick up on body language or tone of voice that may put you on high alert. With social media scams, it's easy to pass along an 'opportunity' to the masses. Especially to a population that is coming off of a global pandemic, and may be desperate for any type of normalcy, money, or opportunity to improve their situation," they explained.

    #15

    Deflecting With Why Tho

    Deflecting With Why Tho

    Ghostly_Writer28700 Report

    #16

    This One Made Me Laugh

    This One Made Me Laugh

    desenagrator44 Report

    #17

    No Way

    No Way

    CButler19 Report

    #18

    I Can Tell He’s “Seriously”

    I Can Tell He’s “Seriously”

    Stoneman1979 Report

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    Grimstones
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What sort of "bad things?" Where is the webcam pointed lol

    GirlFriday
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I got one of these. The pulled a bunch of my brothers' info off of Facebook and started telling me they were going to send the pictures to my husband, but each time they would threaten, they would show me a different brother, like they were trying to find my husband, but because I have 12 brothers, they didn't know who to send the horrible pictures to. I had a great time with that person.

    Chucky Cheezburger
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Damn! 12 brothers! Biological brothers? That's alot of brothers regardless but DAMN!

    Load More Replies...
    Mosheh Wolf
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My 82 year old mother got a text like that which said that they have footage of her watching porn. She was laughing so hard that she was unable to respond at first. She finally responded with "sure, share it, my friends will be proud of me".

    ChariotLee
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Knock yourself out. I've got nothing but memes and cat pictures I was going to send to my mom anyway.

    cybermerlin2000
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I had one of these saying I was recorded m*sterbating to p*rn and if I didn't pay $700 to a bitcoin account they would publish pictures of me and the video on Facebook to all my friends and family. I said go ahead, they will love it. I'm a nudist. They stopped texting after that. I do have a webcam but I use it just for the mic as it fell down the back of my desk a year ago and I can't be f*cked to get it out. All they recorded was a bored spider in its web and some wall

    Steve Fischer
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My friend gets these. He keeps asking for a copy to add to his collection

    Stephanie Hewitt
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hahaha I've gotten this one. They said they had a video of me masturbating, I told them "I've been single for 15yrs, I'm pretty sure my family and friends already know I do that, knock yourself out" No one ever got a video lol

    tw 72
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yeah, those videos on refinishing furniture, cooking, and exercise will absolutely devastate my family and co-workers.

    Tequila Mockingbird
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My laptop lid is always closed and I use a monitor. Also what virus? I’m running OpenBSD, the most secure operating system known to man. Have fun trying! Lol

    Load More Replies...
    Vic D
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Makes me think when I received emails from a scammer stating he had my password and sent me the password, it was a really old password I was using 15 years ago... he though he was so smart, telling me not to call police, he would hack all of my accounts..... so I trace the email back to his Internet Service Provider, sent an email to their abuse service with all the emails he sent me. Never heard from him again.

    Bella10
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I had this scam once as well, and I had ALOT of fun playing around with it lol.

    Chucky Cheezburger
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Oh, you got pics of that? That'll be $19.95. I get paid to do bad things"

    Cin
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I had that. I don’t even have a webcam so good luck with that.

    Kathleen Pearlman
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've gotten that one, too. I'm 69 years old. My webcam has NEVER recorded anything remotely interesting...

    Tobias the Tiger
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My mom's friend once got a scam email like this, saying that they hacked his webcam, took pictures of him (presumably naked), and they were going to send the pictures to people he knows. He advised me not to open any emails from him... and then it dawned on him that nobody actually hacked his webcam, and that he's probably never been naked in front of his webcam anyway.

    moose man
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    i got one of these. guy said i was watching porn on my mac with my cam on. i always use the privacy screen when im not using it and i never looked up porn on it.

    View more commentsArrow down menu

    The mod knows at least one person who was targeted by social media scams, where a company tried to make them purchase their products up-front for a "product tester campaign", and that they would be "refunded" later. So these schemes, if timed correctly, can definitely confuse people.

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    "I also was targeted as a small business owner quite frequently as well," the mod added. "Random companies would offer to advertise my business on their Instagram page for a fee, but in reality, they bought their followings and were just cashing in on the fees. A lot of new businesses would fall for this, thinking they were getting cheap advertising to hundreds of thousands of followers, when in reality they were paying to advertise to dead bot accounts. Social media scams come in all shapes and sizes, and they can be incredibly tricky to pinpoint."

    #19

    I’m On The Books Guys. I Cannot Wait For My Appointment

    I’m On The Books Guys. I Cannot Wait For My Appointment

    The-OG-cheese Report

    #20

    A Whole New Level Of Scamming

    A Whole New Level Of Scamming

    Ab-ra-ham Report

    #21

    Sounds Tempting

    Sounds Tempting

    Swaghetti-Yolonaise- Report

    #22

    About To Be Scammed

    About To Be Scammed

    Alone_Revenue639 Report

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    The mod has been a member of this online community for over 5 years, so they're able to provide some really interesting figures on it.

    "There has been a near 2,000% increase in members since I first started posting here; in that time, we've grown from 15,000 members to over 300,000. I can't say what exactly brings people here, but I truly hope it's rooted in a desire to educate others and help those around us reduce their likelihood of becoming victims of scams themselves."

    #23

    When You Just Know So You Reverse The Roles

    When You Just Know So You Reverse The Roles

    Snoop-Dogee Report

    #24

    At Least Theyre Honest

    At Least Theyre Honest

    EudeDev Report

    #25

    Seems Legit But Can't Be To Careful

    Seems Legit But Can't Be To Careful

    wayne88imps Report

    #26

    What A Nice Lady

    What A Nice Lady

    normal_lad_ Report

    "Whenever I pop over here to the sub, I see a variety of posts ranging from people coming here asking for advice as a victim of a scam, people asking whether or not something is legitimate, and people providing information on scams they've come across in the wild," the mod said. "It warms my heart when I see people supporting and informing others, especially towards new members looking for advice and help! I hope we are able to continue to grow as a community, and that we can continue to reach people who need our help, who want to educate and support others, or want to join the fight against scammers."

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    As entertaining as some of these pictures might look and as distant as some of the facts can seem, scammers await us around every corner both in real life and online. And I'm not saying that to scare you or anything. It's just we have to look out for ourselves. It's not always possible, but we must try. Otherwise, the fruits of our labor may end up in other people's baskets.

    #27

    A Bot Love Story. *fixed*

    A Bot Love Story. *fixed*

    PlumFabulous Report

    #28

    Almost Caught Me Off Guard This One

    Almost Caught Me Off Guard This One

    MolochHunter Report

    #29

    Hooray I Have Won A "Walmart"

    Hooray I Have Won A "Walmart"

    Te_kosher_six_nine Report

    #30

    I've Seen Some Authentic Looking Phishing Emails Before. This Isn't One Of Them

    I've Seen Some Authentic Looking Phishing Emails Before. This Isn't One Of Them

    DocileManatee Report

    #31

    It Finally Happened! I Got The Text! I Really Never Thought I’d Get This Text. #blessed

    It Finally Happened! I Got The Text! I Really Never Thought I’d Get This Text. #blessed

    Single_Asparagus8984 Report

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    #32

    When You're So Bad At Scams, You Can't Remember Your Own "Name"

    When You're So Bad At Scams, You Can't Remember Your Own "Name"

    HailHydraforce Report

    #33

    The President Needs More Itunes Cards!

    The President Needs More Itunes Cards!

    auburnquill Report

    #34

    Facebook Enabling Scammers

    Facebook Enabling Scammers

    Abungus Report

    #35

    Snyder Needs Help, Seems Legit

    Snyder Needs Help, Seems Legit

    Dabrigstar Report

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    #36

    Facebook Is Full Of Scam Giveaways And Fake Profiles Commenting On Them

    Facebook Is Full Of Scam Giveaways And Fake Profiles Commenting On Them

    Skyward_Shadow Report

    #37

    You’d Think They’d Find A New Fake Picture By Now

    You’d Think They’d Find A New Fake Picture By Now

    dbach2007 Report

    #38

    Been Receiving A Lot Of Scam/Spam Text Messages, But This Is The First Time They've Tried This Lmao

    Been Receiving A Lot Of Scam/Spam Text Messages, But This Is The First Time They've Tried This Lmao

    lizagna2 Report

    #39

    Real Dababy

    Real Dababy

    xXBdawg77Xx Report

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    #40

    Somebody Didn’t Go To Scamming School

    Somebody Didn’t Go To Scamming School

    Bennyboodoobydoo Report

    #41

    Wasting A Cashapp Scammers Time, Still In Progress

    Wasting A Cashapp Scammers Time, Still In Progress

    NinjaSnakeEyes Report

    #42

    Well, This Looks Like An Obvious Scam. Especially As It’s Actually A Picture From Grand Theft Auto 5!

    Well, This Looks Like An Obvious Scam. Especially As It’s Actually A Picture From Grand Theft Auto 5!

    Markleshark1 Report

    #43

    I Have Suddenly Been Receiving Lots Of Fake Check Scams, Probably Because I Respond To All Of Them. This One Is Gold

    I Have Suddenly Been Receiving Lots Of Fake Check Scams, Probably Because I Respond To All Of Them. This One Is Gold

    RyeSicle Report

    #44

    This Is Why I Don't Use Etsy Without Doing A Lot Of Research On The Item. Literally The Same Photos That Amazon Used With Quite The Steep Price Jump. Not Even Creative Enough To Come Up With Something On Their Own. Always Reverse Image Search. I Cannot Stress That Enough

    This Is Why I Don't Use Etsy Without Doing A Lot Of Research On The Item. Literally The Same Photos That Amazon Used With Quite The Steep Price Jump. Not Even Creative Enough To Come Up With Something On Their Own. Always Reverse Image Search. I Cannot Stress That Enough

    WastelandGinger Report

    #45

    [deleted] Report

    #46

    You Cannot Afford Me

    You Cannot Afford Me

    chiefdragonborn Report

    #47

    Scammer Tried To Scam 20 Random People At Once

    Scammer Tried To Scam 20 Random People At Once

    reddit.com Report

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    #48

    Batscam

    Batscam

    jdsamford Report

    #49

    The Scammers Who Message Women On Here Are Always So Easy To Catch Out. He Doesn't Even Know Where He 'Lives'

    The Scammers Who Message Women On Here Are Always So Easy To Catch Out. He Doesn't Even Know Where He 'Lives'

    motail1990 Report

    #50

    It Just Doesn't Stop! Amazon's Gotta Control This

    It Just Doesn't Stop! Amazon's Gotta Control This

    ProductCurator Report

    #51

    My Office Got This In The Mail Today, Had A Good Laugh!

    My Office Got This In The Mail Today, Had A Good Laugh!

    DoseMeDos Report

    #52

    This Pumpkin Seed Bag Practically Begs You To Save The American Farmer And Then Shows That It Wasn't Even Grown In The United States

    This Pumpkin Seed Bag Practically Begs You To Save The American Farmer And Then Shows That It Wasn't Even Grown In The United States

    tally06 Report

    #53

    Trying To Find Housing Near My University And Contacted Someone Who Posted An Ad On Facebook

    Trying To Find Housing Near My University And Contacted Someone Who Posted An Ad On Facebook

    Luciditi89 Report

    #54

    I'm Reporting Him To Adobe For Apparent Piracy, But He Attempted To Scam Me Using The Wrong Scam Account

    I'm Reporting Him To Adobe For Apparent Piracy, But He Attempted To Scam Me Using The Wrong Scam Account

    Practical_Culture833 Report

    #55

    I Pissed Off A Scammer Who Used My Aunts Name

    I Pissed Off A Scammer Who Used My Aunts Name

    Whit_whit1993 Report

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    #56

    Refreshingly Honest. (Although Still Trying To Me To Send Him/Her My Mobile Number After This)

    Refreshingly Honest. (Although Still Trying To Me To Send Him/Her My Mobile Number After This)

    HelenEk7 Report

    #57

    I Don’t Think Whoever Wrote This Has Ever Met A Bereaved Person

    I Don’t Think Whoever Wrote This Has Ever Met A Bereaved Person

    creativegigolo Report

    #58

    I Think A Victorian Nobleman Is Trying To Scam Me

    I Think A Victorian Nobleman Is Trying To Scam Me

    LordMeme42 Report

    #59

    They’re Getting Lazier

    They’re Getting Lazier

    gremlynn42 Report

    #60

    Very Legit Looking 'Netflix' Phishing Scam

    Very Legit Looking 'Netflix' Phishing Scam

    RedRose_Belmont Report

    #61

    I’m Three Thousands Hundred And Dollars Richer!

    I’m Three Thousands Hundred And Dollars Richer!

    Steckzilla Report

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    #62

    Youtube Ads Should Have Moderation

    Youtube Ads Should Have Moderation

    KmartEmployeeTor Report

    #63

    Scammers Failing Hard!

    Scammers Failing Hard!

    CashSZN808 Report

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    #64

    I Believe Someone Has Been Spoofing Using My Number

    I Believe Someone Has Been Spoofing Using My Number

    TeamRat7 Report

    #65

    Accidentally Put My Phone Number On Craigslist Without Thinking About It, Guy Claimed He Needed To Verify My Post Making Sure I Was Real By Me Sending Him The Code He Had Sent To My Phone

    Accidentally Put My Phone Number On Craigslist Without Thinking About It, Guy Claimed He Needed To Verify My Post Making Sure I Was Real By Me Sending Him The Code He Had Sent To My Phone

    yugiventriloquist Report

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    #66

    Seems Legit

    Seems Legit

    nataliemainesbutt Report

    #67

    What Ever Will I Do?

    What Ever Will I Do?

    r0ck3t8unny Report

    #68

    Got This Gem In My Junk Today

    Got This Gem In My Junk Today

    lu-cy-inthesky Report

    #69

    A Free Coca Cola Mini Fridge Yt Ad Is Just A Phishing Scam, Don't Put Your Information In Their Website

    A Free Coca Cola Mini Fridge Yt Ad Is Just A Phishing Scam, Don't Put Your Information In Their Website

    TrevastyPlague Report

    #70

    My Dog Is Missing. This Is A Scammer Right?

    My Dog Is Missing. This Is A Scammer Right?

    aWickedsara Report

    #71

    Random Guy Sent Me Money On Venmo. Idk What To Do

    Random Guy Sent Me Money On Venmo. Idk What To Do

    Pizza9927 Report

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    #72

    Scammers Are Getting More And More Creative

    Scammers Are Getting More And More Creative

    Amax2192 Report