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It seems that scammers are getting more elaborate to trick people out of their money every single day. From phishing emails to copycat websites, from romance scams to fake charities, there seems to be endless schemes to trick clueless folks into giving up their cash.
Sometimes, however, targeted folks are not as clueless as the scammers like to believe. On the contrary, sometimes vigilant people are aware of the tricks a scammer is playing on them and they serve them a sweet taste of their own medicine.
Below we wrapped up a collection of posts that show scammers getting owned, caught red-handed and given a well-deserved cold shower.
After you’re done scrolling through this article, make sure to check out Bored Panda’s previous feature with more scammers who got served a lesson and ended up regretting their nasty deeds.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Scam Text Message. Tricking Them With Cat Facts!
RELATED:
#2
Whatsapp Scam, I Don’t Know Why They Didn’t Respond?
#3
Learn The Script, Break The Script
To find out more about the mind of the scammers, as well as the most popular online scams and what can we do protect ourselves, we reached out to Daniel Markuson, the cybersecurity expert at NordVPN.
“Usually, scammers choose their victims quite randomly,” Markuson said. “However, people who don’t take care of their digital hygiene get scammed much more often because they are much less cautious and share their personal information online a lot.”
The cybersecurity expert explained that having a lot of personal information about their victim helps criminals to make their scams look much more trustworthy.
#4
Message I Got From My "Grandma" A While Ago
#5
Well That Escalated Quickly (Common Whatsapp Scam That I Have Been Getting)
#6
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.
Isaac Harvey 1 year ago
Yeah... it really is a pain. Both for you and the person whose blood is in the carpet.
Interestingly, many scams are seasonal, and their cases grow depending on the time of the year. Markuson explained: “In spring, a lot of travel-themed scams start to emerge, with criminals contacting people with too-good-to-be-true holiday offers, fake travel insurance, and vacation rental scams.”
#7
Meatball
Son of Philosoraptor 1 year ago
why do you think im fake? is there a lot of fake people on Panda or something?
#8
My Dog Has Been Missing For A Week And Some Sick Bastard Pulled This Bs
Melinda Jordan 1 year ago
This happened to me last year when one of my pet's disappeared. Thanks to post like this I didn't get scammed.
#9
Someone Pretending To Be The Chair Of My Department Tried To Scam Me. Did I Do This Right?
We also wondered what online scams are the most common, and it turns out that one of the most widespread online scams is phishing. “Cybercriminals send you an email pretending to be writing from an organization you trust. If you open that email and download an attachment or click on a button or link, that’s it — they can get your sensitive information,” Markuson said.
Meanwhile, catfishing is another popular scam when scammers create fake social media profiles. “They use other people’s or celebrities’ photos, videos, and even their personal information. These fake identities are usually used to seek attention, cyberbully, or get your private information.”
#10
Got A Message From A Scammer, Decided To Play With Em A Little
#11
Very Well Thought Out Scam
#12
I Think I Have Come On Too Strong
Markuson warns that if you receive a pity story and a request to donate money, check it twice.Contact spamming is the oldest trick in the book, Markuson said. “A cybercriminal will hack into your email or your social media account and reach out to your friends with a message such as 'I’ve seen this amazing video, check it out!' Hopefully, your friends will recognize online scams and inform you.”
#13
I Was Surprised To Get A Message From A High School Friend's Father
#15
At Least He Admitted It
Luckily, there are proven ways to protect yourself and your data online. “The most basic thing people can do to protect themselves online is to stop oversharing on their internet platforms.”
Markuson’s advice is to keep your contact information private, and scammers will have a much more difficult time trying to contact you.
“Online privacy tools, like a VPN, are also very helpful in protecting your digital data. VPNs help to encrypt user internet traffic, thus making it impossible for third parties to intercept,” the cybersecurity expert suggested.
#16
Special Item For Ebay Scammers
#17
Ah Yes The Tinder Scam
#18
A Bot Love Story
#19
This One Made Me Laugh
#20
The Heavenly Scam
#21
Nice Try Buckaroo
Cyber Returns 1 year ago
I would answer this with "Are you sick in the head! I was in a car crash 7 years ago and lost everything below my waist, you insensitive prick!"
#22
Facebook Is Full Of Scam Giveaways And Fake Profiles Commenting On Them
#23
Facebook Powerbal Scam
#24
Say Potato
#25
Just Glad To See My BF Has A Good Head On His Shoulders
#26
Trust Me Bro
TonyTee 1 year ago
And it was the other user, scissors, who beat him at his game
Load More Replies...
Melissa Hamed 1 year ago
What amazes me is how bad the English is and we're supposed to believe it is somebody that we've all seen on screen speaking fine.
Karen Philpott 1 year ago
And use scissors to cut up a number of debit cards and send him random pieces.
Alexandra Davis 1 year ago
Had this happen but from a famous person who know personally. So I sent them back a screenshot of me asking the real famous person if they did have a second account and the real person telling the scammer what they thought of them. Funnily enough the scammer blocked me
#27
At Least Theyre Honest
#28
An Old Co-Worker Messaged Me. Got Blocked Lol
#29
Some Number Texted Me, Said He Was An FBI Agent, And He Sent Me A Picture Of His Id
I image searched the pic if his ID, and turns out it was photoshopped version of a movie prop, the guy on his ID picture is Michael Peña. He didn't even try.
Tucker Cahooter 1 year ago
"Wiretap the internet"? Sounds too big a task for just one FBI agent (and a probationary one at that)
#30
When You’re An Online Veteran
#31
Sorry, I Don't Trust You. Not By That Logic
#32
My Office Got An Email From Our “Site Manager” Asking Us To Get Ebay Gift Cards For A “Client”
And send the codes on the back to somebody named Danny. I tracked their IP address to Enugu, Nigeria and sent this to the number.
Did I say that out loud? 1 year ago
Shows you the state of the world economy now. Danny isn't even a prince.
#33
I’m On The Books Guys. I Cannot Wait For My Appointment
Kristi White 1 year ago
Unfortunately, you just let him know it was a real working phone number. They're evil little twits.
#34
I Finally Got One
#35
I Gave This Scammer The Phone Number Of The Nypd
#36
I Can Tell He’s “Seriously”
#37
Ah Yes, The Negotiator
#38
Somebody Didn’t Go To Scamming School
#39
Casually Dealing With Scammers
#40
I Thought I Was Worth A Bit More Lol
Olive Harper 1 year ago
This would make for an interesting story. The assassin is totally unskilled and doesn't even like killing people but he was hired to do the job and he thinks it would be rude to give the money back. So he finds his intended target and offers to split the $20,000 with him if he pretends to die. And to make it better the text messages is the assassin trying to warn this guy and tell him he doesn't want to kill him.
#41
Hot Bot But Not The Smartest
#42
Bs Scammer Gets Called Out By Comedian
#43
I Finally Received One Of These! I Feel Like A Full Member Of Society Now
#44
This One Has Just Given Up And Gone For The Direct Approach
Add New Image
What do you think ?
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
A friend of mine is an English teacher out on disability. She's having fun with scammers, but she can't help being an English teacher. Let's just say she's done enough to educate Nigeria than most UNESCO grant recipients.
I Am, In Fact, That Weirdo 1 year ago
Congrats! You’re eligible for a FREE 20% discount on an ALREADY free item! Only a $105.98 startup fee! Go to www.obvious/scam.iamabot!
Load More Replies...
Kiwi Panda 1 year ago
Okay these made me laugh. Still upsetting to know how many people fall for them though
Seabeast 1 year ago
A local couple where I live almost got caught out by the "grandchild in trouble" scam last winter. At the last minute, one of them said "You know, that really doesn't sound like (grandchild)". So they had the satisfaction of helping the police set up a sting and seeing the scammers arrested.
rumple slunkskin 1 year ago
I save all my scam calls and texts to my phone contacts under "scammer". Since they're in my contacts, Facebook and Instagram are always recommending them as "people I may know". Every now and then I look at their profiles just to see what sort of people are scammers... If I was more industrious I could really mess with them that way.
Skadi Lifdis 1 year ago
I spent two days getting a scammer to agree to come to my cousin's big gay wedding and pre-wedding orgy as well as bring Michelle Obama to officiate the whole thing so he could get some gift cards and finish processing the delivery of the 50 vibrating pocket 😸's for the centerpieces. I honestly hoped he'd give up but he never did.
Janet Howe 1 year ago
That was pretty inventive. Paints quite a picture. Lol.
Load More Replies...
Paddling Panda 1 year ago
I usually just tell them to straight-up go f**k themselves. These inspire me. On a separate and unrelated note, am I the only one who feels a bit anxious when I see the battery life lower than 50% on some of these? 🤪
Janet Howe 1 year ago
I've never laughed so hard at these posts. I got so many great ideas on how to stop these scammers in their tracks. Now I can't wait for the grandparent scam to come back around so I can use some of these. "Kill him, he owes me $5" was the best! Lol.
‧͙⁺˚*･༓ Star ༓･*˚⁺‧͙ [Mainly Them/she] 1 year ago
Bot* if you're wondering.
Load More Replies...
GrowingThruConcrete 1 year ago
I called a texting scammer out in the 00s on my flip phone He set some kind of auto-text to deliver a msg to my phone once a second, it never stopped until I powered the phone off.
Janet Howe 1 year ago
Oh wow. That's bad. We're those the days before we could block numbers?
Load More Replies... Duncan 1 year ago
I never get tired of seeing these posts. The scammers are really as dumb as i think.
Janet Howe 1 year ago
Especially when you see all the misspelled words. Dead giveaway. Lol.
Load More Replies... Bhava Vanathi 1 year ago
Scammer: Hello, this is... Me: Hello, this is Siri how may I help you today? Scammar: Sorry, I think I have the wrong number... Siri: Here are the top search results. ~Hangs up~
Bhava Vanathi 1 year ago
Scammer: Hello, you have signed up for... Me: This is 911, what's your emergency?
yellowphantom 1 year ago
I guess I'm missing out on some fun. I never answer any number that isn't in my contacts and immediately label any mystery text as junk and delete. I don't want them to know it is an active number. I just have the generic voice message. It is the same with email. I hate having to be so defensive and paranoid about communications.
DS Mom 1 year ago
I love these! Very creative! I'm dealing with a scammer right now. Been stringing him along for a few days now. He keeps telling me how much he loves me and how we were meant to be together. The other day he asked for $5000 and just now he asked for $50. I told him I that I don't have that kind of money but if he married me, I will get my money from grandma. I have not heard back from him yet. 😂
Sparkysheep 1 year ago (edited)
I am ashamed to say that at least 2 family and friends would fall for at least half of these 🤦... Lol
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
A friend of mine is an English teacher out on disability. She's having fun with scammers, but she can't help being an English teacher. Let's just say she's done enough to educate Nigeria than most UNESCO grant recipients.
I Am, In Fact, That Weirdo 1 year ago
Congrats! You’re eligible for a FREE 20% discount on an ALREADY free item! Only a $105.98 startup fee! Go to www.obvious/scam.iamabot!
Load More Replies... Kiwi Panda 1 year ago
Okay these made me laugh. Still upsetting to know how many people fall for them though
Seabeast 1 year ago
A local couple where I live almost got caught out by the "grandchild in trouble" scam last winter. At the last minute, one of them said "You know, that really doesn't sound like (grandchild)". So they had the satisfaction of helping the police set up a sting and seeing the scammers arrested.
rumple slunkskin 1 year ago
I save all my scam calls and texts to my phone contacts under "scammer". Since they're in my contacts, Facebook and Instagram are always recommending them as "people I may know". Every now and then I look at their profiles just to see what sort of people are scammers... If I was more industrious I could really mess with them that way.
Skadi Lifdis 1 year ago
I spent two days getting a scammer to agree to come to my cousin's big gay wedding and pre-wedding orgy as well as bring Michelle Obama to officiate the whole thing so he could get some gift cards and finish processing the delivery of the 50 vibrating pocket 😸's for the centerpieces. I honestly hoped he'd give up but he never did.
Janet Howe 1 year ago
That was pretty inventive. Paints quite a picture. Lol.
Load More Replies... Paddling Panda 1 year ago
I usually just tell them to straight-up go f**k themselves. These inspire me. On a separate and unrelated note, am I the only one who feels a bit anxious when I see the battery life lower than 50% on some of these? 🤪
Janet Howe 1 year ago
I've never laughed so hard at these posts. I got so many great ideas on how to stop these scammers in their tracks. Now I can't wait for the grandparent scam to come back around so I can use some of these. "Kill him, he owes me $5" was the best! Lol.
‧͙⁺˚*･༓ Star ༓･*˚⁺‧͙ [Mainly Them/she] 1 year ago
Bot* if you're wondering.
Load More Replies... GrowingThruConcrete 1 year ago
I called a texting scammer out in the 00s on my flip phone He set some kind of auto-text to deliver a msg to my phone once a second, it never stopped until I powered the phone off.
Janet Howe 1 year ago
Oh wow. That's bad. We're those the days before we could block numbers?
Load More Replies... Duncan 1 year ago
I never get tired of seeing these posts. The scammers are really as dumb as i think.
Janet Howe 1 year ago
Especially when you see all the misspelled words. Dead giveaway. Lol.
Load More Replies... Bhava Vanathi 1 year ago
Scammer: Hello, this is... Me: Hello, this is Siri how may I help you today? Scammar: Sorry, I think I have the wrong number... Siri: Here are the top search results. ~Hangs up~
Bhava Vanathi 1 year ago
Scammer: Hello, you have signed up for... Me: This is 911, what's your emergency?
yellowphantom 1 year ago
I guess I'm missing out on some fun. I never answer any number that isn't in my contacts and immediately label any mystery text as junk and delete. I don't want them to know it is an active number. I just have the generic voice message. It is the same with email. I hate having to be so defensive and paranoid about communications.
DS Mom 1 year ago
I love these! Very creative! I'm dealing with a scammer right now. Been stringing him along for a few days now. He keeps telling me how much he loves me and how we were meant to be together. The other day he asked for $5000 and just now he asked for $50. I told him I that I don't have that kind of money but if he married me, I will get my money from grandma. I have not heard back from him yet. 😂
Sparkysheep 1 year ago (edited)
I am ashamed to say that at least 2 family and friends would fall for at least half of these 🤦... Lol
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