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I have a huge business opportunity that you’re going to love! You’ll be earning six figures, have flexible hours and be able to work from anywhere in the world. All you have to do is invest $5,000 up front, and I guarantee that you’ll earn it back in no time!
If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But unfortunately, plenty of people fall for scams every single day. Whether it’s a “Nigerian prince” sliding into their DMs or a grandchild begging Nana to cover their hospital bills, scams are running rampant all over the globe. To raise awareness for some of these schemes, Redditors have recently been discussing common scams people fall victim to, as well as things that are absolute wastes of money. Enjoy scrolling through this list, and be sure to upvote the things you would never give a dollar to!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Prosperity Gospel Preachers.
Battarray:
Specifically Joel Osteen and his ilk. They're why we should be taxing performative mega-churches like they live off of.
iseefractals 11 hours ago
All of them. Not just the greediest mega churches. All of them. Housing every homeless person in the U.S would cost $20 billion per year. The sum total untaxed money taken in by churches each year in the U.S , is $75 billion. Churches could fund those housing costs, and give every one of the 550,000 homeless people in the U.S a salary of $31,000 a year, and they'd still have $37.5 billion left over.
#3
Funerals, weddings, and pretty much every other thing we blindly accept have to be insanely expensive without even thinking about it.
To find out how this conversation started in the first place, we reached out to HurtHurtsMe, the Reddit user who posed the question, "What do you consider to be the biggest scam?” They were kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and explain what inspired them to start this thread.
"With the holiday season and change in weather, it’s hard seeing clothing prices jump around," the author shared. "A jacket could be $50 original price but on sale for $22. Then the next day, it’s the lowest price of the season sale! 50% off. Same jacket is marked back to $50 with 50% off to equal $25. If you are not actively stalking pricing, you could get scammed into what you think is a good deal based on retail messaging."
#4
Health insurance in America. Paying $400 monthly only to still have a $5000 deductible and argue with insurance companies about 'in-network' doctors. It's basically paying for the privilege of paying more.
#5
"Grandma? I'm calling from the police/hospital. Can you send me money?
#6
Having to pay for daily parking at your place of employment.
Ace 1 hour ago
Hah. Only in America would this be regarded as a problem. In Switzerland a few years ago my employer (one of the worlds largest companies) introduced a scheme to reward those who chose not to use their entitlement to a parking space and made those of us who had no viable public transport option pay for the parking as well.
When it comes to what the OP considers to be the biggest scam, they shared, "Higher Education costs are outrageous."
On average, it costs students in the United States $108,584 to attend college for 4 years, and they can spend even more if they go to school outside of their home state or at a private university.
#7
I think unrealistic beauty standards pushed by media are the biggest scam.
#8
Multi level marketing schemes. We have literally so much information now about how they are predatory. It’s disgusting how a lot of them target low income mothers who feel guilty about spending time away from home to work and earn a living.
life-love:
Not gonna lie, I attended one of those pyramid scheme meetings at my friend's insistence and man it was filled with low-income people and the whole thing was clearly targeted at them. Felt really bad seeing how they were being sold dreams of earning a lot of money and stuff. Such a scam.
#9
"Detoxing" your gut/armpits/body. Your body does it for you if you're a healthy individual. Most of the bacteria in your gut is beneficial and necessary.
We were also curious what the author thought of the replies to their post. "I agree that eye glasses costs are a scam," HurtHurtsMe said.
And as far as avoiding scams, the OP recommends that consumers do their own research "and not take things at face value."
#10
Scientology.
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 10 hours ago
A 'Religion' founded by a Science Fiction writer. It was/is all about the $$$, lol
#11
The wealth is going to "trickle down".
#12
Tipping and tip workers, tip shame, tip expectations.
THE_Lena:
This! Their income should be paid by their employer not the customer.
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 9 hours ago (edited)
You should only tip for exceptional service and if you can afford it. A £20 or $20 meal should be just that, no extra for a tip needed.
#13
My stepfather texted me a year ago saying "your mom and I won a lottery, we just need to go to the store to get some cards to pay for the taxes". Like cmon man, I know you are smarter than this. Thankfully enough all I had to do is ask him why would they make you use gift cards to pay taxes instead of just paying the IRS? He immediately connected the dots.
Melissa Harris 7 hours ago
Did you also tell him to make an appointment with his doctor? First signs of cognitive decline and dementia is often falling for obvious scams that a oetson wouldn't have previously.
#14
Printer ink. My printer cost $50 but replacing all the cartridges costs $75. Make it make sense.
Barong 8 hours ago
Yep typical Razor and blades business model. Same with many pod based coffee machines. So much waste, so much plastic. Bought a an epson et 5880 eco tank printer and it was significantly more expensive than printers with cartridges, but I have less waste, ink is cheap and interchangeable with aftermarket inks so could be even cheaper and it’s a great printer. Great business printer. Almost as fast as our laser printer.
#15
Fake, RICH celebrities on Facebook begging for money.
cbostwick94:
The number of times "Vin Diesel" has confessed his love to my mother on Facebook is wild. Man has a LOT of accounts
#16
The Mormon "Church" - check out the r/exmormon subreddit for more details.
It is a real estate and securities hedge fund masquerading as a church in order to maintain tax exemption.
iseefractals 10 hours ago
They're all scams. It's absolutely insane to me that 30 years on from everyone finding out that the catholic church was (and continues to be) complicit in child molestation for....like 70 years. All the nuns stealing, selling, and either killing or covering up the deaths of babies. Missionaries going to africa during the aids crisis, telling them that condoms are sinful while also handing out injectable meds/vaccines.....while using the same dirty needles for who knows how many people at a time. Every single religion is filled with one horrific story after another.
#17
Organic food in the U.S.
The regulations have been so watered down as to be meaningless….
Leading_Preparation6:
Happy to see this. It was my thesis topic and it’s definitely not what people think it is. Buy the “cheaper” version or grow your own because the USDA organic label means next to nothing.
Mason Kronol 10 hours ago
I still don’t understand the “organic” section in produce at our local grocery store it upsells looks the same or worse than everything else and isn’t labeled on where it came from.
#18
The email/text “this is the United Postal Service, your package has been delayed, we need you to verify name, address, and card information for delivery” gotten those dozens of times when I don’t have any packages on the way, but a ton of friends have fallen for it.
Child of the Stars 10 hours ago
I've recently started getting similar texts about my "order from Amazon" being canceled because of "the seller's reason." I haven't used my Amazon account since I canceled my Prime subscription 3 years ago.
#19
That one where you get a random “wrong number” text from a gorgeous woman who wants to get to know you. I promise no actual women want to get to know a random stranger they accidentally texted.
Bob Brooce 10 hours ago
Generally very good advice. It was before texting was a thing, but a glass artist named Josh Simpson (makes some amazing stuff) once answered a wrong number call from a woman who happens to be an astronaut. I've never found out exactly how the call went, but they're married. I'm not sure if he was already making his "planets" before that, but a lot of his work is inspired by space. Untitled-6...ae95d1.jpg 
#20
Paying money to the “IRS” in the form of Apple gift cards.
iseefractals 10 hours ago
and after you've done that, kindly send an eight ball and a couple hookers to this no-tell motel.....or you'll be audited.
#21
“Contractors” that show up to your door unsolicited telling you they’ll do work on your house for super cheap. *Especially* those “working in the area.”
Do your homework on anyone working on your house. Make sure they’re licensed, insured, permitted to work in your state etc.
#22
Amway, Herbalife and any pseudo-pharma-sounding c**p.
Yellow dot 1 hour ago (edited)
My darling cousin has been pushing keto products on instagram for some MLM scheme for 6 years. First she sold for that stupid "sharp forever" MLM knife company, then it was the romantic sex product MLM company, then it was a different crash diet MLM..... my poor cousin just doesnt understand how she isn't 1. Losing weight on these MLM crash diet companies and 2. Isnt getting promoted or making the money these companies promise she will make.
#23
Chiropractors. I’ve personally cared for two patients with vertebral artery dissections from chiro adjustments. I’ve known one other outside of work.
Jeff White 1 hour ago
Yes, there are "bad" Chiropractors. As there are "bad" Doctors, Police, Elected Representatives, etc. If, as noted in a earlier reply, you go to a certified practitioner "bad" stuff is much less likely. I can assure your that medicine is not going to adjust a badly misaligned spine.
#24
The five-day work week.
Lady Lestrange 6 hours ago
5-day??? wow.. I wish.. I have a six-day work week schedule. Needless to say, I'm burnt out.
#25
When people say invest in Cryptocurrency.
I'll tell them let me know when you can buy anything in the store or online with it.
#26
The Nigerian prince emails.
dude_stfu:
These are intentionally ridiculous / over-the-top / filled with errors. They don’t want to go back and forth with the 99% of people who can sniff out relatively obvious bulls**t. They want that rare, vulnerable 1% who will take the bait and believe it. Phishing is a science.
Roxy222uk 4 hours ago
This is what people don't realise. Predators seek out vulnerable prey. They are after people with learning difficulties, dementia, mental health problems, brain injuries, and those that are vulnerable due to loneliness or grief. When people say 'if you fall for it you deserve to be scammed' they are imagining someone like themselves.
#27
Healing crystals. If anything, they've become even more popular recently.
Edit: Having said that, I *have* seen them be very effective as tools to effect introspection and discussion about mental health, basically operating as a fun, dialectical abstraction of psychological concepts that might be too complicated or daunting to address directly. But it's a slippery slope to letting this abstraction become a real, significant part of how you live your life.
#28
Literally anything related to the slimy Kenneth Copeland Ministries. That guy is one of the biggest con artists, if not THE biggest, to ever exist in this country.
#29
Payday loans. The interest rates are atrocious. They prey on the poor.
BugABoo 2 hours ago
I feel the same way about rent-a-center. I get it is helpful to some who need things but can't afford them but the over charging is ridiculous. If you could just put aside the amount they want you to pay weekly/monthly you can buy what you need in a few week or months instead of paying $1000 for a $100 product.
#30
"Don’t forget tomorrow starts the new Facebook rule where they can use your photos. Don't forget Deadline today!!! It can be used in court cases in litigation against you. Everything you've ever posted becomes public from today Even messages that have been deleted or the photos not allowed. It costs nothing for a simple copy and paste, better safe than sorry”.
#31
Homeopathy.
Carliebeans:
Right?! My Dad has a friend with serious health issues. He’s under the care of traditional western medicine which has saved his life, and he also has his homeopathic ‘potions’. Guess what he credits for his health?
#32
The gift card one! I know a full grown adult who got an email from their "boss" telling them to go buy gift cards and send pics of them back to random email address. $5000 later...
#33
NFTs.
Tucker Cahooter 8 hours ago
I just did a quick Google on that "Bored Ape" rubbish and found that they are still being traded for not insubstantial amounts of money
#34
How about the scam I fell for :( The fraud department of my bank calling me, alerting me to fraudulent charges happening on my card. I’ve had my identity stolen before, so I wasn’t surprised snd was just grateful they found the charges early on. I googled the number and it was the same # as my bank.
They had identifying info about me that not just anyone would have and asked me verifying questions after that my bank asks me any time I have called them before. It was so, so believable and I was already in a stressed mental state prior to the call. When I called my bank directly the next day, even the employee told me it was legitimate. It wasn’t until I called again that an employee dug into their logs of texts/calls to me that they determined it was fake. Luckily, I was only out about 1.5 hours of my time in total with talking to the scammer, changing card and bank numbers, updating accounts, etc and didn’t lose a dime.
Main lesson I learned: If your bank calls you for ANY reason, hang up and call them directly. Don’t be dumb like me.
Edited to add: When they were sending me texts to verify things / help me add the card alerts to my phone, the confirmation texts came from a number that I’ve gotten legitimate texts from my bank before. They’re too smart!!
Lily Robertson 10 hours ago
My "bank" called me about something "suspicious" and wanted my bank info. I said i wasn't comfortable sharing that info when i was being called by a blocked number. She told me that was fine, and that i should call my bank and clear it up. I did. She was real, and there was something suspicious, which we cleared up, but i told them that having someone call like that was insane.
#35
Being green.
top 10 corporations produce 90% of the pollution. but it always falls on the citizen to be green! buy an ev you can’t afford!!
if everyone is pissing in the pool besides you, are you making a difference?
and i don’t mean to litter freely, everyone should 110% do their part. BUT. it’s crazy to think/ask citizens to completely change their routine day to day life while you still move on private jets/ motorcades.
for those of you jay don’t know. i drive a diesel F250. a new one with modern emission systems. every 5k ish miles i have to buy DEF(Diesel exhaust fluid) for my emissions right?
it comes in a 2.5 gallon plastic jug. with a plastic nosel thats wrapped in plastic in a cardboard box.. so how f*****g much am i helping?… (this is a required chemical on all diesels 2011? 2010? and newer.
#36
Ticketmaster.
GrumpyCoo:
Ticketmaster is one of the primary reasons I stopped going to concerts...
#37
Copper bracelets.
Quirky_Alt_Nerd:
Nothing upsets me more than making jewelry with copper and seeing people in the same market making the same thing but adding, “healing properties” or “natural healing remedy” to their website/shop/jewelry listings. It’s predatory behavior and I guarantee 99% of them don’t believe it themselves.
Donkey boi 5 hours ago
My Dad has a copper bracelet. He got it because he liked the look of it. The thing is, his circulation did start improving and his blood pressure did start coming down. He spoke the the doctor about it because he didn't believe that things like that actually worked. His Doc told him about the properties of copper, how it's biostatic and a bactericide, and about how it's a great conductor for energy. He spoke at length about the many uses of copper, from pest control & architecture, to art & cookware. He said, when you take all those thing into account, it means that your bracelet is going to be clean, but hurt a lot if you get zapped by something'. Turns out that leaving a stressful job can have positive health benefits.
#38
People that fall for the post office "$2 to unlock your package" text messages.
Nuts4WrestlingButts:
Sweet old Vietnamese lady at work showed me she got one of those and it took a half hour to convince her that, no, customs does not have your package.
#39
Internet service providers advertising 'up to' certain speeds. I'm paying for 'up to' 100mbps but getting 15 on a good day. It's like paying for a full tank of gas but only getting a quarter.
kath morgan 2 hours ago
I used to sell internet; the max speed is based on your connection. They can’t increase it (only throttle it). Upgrading your plan doesn’t change your cables and they’ll happily sell you a higher speed than you’re capable of getting so it’s worth checking for yourself.
#40
Buying new iPhones. They’re extremely overpriced.
Bob Brooce 10 hours ago
More generally, replacing most perfectly good stuff simply because it's a 2 to 4 years old and the new model has some minor improvements to go with the 24 to 60 month financing.
#41
Timeshares.
googlyevileye:
When my dad was young, he bought a time share. How he didn't realize signing a contract for 99 years isn't scammy is beyond me, but he also has put in his social security number into pop-ups trying to get out of said timeshare.
Barong 8 hours ago
If you use them yearly, it may not be bad. I know a lot of people that love them. Selling them is the hard part. Few want to buy a time share in an old complex. Some people only buy because of the heavy pushy salesmen, older complexes no longer have that. Many of the original amenities get curtailed to pay for maintenance that was improperly budgeted for. I rather buy a condo and Airbnb it out
#42
These Facebook posts imitating real companies saying you’d win whatever they’re offering, despite the page being created hours ago and the only post being said giveaway. The comments are always tragic to read.
Learner Panda 4 hours ago
My niece always falls for these and forwards them on to me or tags me.
#43
Emails that pretend to be from trusted companies, asking for personal information or account details.
#44
The biggest scam is one we all just accept and take anyway. Like commercials on paid subscriptions, and sites that we can only use if we sign away all indemnity.
#45
The amount of people who put their trust in apps like Snapchat believing them to be 100% secure and private and that everything they send on there, yes EVERYTHING, isn't stored in some server somewhere with their verified details attached to it all.... because.... Snapchat saves everything you send on there and there are countless examples of that information being retrieved and leaked online.
It's also incredibly easy to install work around which don't notify the person of images being screenshotted, so another reason to not blindly assume it's some super secure social media platform.
#46
Friendships with military colonel’s stuck overseas, looking for companionship, which turns into needing money.
Juley Clark 7 hours ago
Colonel's? In the last month my Mom has met three 5 Star General Doctors, at least 10 four star generals all of whom are over seas and who have at least one kid in a private school who desperately needs her to send the the info off an apple card to pay their phone bill. Mom is an author and has a blast trolling them.
#47
Alkaline Water
It's does nothing. It's just bad tasting water.
Nothing marketing claims is true.
Melissa Harris 7 hours ago (edited)
If I have a little heartburn I make my own. A tablespoon of baking soda in a large glass of water. Tastes awful but works well if sipped. Most OTC antacids are essentially sodium bicarbonate with flavorings.
#48
I just experienced this the other day - check engine light. How is it that with the electronics in today’s cars, that the car cannot just tell me what the code is and what it needs? And dealers charging $100+ to plug in a reader to get the code? That task takes 5 minutes or less. It should be mandated that anytime a CEL light comes on, the infotainment system tells you exactly what the problem is. Turns out on my car, the problem was the radiator flaps were not opening and closing properly. Luckily it was still under warranty.
#49
Scammers claiming to be from Verizon Fraud Protection were so convincing, they almost had me taken in.
Right up until they asked for my monthly payment (which would *immediately* be returned to my account after the transaction was completed) to be send to a Venmo recipient named Esteban Martinez.
#50
Those “you may be entitled to…” law ads. Depending on what scandal happens publicly there were be like 10 law firms foaming at the mouth trying to get clients.
Lily Robertson 10 hours ago
"Was one of your ancestors trampled by an elephant in the alps? You may be due compensation!"
#51
VPNs. While there are situations where they are useful, those reasons do not always match the reasons the marketing material suggest. They are not a magical security and privacy unicorn that saves you from every possible security threat.
pipipupumees:
There's only 3 reasons anyone should use a VPN: if you want to access services or websites that are unavailable in your country; torrenting in specific countries (if you don't know what that is then I guarantee you don't have to worry about this); or if you need to connect to a remote network (in this case your VPN would either be provided by the company you work at or you'd set up a VPN yourself on your own machine. Again, if you don't know what this means then you don't need to worry about this). VPNs don't provide any meaningful privacy, if anything they just make you less private because now the VPN company has all your data.
#52
Sending a cashiers check that’s for too much money to pay for something/reserve something and then asking for $ to be sent back (the original check subsequently bounces a few days later). So coming on Craigslist/Facebook/next door and people keep falling for it.
#54
Anything that involves free money.
Joseph Miller 2 hours ago
I don't know... I play some daily prize giveaways. I have won several times. They get their money from ads and pass some of that back to people who play their games. They probably also sell my e-mail address.
#57
Those sites that make you do hours of work by downloading shady apps and watching endless ads just to get you 20% of the way to getting a $5 target gift card.
#58
I’m surprised people still fall for fake job offer scams.
Child of the Stars 10 hours ago
Desperation will make you do things you wouldn't otherwise do.
#59
Going to university.
Not a total scam, but way overpriced for what it is. While tuition has skyrocketed, all the money has gone to more administrative jobs. Very little to the actual education of students.
Child of the Stars 10 hours ago
Overpriced, maybe, but not a scam if it's an accredited school.
#60
The kids playing violin at Walmart.
#62
Jake Paul / Logan Paul fights.
Scam Word Search
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Dog Mom to Zoe 4 hours ago
2 drink minimum when going to comedy clubs in the U.S. Well in California anyway. One of the many reasons I stopped going out. Concert tickets. They drop a huge screen for you to see the artist. Might as well watch it at home. Plus, if the person in front of you stands up, you're watching their behind. Waste of money in my opinion but you all do you.
Dog Mom to Zoe 4 hours ago
2 drink minimum when going to comedy clubs in the U.S. Well in California anyway. One of the many reasons I stopped going out. Concert tickets. They drop a huge screen for you to see the artist. Might as well watch it at home. Plus, if the person in front of you stands up, you're watching their behind. Waste of money in my opinion but you all do you.
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