Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
There are plenty of seemingly innocent products and services out there that are just elaborate ways of getting you to part with your money. They might not try to bamboozle you as obviously as some spammers and con artists, but underneath all the glitz and glamor, they’re still scams.
Redditors have been sharing their opinions about what things they consider to secretly be giant scams after redditor MelteyReddit asked them to share their thoughts on this. In a viral thread, these redditors touched on everything from baby products and printer ink cartridges to a variety of questionable ‘health’ products and multilevel marketing companies. You could argue one way or the other for some of these, but that’s half the fun.
Check out what these people think are total scams, meant to get you to hand over your hard-earned cash, and upvote the opinions that you agree with as well. Disagree with any of these opinions? Know of any other things that you think aren’t much better than actual scams? Share your thoughts in the comment section. Meanwhile, be sure to read Bored Panda’s in-depth interview with the author of the thread, MelteyReddit.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
This might be unpopular but here goes.... The Catholic church. Currently worth 30 billion, the Vatican has 8 billion in assets . In 2014, it was discovered they were hiding 1.1 billion off the books. Why aren't these funds going to the poor? In 2019 it was discovered the Vatican was heavily invested in unreported luxury apartments.
Then there's the ugly stuff all this money is financing; Until 2014, the age of consent in Vatican city was 12. Yes. Twelve - the lowest age of consent in the world. It was only changed after the pedophilia scandal took hold. Then there's the wide history of evils brought on by the church; the ivory trade, castration of young boys (castrada), the Spanish Inquisition, Holocaust denial, cutting funding for the poor with LGBQ ties and on and on....
The Catholic church provides a thin veneer of "good" for their followers, but for centuries they've been feeding corruption beneath the surface and continue to do so.
RELATED:
#2
Convincing every high school kid they NEED to go to university. In reality skilled Trades or another specialized school would be the best route for a lot of people, and the pay can be very good.
Hugh Willie Mungous 3 years ago
One of the great mistakes of recent Western thinking was the decision to push so many of the young towards higher education (and in to degrees of limited use) and away from apprenticeships. This has resulted in heavily indebted graduates who are of no use to the job market and an extreme skill shortage.
#3
Scientology
Redditor MelteyReddit’s question got quite a bit of attention on r/AskReddit. Their thread got 20.2k upvotes and 15.4k comments, while the original poster racked up a whopping 55 awards at the time of writing.
“When I first published my question, I didn't think it would get so much attention. I thought to get a few responses here and there but quickly realized my phone exploded with notifications,” the redditor shared with Bored Panda how they reacted to their post going viral.
“The reason why I think [the question] resonated so well is because it's a very open discussion that can be easily argued about,” they pointed out that there’s quite a bit of nuance in the thread and not everything is as black and white as it seems.
#5
Anything that says it will detox your body. That's what your kidneys are for.
#6
US healthcare system. I went to the ER a few weeks ago for an unknown pain in my chest and overall sh***y feeling. Got slapped with a 1500 bill with what turned out to be viral food poisoning. My brother, who is a doctor, said that was normal. Why the f**k is that normal?!
MelteyReddit personally believes that it’s vital to know where your money is going. “I always try to stay up to date with where my money is going. If you are unsure if something is a scam, you can try looking it up on the internet to see how other people feel about it,” they urged people to do their own background research before purchasing something. What’s more, if your gut says that something’s off, chances are that something fishy is actually going on.
In MelteyReddit’s opinion, there are a few things that stand out and scream that something’s secretly just one big giant scam.
“I think the best way to recognize one is by a few factors, [for example,] if they are really pushy about a product that they wanna sell or if the website design/product design looks fake/rushed. Or if they ask an unreasonable amount of money for their product,” they shared their take on how to recognize hidden scams. “An answer posted a lot on my post was the lottery or casinos. Of course, we can't forget those.”
The author of the post added that they’re thrilled and thankful to everyone who engaged with their thread on r/AskReddit. “I want to thank everyone for answering my post, it means a lot to me!”
#7
Funeral services, preying on the grief of loved ones.
I understand that its really for the living to celebrate their lost loved ones, but when I'm done I just want my family to bury my dead ass in the backyard and throw a bash at the house in my honor. Doubt I'll mind considering I'm dead.
#8
That humans are here to just work and die. No way humans evolved so we can work 5 of 7 days of the week, trying to jam fun in on weekends
#9
Emails and messages from corporates and celebrities that "We are in this together" during the pandemic.
For an earlier article, I’d spoken with one of the mods helping run the r/Scams subreddit, a community that helps support the victims of scams and help inform them about the various ways criminals might try to bamboozle them.
One of the mods told Bored Panda that rudimentary research, education, and preparation all make a huge difference when trying to recognize scams for what they are. Nobody is ever 100% foolproof, no matter how insightful and perceptive they might be, but it’s always better to educate ourselves. Internet scams, in particular, can be more difficult to recognize in some cases because you’re no longer dealing face-to-face with a real-life person.
“When you have a real person in front of you, a typical person will feel shame or guilt at the thought of taking advantage of a person. With the internet, you aren't dealing with a person, but a username and avatar. It is much easier to act maliciously when you don't have a real victim directly in front of you," they explained.
#10
Planned obsolescence.
Gandalf the Pink 3 years ago
A bit lacking in elaboration here so: Planned obsolescence is the practice of artificially making a product's lifespan shorter so people will replace it more often. This leads to a massive waste of resources and towering amounts of hardware trash that most often isn't recycled. Poisoning the planet all in the name of profit. If you wonder why phones seem to generally break just in time for a new generation of phones that's why. Nokia bricks was never as profitable as today's iPhones which a lot of people replace semi-anually. Imagine building yourself a house but not making it as sturdy and long lasting as possible. Planned obsolescence is seriously a horrifyingly Earth-destructive strategy. Another good example is light bulbs, which early models could last many years or even decades but today's light bulbs are manufactured to last about a year. Check out "This is why we can't have nice things" by Veritasium on youtube!
#12
The whole baby product industry is based on making parents feel worthless and irresponsible if they don’t shill out for things that will be outgrown or unnecessary in six months.
Lytha 3 years ago
When my son was born, as soon as I went out with him, even for an hour, I literally took EVERYTHING I could need. My bag weighed tons, but I was like "you never know". A few months later, I took a diaper or two, wipes and something to drink. And I had a lot of stress in less. It's difficult because indeed, as young parents, we take a lot of judgment in our teeth. "Ah, didn't you take (insert here the super crappy trendy thing that everyone considers essential)?" "You only took 12 diapers for an hour's outing ??? how are you going to do it?" "Do you use disposable wipes? I thought you were green?" "Is your stroller a second hand? You should have bought the (insert here a trendy stroller that costs a kidney)" ....
“Online scams also use a lot of tricks to pressure buyers; low prices, pushes to buy now!, taking advantage of someone's kindness or naivete (re: advance check fraud, money mules, etc), or advertising one product and sending another (or nothing at all, by using a fake tracking number). Getting a person to make a decision via high-pressure tactics and preventing them from reflecting and making a sound decision is key," the mod from r/Scams told Bored Panda earlier.
"If a deal is too good to be true, it is. If you see a pair of brand new Apple AirPods advertised for $50, you are not getting an authentic product. There are many counterfeit items out there on the market, and you need to verify authenticity before hitting buy," they said.
"Not only to avoid contributing to the counterfeit market, but because these knockoff products do not always go through the same safety standards of the real item; they may not be UL certified, they may use chemicals or ingredients that are not FDA approved and are unsafe for use on or in the human body, or could cause major harm to human life or property."
#13
Any claim that a 'magic' drink will help you burn fat.
No, no drink or no food can burn that -- that is a pure fabrication.
#14
Ink cartridges for your printer are super cheap to manufacture but the retail price is really high
#15
The wedding industry in the U.S.
$20,000 - $30,000 for a single day, stressful-as-hell event. When I learned a photographer alone runs $5000 minimum I almost puked. And a lot of venues didn’t give a s**t about covid and hosted packed weddings, resulting in deaths because “wE gOtTa MaKe MoNeY sOmEhOw” Absolute slime balls.
Now before all the vendors dog pile me, let me be clear, I’m fully aware why you guys charge as much as you do. I also hope you understand why an average person like me looks at the price and says hell no.
And for those that want a conventional wedding: If you can swing it, do whatever you want. My wife and I did a Sandals all-inclusive vaca/wedding/honeymoon, which has its own pros and cons but still a no-brainer due to the cost and convenience.
Lytha 3 years ago
A closed friend had a "dream" wedding, very expensive, very "conventional", very "not her". And when I found out the amounts allocated for this wedding, it hurt me a bit, because if I had such an amount, I could have finished paying off the house ... (spoiler alert, this was 15 years ago and the house is not yet reimbursed: D)
#16
Bottled water, looking at you Nestlé
Hugh Willie Mungous 3 years ago
I've only ever bought bottled water when I was in a jam - whenever I needed water and couldn't get tap water easily. I've never understood why anybody would waste their money on bottled water.
#17
Instagram fitness model meal plans. I cant believe people still pay them a lot of money for cookie cut meal plans and fitness advice. They are literally just pulling s**t off of google, copy paste your name, and make you think its personalized for you. Taking advantage of dumb people who are desperate to lose weight. Its pitiful on both sides.
Suzanne Haigh 3 years ago
I would not call them dumb or pitifull, I would say "Hopefull" or "Desperate"
#18
Any online course promising to teach you how to make money
Chloe *Leah* Pheonix 3 years ago
I basically make 80000-1000000000000 per day>>>>>>>omg so life changing>>>>>>>work online>>>>>>>*insert sketchy link*
#19
Two-party political systems. They seem to be in opposition to each other but in reality take "donations" from the same entities to further their agendas, so the sense of choice is mostly false in reality.
#20
All multi-level marketing companies.
They tell you that all you have to do Is get 5 people to sign up and they each get 5 people to sign up, etc. Except these are not mathematical geniuses running these companies. By the time you get about 12 levels deep, you’ve surpassed the entire population of the Earth. It’s a good lesson in exponents.
Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago (edited)
Just look at who falls for them, in huge numbers, and you’ll see why they don’t want the best and brightest. They don’t intend for anybody to do anything but spend money buying stock to sell.
#21
Companies saying their employees are valuable to them and they care about their employees.
#22
Casinos.
All of the casinos in my state are video poker and video slot machines. There are barely any table games left.
No one is happy, no one is having fun. It's just a room full of zombies feeding the machines and losing money. Every person I talk to is convinced that they know the secret formula to win. You cannot win.
It might sound trivial but the old slots were just a spinning reel. These new machines are extremely addictive. The way the lights flash and the sounds go off like: Bing Bing BING. WINNER of 40 cents. The entire thing is a psychology hack to give people the impression that they're winning when they're not.
Sam Kunz 3 years ago
We have a new Casino near where I live. I stopped in because they were offering a free buffet. I walked around and saw one person sit down and start to win hand over fist on a video slot. People crowded around the person. This person made thousands in minutes. Then got up and disappeared into the crowd but I followed and saw this "Winner" sneak into an employee only door. This person was paid to pretend to win.
#23
College tuition. I graduated with a B.S. Information Technology and Computer Science. Working at a job and earning just as much as my coworkers who didn’t go to college and earned certifications. They have zero debt, while I’m $40k in the hole.
beastmachine. 3 years ago
Dude I'll be getting into uni next month and my fees are about $300/yr for a STEM/CS deg that includes tuition and lodging along with food coz it's sponsored by government. For places that aren't sponsored you may have to shell out $4000-5000/yr and that's pretty reasonable
#24
Trying to look good for men by reading women's magazine articles! Throw those magazines away, take good care of yourself, make the best of what you've got and don't be defined by someone else's expectations of what you should be.
#25
Recycling plastics.
Less than 10% of plastic waste is actually recycled.
Hugh Willie Mungous 3 years ago
Why not just ban the use of single use plastics? It is easy - and quite a few countries have taken major steps in this direction. We can (and have in the past) relied on glass bottles, paper bags, paper straws, card burger containers, card ear bud shafts etc. etc.. Profits need not be affected (heaven forbid!) and most/many consumers would tolerate the tiny increase in prices.
#26
The five day work week
#27
Apple cables
ben woskje 3 years ago
The apple eco-system - all of it. Intentionally created to be product specific, always technically behind the current technology standards - creates an obscene amount of waste... all to lock people in.
#28
In the US, doing my own taxes. The government literally has all my info and can do it for me, but their excuse is that "but Americans like doing their own taxes!". No. I especially don't like being forced to pay for a service like TurboTax either.
Gin. No tonic 3 years ago (edited)
In my country taxes are done on a government's website, where most of the info is already inserted and I just have to check it or can add some extra expenses (such as giving back education/housing loan). It takes no more than 15 minutes once a year
#29
Essential Oils being marketed as having these major health benefits/as treatment for illnesses. The only exception being clearing your sinuses. Some essential oils actually do pretty good work in that regard (at least for me personally... mileage will vary I'm sure).
#30
The entire working economy is a scam. You bust your ass for half of your waking hours, at least, then get told that your work is worthless and you don't deserve basic needs... even though your rich owners are making millions in profit off of your "worthless" labor?
#31
The "All natural" market/label. Means nothing.
troufaki13 3 years ago
Gluten free. Most people are not gluten intolerant, it's just a fad they need to follow.
#32
Adobe’s subscription based monopoly
beastmachine. 3 years ago
Dude, just search on Google and you'll find so many alternatives. Maybe try watching Linus Tech Tips video on how they made videos without using any Adobe product
#33
College… TEXTBOOKS
#34
non-GMO food
GMOs are safe, we have been unknowingly doing this for thousands of years. Now we just have a more reliable,safe and fast way to do it.
A B C 3 years ago (edited)
This. People need to understand that selective farming, e.g. taking only the seeds of the most productive plants for next year, is selection based on genetic mutations and therefore LITERALLY IS genetic modification, just on a slow term and based on observation rather than design.
#35
Adulthood because kids think it’s great but it’s not
hyperunknown 3 years ago
Adulthood rocks. I'm 43, my other half is 42. 13 years going strong. No kids = no stress, no drama, no school/government/etc hassle, a lot more money, travel when we want, sleep when we want etc. Basically 2 peeps in their 40's still living like we're 18. You get the life you make for yourself by good planning, and not letting the energy stealers, Karens and drama-people in. Again, adulthood is awesome :D
#36
Pretty much anything that says it will enlarge your penis
#37
Herbalife
#40
Eating/drinking raw eggs. The proteins found in eggs only become useful to your body after the structures are changed by applying heat aka cooking them.
There's not only no point choking back a raw egg. You're also absorbing less protein from it than if you were to cook it.
"Cooked eggs have a bioavailability of around 91% for protein, while protein from raw eggs only is 50% bioavailable (Evenepoel et al., 1998)."
#41
Insurance, health insurance in particular. The whole concept is pay into a pool on the off chance that something happens you can get some kind of reimbursement which sounds fair on the whole, but is so often bogged down with unfair terms and conditions that many get screwed over. This on top of predatory policies and greedy salespeople means a whole lot of people get [screwed] over.
Kari Panda 3 years ago
That depends heavily on the country and honestly, I think it‘s a major reason why universal health care has such a bad reputation in the USA. I was in a bad car accident two years back and had no trouble at all with neither car nor health insurance, which I am very grateful for because I had enough to worry about at that time.
#42
Tiktok. They now have an event where they pay you $40 if you refer a friend. It’s clearly selling your private information, but people ask their friends to be referred like crazy.
#43
Realtors, probably the most overpaid, under qualified profession. The commission based comp is crippling for some sellers, and if you try to sell on your own (FSBO), they will steer all their buyers away from you.
#44
Having a royal family. It’s bonkers in this day and age that a country as grown up as Britain has a monarch that costs us all money, just for privilege of having her. A literal Queen, wearing a crown, who believes that she was sent by God to sit on a gold throne. And we have to sing a song asking for her longevity at football games. The royal family are a scam, cost us too much money and are currently harbouring a nonce to boot.
Gin. No tonic 3 years ago
It's image also brings in a lot of tourists, helps sell loads of souvenirs, and overall adds to the economy. It would be interesting to know not just the cost, but also the value of having a royal family. Also it seems that countries with royal families tend to be more stable during crises.
#45
Paying for college in the United States.
#46
Corporate owned apartment complexes tacking on hundreds of extra dollars in monthly fees on top of rent. Mandatory cable TV packages, parking fees (on a flat surface lot, with no assigned parking), valet trash. All a scam and just a way for them to pocket incremental sales on top of rent.
Jjiinnee 3 years ago
Isn't this only a high-end complex thing, ..for Luxury Apartments and Condos for people who make the top 1% of income? It is in Boston...I know many complexes on the waterfront do, but...who else but a top earner can afford 7k in rent a month, and why would they complain if they could? LOL.
#48
NFTs.
There will be a market for these in some form, but we are hip-deep in the rowdy, scam-filled early days.
#49
Chiropractors. "The only way I can help is if you come see me 3 times a week for as long as you live."
Valisbourne Spiritforge 3 years ago
I feel so much better after a visit to the chiropractor (once or twice a year) that I fail to understand the scam. I wanted my back to feel better and it does after I leave, service given, service paid for. Where was the scam?
#50
Fifa games
What do you think ?
Carol Emory 3 years ago
Surprised no one said Fashion. People making gaudy ridiculous clothing that couldn't cover a butterflies a$$ and charging $5,000 - $10,000 for the privilege of wearing the label. And how about the awards shows like the Emmy's and Oscar's that are an opportunity for celebs to wear those gaudy dresses and over-priced jewelry and for the film industry to sell more films (future film: "From the Oscar-Winning Director of blah-blah-blah-blah-blah.)
Don't Look 3 years ago
And even during an economic crisis fashion companies make too much money.
Load More Replies... Mike Crow 3 years ago
Most of these have to do with the goal of maximum profit and unfortunately it will get worse because anyone against it are usually called a communist.
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
Maximized profits for corporations, enabled by governments persuaded to de-regulate. The goal is to get as much cash in flow and out of savings. If you keep the roller coaster rolling it may dip but it will never crash. (And if we all clap loudly and endlessly, either Tinkerbell is still alive or Stalin won’t have us shot - I forget which).
Load More Replies...
Terd Fergison 3 years ago
The USA military-industrial complex. We just wasted trillions of dollars and thousands of lives in Afghanistan. It's a scam that both parties continually vote for. It's our biggest source of pollution. Pollution exacerbates climate change. And climate change exacerbates conflicts, wars, mass-migrations, and instability.
Carol Emory 3 years ago
Surprised no one said Fashion. People making gaudy ridiculous clothing that couldn't cover a butterflies a$$ and charging $5,000 - $10,000 for the privilege of wearing the label. And how about the awards shows like the Emmy's and Oscar's that are an opportunity for celebs to wear those gaudy dresses and over-priced jewelry and for the film industry to sell more films (future film: "From the Oscar-Winning Director of blah-blah-blah-blah-blah.)
Don't Look 3 years ago
And even during an economic crisis fashion companies make too much money.
Load More Replies... Mike Crow 3 years ago
Most of these have to do with the goal of maximum profit and unfortunately it will get worse because anyone against it are usually called a communist.
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
Maximized profits for corporations, enabled by governments persuaded to de-regulate. The goal is to get as much cash in flow and out of savings. If you keep the roller coaster rolling it may dip but it will never crash. (And if we all clap loudly and endlessly, either Tinkerbell is still alive or Stalin won’t have us shot - I forget which).
Load More Replies... Terd Fergison 3 years ago
The USA military-industrial complex. We just wasted trillions of dollars and thousands of lives in Afghanistan. It's a scam that both parties continually vote for. It's our biggest source of pollution. Pollution exacerbates climate change. And climate change exacerbates conflicts, wars, mass-migrations, and instability.
Related on Bored Panda
