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Netizens Are Sharing Scams Most Folks Fall For Without Realizing It, Here Are 32 Of The Worst
We all like to think of ourselves as savvy consumers, capable of spotting a scam from a mile away. But the reality is that some scams are so well-disguised, so seamlessly woven into everyday life, that we don’t even recognize them for what they are.
Someone asked the internet, “What’s a scam so good that people don’t even realize they’re falling for it?” and netizens didn’t hold back in their disdain of everything from dental insurance to streaming services. Here’s a collection of the top offenders.
More info: Reddit
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#1
Whatever the f**k Trump and Elon are doing.
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#2
Prosperity gospel religions.
Heras buddy 9 months ago
Goes against ALL the teachings of Jesus. How do people fall for the BS.
#3
Modern Conservativism was created by a coalition led by Ronald Reagan and Pat Roberts to convince the working class to vote against their interests in order to transfer wealth to the wealthiest ruling class.
It's all a f*****g lie and we are at the logical end point.
Tamra 9 months ago (edited)
I'm no economist, but it seems to me if you want a healthy capitalistic society, then it would seem to make sense to not bleed the working class to death just to give the CEOs increasingly large bonuses year after year. It seems like common sense to not give tax cuts to the wealthy, and then turn around and gut funding for education and social support networks to pay for it. I'm wondering how much we'll all take before we start rioting in the streets. The 1% continues to bleed us dry, but we are the 99%. If we can stop fighting each other and start fighting the ones who are robbing us blind, we might get somewhere. WE ARE THE 99.
The scams we’re talking about today aren’t outright frauds, but rather cleverly designed traps that make us part with our hard-earned cash without a second thought. From hidden fees to psychological tactics, let’s take a deep dive into some of the most common scams that subtly drain our wallets.
Let’s start with extended warranties, a.k.a. the ultimate upsell. The sales pitch makes it sound like your new gadget is destined to fail the moment you take it home. But the truth is products already come with manufacturer warranties that cover defects, and the cost of an extended warranty is often close to or even higher than a typical repair.
#4
Credit Card processing fee. These companies are taking 3.5% of every transaction. It's 160 BILLION per year. And that's not including another $120 billion in interest and fees direct to the consumer.
The EU had set the processing fee at 0.3%. In modern times with computers and the internet it doesn't cost the processors that much to maintain the networks. It's a price-setting with just four processors (Visa, MasterCard, AmEx, and Discover).
It's a huge wealth transfer with no real competition.
#5
Social Media.
The "social" pales in comparison to the "media" part. It's all advertising being pumped right into your brain.
Scarlett O'Hara's Ghost 9 months ago
I'm on bored Panda through duck duck go browser. No ads. Not one. None.
#6
Tipping culture in the US.
Corporations have successfully brainwashed the population into thinking that paying retail workers’s wage is customer’s job.
Employees and customers fight tooth and nail with each other over the amount of tips making it even a political issue at times all the while saving dollars for corporations. Pretty good scam.
Now let’s talk about subscription traps, or the neverending “free trial”. Have you ever signed up for a free trial and completely forgotten about it until you saw a charge on your statement? That’s not an accident. Companies count on this happening, and they design their sign-up process to ensure you fall into the trap.
They ask for a credit card upfront (ensuring you’ll be charged automatically if you forget to cancel), then they bury the cancellation process deep in their website or make it overly complicated. To add insult to injury, they’ll auto-renew at full price without giving you a proper warning. Isn’t that just a little despicable?
#7
US dental insurance often has a yearly maximum benefit of less than $1500. It makes health insurance look like a benevolent institution. Yes the two are separate because teeth are not part of your health apparently.
Austzn 9 months ago (edited)
To build on this; when you have kids the dentist will often "refer" you to orthodontists which sounds very medical but is in fact not covered by insurance because it is cosmetic. It costs like $5000/child and they prey on parents. "After adjusting your teeth you still have to wear a little retainer at night for life or your teeth will slowly shift back to their natural position." -The orthodontist where my kids go. SCAM!
#8
Thinking that HR is on your side when you complain against your workplace.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 9 months ago
I learned this the hard way in my late 30s when I got a retail job for 2 1/2 years during the pandemic. I'd worked at my family's small business all my life - literally from when I was 12 years old - so I'd never had a long-term "outside" normal job. I really had thought that HR was there to help resolve issues and prevent co-workers and bad managers from abusing you. Nope. Turns out that they only care about the company and NOT any of the employees - oh, but they DO know which employees are the manager's favorites, or which managers have some sort of "shall not be touched" aura, even if they're doing something blatantly illegal. I made an HR report about a co-worker, who turned out to be the GM's favorite. The favorite wasn't even warned for all of the workplace violations he was perpetrating, but I was "let go" a few months later XD Live and learn!
Then there are the instances where you’re effectively paying for nothing. We’re looking at you, service fees and “convenience” charges. Ever booked a flight, bought concert tickets, or checked into a hotel, only to see the final bill stuffed with hidden fees? These exist solely to increase the company’s profit margin and often have no real justification.
Ticketing websites charge "convenience fees" for online purchases, hotels add mandatory “resort fees” (even if you don’t use the amenities), and some airlines are even charging baggage fees for carry-on luggage now. These fees make advertised prices look lower, tricking consumers into thinking they’re getting a deal, but it’s raw.
#10
Crypto and NFTs.
Jackie Lulu 9 months ago
When I first heard about Crypto, I was sure it was made for criminals and money laundering.
#11
American insurance. As a European, why the f**k would you pay for insurance that half of the time just doesn't cover??
#12
Supporting billionaires.
They’re billionaires because they’re f*****g over the average citizen. .
Things get even shiftier when it comes to dynamic pricing. Ever noticed that flight prices seem to go up after you’ve checked them a couple of times? That’s because companies use dynamic pricing, which adjusts based on various factors, including your browsing history, demand (cough, cough, ride-sharing apps), and your device (Apple users have been known to be charged more).
We all know the banks are scamming us, but did you know exactly how much? Banks love to nickel-and-dime their customers with sneaky fees, such as overdraft charges that spiral into the hundreds, minimum balance fees on supposedly “free” accounts, and ATM fees that charge you twice—once by your bank and once by the ATM owner.
#13
Paying for (multiple) streaming services...
Paying extra to gain access to content on those services (you're already paying for)...
Paying even more to "buy" specific movies or TV shows (no actual tangible ownership)...
Apatheist Account2 9 months ago
I had Virgin Media call me once and offer, for an additional £8 per month, to give me the broadband speed that I had actually signed up for.
Bexxperience 9 months ago
They forgot "paying even more to access that content without ad breaks"
nottheactualphoto 9 months ago
Back in the days of Basic Cable, I used to wish that cable channels were à la carte. Now I've learned to be careful what I wish for.
camomooey 9 months ago
Me too. But I would still rather pay for several streaming channels than pay for cable, or DISH or Direct TV, all of which have many many channels that are completely unwatchable for me.
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Glen Ellyn 9 months ago
"Paying even more to "buy" specific movies or TV shows (no actual tangible ownership)..." In a way, that's what we did in the days of Blockbuster and Hollywood Video.
Tom De Paul 9 months ago
Bring back cds and dvd's. Books, too. I want to own the content. People became over-enamored with the technology. To their detriment.
#14
Tax refunds. People think the government is giving them money. It’s not. It’s just paying back the zero interest loan you gave them.
You’d expect that kind of behavior from bankers, but not wellness practitioners, surely? Alas, the wellness industry is filled with overpriced, unproven products. Common offenders? Detox teas that do nothing, “metabolism boosters” with no scientific backing, and “superfoods” that cost a fortune but have little real benefit over healthy eating.
Of course, we couldn’t finish this piece without calling out real estate agent commissions (overpriced and outdated) and multi-level marketing (MLM) that only pays the people at the top. Sheer trickery. Which scams in this list resonated with you most? Upvote your worst and don’t forget to leave a comment if you feel the urge.
#16
Trickle down economics.
#18
Propaganda in general. It's usually so good that the people who fall for it have no idea they're being manipulated. And we all fall for some of it.
#19
Multi level marketing aka pyramid schemes.
#20
Mormonism. You are required to give the church 10% of all your income your entire life :/ and its just awful on top of it all (I was a member for almost 30 years).
Calane E. Vanya 9 months ago
I have that problem too (in my small European country) - my taxes goes to catholic church even if I'm not a believer. That's something that need to end.
#24
I just switched from paying T-Mobile $198 a month for two lines (not paying for anything else!) to metro (owned by T-Mobile using the same network) and am now paying $45 a month. *that* is the scam of a lifetime.
#25
The american dream.
#26
There is no reason to buy expensive bottled water. It's WATER for f**k sake.
Bi.Felicia 9 months ago
There are many reasons to buy bottled water, especially if you're somewhere that doesn't have safe or clean drinking water.
#27
The stock market- nothing but a huge legal Ponzi scheme -all the prices based off of potential future earnings- not actual profits-it’s how Elon has made so much while he’s really run pretty poorly run companies ( they really haven’t made much, if any, profit). It’s a huge huge house of cards.
BeesEelsAndPups 9 months ago
Not exactly a ponzi scheme. It's a legalized gambling arena that uses a vast amount of tools to create an uneven playing field benefitting a leisure class
#28
Expensive vodka. Vodka is vodka is vodka is vodka. It's distilled nothingness. I really don't think pouring it over a crystal you found in a ditch on the moon can change distilled potato juice into anything other than distilled potato juice.
#29
Large sized products - you don’t need the large but the small is a bit too small and the medium is too expensive for the size.
#30
Life. We’re thrust into this world, forced to work for things that, in the grand scheme of the universe, hold no real value. We spend most of our lives just trying to survive, only to catch brief, fleeting moments where we actually feel alive. It’s a cruel trade-off, sacrificing time for mere glimpses of life’s true beauty.
#32
The good old gift card scam. I had a manager fall for that. They made a cashier's drawer short 400 bucks.
Robert T 9 months ago (edited)
No idea what particular scam is being referred to, but gift cards themselves are a scam, particularly those with expiry dates on them. Even banknotes which have been withdrawn from circulation can normally be redeemed at your country's central bank - they never expire. I'm bitter that I stand to lose £8 to Microsoft as they are shuttering Skype and I will lose my credit.
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