31 Scams People Can't Believe They Fell For
Featured 11/05/2021
Scams are everywhere around us. We hear about them every day, usually about some poor sap who fell for a scam you would have seen from twenty miles away. Because those kinds of things wouldn't happen to you of course.
Well, unfortunately, these people thought the same way. The truth is you wouldn't fall for the extended warranty scam because you're lucky enough to know just enough to see the holes in the scheme -- but some people aren't. Conversely, there's plenty of scams out there predicated on the informational asymetry that you might not be specifically informed enough to see coming.
So get reading and learn from the mistakes of others.
Well, unfortunately, these people thought the same way. The truth is you wouldn't fall for the extended warranty scam because you're lucky enough to know just enough to see the holes in the scheme -- but some people aren't. Conversely, there's plenty of scams out there predicated on the informational asymetry that you might not be specifically informed enough to see coming.
So get reading and learn from the mistakes of others.
1. Lost $700 to a housing scammer. Back in May this year I inquired about a CL ad for a house for rent. It was a perfect match for me. Nice house, good neighborhood, owner would let me have whatever pets I wanted without any fees.
Should have realized it was too good to be true. Made the mistake of wiring them the deposit money without signing anything or meeting with anyone.The worst part is that I was being so careful the whole time, researching and verifying any information given to me, and I still made a stupid mistake that cost me money I couldn't afford to lose.
Should have realized it was too good to be true. Made the mistake of wiring them the deposit money without signing anything or meeting with anyone.The worst part is that I was being so careful the whole time, researching and verifying any information given to me, and I still made a stupid mistake that cost me money I couldn't afford to lose.
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2. I bought pheromone cologne in high school for like 100 dollars because it was said to cause a chemical reaction that makes women attracted to you. It smelt awful and I never spoke to a chick while wearing it. I later found out the pheromones were taken from some type of animal urine. I was spraying piss on me and was confused why chicks weren't into me.
3. Me and my dad go into Walmart to buy some groceries. We come out and load them into the truck, and the truck won’t start? Never had problems with the truck before this. My dad is getting frustrated as we have chilled food with us and it’s summer. Suddenly, a homeless man on a bike rolls up and asks what the problem was.
My dad explains that he has no idea his truck just won’t start. Guy asked to take a look.Guy gets under the truck and in 10 seconds comes back out. He told my dad he found the problem, a small part was missing on his truck (me and my dad are dips***s when it comes to cars so I can’t remember what part he said. Also I was 10).
The man said he just so happened to have the same part in his bag of nicknacks. Said if he gave him $50 he’d put it on for him. My dad, excited, agreed. The man went under the truck, another 10 seconds pops back up, says give it a try. Truck starts no problem. My dad thanks the man so much and then gives him another $40 for his trouble.
It was only on the ride home that I brought it up to my dad “you’re telling me none of that seemed off to? Random homeless man rides up just in time with just the right part we need?”It finally hits my dad and he turns around to find the guy but he was long gone.
My dad explains that he has no idea his truck just won’t start. Guy asked to take a look.Guy gets under the truck and in 10 seconds comes back out. He told my dad he found the problem, a small part was missing on his truck (me and my dad are dips***s when it comes to cars so I can’t remember what part he said. Also I was 10).
The man said he just so happened to have the same part in his bag of nicknacks. Said if he gave him $50 he’d put it on for him. My dad, excited, agreed. The man went under the truck, another 10 seconds pops back up, says give it a try. Truck starts no problem. My dad thanks the man so much and then gives him another $40 for his trouble.
It was only on the ride home that I brought it up to my dad “you’re telling me none of that seemed off to? Random homeless man rides up just in time with just the right part we need?”It finally hits my dad and he turns around to find the guy but he was long gone.
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4. My older sisters told me eggs grew on trees. I vehemently disagreed. They made me plant an egg yolk. I came back later to check, and a stem had grown. Later, leaves showed up. I started to believe. I came back again and they had put plastic Easter eggs filled with candy on the tree.
5. Shipping companies online. This could probably classify as much as a TIFU as a scam, but moved back from Ireland to Canada. Company never provided a proper packing list (first tip off) and then went "bankrupt" several days after picking up everything from my home.
PC gaming rig with 2 monitors, PS3, games for both, book, rpg and comic collections, entire music and movie library, autographs, ticket stubs and set lists from concerts, clothes, cameras, figurines like Clouds bike from FF7 Advent Children movie, etc. Only stuff they didn't get, which wasn't much, was what I packed up to take with me on the flight home.
PC gaming rig with 2 monitors, PS3, games for both, book, rpg and comic collections, entire music and movie library, autographs, ticket stubs and set lists from concerts, clothes, cameras, figurines like Clouds bike from FF7 Advent Children movie, etc. Only stuff they didn't get, which wasn't much, was what I packed up to take with me on the flight home.
6. My former best friend and his dad cheated me out of my money to invest in their company. When I asked for a contract, his dad said, "Between true friends, words aren't necessary."When they started making money, I asked for my money back, and they said they didn't owe me a thing.
7. When i was like 14 (maybe?), I saved up all of my money all year from my paper route to get people nice gifts at Christmas.When i went to the mall, there was a man there who was "deaf."He handed me a keychain with a note that read "i am a deaf person, and am unemployed. Will you please buy this keychain for $5?"
Being naive, i pulled out my wallet with like $500 cash. The guy was so happy that i wanted to help him that he taught me a secret handshake. When i sat down, i noticed my wallet was gone.Literally 8 months of savings gone to some scam artist in exchange for a 25 cent keychain.I wish i could say that i didnt cry.
Being naive, i pulled out my wallet with like $500 cash. The guy was so happy that i wanted to help him that he taught me a secret handshake. When i sat down, i noticed my wallet was gone.Literally 8 months of savings gone to some scam artist in exchange for a 25 cent keychain.I wish i could say that i didnt cry.
8. I was at this bizarre fair type of thing, and I fell for going into the tent which housed the "180 pound man eating chicken." I knew it was going to be cheesy and a likely waste of $2, but I had to go see it anyway.It was a regular man who picked up a plate of fried chicken and started eating it when paying customers came in. I wasn't even mad.
9. When I was little my Grandma would take me thr dentist for my regular cleanings. After the fluoride she would tell me now you're not allowed to have candy for a month because of the fluoride. She would get the dentist to agree with her.I believed this for a couple years until I mentioned how it's not fun having to wait a month to eat candy because of the dentist to my friends at school. I knew something wasn't right when I realized noone knew what I was talking about.I went home and told her I knew the no candy after the dentist wasn't true. Her response was "well I'm suprised I got away with that for as long as I did".
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10. I was in Nicaragua. A group of 7-year old boys asked me for money because they were "starving". I gave them what I could. That same day I saw them all smoking cigarettes.
11. I once came down with a bout of the hemorrhoids. Well, I assumed it was based on what I knew about hemorrhoid. Too embarrassed to ask friends and family for advice, I did what most people do in these circumstances, I sought medical advice from the Internet.This was back in the 90's so I logged onto AOL and searched for a cure.
I found a website that offered a permanent cure of hemorrhoids. The curator of this site learned this cure when he was a POW in Vietnam, and for $10 I could be hemorrhoids free forever.Ten dollars poorer and I get the email (with the cure). The cure was to stick my finger up my ass and twirl it around for ten minutes a day, every day. It was then I realized I just paid someone to tell me to stick my finger up my ass.
I found a website that offered a permanent cure of hemorrhoids. The curator of this site learned this cure when he was a POW in Vietnam, and for $10 I could be hemorrhoids free forever.Ten dollars poorer and I get the email (with the cure). The cure was to stick my finger up my ass and twirl it around for ten minutes a day, every day. It was then I realized I just paid someone to tell me to stick my finger up my ass.
12. Young horny teenage me took a wrong turning looking for stimulation and ended up paying the 'FBI' £30 to not arrest me and tell my parents.
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13. A year ago (I’m 17 now) I wanted to get into the stock market and met someone online through a mutual online friend who was old enough to open a broker. I did all the research and, at the height of corona, I invested 3k, all my savings, into a stock that eventually multiplied. Guy took my money and the profits and both ended up blocking me :/
14. I got pulled into an Amway meeting. When I was in college I was working as a waiter at a Pizza Hut, and a customer came in and struck up a conversation. Eventually he pitched me on a possible new job. He described it as "kind of like an internship."The first red flag should have been he wouldn't give me any specifics other than something about "running a business."
Next he gave me a date/address of where to meet and he told me to dress in a suit. That also seemed weird since we were meeting at 7pm. Who interviews at 7pm?Anyway I get there, and about a hundred other people are there. I was getting a weird vibe and I should have run at that point, but I was desperate for something other than waiting tables.
After an hour of parading different motivational speakers they finally announced they sold Amway to achieve their goals. I then went home older, wise, and destined to serve pizza for many more months.
Next he gave me a date/address of where to meet and he told me to dress in a suit. That also seemed weird since we were meeting at 7pm. Who interviews at 7pm?Anyway I get there, and about a hundred other people are there. I was getting a weird vibe and I should have run at that point, but I was desperate for something other than waiting tables.
After an hour of parading different motivational speakers they finally announced they sold Amway to achieve their goals. I then went home older, wise, and destined to serve pizza for many more months.
15. I fell for a really weird scam at my old job. It was a very small office so we all picked up the phone when the main line rang. I answered it one day and this guy told me he needed to send me a new manual for our printer/copier.
I thought it was a little weird, but he insisted it was free and the only piece of information he was asking me for was the model number, so I gave it to him. He thanked me and said we'd receive the new manual in the mail shortly.We never did receive anything in the mail, but afterwards I read about the scam online.
Apparently they ask you for the model number and then start shipping you sh**ty off-brand toner and charging you insane prices for it. If the business is paying attention, they'll throw out the toner and refuse to pay for it, and no real harm is done. But plenty of offices just assume it's their regular toner, start using it and end up paying the jacked up prices to this sketchy company.
I thought it was a little weird, but he insisted it was free and the only piece of information he was asking me for was the model number, so I gave it to him. He thanked me and said we'd receive the new manual in the mail shortly.We never did receive anything in the mail, but afterwards I read about the scam online.
Apparently they ask you for the model number and then start shipping you sh**ty off-brand toner and charging you insane prices for it. If the business is paying attention, they'll throw out the toner and refuse to pay for it, and no real harm is done. But plenty of offices just assume it's their regular toner, start using it and end up paying the jacked up prices to this sketchy company.
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16. I got duped into paying close to 100 thousand dollars to some people who told me that if I took a bunch of chemistry classes, along with some random philosophy and literature classes thrown in there, I would almost be guaranteed a high-paying job. All I had to do was pay the money and pass the classes.
They said I could take out a loan for the 100k and would easily pay that off with my fat paychecks.Turns out almost no such jobs exist. Fortunately, I was able to get some good scholarships and owe a fraction of that.
In any event I was scammed out of four years of my life and still owe a few thousand dollars to a lender. The scammers laughed all the way to their Cancun vacations and luxurious homes with my scholarship and loan money. I'll never see that money again.
They said I could take out a loan for the 100k and would easily pay that off with my fat paychecks.Turns out almost no such jobs exist. Fortunately, I was able to get some good scholarships and owe a fraction of that.
In any event I was scammed out of four years of my life and still owe a few thousand dollars to a lender. The scammers laughed all the way to their Cancun vacations and luxurious homes with my scholarship and loan money. I'll never see that money again.
17. I fell for the white van speaker scam around 2005 ish. I was leaving Wal-Mart with some groceries when a guy in a van approached me. He said he just installed a fairly expensive stereo in a client's house nearby but the buyer did not want an extra set of speakers and subwoofer. He said he would sell them to me for half of their value, something like 500 bucks. I told him I didn't have that kinda cash and would he take 200, which is all I had on me. He acted like he couldn't go that low but ultimately I ended up with them. Yeah, they lasted about a week and sounded horrible. Ended up being some super cheap Chinese speakers that sold for like 40 bucks.
18. I was working at a supermarket and this guy came in, purchased a soda for like a dollar and some change and then gave me a $100. I was like 17. Obviously this guy is gonna get ~$97 back with the $100 he gave me. So when I’m dolling out his change, he starts requesting all these denominations, confusing the hell out of me. He also had a guy with him talking to people behind him to distract them.
I have no idea how much money I ended up giving him when the transaction was completed, but it turned out he swindled me out of about $200. This is what is known as a flim flam scam. I never felt so stupid in my life. A few months later, my sister was working with me, and as I was coming in to start work, I saw the men that screwed me leaving, and they got her too. She was devastated and felt the same way I did.
I have no idea how much money I ended up giving him when the transaction was completed, but it turned out he swindled me out of about $200. This is what is known as a flim flam scam. I never felt so stupid in my life. A few months later, my sister was working with me, and as I was coming in to start work, I saw the men that screwed me leaving, and they got her too. She was devastated and felt the same way I did.
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19. Someone calling my hotel room, saying it was the front desk, and that they had some sort of error with their payment system. The person (a male) said they just needed to re-run my card along with verify my name and address. Half-asleep, I begrudgingly gave them what they wanted, hung up the phone, and said "F**k...what the hell am I doing? I booked through Priceline."
Called the front desk and a female answered. Sure enough no men were working the front desk and nobody in the hotel staff had called requesting anything of the sort. Next call was to report that card stolen.Should have followed my first instinct and just told them I'd come down to the front desk and resolve it there.
Called the front desk and a female answered. Sure enough no men were working the front desk and nobody in the hotel staff had called requesting anything of the sort. Next call was to report that card stolen.Should have followed my first instinct and just told them I'd come down to the front desk and resolve it there.
20. Got a call saying there was something wrong with my internet service. I downloaded the spyware that allowed to person on the phone to remotely control my computer. I became to suspicious when they wanted me to login to my bank account. Reset that b**ch to factory settings and felt shame I'd let it get that far.
21. I gave half my nights tip money to a woman who said her car broke down and she had to go pick her kids up from daycare. I believed her because she was standing in front of a car getting towed. I told someone about it later and they described her to a T and said "yea that's Kimbo, you just bought her a weeks worth of crack". I've met like six people since then that she's done the same thing to.
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22. Walked down the tunnel to DC Metro and approached a ticket machine to get my Metro fare card; found a well dressed lady confused by the machine, and not quite a full English speaker. Convinced me to buy her a ticket as she was to meet her daughter at office downtown. Finally bought her a damn ticket, and then she asked if the ticket was enough to get her back too?
Gave her an extra $5 bucks as that's all I had other than large bills and told her to be sure and have her daughter explain all this too her. Guess what? A few days later I went back to that same Metro spot, and she was in the process of scamming some other dude using the same story. I stood behind them until she played off the "will this get me back?", then busted her right there. She gave me an excellent cussing for someone who didn't know English.
Gave her an extra $5 bucks as that's all I had other than large bills and told her to be sure and have her daughter explain all this too her. Guess what? A few days later I went back to that same Metro spot, and she was in the process of scamming some other dude using the same story. I stood behind them until she played off the "will this get me back?", then busted her right there. She gave me an excellent cussing for someone who didn't know English.
23. My mom was so close to falling for the 'soldier' scam.She started talking to some army guy through a dating site and very quickly he got romantic and almost in love over messages. She started to really fall for him.Then he asked if she could buy phone credit for his daughter as he couldn't use his money abroad whilst he was stationed...
She had no money and told him so and he got a bit weird over it. She googled this situation as something didn't sit right and discovered the popular scam of Nigerian men using photos of soldier's, setting up profiles and getting older women to part with cash. They start off small like phone credit and it escalates to life savings and all worldly possessions.When we looked over his messages after finding out, it all seemed so obvious.
The messages were a bit disconnected and seemed scripted. She realized he wasn't really answering her questions or responding to specific thing she had said.It seems silly now as people are so aware of these type of scams but at the time it really wasn't that obvious.
She had no money and told him so and he got a bit weird over it. She googled this situation as something didn't sit right and discovered the popular scam of Nigerian men using photos of soldier's, setting up profiles and getting older women to part with cash. They start off small like phone credit and it escalates to life savings and all worldly possessions.When we looked over his messages after finding out, it all seemed so obvious.
The messages were a bit disconnected and seemed scripted. She realized he wasn't really answering her questions or responding to specific thing she had said.It seems silly now as people are so aware of these type of scams but at the time it really wasn't that obvious.
24. Back on the early 2000s I fell for the Russian Bride Scam... to a degree. I didn't send money but I did believe for a short while, a few weeks, that I was being contacted by a Russian hottie in the Ukraine or Estonia or somewhere and that she was interested in me. What killed it was that she asked me to wire a few bucks so she could pay for time at an internet cafe.
I copied and and pasted text from her email into Google an quickly discovered it was the first step in a larger scam where they escalate what they ask for over time eventually asking for a few thousand dollars to purchase a plane ticket to come visit the US. It was early 2000's back when the internet was a bit more "Wild West" even before Facebook was a thing. What kind of hurt my feelings about it all was that I realized that my online presence must have reeked loneliness.
I copied and and pasted text from her email into Google an quickly discovered it was the first step in a larger scam where they escalate what they ask for over time eventually asking for a few thousand dollars to purchase a plane ticket to come visit the US. It was early 2000's back when the internet was a bit more "Wild West" even before Facebook was a thing. What kind of hurt my feelings about it all was that I realized that my online presence must have reeked loneliness.
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25. I was about 11-12 and very interested in sign language. A guy came up to me and pulled the old I'm deaf, buy this card con. I tried to sign "no, I'm sorry". He didn't seem to get it. I felt so bad about my signing being so terrible, I gave him my only $10.
26. That guy who just ran out of money but needs to buy a train ticket to go home and see his family.At the time I was like, "gosh, even if there's a chance he is lying, I want to help."About thirty seconds later I was like, "I am an idiot."
27. In Lego Universe a guy told me he'd show me a cool glitch for 10,000 coins. I was young and stupid. Bastard took the money and ran.
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28. I feel so dumb for this. Gypsy pulls up next to my jeep and says he will take the dents out of the doors for 100 bucks. He puts some wax over the dents "to keep the paint from cracking" then proceeds to wiggle a tool through the inside of the door to push the dents out.
He actually did push them out a little bit but I could tell that they would still show once I removed the wax (the wax was there to make it harder to see the dents, when the paint isn't shiny it's harder to see imperfections even if they are big). I told him he didn't actually fix it and I rubbed the wax off to show him. But now I'm standing there with just me and two gypsies with tire irons in their hand. So I paid them. I justify my cowardice with the fact that it was Christmas time
He actually did push them out a little bit but I could tell that they would still show once I removed the wax (the wax was there to make it harder to see the dents, when the paint isn't shiny it's harder to see imperfections even if they are big). I told him he didn't actually fix it and I rubbed the wax off to show him. But now I'm standing there with just me and two gypsies with tire irons in their hand. So I paid them. I justify my cowardice with the fact that it was Christmas time
29. Was headed to a concert in CLE and found a parking garage. Dude was standing out front and said 20 dollars. Garage was right across from the venue so I agreed, payed him his 20 and he turned and sprinted down the street. Dude didn't work for the parking garage...I couldn't even get mad, just shook my head in awe of the chillness that the dude used to take my 20...
30. My old roomate got thrown in jail one night - he went out drinking with a bunch of friends and was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyway, I go with his girlfriend to bail him out. We get to the jail and some guy approaches us and ask if we need a bail bondsman. We have no idea what we're doing so we say yes and then go to some bonds place. He asks us for $300 for the bail then goes inside - and never comes out.
So my roomates girlfriend goes inside to see where he is and nobody's ever heard of him. So we lost all his money and he's stuck in jail for 2 days until they release him. He wasn't happy that we lost his money and failed at getting him out. I was 17 at the time so didn't think people would be that cruel - I know better now.
So my roomates girlfriend goes inside to see where he is and nobody's ever heard of him. So we lost all his money and he's stuck in jail for 2 days until they release him. He wasn't happy that we lost his money and failed at getting him out. I was 17 at the time so didn't think people would be that cruel - I know better now.
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31. You are the 1,000,000th visitor to this site.I was 6 or 7 using windows 98 you do the math.
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