Looking Back at 14 of History’s Most Insane Scams

zachnading Published 10/27/2023

Let's be honest, everything as an adult feels like a scam. Phone calls? Scam. Stopped on the street? Scam. Free stuff? Massive scam.

Thanks to the good folks over at AskReddit, we've compiled 15 of history's greatest scams. From the con artist who convinced an entire population to move to a fake country, to a ticketing service that continues making up ridiculous add-on fees such as "facility charge fees" we've got you covered.

Keep your head on a swivel out there. Scammers have been and always will be lurking around every corner. That's just the world we live in. Welcome to adulthood.

1.

Bottled Water.

Research suggests that for most Americans, the stuff in a bottle is not better for you than the stuff in your tap. In fact, a recent report found that almost half of all bottled water is actually derived from the tap, but may be further processed or tested for safety

300 percent profit for a natural resource in plastic bottle. -Leothegolden

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2.

College textbooks (buying “new” editions every semester when they just rearranged a couple chapters around.) -bel_esprit_

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3.

American Hospital billing. The minute you ask for an itemized receipt and breakdown, they start removing charges left and right and the bill gets reduced by ~30%. -4ftTwelveInches

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