Someone recently asked in r/AskReddit, “What’s the biggest scam that people still fall for?” From politics to religion and more, the answers that poured in got me thinking I need keep my wits about me. Here’s what people said:
1. “Bot farms. They’re getting exponentially more sophisticated by the month, too. This is an incredibly easy way for adversarial nations or even lobbyists for various products to sway public opinion. Even something as simple as the comments under a post is enough for some folks to make up their mind on a topic, which is terrifying.”
2. “I didn’t realize how awful these phone scammers were until my grandfather passed away. These assholes must watch the obituaries because they immediately began calling my grandma, trying to scam her in her worst moments. It was terrible. If I could have found out who it was, I would be in prison today.”
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3. “Time shares.”
4. “‘Work hard and the company will take care of you.’ Nah. The moment it’s convenient, they’ll replace you. Your loyalty means nothing to a spreadsheet.”
5. “That if you just work harder, you will get rich.”
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6. “MLM, like Amway.”
7. “Trickle-down economics.”
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8. “100% identity politics. Gay vs. straight. Foreigner vs. citizen. All of it to distract us all from class consciousness.”
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“It’s not even poor vs. rich. It’s EXTREME rich (multi-billionaire) vs. everyone else.
Even millionaires (100M and below) are at the mercy of billionaires.”
9. “Televangelists and their megachurches.”
10. “Extended warranties.”
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11. “Counterfeit goods. I told my mother and sister that the reason Temu was cheap was because the platform was exclusively for counterfeiters and Ponzi schemes, but they didn’t believe me until they bought a few things themselves.”
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12. “Courses around the internet by people who are not licensed to sell a course, and just because they were ‘successful,’ I think, is a lie.”
13. “‘Oops, sorry, wrong number. By the way, my name is Michelle. Aren’t I cute? Let’s get coffee, big boy ;).’ I get these dumb texts all the time. People must fall for it, or they wouldn’t be so prevalent.”
14. “Nationalism. Rich men’s invention to keep ordinary people divided over made-up lines on a map.”
15. “Trump making America great.”
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16. “Political parties.”
17. “Luxury brands.”
18. “Billionaires needing tax breaks.”
Anadolu / Getty Images, Stefano Guidi / Getty Images
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19. And lastly, “Scratch-off lottery tickets. The odds of winning big are statistically and psychologically formulated to make you a sucker almost every time.”
Any other scams to add? Let us know in the comments or in the anonymous Google Form below!
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