Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down The Biggest Scams Of All-Time

It's become increasingly hard to get through a day without encountering a scam artist.

Be it an email where you've been told you won a non-existent prize, a fraudulent call from the IRS claiming there's a warrant issued for your arrest, or a neighborhood psychic, luring you in to tell you a terrible fate awaits you, but you have to pay hundreds of dollars more to find out what it is.

From snake oil salesmen to Ponzi schemes, scam artists have been around for ages, and will not be going anywhere any time soon.

And while our hearts break for anyone who falls victim to these horrendous acts of deception, there is also little that is more compelling than reading about some of the more outrageous scams which ever took place (Fyre Festival anyone).


Redditor BaronsofDundee was curious to hear about the the biggest acts fraud, both ongoing and historic, leading them to ask:
"What is the biggest scam in the history of mankind?"

Un-Holy Matrimony Is More Like it...

"The wedding industry is one big scam."- Resafalo

Tax Fraud Has Several Forms...

"Telling me to figure out my own taxes."

"Then, they tell me I did it wrong. If you know how much I owe, just tell me and I’ll pay it!!'- dinahsaur523

Just Don't Tell Tom Cruise...

"Scientology."

"L Ron Hubbard is quite a fascinating man to learn about, terrible, terrible man, he began lying at a young age and then never stopped afterwards."

"Becoming a billionaire out of that creepy cult like 'religion' is the biggest scam of all time."- Joe_PM2804

happy tom cruise GIF by South Park Giphy

You Do Just Keep Needing More...

"Printer ink."- Mr_BananaPants

Spending More Money With The Slip Of A Finger

"The ads that claims to be inter actable but when your finger barely touches the screen it takes you to AppStore."- AnimePeter_

Access DENIED!

"Textbook access codes that you get after buying a new textbook and can use only once."- SuvenPan

Bg3 GIF by Larian StudiosGiphy

The Money Goes Somewhere...

"Payday loan companies."- Im_Negan

It Runs In The Family!

"My mom telling me she won't be mad if I tell her the truth."- Low_Quarter_583

Maybe Not A Girls Best Friend...

"Diamonds."- TheCyrcus

diamonds GIFGiphy

Scams Fine If It's the Nazis Your Scamming...

"Eye doctor here."

"I'd like to dispel the myth regarding carrots and good vision or night vision because of a scam set forth by Britain at the time to screw with the enemy."

"They had just started performing night air raids and the Germans couldn’t figure out how they were accurately flying and bombing in the dead of night so the Brits printed in their newspapers that they were feeding their pilots carrots to improve their night vision and how good carrots were for your vision due to the beta carotene."

"Turns out that the Brits had just effectively mounted radar units to their planes for the first time and beat Germans to the punch with it."

"The truth is that beta carotene, while important for vision, is rarely in short supply in most diets and you can probably get enough out of a few packets of ketchup for weeks of good vision."

"Meanwhile, here we are now approaching 100 years after the development of radar still eating the lies of carrots."- OscarDivine

It's amazing the lengths people will go to deceive people for money.

And that sometimes they actually get away with it.

But as a general rule of thumb, if something seems like it's too good to be true, then it probably is.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

JD Vance; Jen Psaki
Johannes Simon/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Vance Gets Brutal Reminder After Accusing Jen Psaki Of 'Attacking' People For Praying Following School Shooting

Vice President JD Vance was criticized after he lashed out at MSNBC host Jen Psaki for saying that "prayer is not freaking enough" to end school shootings after a shooter killed two children and wounded 17 others during the first week of classes at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.

Psaki spoke out on X shortly after the shooting occured, to stress that "thoughts and prayers" don't actually address or prevent mass shootings and gun violence overall:

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @andydouglas.trumpboy's TikTok video; President Donald Trump
@andydouglas.trumpboy/TikTok; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Video Of Little Boy Sobbing After Finding Out Trump Is A Real Person Goes Viral—And We Totally Get It

Whether it was Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, or some other important facet of childhood, most of us found out when we were kids that something we loved did not exist, and it was absolutely devastating and world-changing.

But imagine there being something that you deeply disliked or feared, only for you to find out that it actually exists on the same plane and in the same timeline as you.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @originalsugarphly's TikTok video
@originalsugarphly/TikTok

Woman Stunned After Best Friend Of 23 Years Ends Friendship Over Her 'Mom Shorts'

We will all have friends who come into our lives for a reason, for a season, or for a lifetime. There are those situational friendships, like from work or school, that dissolve when we exit that space, and there are friendships that might form from knowing the same people.

Then there are those tried-and-true friendships that we think will truly stand the test of time—but even those sometimes fracture under pressure. And sometimes for the most ridiculous reasons.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @nurse_xtina129's TikTok
@nurse_xtina129/TikTok

Woman Sparks Debate By Putting Out Small Fire At Dunkin' Donuts After Workers Ignored It

Imagine hitting that afternoon slump and seeking out your favorite caffeinated beverage: a highlight in an otherwise dumpster fire kind of day. But then you arrive at your coffeehouse of choice—and there's literally a fire.

TikToker Cristina Conklin was waiting in line for a beverage at Dunkin' Donuts in Warwick, New York, when she became either a villain or a hero, depending on who was watching her TikTok video.

Keep ReadingShow less
Former Republican congressman and Fox News host Trey Gowdy
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

MAGA Fumes Over Fox Gun Control Talk

The nation is reeling after yesterday’s mass shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, where a gunman opened fire during a Catholic school Mass, killing two children and injuring more than a dozen others. The tragedy has not only shaken the community but also reignited the national debate over guns in America—this time sparked by an unlikely voice.

Former Republican congressman and Fox News host of Sunday Night in America, Trey Gowdy—long seen as a staunch defender of gun rights and a past recipient of National Rifle Association contributions—surprised many of his own allies when he called for a national reckoning on firearms access.

Keep ReadingShow less