Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Famous Products That Are Actually A Complete Scam

Proteing powder and a shake
Nature Zen/Unsplash

Consumers these days are required to do some research before making a purchase on something they don't necessarily need.

But advertisers have upped their marketing strategies to persuade customers that they need certain products and that they are being offered them at a competitive rate.

Don't be fooled. There's a reason why the Latin phrase "caveat emptor" –Let the buyer beware– is commonly thrown around.

Not every product out there is life-changing.

Instead, they are nothing but a tactic to manipulate consumers to fork over their hard-earned cash willingly.


Curious to hear examples of this, Redditor Leather-College2557 asked:

"What's a famous product that is a complete scam?"

There is no shortcut to losing weight. But you'll never hear that from companies trying to sell you snake oil.

Fat Zapper

"Anything that claims to target the loss of fat from a specific area of your body."

– DarthDregan

They Just Promote Waste

"All of those weight loss teas influencers promoted a few years ago. They’re just laxatives."

– the-cosmic-kraken

Ad-dress-ing The Solution

"They pretty much have exactly one good use, emergency weight loss. Need to fit into your bridesmaid dress this weekend and the zipper won't close? Sh*t your brains out until it does. You're going to feel like sh*t and that weight is coming straight back as soon as you eat something, but hey at least you didn't have to get emergency dress alterations I guess?"

– JMEEKER86

Instruction materials for college have always been a rip-off.

Text Book Example

"Single-use access codes for college textbooks is pretty much racketeering."

– colonelsmoothie

Workarounds

"I stopped buying books. Anyone that says to buy them early is lying to you. No the store never runs out of books. If it’s one with a code you can literally just buy it online whenever you want and get full access with the code if those are needed."

"If it’s a class without a code I wouldn’t get the book till absolutely necessary and when I did it was an Amazon online rental. I’m not spending $200 on a book when I can spend $15 for 5 months of access to the book through the kindle app."

"Some classes you can get buy without even buying the book."

– micheal213

Exorbitant Prices

"Years ago, when I was in college, I spent like some insane amount of money on my books. Like over $1000 or something nuts. I had to walk to my car on the entire other side of campus. So I asked for a bag. Then they tried to charge me 10 dollars for a bag. I was so annoyed."

– BeerNcheesePlz

Online security can cost you. Is it worth it? These Redditors didn't think so.

No Protection For Being Fooled

"McAffee and Norton antivirus software."

– FriendlyFloyd7

Preying On The Elderly

"It didn't used to be, but now windows has built in software that is just as good."

"The real crime is Norton, scamming old folks into paying a yearly fee smh"

– Superb_Extension1751

They say these products are beneficial to your life. Don't fall for it.

Spill The Tea

"Herbalife... the shakes and 'teas' which aren't actually teas at all.. It's processed garbage that just so happens to have vitamins and protein added to it. Fake sweeteners, artificial dyes, yeah no thanks."

– cardinalcandy

Hear This

"Ear wax candles. Burn one not in an ear, and it still fills up with wax."

– JustSoHappy

I always thought nature was the biggest scammer of all.

Those huge bags of spinach leaves at the grocery store gives the illusion that you're set for your intake of vegetables if good for at least a couple of weeks.

But as soon as those spinach leaves–which actually retain lots of water–hit the pan when cooking, you'll find that the portion has dramatically reduced to a hundredth of its size.

I see you, spinach, and I don't like you for pulling a fast one on me.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Carmen Baldwin; Alec Baldwin
@alecbaldwininsta/Instagram

Alec Baldwin Left Speechless After Daughter Points Out How Old His Wife Hilaria Was When He Turned 40

We all know actor Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria are in a "May/December romance," but having the actual age difference put in context is pretty surprising—even for Baldwin himself, it turns out.

Baldwin recently posted a hilarious video in which he and Hilaria's 12-year-old daughter Carmen did the math in a way that had Baldwin joking, "God help me."

Keep ReadingShow less
Michael J. Fox
Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Michael J. Fox Speaks Out After CNN Accidentally Sparks Death Scare With Video 'Remembering' His Life

Michael J. Fox made a surprise appearance at the PaleyFest in Los Angeles on Tuesday to celebrate the television show he's recently been a part of, Shrinking, effectively ending his acting retirement.

But while there, a surprise was in store, not just for the people in the audience, but for Michael J. Fox, as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
Paris Jackson (left) speaks during an Entertainment Tonight interview about her father, Michael Jackson (right), and his legacy.
@Entertainment Tonight/TikTok; Dave Hogan/Getty Images

Michael Jackson Fans Called Out Over Their Deranged Reaction To Paris Jackson Talking About Her Late Dad

Paris Jackson is no stranger to public scrutiny—but this time, the backlash isn’t about her. It’s about fans of her late father, Michael Jackson, and the increasingly unhinged way they’re responding to her simply speaking about him.

It all started when Entertainment Tonight shared a red carpet interview from the Vanity Fair Vanities party, where Jackson was asked about the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic. The film stars her cousin, Jaafar Jackson, as the King of Pop, with Colman Domingo portraying family patriarch Joe Jackson.

Keep ReadingShow less
Riley Gaines; Tim Walz; Donald Trump
Ivan Apfel/Getty Images; Stephen Maturen/Getty Images; Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Riley Gaines Ripped For Bonkers Attempt To Discredit Tim Walz After He Condemns Trump's Genocidal Threat To Iran

Former NCAA swimmer and current transphobic conservative darling Riley Gaines was criticized for a desperate attempt to discredit Minnesota Governor Tim Walz after he condemned President Donald Trump's genocidal threat to kill the "whole civilization" of Iran.

Trump has insisted that God supports his war on Iran and declared—before a provisional ceasefire was announced—that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" ahead of a deadline to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges that legal scholars and world leaders have said would constitute war crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of S.E. Cupp; Donald Trump
@secupp/X; Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Anti-Trump Conservative Epically Sounds Off On MAGA Voters Who Suddenly Have 'Buyer's Remorse'

Conservative CNN pundit S.E. Cupp criticized MAGA voters who now have "buyer's remorse" over President Donald Trump's war with Iran in a video on Instagram that condemned them for their support of a "homicidal maniac."

Trump has insisted that God supports his war on Iran and declared—before a provisional ceasefire was announced—that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" ahead of a deadline to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges that legal scholars and world leaders have said would constitute war crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less