It's never been easier to find yourself the victim of a scam or a con.
Be it online, by phone, or even in person, advancements in technology and advertisements have made it all the easier to take money away from innocent victims.
Thankfully, a bit of common sense and discretion is enough to avoid being conned out of hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
Even so, there are some scams that continue to turn sizable profits or attract more and more customers every year.
Despite the fact that it's well-known that these people are investing in snake oil.
Redditor b*tchcascade666 was curious to know what scams people continue to buy into, knowingly or unwittingly, leading them to ask:
"What product is a massive scam that everyone buys into?"
Taking "Click Bait" To A Whole New Level...
"Bots and fake comments online are a scam of people making robots pretending to be people - and they are everywhere."
"Soooo many of the comments you read (and let influence you) are not people."
"Total scam."- hoogachucka
Or Better Yet, Get A Prescription
"Sudafed regular."
"You absolutely should be going to the RX counter and getting the non-prescription but controlled version."- SecretProbation
Taylor Swift Would Agree
"Ticketmaster."- flyushkifly
"I loathe Ticketmaster with a burning passion."
"They’ve made attending live music prohibitively expensive and have actually monopolized the market."
"Also they not only support, but encourage scalping."
"They should be criminally investigated."- Jakefrmstatepharm
tickets GIF by Ticketmaster MéxicoGiphy
Where Credit Is Due
"Credit monitoring."
"They setup a system where false information can ruin your life and then charge you to know when it happens so you can get on top of it before the damage is done."
"And, on top of that, when they leak the personal information of hundreds of millions of people because their security sucks, their 'punishment' is to give you their service for a short period of time for free despite the fact that your information being out there means you'll need to pay for it after that free period ends."
"It's a modern-day, digital version of the mob's, 'It would be a shame if your house burned down, let us help protect it' extortion racket."
"They've convinced the world that our identities are being stolen rather than what it really is...financial institutions are being defrauded."
"And they've shifted the burden for their problem onto us."- d1v1n0rum
Though Nothing Should Stop You Reaching For Them:
"Companies that sell stars or naming stars."
" No one owns stars."
"You can’t own a star, and there is no governing body who authorizes the naming and ownership of stars."
"You, my friend, have just purchased a piece of paper for $200."
“'The only body which can give names to astronomical objects is the International Astronomical Union (IAU)'."
""This hasn’t stopped commercial firms from "offering" individuals the "opportunity" to sponsor stars etc'."
"These names will be recognized by no one, and you will be wasting your money, unfortunately'.”- Former-Departure9836
Always Read The Fine Print...
"Herbalife."
"They must have done something special to manage to sell it to a lot of people."- VelvetSunriseGlow
No Matter How Good It May Feel
"Those bracelets with a sticker on them that claim to align your magnetic field or whatever."- wpnmstr20
Better To Spend Your Money To See The ACTUAL Pyramids...
"Those E-commerce guys that sell their guru courses on how to make $10K plus a month."- Strange_Employer_232
"The remote closer ads/ influencers that claim they are making 10k a month."
"It's a MLM scheme and the authorities should take action against these people fooling desperate people online for their hard earned money."- KaranSJ
Better At Least Be For Premium Stuff!
"Commercials on premium TV channels."
"Don’t we pay NOT to have commercials?"
"Isn’t that the purpose of paying for premium TV?"- FarYard7039
Comedy Reaction GIF by Bayerischer RundfunkGiphy
Some People Just Can't Give Up Being Analog
"Printers and printer ink."- Bazzrt
"Get a black and white laser printer if you don't regularly need to print in color."
"Toner lasts for ages and is dirt cheap."
"Very reliable, too."- My_Name_Is_Not_Mark
There's A Reason Campus Visits Are Recommended
"For-profit colleges & fully online courses for some jobs."
"For example, you can’t become a nurse by only taking online courses."
"I also heard about someone getting an online cosmetology program."
"So many students pay thousands of dollars for programs that are not accredited."- AnneShirley310
Kind Of Ironic...
"Anything with the word DETOX in it."
"Teas, herbs.. magic potions.. whatever."
"My favorite is the foot pad things that suck the toxins from the soles of your feet."
"Your Kidneys and liver are your detox."
"Doesn't matter what tea you drink."- SpecialProcess5585
Even If They Are A Girl's Best Friend
"Diamonds."- Witwebiss
"Biggest scam of all time."
"Diamonds are both common and cheap to manufacture."
"Try to resale a diamond back to a retailer...lol you'll wake up asap."- harlokkin
There's Paying Your Dues, And Then...
"The US medical residency system."- nishbot
"Take out $300k, become a doctor, but then cannot get a 'real' job until you first work 80 hours/week for $50k/yr for the next 3-8ish years, depending on what you’re doing."
"All sarcasm aside, it’s an exploitative system that hospital associations (specifically the AHA) have lobbied Congress to get special legal protections so that medical trainees don’t get the same worker rights as pretty much everyone else."
"Except oddly enough minor league baseball players who are also being screwed over in the same way as they also try to follow their dreams."- CornOnTheMacabre84
Sometimes, it's understandable that people were drawn in by effective advertising or persuasive sales.
Less understandable is when people are drawn in despite numerous warnings.
Do you have any to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit
u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit