Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down Which Things Scream 'This Is A Scam'

People Break Down Which Things Scream 'This Is A Scam'
Image by Robin Higgins from Pixabay

With so many scams and hoaxes on the rise, we have become wiser in identifying key factors that indicate a scam.


The pandemic has seen a rise in scam calls with fraudsters convincingly trying to make you transfer all your savings into another account before you lose all your hard-earned cash.
Some cons are downright threatening, with tricksters declaring you may go to jail if you don't make all your "late" payments towards a car you don't even own or have already paid off.
But now, many people can sniff a con from miles away.

Curious to hear from strangers online, Redditor Iapoties asked:

"What screams: 'This is a scam?'"

Do the following sound familiar?

Wrong Bank

"I had a bank text me on a local phone number that my bank card was going to expire. Not only was it a big red flag for me that it was a local number, but most of all that it was the wrong bank."

MitchLasagna

Cost Of A Job

"Any 'job offer' where they ask you to pay them for something."

NO_Cheeto_in_Chief

"The worst is when it's a good offer, you take it, THEN they are like oh btw in 2 weeks you have a mandatory training that costs $500 we just garnish it from your first 4-5 checks so nbd."

southpaw85

'Accidental' Pay Check

"Someone 'accidentally' paying you too much by cheque, and asks you to pay them, or others, back in cash."

"you know that cheque is gonna bounce."

CONCRETE_LUBRICATOR

Looking For A Sugar Baby

"Hello baby. Am Williams Johnson. Am a widow looking for a sugar baby. You will get an allowance of $500 every week: message me on Snapchat or kik. Snapchat: WilliamsJohn Kik: CharlesSmith2"

xokaytuhlin

Some fraudsters think they know you on a first-name basis. They're wrong.

Not Your 'Hun'

"'Hey hun!' from someone you haven't talked to since high school."

Sarcatsticthecat

Last Name Basis

"I have a great screener for this: I go by my last name socially. So if some random from my past messages me on Facebook with a 'hey FirstName! How are you? Got some exciting stuff to tell you about!' - I know immediately its a trap."

thegracefuldork

It's a shot in the dark, but most times, a scammer's target is way off.

A Family Member In Trouble

"Someone calling saying your child or grandchild is in jail in another state. Bullsh*t."

629mrsn

Not A Car Owner

"Getting a call saying that a car under my name or that I own may have some problems *I don't have a car*"

faos_soul

Wrong Device

"Your Iphone has a virus, click here to fix"

"ANDROID."

AllTheReservations

Downloading Server Software

"Free_Minecraft_No_Virus2021.exe"

Shwaika_Redd

During my first winter in New York City years ago, I bumped into a man whose glasses fell on the snow. When he picked it up, it was severely cracked and the frame was dented.

It. Fell. On. Snow.

This swindler proceeded to berate me for my carelessness and said he would let it slide if I gave him $300. Of course I told him I didn't have that kind of cash on me, to which he responded with: "I'll go to the ATM with you."

I countered, "give me your name, address, and phone number, and I'll be sure to cut you a check for the glasses."

He huffed and puffed and turned his back on me in search of a more gullible victim.

I had yet to see a Broadway show since arriving from LA, but I sure got a heck of a performance that day.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of Erika Kirk and Caleb Chilcutt
Turning Point USA

Erika Kirk Has Ultimate Freudian Slip While Honoring Student With 'Charlie Kirk Courage Award'

Erika Kirk was mocked online after she had an epic Freudian slip while honoring Utah Valley University student Caleb Chilcutt with the Charlie Kirk Courage Award at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest over the weekend and misspoke while comparing Chilcutt to her late husband, far-right activist Charlie Kirk.

The late Kirk, who was assassinated at UVU in September, was a virulent white supremacist who aligned with the Christian right and advocated for Christian nationalism, promoting a nativist, fundamentalist Christian view of society. All the while, he openly attacked LGBTQ+ rights, backed the white genocide conspiracy theory, and was a major figure in the MAGA movement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk; Sydney Sweeney
ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP via Getty Images; Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate

Elon Musk Slammed After He Makes Gross And Juvenile Comment About Sydney Sweeney's Body

Why can't he just continue to fail to make rockets and self-driving electric cars?

Instead, tech billionaire Elon Musk has recently drawn criticism after posting remarks about actress Sydney Sweeney’s appearance following the Los Angeles premiere of The Housemaid. The controversy centers on Musk’s comments about Sweeney’s dress, comments that were seen by many online as focusing on her physical attributes rather than her work.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sam Altman speaking into a microphone with an American Flag in the background.
Andrew Harnik / Staff/Getty Images

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Just Shared An AI Image Of Himself As A Ripped Firefighter—And Was Promptly Roasted

To say that the rise of artificial intelligence, or AI for short, is a contentious issue would be a gross understatement.

In addition to the growing concern that AI will create job scarcity in almost every profession, recent studies have shown AI continues to leave a devastating carbon footprint. Its water usage alone surpassed the entirety of bottled water worldwide.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Thomas Massie; Pam Bondi
CBS; Win McNamee/Getty Images

GOP Rep. Thomas Massie Threatens To Impeach Pam Bondi Over Heavily-Redacted Epstein Files

Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie announced that he's launched an impeachment investigation into Attorney General Pam Bondi following the release of several heavily-redacted files related to the late financier, pedophile, and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Massie and California Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, sponsors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed by President Donald Trump on November 19, say the Justice Department has failed to comply with the law by missing the December 19 release deadline and providing documents that are heavily redacted and incomplete.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jack Black and Paul Rudd discussing Elle Fanning's comments
@efanningmedia/X

Jack Black's Reaction To Elle Fanning Calling Him 'Sex On Legs' Is Hilariously On Brand

Crush alert! Turns out Elle Fanning has kinda got it bad for none other than Jack Black. Hey, everyone is someone's type!

It all began when Fanning took part in Vanity Fair's popular lie detector test video series, during which Fanning was forced to confess her undying attraction to Black.

Keep ReadingShow less