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

Therapists Share Their Biggest 'I'm Not Supposed To Judge, But..." Experiences

It's true that we all go through something at some point, and it's true that therapists are supposed to be there to help people process, improve, and heal.

While both of these statements are true, therapists sometimes cannot help but judge the situation, even when they try their hardest not to.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man sitting down with his hands folded.
man in black pants and pair of brown leather lace-up shoes sitting on brown carpeted stairs inside room
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

People Describe The Best Decisions They've Ever Made In Their Life

Everyone finds themself questioning a decision we once had to make.

From trivial decisions, such as what toppings to put on a pizza, to rather more substantial ones, such as deciding if staying in your current relationship is a good idea.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @Jessiebakerr1122's TikTok video
@Jessiebakerr1122/TikTok

Mom Reveals How Her Obsessive Planning—And Her 'Velcro Dog'—Helped Save Her During Home Invasion

Overthinkers and ruminators get a bad wrap, but they might be the most cool-headed folks in an emergency, since they've likely already thought about all of the worst things that could happen at any given moment.

Mom and TikToker Jessie Baker, @Jessiebakerr1122 on the platform, informed viewers in an almost 10-minute story time video that she experiences "intrusive thoughts" and is a bit "obsessive" about planning ahead.

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

Woman Gets Epic 'Thank You' Bag From Flight Staff After Helping Calm Down Autistic Child On Her Flight

While more people are attending college and earning degrees than ever before, it's disheartening how few people are able to pursue working in their field, because the jobs waiting for them pay far too little to cover the bills.

But every once in a while, a situation pops up out in the wild where we can put our textbook knowledge to good use.

Keep ReadingShow less
A young woman writing in a journal.
unknown person writing

People Share Seemingly Insignificant Things Someone Said That Stuck With Them

It's a truly amazing experience when we hear someone say something truly profound, that we know we will remember for the rest of our lives.

However, sometimes we surprise ourselves by remembering something someone once said to us that didn't have much of an impact on us when we first heard it.

Keep ReadingShow less