Scams are happening right before our eyes almost every day. But they are so normalized that people don’t even realize they are being tricked into buying things they don’t need or spending much more than they should. The following is a list of things people recognize as scams but as normalized.
How to Get Rich Books and Courses
“EVERY SINGLE PERSON on the Internet that sells some sort of “millionaire education“ it’s all bs. Every single one of them. They are all liars, most of them are not even rich to begin with! They fake it enough that some idiots buy it. You are customers to them. Nothing more.”
“You want to be a millionaire? Buy my book and I’ll tell you how!” You buy the book and it says to start a website selling a book on how to be a millionaire.
Social Media
“From their happy beginnings they are now mostly a funnel used to ram as many advertisements into your mind as inhumanly possible. “Sponsored Posts” every third or fourth item – I see you, Instagram/Facebook/Reddit/etc. And that’s not even mentioning the extensive filtering network that “curates” the information you get to see when you are looking for something. “Curated information” is just a nice expression for you being conditioned to form certain opinions / buy more stuff. Social media groom minds.”
Bottled Water
“Bottled water, like Dasani. Especially in places like an amusement park that mark ups the price a shocking amount. Also the average markup of bottled water is 4000%, which is outrageous, bc water is literally free most places.”
Cat Food
“Look at the cat food at a random store, and see how the design brags about all the healthy vegetables they’ve crammed into your obligate carnivore’s diet. Then check out the ingredients and see how corn, rice, etc. are often the first ingredients. Pet foods market toward humans by trying to appeal to human sensibilities, not genuine desire to provide your cat with the best diet.”
Funerals
“The funeral industry has insane pricing. Some of the funeral homes and vendors are even predatory, getting grieving families to pay upwards of tens of thousands of dollars, because “that’s what the deceased would have wanted”.
“You didn’t love your father at all, did you?” was the question that had me slam my fist down on the table. My dad wanted a cardboard box cremation and no memorial. He got a cardboard box cremation and no memorial, with zero up selling from a different cremation service. The state AG got a complaint about the first cremation service.”
“The most common lie in the US is that there is a legal requirement for embalming. No state has such a requirement/law. Embalming is expensive pollution to make your rotting corpse look nicer for a few more years.”
Inkjet Printers
“Buy a laser printer. Expensive up front ($100 – $700) but pennies in the long run, compared to inkjet. Most come with scan/copy/fax features which come in handy in the Work-from-home era.”
“I did exactly this. Changed out from inkjet to a color laser. Pretty penny up front, long term cost has been maybe 1% the total cost of using an inkjet long term.”
Store Pricing
“Stores like JC Penney sell $10 shirts for $20 at a %50 discount. They also inflate the price of belts, wallets, and underwear but then lower the price of pants. It all evens out but the customer gets the satisfaction of getting a deal.”
“Reducing a price by 1 cent to trick our brains into thinking a product costs less than it actually is.”
Engagement Rings
“Basically the entire wedding industry. Starting a new life together? Why not plunge yourselves into thousands of dollars of debt?”
“Anything people do because of tradition is ripe for scamming. Marriage? Scam. Funeral? Scam. Baby shower gifts? Wildly overpriced.”
The Cost of Glasses
Many readers commented that the prices are so high because the industry is used to the markup.
“Can confirm. I am currently wearing bifocals that were made by zenni optical. Of course, my optician says they are garbage, but my wallet knows better.”
Although many readers agreed with buying glasses online, one reader cautioned not to skip out an appointment with an optometrist in person “Hey PSA though — while the price of glasses is a scam, the use of an optometrist is not and if you have a higher or special prescription online retailers don’t work well….All that said, I used zenni to buy the frame and went to a mom and pop brick and mortar optometrist for the lenses and that still saved me a lot of money.”
Mega Churches
“I remember an interview with Kenneth Copeland talking about how he needed a private jet to spread religion.”
One person commented how Joel Osteen closed the doors to his mega church during a severe storm that could have sheltered thousands of displaced residents. “I would like a christian to tell me why people follow people and churches like him (Joel Osteen) and his. He shuts out the poor and needy and makes loads of money: from my understanding that’s the opposite of what he should be doing.”
Paying for Cable TV
“The whole idea of paying was to create a revenue stream separate from that of marketing. There are a few out there (HBO, I think) but generally we pay to access the content and still have to spend 20% of the time sitting through commercials.”
“Then streaming comes in and were free of advertisements again, for a bit. Now YouTube has tons of ads and other streaming services are talking about adding ads as well.”
Annual College Tuition Increases
“Why aren’t they held to a competitive pricing model as opposed to having to take out a mortgage to go to school? Everyone wants to talk about government paying for college education, but there is no conversation on why is it that expensive anyway? Especially when some universities have endowments in the billions that just the interest on those funds could literally pay the tuition for everyone that goes through the door.”
The Professions That Are Branded as a Bunch of Scam Artists
There is no doubt about the fact that there are plenty of noble professions out there. Whether we are talking about doctors, firefighters, paramedics, children’s services workers, and volunteers of all sorts, there are plenty of professions where the people are very highly respected. However, there are seemingly just as many professions where the people are considered scam artists. Here’s a look at a variety of professions where the people are considered to be nothing more than con artists looking to steal your money.
The Professions That Are Branded as a Bunch of Scam Artists
She Humiliated Her Son In Front of His Friends After Discovering How He Scammed His Wife
This mother-in-law is the original poster (OP) and is concerned about her son’s behavior towards his wife and children. After seeing her daughter-in-law distress and understanding the situation, she decides to take matters into her own hands.
She Humiliated Her Son In Front of His Friends After Discovering How He Scammed His Wife
Exposing the Greatest Life Scams We’ve All Fallen Victim To
Sometimes we fall for ideals and the thought that there is only one path to happiness and success. But times change, and personal experiences may dictate something completely different. The following is a list of things some people in an online community believe are nothing short of a scam now.
Exposing the Greatest Life Scams We’ve All Fallen Victim To
The Biggest Tourist Traps in the World That Will Empty Your Wallets
Tourist traps are locations or activities designed to attract tourists and extract as much money from them as possible with overpriced merchandise and entrance fees. Some of the biggest tourist traps are considered world-famous attractions but also include restaurants and souvenir shops. Although these locations may be on your bucket list, many people who have visited these sites often feel underwhelmed, according to TripAdvisor. The following are the biggest tourist traps from around the world.
The Biggest Tourist Traps in the World That Will Empty Your Wallets
People Speak Out on Life’s Most Outrageous Rip-Offs
Finding a good deal is something that we can all appreciate. After all, earning money is hard work and spending it should provide us with the value that we are looking for. However, there are plenty of scams and rip-offs out there disguised as good deals, and most of us don’t even know about them. Let’s take a quick look at the biggest rip-offs that people keep spending money on.