While we used to be able to spot internet scams immediately, scammers are getting more and more creative with their schemes. But sometimes, they mess with the wrong folks, who aren’t as clueless as they hoped.
From phishing emails to identity theft to thirst traps, these scammers used their best tricks, but were caught red-handed in their lies. Prepare to have a good laugh at these failed scamming attempts!
Cash or Card?
With the amount of data breaches we see these days, it’s not hard to come by an individual’s personal information like their email address or personal phone number.
While most people simply ignore the spam-like text messages they receive, there’s no real harm in playing along with the scammer for a few laughs. Just don’t stoop to their level.
From the Horse’s Mouth
Receiving phishing text messages can get pretty tiring very quickly. We can’t even blame people for replying to the scammer with a sarcastic response to stop the conversation from continuing.
But just like us, scammers do not like to be messed around with and they also happen to be super protective of their animals. It looks like this scammer wasn’t horsin’ around.
Missing the Point
Social media is a wonderful thing. It’s allowed us to keep in touch with family and friends, and share our personal experiences with them. Having said that, there are some people out there who want to share a little more than a picture of their lunch.
While this was probably not what she meant by a custom video of anything, we can’t help but laugh at the responses she got. Well, she did say anything, right?
No Lie
Acting is an art that not everybody possesses. It requires you to completely adapt your personality and change into a different character. One of the most crucial things to remember when pretending to be someone else is to keep your story straight.
It looks like our friend Adele here is a little confused. Either that or she needs some extra acting lessons.
Putting the Fun in Funeral
We’ve all seen a fake ID or two in our lifetime, and we may have even used them once or twice during our college years. But we’ve never seen one quite like this before.
This ID looks like someone got a bit too excited using Microsoft Word. Rainbows and joy happen to be exactly what bereaved families need in their time of sorrow.
Bossing Around
There are two types of people in the world: those who use Android and those who use iPhone. More often than not, iPhone users are super loyal to their mobile devices.
But who would have thought that Elizabeth’s love of iPhones would help catch a scammer dead in their tracks? Scammer’s tip—don’t impersonate somebody’s close colleague, they’ll see right through your lie.
Finally Scammed
The beauty of the internet is that news travels fast. When there’s a new scam, you can be sure you’ll read about it before a fraudster even reaches you.
This person was almost excited to finally receive this famous message, hoping to see what all the fuss was about. One thing’s for sure, these failed scamming attempts make for excellent online content.
So Predictable
With the huge amount of fraudsters that are online to scam people out of their money, it shouldn’t be a surprise that their sketchy texts are totally transparent and repetitive.
At this point, scammers should be prepared for these sorts of responses to their messages. Even still, we weren’t prepared for the texts to take this dark of a turn!
It’s a Miracle
It’s no secret that Instagram is riddled with fake accounts. From bots to impersonation accounts, the social media platform is full of people with ill intentions looking to prey on innocent victims.
David Bowie was a living legend in the music industry, emphasis on the word living. You’d think that they’d do a little Wiki check to make sure that the star they’re impersonating is still alive.
Arrestable Offense
The impersonation of a police officer or FBI agent is punishable by law and often results in either a hefty fine or prison time. However, this doesn’t stop people from giving it a good go if there’s a chance to scam others out of their money.
If you’re going to take this risk, at least make sure the faked documents look a little realistic. Imagine ordering a fake ID and receiving this. Honestly, we’d ask for a refund.
Scammers Can’t Be Choosers
They say beggars can’t be choosers, but when has that ever stopped a choosy beggar? Apparently, scammers can also be choosy beggars.
This scammer happened to be dead set on getting themself an Amazon gift card and they simply wouldn’t settle for anything less. Not even for Applebees was good enough for them! We can definitely see the dilemma here.
Helping Hand
Even though the big wide world is full of fraudsters looking to rip us off, it’s easy to forget that scams can happen a lot closer to home than we thought. Scams can happen literally on your own doorstep.
While we’re tempted to do almost anything for a sibling in trouble, boundaries have to be set. Refusing to fork over thousands of dollars for what sounds like a complete scam is totally okay.
Singing for Sony
How often do you see a post that says free and no scam in the same sentence? However, mentioning that you’re not a scammer multiple times definitely does not make you sound more believable.
Maybe we’re just being skeptical and this person really did just want to be entertained by people rapping, singing, and dancing. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that,
An Apple a Day
Apple products are among the most sought-after pieces of technology in the industry. Tech enthusiasts will scramble to be the first in line to purchase their newest products on their release day with little regard for the price.
However, not everybody is willing to part with so much cash, but still wants the phones and watches. We’re hoping those individuals didn’t fall for this scam.
Bad Egg
Being a landlord can’t be the easiest job. You have to find a total stranger that you deem trustworthy enough to live on your property and pay rent. The screening process can prove to be a wild ride.
This potential tenant doesn’t sound trustworthy in the slightest. We hope the landlord didn’t click on the sketchy-looking “profile” URL. Promising to pay the rent late isn’t a flex, Deborah.
Driving Us Crazy
The kindness of strangers can be a beautiful thing. Rarely do you find a complete stranger who offers you a great deal of help just for the sake of being a good person, especially when money is involved.
But as a general rule of thumb—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Cab drivers who offer suspiciously low rates to tourists should be treated with caution.
Wrong Person
It’s often that we receive a text message from the wrong number, but how often have you gotten a message from someone saying they sent you money accidentally? And what are the chances you’d have the same name and be from the same country?
Nice, try buddy! We hope nobody falls for this scam—it’s just so easy to see through.
Scamming the Scammer
Some people are getting really good at identifying scam phone calls. In fact, there are people that enjoy receiving them and will use the opportunity to entertain themselves.
We have to love that Joe has become so comfortable with scammers that he’s become one! We’d do anything to be on the other end of this call. Oh, how the tables have turned.
Design Flaw
Social engineering plays a huge role in phishing emails—if the email looks legit, the victim will most likely click through. However, we can’t help but notice that scammers clearly don’t have access to freelance graphic designers or copywriters.
Seriously, this email should go straight into the trash file just based on how it looks. Could they not have done any better?
Empty Promises
Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right that should never be taken away. The ability to express yourself in any context is a right that each and every one of us has.
However, it has become easier to silence people and their views thanks to the anonymity of the internet. If you need to blackmail someone into giving you a better review, maybe you’re the problem.
Say Potato
Thanks to online tutorials, creating multiple scam bots has never been easier. The internet is full of them. But please make sure that you’re actually talking to a real human being.
Capchas will usually ask people to verify that they’re not a robot by asking them to complete a puzzle. Maybe we should be asking people to say potato instead.
Accident Waiting to Happen
Kids are hilarious. The one-liners they come up with sometimes have us in stitches. That being said, they can be unaware of the weight their words carry, especially when talking to a total stranger.
Granted, the caller was most likely a scammer, but is that something you really want to be saying to someone who doesn’t know you’re joking? Or at least we hope he was joking.
Doggone It!
It’s become relatively common to play along with a scammer when they reach out over text. Some people find it entertaining to see how long they can keep the ruse up until they get bored and move on to someone else.
But we’re clearly giving these fraudsters too much credit because some aren’t as sharp as we expect them to be. We hope no dog was injured during the making of this scam.
Special Delivery
The internet is full of people who are looking to rip off innocent individuals and make a profit. Being able to identify a scam is an important skill to have in this day and age.
This is the scammer’s equivalent of using an Uno Reverse Card. We can’t help but think that giving scammers a taste of their own medicine after falling victim to their schemes is super satisfying.
Downhill Skiing
Online scammers are getting somewhat creative. Posing as a Nigerian prince asking for a million dollars in cash no longer works on the average internet user. Engaging the potential victim in a friendly back-and-forth makes them more likely to do what you ask of them.
Unless, however, they’re in the middle of being scammed by someone else simultaneously. We can’t believe this person’s bad luck!
Unscripted Improv
In most cases, illegitimate phone operators in call centers are told to follow a certain script that’s been carefully drafted to trick the victim. Diverging from the planned dialogue isn’t recommended.
When the conversation deviates from the script slightly, it can leave the operator a little frazzled. We’d at least hope they’d think before putting someone who was killed on hold.
Cut to the Chase
With the ever-growing amount of scammers out there these days, people are seriously losing patience for the time wasters and slow-moving swindlers. It just takes them too long to get to the point.
Call us old-fashioned, but we much prefer it when scammers skip all the small talk and cut to the part where they ask for our money. We don’t have all day.
Scammer’s Jackpot
A common phishing technique is to text a potential victim as though you’ve messaged a wrong number, in an attempt to start up a friendly conversation with them. However, it’s not always a success.
Seeing as it’s a pretty common way to scam people, it won’t always work. However, if you’re going to scam anyone, try and aim for the second-richest man on the planet.
Getting Swifted
The fabricated stories that scammers come up with to cheat innocents out of their money get more and more creative as the years go by. Impersonating celebrities is a new favorite.
If online fraudsters are still sending messages like this to fans, it must work a good percentage of the time. This is exactly why parents need to monitor their kid’s internet activity.
Child’s Play
It’s commonly believed that allowing children to make their own decisions encourages them to become independent thinkers as adults. By not stopping them, we encourage their creativity and innovation.
While wasting someone’s time isn’t something we encourage our children to do, we’ll make an exception for scammers. If children are the future, we hope that this kid will be president one day.
Seems Legit
Honeytrap scams aren’t something new. There are, however, new methods of this scam to lure innocent victims into handing over sensitive information, or even money.
This guy seems to have had some practice with scammers posing as attractive women. We’re glad he was able to see right through the lie and was ready with a ridiculous counter-story to bat back with.
Bamboozled
While most people who are confronted by an obvious fraudster will often opt to ignore their message entirely, there are some who choose to have a little fun with them before letting them go.
One way to deter an online scammer from contacting you again is to drive them absolutely insane to the point where they won’t want to reach out in the future. Problem solved.
Cat’s Out the Bag
Scammer bots are getting popular among online criminals aiming to scam people out of their money. They’ll usually draw the victim into an innocent conversation and ask them for a favor, usually money-related.
However, not all the bot’s scripts are as advanced as the scammers would like. The person responding wasn’t having any of it and decided to reply with something to confuse the scammer. We hope it worked!
Language Barrier
Thanks to the internet, almost anyone in any location is just one click away. Reaching out to someone has never been easier. But what happens when the person you contact doesn’t speak your language?
Sometimes, the best way out of a sticky situation is to play dumb. If it doesn’t totally confuse the scammer, it will definitely irritate them and make them look for someone else to rip off.
Language Barriers
While there are so many sophisticated phishing methods these days that successfully trick individuals into parting with their cash, some scammers haven’t quite caught up yet.
Does anybody actually believe that the FBI would get in touch with them this way? We think that the recipient’s response to this obvious scammer is probably the best way to go about it. Ignore, ignore, ignore.
Not for Sale
Seasoned social media users are able to identify a scam from a mile off. After having hundreds of encounters with other buyers and sellers online, it becomes relatively easy to identify those who aren’t serious or have bad intentions.
Whether it was the way this person introduced themselves, or their direct questions, the seller of the house got a whiff of a scam and wasn’t even going to entertain it.
Quick Escalation
Nobody particularly enjoys being called out for their bad behavior, especially to their face. So when it happens to people who are proven criminals, things can get pretty aggressive.
After being caught in their lie, this scammer completely lashed out. No matter how mad someone gets, it doesn’t justify talking that way to someone. We hope the receiver of that text didn’t justify it with a response.
Love is Blind
Online scams are often more successful when the fraudster appeals to the victim’s ego. Throwing compliments and acting as though interested in them romantically is a successfully proven method for enticing someone into a trap.
But we could be wrong. For all we know, this was a genuine person looking for love and was fobbed off with a fuzzy orange photo. Maybe this was the beginning of a love story.
Very Believable
Do you remember when you rented your first apartment and your landlord asked you for $25 to perform a background check before you’d even seen the apartment? You don’t? That’s because it’s definitely not a thing.
This scammer could have worked on their grammar before sending this message. Maybe if they punctuated properly it would look the tiniest bit believable.
Burner Phone
Scammers are getting more adventurous with their strategies. Fortunately, there are always going to be people who are one step ahead of the bad guys and ready to catch them in their lies.
After sending a threatening message like the one they did, this scammer definitely wouldn’t have expected a response like the one they got. We bet it was super awkward when the phone didn’t get destroyed.
Thank You, Next
Some people online will go to any length to fleece people of their money. But whatever their method, it’s crucial to keep up appearances so as not to be caught out.
Unfortunately, grammar and spelling weren’t on this “registered nurse” scammer’s side, and the recipient saw right through it. We love their non-nonsense get to the point attitude.
Props for Trying
When fabricating a story you want others to believe, it’s all about the smaller details. The language you use, the photos, the props. Wait, props?
Scammers truly believe that we were born yesterday, don’t they? As if an FBI agent would not only reach out via text message, and would send a photo of their ID to someone they deem a potential criminal? Please.
Beautiful Lies
Scammers love posing as cherished celebrities reaching out to their fans. While it may be ridiculous to some, it can be a pretty exciting day when your music idol reaches out to you personally.
We hope that the person targeted didn’t fall for this one. Even though it’s entirely unconvincing, the Bad Romance reference as authentication did make us giggle.
Netflix and No Chill
It doesn’t matter how authentic a phishing email looks, if the grammar is even slightly off, the entire lie falls apart.
We’d like to believe that no professional organization would send out an official email without having it proofread a bunch of times, let alone send out an email that sounds like it’s been proofread by a three-year-old child.
Taxed Enough Already
Sometimes the spam-filled texts we receive from scammers are so ridiculous that they’re laughable. We can’t imagine anyone would actually fall for something like this.
Are governments demanding iTunes gift cards instead of tax? Apple really must be taking over the world if that’s the case. However wishful that thinking is, it would definitely make tax returns a lot more interesting. Either way, we hope they paid—we’d hate to see them under the rest.
Take My Money
While some scammers out there are fabricating extravagant storylines and motives, some of them will go for the simple option with a pretty picture. Even still, it seems fairly optimistic to hope that a photo of an attractive woman picture will do the job.
Fortunately, people have started to catch on to these types of scheming methods. Not today, scammers.
Foiled Attempt
When the Evil Queen sent a huntsman to take out Snow White, the assassin hired couldn’t bring himself to do it, so he set her free. This was when we learned that not all assassins are bad and some can even save you.
Honestly, we’ve never seen such a kind-hearted assassin—it’s a real tear-jerker. Khalifa was clearly raised on Disney movies and we’re glad she was. We can’t help but wonder what her rates are.
Just Purrfect
There’s no better feeling than having the last word. When somebody does you wrong, being able to fix the situation and give them a taste of their own medicine is a truly satisfying feeling.
We hope this scammer thinks twice before they send a spammy text like this again. Even still, we think that a random cat fact every day for less than $10 is an absolute steal. Where can we sign up?
Left on Read
With all the scammers out there on the internet these days, it’s always fun to think of ways to keep them on their toes.
While ignoring the potential criminal is always an option, responding in a foreign language with a terrifying photo is a much more fun and creative way to deter scammers from continuing to reach out to you.
0 Comments