21 Everyday Scams That We Have All Fallen For Due to Normalization
Have you unwittingly fallen prey to modern scams? A vigilant member of an online community recently posed the inquiry about the subtle scams that have seamlessly integrated into our daily lives. The ensuing discussions uncovered unsettling yet commonly overlooked hazards that might be lurking in plain sight.
Router Setup
Paying for router setup might seem necessary, but it’s a scam that’s become normalized. Many internet service providers offer this service for free, yet some continue to charge unsuspecting customers. This person wrote, “I just paid for the privilege of setting up my router.”
Mobile Game Ads
One of the most common scams in the mobile gaming world is misleading advertisements. Someone said, “Mobile game ads that show gameplay of a Call of Duty or Skyrim-style game but in reality are just a spin-off of Candy Crush.”
Another user said, “On a similar note, mobile game ads that pretend to be playable demos, but just click through to the app store.” Total rubbish.
Right to Repair Restrictions
Someone writes, “It’s absurd that manufacturers refuse documentation to private repair enterprises and require you to get your products fixed by the dealer. The reason for the “Right-to-repair” movement.”
Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster is a well-known ticketing and event management company that facilitates purchasing and selling tickets for various events, including concerts, sports events, theater performances, and more. Still, it has also faced criticism for various reasons, including high service fees, scalping issues, and disputes over ticket distribution.
Someone said, “I used to work for a ticket re-selling company in secondary markets. Ticketmaster would directly sell us tickets before going public for us to re-sell at a higher price and create false demand, then split profits. Total scam of a company.”
Paying Money to Name a Star
Naming a star by paying money to certain star registry companies is not a recognized scientific or astronomical practice. These companies often promise to register a star’s name in a database and provide certificates, but these “star names” hold no official or scientific significance. However, many users still believe it makes a perfect gift without realizing it’s the biggest scam ever.
Funeral Exploitation
A user said, “Funerals and everything to do with them. The funeral industry has insane pricing. Some 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.”
Printer Ink
Printer ink is more expensive than gold. Someone said, “Printer companies often sell their low to medium-end printers at a massive loss because they know they’ll profit from just a couple of ink purchases.”
Another user said, “What’s new and even scummier, just saw on Twitter, a guy who couldn’t print from his $300 printer unless he purchased a subscription to use his ink cartridges that were included with the printer.” Absolute madness.
Penny Pricing
One of the normalized scams by most brands is reducing a price by 1 cent to trick our brains into thinking a product costs less than it is. A user said, “ Some people are more susceptible to tricks like that. People tell me, “Oh, you should pick up some X at the grocery. It’s on sale for 5 dollars.” At the store, I see it’s $5.99.”
Unpaid Internships
Someone said, “People get exploited like crazy in unpaid internships, and for what? Most times, they don’t even count. I get so irritated when someone posts “unpaid, but you’ll be given a certificate.” I tell them it’s ridiculous and do the work by yourself.”
Social Media
From its happy beginnings, social media is now mostly a funnel used to ram as many advertisements into your mind as inhumanly possible. Someone said, “My absolute favorites are the “lifestyle influencers” who’s entire persona is about giving up their job and living a simpler life traveling around without material possessions blah blah blah, which is all paid for by turning themself into a living, breathing billboard to sell material possessions.”
Cat Food
A user said, “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 appealing to human sensibilities, not a genuine desire to provide your cat with the best diet.”
Health Insurance
A user said, “Health Insurance in the US. Costs a small fortune, never covers anything, and you still end up bankrupt if you’re not rich and get sick or hurt.”
Tech Device Subscriptions
Someone mentions another scam, “Buying tech devices for premium prices, then still having to pay subscriptions to make them do what they’re supposed to do.”
Free Trials Auto-Renewal Subscriptions
Free trials that automatically roll over to paid subscriptions are the major traps. A user said, “I worked at a big company, and we used to tell customers that it was mentioned in print on the free trial, implying that they’re just not reading observantly. But the print is so small it’s almost an afterthought. I felt disgusted when I was there. Imagine blaming the customers.”
Tipping for Services
Someone said, “It’s a way to pay lower wages to employees and expect consumers to pay a surcharge to make up for it. More workers are expecting tips, and the expected amount is going up. I travel globally and see nothing like it anywhere except the US.”
Name Brand Anything
Choosing to pay an extra $10 for a name brand, when the no name brand has the same, or sometimes even better, product is something we all fall prey to often.
Diamonds
Someone writes, “The diamond industry, specifically as it relates to jewelry. Everything that the average person “knows” about it stems from propaganda and advertisements created by DeBeers. They aren’t rare, they aren’t worth what you pay for them, they don’t appreciate in value and are a terrible investment. They aren’t special.” Think of all the money spent annually on these!
Starbucks
Someone writes, “I pay $9.99 for 51 oz of Folgers Ground Coffee, roughly 380 8 oz cups. That comes out to about $0.02 per cup of coffee. At Starbucks, a Tall Dark Roast costs $1.85. I could have 92.5 cups of Folgers at home before I pay for 1 Starbucks. My tub of Folgers is worth $703.00 if I were to sell it at the same price as Starbucks. AND I’m using reusable cups every day.”
Bottled Water
Another user writes, “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 f****g outrageous, bc water is literally free most places.”
The School Picture Industry
Has anyone ever gotten a good school picture of their kids? A mom hilariously writes, “$80 for an awkward picture of my baby? Nah, thanks.”
How to Be a Millionaire
A user has a frustration to share, “EVERY SINGLE PERSON on the Internet that sells some sort of “millionaire education“ it’s all b*llsh**. Every single one of them. They are all f*****g 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.”
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