12 Common Scams You Never Realized You Fell For

January 21, 2024

Oh No I Failed Again. Closeup Photo Of Sad Terrified

Scams have transformed over the years. These went from being big high-profile operations to low-key schemes that people don’t even notice. For example, clearance sales and random phone pop-ups that you consider normal are new schemes to take your money. Keep an eye out for these 12 schemes that are common but never noticed.

Table of Contents

Tipping for Everything

Client Giving Tips To Waitress In Outdoor Cafe Closeup — Source: Shutterstock

Tipping is generally acceptable, but there are circumstances where it doesn’t add up. For instance, why would one be expected to tip in an automated sushi restaurant where food is served on conveyor belts and a little robot delivers the drinks? There’s no human interaction after all!

Tipping also feels like a scam when you visit places that are self-service, yet the cashier asks for a tip.

“Last Chance” to Buy

This scam works because people don’t like missing out. Words such as “last chance, for a limited time, or hurry so you don’t miss out” are “designed to bypass the rational part of your brain and make you feel rushed, which induces panic, and that’s when we make poor decisions.”

Bogus Failed Parcel Delivery Texts

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Scammers have upped their game and are lately sending emails or texts by pretending that they are from the postal office. They would accuse you of not filling in the correct address and that you would have to provide your details again or else your package wouldn’t get delivered.

Of course, your first instinct would be to submit your details again. Unfortunately, you’ll be keying them into a phishing account, enabling the scammers to steal your credit card details.

Multi Level Marketing

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Previously known as pyramid schemes, MLMs have and continue to scam people. It’s wild that the majority of these people fall for the next MLM scam in an attempt to make a profit on their investment.

“It’s on Sale”

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“No, it’s regular price,” points out a user. This is another trick marketers use to capitalize “on human FOMO and dopamine hits,” which is always successful.

Unlimited PTO

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Unlimited PTO sounds good to many people who don’t realize it also “means days won’t accrue, and there will be no payout of unused leave when you quit.” Besides, many companies don’t approve unlimited PTO requests.

Door-To-Door Home Security Sales

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One user calls this scam a “high-pressure sale with lots of crappy equipment and zero support.” Some homeowners who fall for this fail to recognize that these salesmen are not knowledgeable about their products and are only motivated by closing a deal.

Financial Influencers

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Finfluencers are also scammers who hide behind the “financial professionals” curtain. They use fake messages and screenshots of their non-existing profits to entice their victims to subscribe to their channels or buy their courses.

Clicking “Agree All” on the Cookies Popups

“Cookies are a scam that so many people don’t realize they are making money off your data,” a poster points out. How so? Because in that long privacy policy section that you never bother to read is a “section saying you give them the right to take your information, save it, then sell it to marketers for a profit.”

So next time, remember to click “Reject All” cookies.