For the most part,
scams are illegal. And an illegal scam is that much harder to fall for.
Not all scams are illegal, though. Some are perfectly legal and could be stealing your money from right out under your nose. Here are the completely legal scams to watch out for!
1
Having to file your own taxes then being fined if you don’t do it right Reddit quote, u/DestroyingAwesome
2
"That news in America is entertainment. Can get away with saying pretty much anything and still call it “news”. - u/flowachild357"
3
The housing market. So many corporations are buying up houses and then jacking up rent. construction and real estate industries. And then you have builders that build small, cheap, units that won't stand the test of time because corners are being cut. And real estate agents trying to line their own pockets with bidding wars and creating a sense of scarcity and urgency Reddit quote, u/kleetor1
4
University fees. I have to not only pay for my classes and admin fees, I have to pay for two separate student Union fees, a technology fee, an online processing fee, and a "recreation and athletic" fee, despite the Fieldhouse being entirely closed due to covid. Reddit quote, u/Yael_Eyre
5
80+ hour work weeks for understaffed tourism towns around the world Reddit quote, u/williamchase88
6
Printer ink Reddit quote, u/NoGameNoLifeOfficial
7
Health insurance "Pay us every month and we'll cover things like health care, car accidents, and other things that just happen in life to make sure you're protected!" -Thing in life happens- "Yeah we ain't gonna pay sh*t on any of that but keep paying us our absurd monthly rates or you might be screwed if something should happen!" Reddit quote, u/Nayko214
8
"hot single ladies in your area" Reddit quote, u/12a357sdf
9
Cable company making you "rent" a router for 10$ a month. Sh*t should be illegal. Reddit quote, u/xmuskorx
10
Medication Costs My dog had hookworm and so my doctor recommended I get treated as well just to be safe - pharmacy called me warning that it would cost me $2,995... asked my doctor if there was an alternative; was able to get an equally effective treatment for $45 Reddit quote, u/mayaorsomething
11
Charging for parking in Hospitals and Clinics. Also charging people money to withdraw money or because they have small (positive) balances in their bank accounts. Reddit quote, u/P13r15
12
Payday loans Reddit quote, u/Shard_Shark
13
Televangelists like Joel Osteen Reddit quote, u/i_tune_to_dropD
14
If you’re a personal business owner, you may receive what looks to be a bill in your mail from the US Domain Authority. At first glance, you’re under the impression that you need to pay 289 dollars to renew your website domain name… HOWEVER. There is very fine print stating that you are not legally required to pay the listed amount. It’s actually an ad requesting you pay that amount in order to have your website listed on the US Domain Authority site. I can’t imagine how many people have been tricked by this. READ YOUR MAIL CAREFULLY Reddit quote, u/RecentLingonberry821
15
Timeshares. I figured AirBnB and VRBO and all the other temp rental disrupters would have put a stop to this predatory own-little-pay-mucho cash grab which destroys local housing markets and creates wet paint ghost towns. But alas it persists and we have to stare at lines of cheap shacks or soviet bloc-style complexes left vacant on off-seasons or occupied by flightless grey birds who only fly south because some Iowa idiot got conned in a Ramada Inn on a Tuesday looking for a free golf bag. Arguably these apps have created more of a problem but I figured it’d be better. Reddit quote, u/EatEmUpJack
16
Ticketmaster Ticketmaster actually had a class action lawsuit where they had to pay out $400 million (USD) to 50 million ticket buyers due to "order processing fees" and "UPS delivery fees" that were apparently bogus and weren't actually spent on anything specific. Reddit quote, u/lugnutsandbolts
17
The troubled teen industry. It doesn't work. It traumatizes children. It's legal kidnapping. I hope more attention comes to it and something happens. They're a business and the goal is to make money, not help troubled teenagers. Ffs, half the time the kids aren't even troubled! Reddit quote, u/st0dad
18
MLMs "I'm my own CEO." No, you aren't. You literally have a company telling you what you can and can't do. Reddit quote, u/Ok-Act-6869
19
Civil forfeiture. You're going to tell me that a cop thinks that my property might be used for illegal activity, and that cop is going to steal it from me and pad their departments bottom line? What the actual f Reddit quote, u/MYule90
20
Paying services charges I don’t mind paying a $10 delivery fee but will not pay a $0.99 service charge Reddit quote, u/carbondupe
21
Private prisons. You're telling me that they charge the government for the beds and the taxpayers still gotta foot the bill if those beds are empty so the company running it "doesn't lose money"? F*ck you. Reddit quote, u/Silverback_Vanilla
22
Insider trading within Congress. But if WE do it, we end up in prison. Reddit quote, u/vabeach23451
23
Title pawns, pay day loans some charging 300% interest. Reddit quote, u/Grateful_me
24
Extended warranties, so many promises made, but when time comes for a claim, almost all are denied. Reddit quote, u/ggs_golf
25
"Printing" fee for digital tickets Reddit quote, u/eastherbunni
