TV Shows about undercover cops/workers can't do the real thing justice.
Below are 15 incredible stories of what undercover workers have REALLY seen on the job. Check them out!
1/15) I am a private investigator, contracted by Government to check massage shops to see if they're soliciting. I usually get sent to shops which have had multiple complaints and an investigation is in its final stages and they need evidence to support their case.
So, I go to one place, everything seems normal except for being asked to strip bare for an oil massage. Eventually I am asked to flip over, therapist without asking just starts rubbing some "gel" on my 'parts'. At this point, I am obligated to refuse and finish the session. I ask her to stop but halfway through the sentence I am hit with the most intense pain. Turns out, she was new and was unaware that alcohol gel is not the same as massage oil.
Long story short, manager was convicted of coercing staff on the basis of their visas being revoked if they didn't comply. And I had to stand in court and tell the events of that day.
-RiskyBusinessThrowIt
2/15) Former Loss Prevention here (best job ever by the way) Witnessed so much sex in the stockrooms, couples, singles, trios, you name it. We had cameras everywhere of course, especially in the stockrooms due to rampant employee theft. We had countless hours of employee sex on tape. We couldn't reveal the cameras, which would tip off the thieves, so all we could do was watch.
-Angrymanspokane
3/15) Worked as a "ghost passenger" for an airline; basically I flew around and graded flight attendant's performance.
While still parked at the gate with the door open one flight attendant began berating passengers who were using their smart phones (which was completely permitted at the gate). She threatened to have the person in front of me thrown off the plane if she didn't put hers away. She also threatened me. After we left the gate and were taxiing to the runway I looked back to see her sitting in her jump seat....using her phone. Took a photo of it and included that in my report.
She initially denied using the phone and claimed I was being unruly on the aircraft. After she saw the photo she changed her tune.
-nlderek
4/15) Helped manufacture methicathinone so that I could get arrested with the suspect's and spend time in the cells to discover how the drugs were being brought into the prisons. Was recruited due to my work circumstances, age and environment; had to change "states" when I was finished with the deal.
-acekevorkian
To the next page for even nuttier undercover stories!
5/15) I worked as a secret shopper for a while for a small store. The most egregious thing I found were employees would hide inventory if they knew a sale was coming up. I'd also go in and ask questions about what equipment I should use just to test their general knowledge. Most failed but they were young kids getting paid awful so I felt bad squealing on them.
I also forgot to add that I had to put up with being hit on by teenagers and creepy older guys. I had to play along and see if they knew their stuff despite throwing terrible game.
-blondeandtall
6/15) I worked as a HIPAA inspector for a bit. Sh*t is scary. I'd go in and say I was looking for my mom that they called me she was in an accident. (I was early 20's). Pretty much every place I went gave me all kinds of protected info on the patient [the company would have placed fake records in the computer].
One smaller urgent care place was like "hm, no one with that name- here's our sign in log for the week, take a look!" with last names, first names and "reason for visit." Yikes.
-daggerncloak
7/15) I do Social Engineering for financial institutions (Banks, Credit Unions etc). I went to a credit union in Texas where the entire place failed on a miserable basis for security.
I walked in with a fake badge that stated I worked for a made up company and I was there to an inspection of the building. I dressed in a polo and khaki pants with matching colors to my badge and walked in to the front desk. The girl there was probably in college or just out of school. She immediately let me into the back room and I walked into offices and desks that were unoccupied but located in rooms with other employee's.
I walked up to empty computers in use and plugged USB drives in, huge no no, and began typing random things into computers and taking pictures of myself at the computers. Employee's would literally look at my and go back to their jobs without thinking anything of a guy taking selfies at their friends work desk. Once I had been in every office I went to the Vice Presidents office and opened her desk and looked through files to find personal peoples information, found tons. I went into the file room and took personal loan documents off the shelf and took pictures of myself accessing them.
When I was done I walked to the person who had contracted my company and laid out all the information I had found and all the things I had done and the guy just sighed. This scenario has happened a couple of different times, most places fail somehow. Sometimes its fun and interesting, sometimes its boring and there's nothing worth staying.
-MyithV
Click on the next page for even wilder stories!
8/15) I used to investigate insurance fraud.
The one thing I saw that made me the maddest was when I was working in the run down area near the Philly zoo and saw a strung out mother walking with her toddler and jerking his arm and screaming at him for not keeping up with her quick walking pace. The kid was not even two years old. I really wanted to get out of the car...
The funniest one was where I had to go undercover in a bar to investigate this one person. You ever see the Stallone movie Over the Top? Yeah, that's pretty much what this guy ended up doing right on the bar, right in front of my hidden camera, and looking direct into my camera lens. It was awesome. The armwrestling match went on for minutes and this by a guy "too hurt to work".
At times it was very entertaining to work undercover...
-Atwelve
9/15) I worked for an Armored car service for a while as a under cover guard. When a place had a lot of money or if it was a risky area two plain clothes guards would arrive before the truck. I would scout the place and outside to make sure the uniform guys could get in and out safe. We wore a color of the day and the local cops knew who we were as did the uniformed guards. It was a pretty easy job and I only once waved off a pickup because of a bunch of Latin kings sitting on benches out front.
I hung out a while to see what was going on and hoping they would leave so we could make the pickup. As I sat on a bus bench across the road I watched one of the guys take out his needle point. I never would think that a gang member would tote his needle point to a stick up job.
-c3h8pro
10/15) When I worked QA for a video game publisher, they had me work an E3 as a secret player, basically I got to play new games for that publisher and act like they were amazing in front of press.
While I was taking a break I saw one of the producers hooking up with a booth babe. he didn't recognize me, but I new he was married and had a kid on the way, I didn't say anything, he got laid off when the rest of us did about a year later. but that's just kinda how E3 goes.
-Makabajones
To the last page for the best stories yet!
11/15) I once took my vehicle ton an independent shop for routine maintenance. I said I was dropping it off for as long as it might take as I was "going to take a long trip the following month." I sat across the street in a diner eating soup and drinking coffee. I got a call that my vehicle needed about $4500 worth of work an hour and a half later.
It never left the parking spot.
I told them I didn't want anything done, they said it was half apart already. I am an assistant service manager at a dealership. That Firestone was turned into a parking lot.
-pcoon43456
12/15) I used to training at a call center. I always included being aware of social engineering attempts in my role plays. Management like this so much they started having me do this as a secret caller. I hate to say but I got a lot more people than I should have. Even started doing it ad hoc for other divisions when word got round. Wost was an agent that I'm not sure if she really just didn't care or was just so overly helpful she didn't think twice, but man I could have stolen 3 or 4 people identities if I was actually running a scam.
-tdasnowman
13/15) Was secret shopping at a high end restaurant, around $100 per plate.
The busser came over and re-filled my water glass (that I had already drank out of) and over filled it, so he poured part back in the pitcher from my glass and proceeded to re-fill everyone else at the table from the same pitcher.
I really wanted to throw a fit, but could only include it in my report.
-amberb
14/15) I'm a TV Producer. I was working on a popular documentary a while ago. We were following a woman who was addicted to heroin and had resorted to prostitution in order to make money to support her habits. One day, a friend of hers got thrown into jail. She decided she needed to work really hard to bail them out. So she called her friend who owned a crack-house that he let girls like her turn tricks in at about $10 a pop.
I witnessed this girl share needles with many people and watched as john after john came into the house and disappeared into the bedroom with her for a little bit.
-filteredspam
15/15) Worked as a private investigator for a while, mostly did work comp cases. Seen some shiftyness, drug deals, etc
Worst thing - was conducting surveillance on a person at an apartment complex. Get there before light to set up my rig. Little bit before sunrise, this couple, 50's, in a truck pull up in front of my position. Guy's pulling a trailer, gets out, rummage through dumpster for metal and stuff.
Then the woman with him...
Gets out and between my vehicle and said dumpster proceeds to pop a squat and sh*t on the ground.
Way to start my morning guys - thanks!
-DarthFaderZ
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.