Scams That Are All Too Easy To Fall For
Reddit user ChoiceLine2569 asked: 'What's a scam that's really easy to fall for?'
Let's face it: Not even the wisest person is immune from being hoodwinked and swindled out of their hard-earned cash.
With every scheme that is exposed, another new tactic seems to quickly take its place.
The increase in deceptive emails and phone calls under the guise of unpaid fees or fines that don't exist is enough to make skeptics out of everyone–which can't be good for your social interactions with friends and colleagues since not everyone is out to get you.
But it's good to be familiar with the most common fraudulent acts in order to protect yourself.
Thankfully, strangers online shared their experiences and expertise when Redditor ChoiceLine2569 asked:
"What's a scam that's really easy to fall for?"
The worst ones are those who are taken advantage of when they are their lowest.
Here's The Kicker
"An awful one I’ve learned about from r/scams is recovery scams."
"Basically, you’ve already been scammed once and you go online somewhere like Reddit looking for advice. Recovery scammers will DM you and tell you that they can help recover the money you lost, for a small fee or with your account information."
"I guess it’s easy to fall for because you’re already in a vulnerable place, and you don’t want to believe that a person offering to help you get out of the first mistake is going to scam you for more money. It’s terrible how they take advantage of people who are already down."
– TonyDanzer
The Stolen Motorcycle Bit
"Someone in my town had their motorcycle stolen and people were sharing the post on Facebook. There's about 25% people going 'I'm so sorry this happened to you. You should message this random account and they will find it for you' and you look at the person's profile and they are in Texas or some sh*t. We live in Canada. I reported every one but I know people fall for it."
– SuperSpicyBanana
Preying On The Vulnerable
"Any scam that is directed at people in need who are desperate enough to take any offer of 'help'."
– StupidFckNextDoor
"I was looking for an apartment a few months ago and the amount of scams targeting those in need of homes is sickening. From $100 'application fees' to leases sent via email without a viewing is absurd. I could see some family desperate for a place to live falling for some of these and it’s sickening."
– CockEyedBandit
Sports Marketing Job
"The fake job ones are so bad. I was DESPERATE to find something, f'king ANYthing about 9 months after I got out of college. Out of shear desperation I fell victim to one of the 'sports marketing' jobs (my degree is in marketing/advertising). It was all BS and the whole job was sitting outside gas stations (or going door to door, f'k) selling coupon books to random people. Just awful."
"Anyway it was REALLY depressing having to come home to my parents after that first day and explain to them it was all a scam. They were so disappointed. Not gonna lie I was close to giving up entirely at that point."
– Reddit
Make sure to check your purchase history.
Non-Existent Purchase Order
"This email I’ve been getting recently: 'Thank you for your $500 order of xyz, call this number to change or cancel' Almost got me first time."
– spannerboy69
Suspicious Phone Notifications
"Oh shoot, you too?"
"Instead of emails in getting phone sms and notifications. They are pretty realistic since I get an sms every time my credit card is used."
– Crazed_Archivist
The Time Geek Squad Called
"I got an email from Geeksquad saying 'thank you for your $300 payment' and I’m like wtf, I don’t have an account with them. I called the number provided and it brought me to this man with broken English who insisted I paid and in order to confirm payment I needed to provide my CC information, immediately I knew this was a scam and I hung up the phone."
"Afterwards I called the actually Geek squad customer service number and they reassured me that I did not in fact pay a bill, what a load of losers."
– nano_singularity
Most of us just want to be left alone.
But that doesn't stop solicitors from coming to your door.
Homeowners Beware
"My wife and I were first time home buyers and I somehow got suckered into signing on with ADT security while some guy was setting up our 'smart home' features. I signed a THREE YEAR contract and I have tried several times to get out but the contract says if I leave early I owe 75% of the remaining contract payments. I had no idea what I was doing and having to fend off a dozen salespeople every day. The guy was super aggressive about having me sign too and it made me feel humiliated after I realized what happened."
"Tip to new home buyers. Do NOT talk to ADT people. Don't even let them into your house. They are crooks. I am overpaying and they keep raising the price on me somehow. I guess this is how I learn."
– TheBigCheese7
Knock Knock, Who's There?
"One time we heard someone ripping our screen from the window. Went out to check and was all Clear. Next morning talking about getting security and door bell rings. Guess who it is ADT. I truly believe they did the ripping of my screen."
– RevolutionaryDot9505
The Best Security System
"When my wife and I got our first house there were multiple security companies selling door to door their services, they are very pushy and annoying. We have a 132 pound rotteweiler that will bark at any voice he does not reconize. I got to the point I would open the door with dog barking, they would say their script and I would cut them off saying "I have security system here 24/7 I just have to feed it I don't want your services, and then close the door petting the dog. I felt bad at first but I got to the point I told my self. I worked all day to get home and relax then to be disturbed with someone who is wanting to sell me crap I don't want."
– qtip357
The Long Contract
"I got sucked into Vivint with the first house my now wife and I rented together. They are a 5 year contract! I now have my own security cameras and monitor them myself."
– Show-Me-Your-TDs
A few things to remember to protect yourself from scammers is to never give out personal information–especially pin numbers or passwords when dealing with financial institutions.
Banks will never reach out and ask for your social security number or other sensitive information unless you're the one contacting them.
Also, if someone is pressuring you to transfer funds or making threats by mentioning consequences for not acting quickly, it's most definitely a scam.
Stay vigilant, and if your gut tells you something doesn't feel right, it's because it usually isn't.
Have you ever been told you can make money fast by selling a product and getting others to help you sell it too? Or gotten a text from a company saying they were impressed by your resume despite the fact that you never applied for a job and have never even heard of the company?
What about the ever-popular emails from a Nigerian prince asking for your information and some money?
All of the above examples are just some of the ever-present scams in today's world that people fall for.
It may seem silly at first: who is still falling for stuff like this? But it's more common than you think!
Redditors know this all too well and are ready to share the scams too many people still fall for.
It all started when Redditor eh17368 asked:
"What is scam that so many fall for without realizing?"
More Like A Donation
"The "add a tip" line at the end of EVERYTHING. No I'm not tipping the electric company, thanks."
– chyna094e
"I went to a restaurant last week and the “recommended” 20% tip they put at the end of the receipt was actually more than an actual 20% of the total when I pulled out a calculator to do the math. It’s crazy how brazen tip culture has become."
– sushimane1
"Went to a restaurant where you ordered your food when sitting down, but had to go grab it yourself off the counter when it’s ready for you, you had to pour your own drinks and such also, and lastly you out your dishes away in a bin, and they’re labeled by specific dish."
"Nothing wrong with this and I don’t mind it, but then they have that stupid a** “add a tip” sh*t to the bill and I’m like, bro they didn’t do anything worthy of earning a tip from this."
"Worst part too is when the add a tip menu comes up, it’s like some dramatic a** number like 20-25% lol."
– Illustrious_Town_924
"I don't live in a country with a tipping culture and get stressed when I travel anywhere where tipping is a thing. It low key feels like extortion."
– Jealous-Treacle5736
"Help Me, Grandma"
"As a teller manager, I've had a few elderly customers who truly think their grandchildren are in jail and need to withdraw $20,000 in cash from their accounts to bail them out."
"Tell them outright to contact their grandchildren in front of me and that they are falling for a scam. Naturally, the youngster replies next."
"Their intentions are good, but before they part with such significant sums, they should consider whether they provided the con artists access to their home addresses."
– CreativeBudaw
"My mom got a call like that, she listened to the whole story before saying "but grandson, you're 5? How did this happen?" And the scammer hung up."
– eveeNicks
"My grandparents got suckered into thinking I was in jail in Canada after going there for a concert with a friend when I was 17."
"They didn’t think at all about how my mom would never let me go to a different country with a friend for a concert in a million years and that I was a complete square anyway. They only called me before sending the money because the teller at Western Union had seen other people get scammed and said they should reach out to me first."
"Sure enough, I got a call from them while I was at an academic decathlon luncheon and had to assure them I was home and in no trouble. Since then, I’ve had a secret magic word with my grandma in case she gets scammed about me and my grandpa passed away years later still certain the scammers had recorded my voice and engineered the story and responses lol"
– pgenius
"My dad got a call that his grandson (my son) was in jail and that my dad needed to send money. My dad told the guy he'd have to call his brother, Richard because Richard is the one with the money. We don't have anyone in the family named Richard."
– Special_Possession46
It's On Sale...Right?
"My local grocery store uses yellow price tags for things that are on sale AND random things that aren't on sale but they're hoping you don't actually look closely and just assume it's a great price because the tag is yellow. I fell for it all the time cause it took me about a year of shopping there to realize it."
– doghorsecatbaby
"It's amazing what "SPECIAL" and "ON SALE" does to people's brains."
"Often a customer will bring something to the checkout and ask me to check the price."
"Me (scans item): "It's $4.95.""
"Customer (thinks for a moment): "Is that on special?""
"... Does it matter? It's still going to cost $4.95."
– DoctorWho_DMC
"My job is putting the tags up. A lot of them, especially over the last couple years, will disguise a price increase by keeping the item on "sale", but the new sale price is the old regular price."
– Doodleyduds
"My main store has red tags on "locked down" prices then they have orange for "this week only" which sounds like it's also a deal but it's not. I only noticed this after raspberries were on sale the week before for 1.88. The next week they were advertised as 2.88 this week only!. I wonder how many times I've fallen for that."
– RoosterMiserable1275
Tell Me How To Live My Life
"Life coaching/Business coaching etc. I was one for years, and can promise you that 99% of them poorly regurgitate info from each other, with absolutely no experience in the areas outside making money selling courses on things they’ve never done."
"From your typical IG 20yo life coach, to the popular Jay Sh*tty’s. All completely full of sh*t scam artists that are never transparent about how they actually make their money, and post wishy-washy babble on social media that never provides a solution but convinces people low on their luck that they’re the experts."
"There's a few out there who are legit who have huge businesses and done well - but they are the huge names that are transparent- Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Gary V, Eric Thomas to name a few from the small few."
– FattestSpiderman
"I have a personal anger towards life coaches, which makes me sad because I feel like there could be genuine people out there. But I was scammed by one as a teen. I was very overweight and miserable and found a woman who had lost a lot of weight and was even on the news. I related to her with life experiences. She had a tiny coaching business and charged a few thousand dollars for a course that lasted.. a couple months at most I think? My parents helped pay, hoping their miserable daughter would finally get some help after they had tried so many things."
"She gave me such surface level advice. I was so disappointed. There wasn’t real substance and I felt like I was being fed positive quotes you’d find on a coffee mug at a discount store or something."
"I have also been preyed on by Beachbody coaches more times than I can count. I never accepted their sales. The most recent one was a woman who really impressed me by her massive weight loss and her Instagram page with lots of relatable and helpful content. I became so disinterested as soon as I found out she was a Beachbody coach."
"A lot of coaches are quite young and it’s not that I think young people don’t have something to offer, but being a life coach at that age seems… idk?"
– TheRareClaire
Our Time Now
"Timeshares. How do people still think these are good?"
– Historical_Ad2890
"Are people still selling these or were there so many people locked into them they don't need new blood?"
– timallen445
Winner, Winner!
"Enter to win this prize! Give us all your information"
– Pristine-Regret2797
"Hey my chances must be pretty high with how many I’ve applied to by now"
– Wizard_Level9999
What A Steal!
"Black friday sales. Some are great deals but the Big majority just the same price with a fake discount sign"
– Vegetable-Drawer-416
"I worked at Best Buy years ago. They would just take the sh*tty TVs and put them up front. Those TVs were already cheap, so ppl saw the low price and thought they were getting a good deal. Nope, all you got was a sh*tty TV that was more than likely Best Buy's own brand."
– CerealKiller3030
Speaking To Those In The Beyond
"Mediums."
"I dont care what youve experienced, its fake"
– Juizehh
"Cold reading and psychology are learnable skills people exploit to present themselves as mediums. It’s convincing. And it’s total crap. I feel happy for people who get the closure they’re looking for. I feel badly for people who pour their hard earned money into these scam artists and never get the result they’re after."
– caboozalicious
"It “helps” or gives closure maybe but its not moral imo."
"If you really have that “gift” youd do it for free"
– Juizehh
The Real Price Is Not The Sticker Price
"I just got to do this yesterday. I just bought a new car and the salesman was wonderful. But once in the finance guys office. He does the whole let me explain the standard warranty and then our extra warranty. He gets all done and shows me a paper with the cost of the extra baked into the payment. It raised the price of the car by nearly 20% but he was super smooth about it like it was no big deal just a little more per month. I said no and moved on but definitely a scam."
– jjzzxxa
Make Money Fast
"Multi level marketing schemes, no Karen I don’t want your stick on nails or random sugar shakes"
– SENDS-POSITIVE-VIBES
"But if you can get three friends to sell them for you and each one of them gets 3 friends to sell them, we will all get rich!"
– joesephexotic
It's Not Me!
"Pretty soon. AI scams."
"We are very quickly entering an age where AI tools are going to allow scammers to essentially full dox you, impersonate you with near 100% accuracy, and target the statistically most vulnerable people you know."
"We are about to enter a really damn dark age. And unless you have already talked with loved ones and have discussed codewords that won't get shared. You will never know for certain that the person on the other line is even human, let alone that person."
"Also going to be really easy for your coworkers to get rid of you by having an AI impersonate you and just quitting."
– Deleted User
That last one's pretty dark...but also completely possible.
The world has become wrought with individuals who seek to bamboozle you into forking over your hard-earned money.
There have been so many cons throughout history that have evolved as people have gotten wise to them, but the scam artists were always one step ahead and improved upon their malicious schemes to continue being on the prowl for more gullible victims.
Curious to hear examples of some of the most notorious cons, Redditor GransShortbread asked:
"What are some of the biggest scams to have happened in history?"
Caveat Emptor.
European Con Artist
"Fake selling of Eiffel tower. Twice."
– pavioko
"Victor Lustig, exactly who i thought of too."
"He had another scheme where he sold people with too much money and not enough sense a box that “duplicated currency”, and then when they realized they had been scammed they would either be too embarrassed to do anything or scared of being busted for attempting to counterfeit."
– SlainSigney
Moving To A Fictional Country
"Gregor MacGregor tricked a whole bunch of people into moving to a fake country in Central America."
– SnooChipmunks126
American Fraudster Financier
"Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme."
– neonblue3612
Italian Swindler
"Charles Ponzi’s scheme."
– Brainjacker
"Damn, he was named after the term for scamming somebody, bad luck."
– insertstalem3me
Beware of the companies you trust.
Misuses Of Funds
"US Telecom companies getting like 200 billion to expand infrastructure, which they didn't do - then using that money to f'k us over with the FCC's 'fast lanes.'"
– yalaket111
Where The Funds Were Allocated
"Most of the money went to rural ISPs who just used the money to buy off all other rural ISPs and nearly bankrupt themselves with operating costs. CenturyLink and Frontier were the worst actors. Bought up a bunch of small local ISPs and cities that Verizon and ATT wanted to give up on supporting."
"Didn't make any improvements to infrastructure. Really should have had more regulation around it because that money was essentially stolen."
– foxbones
Live Event Exploitation
"My hate for Ticketmaster is beyond anything in the world."
– aRealTattoo
"22k for Taylor swift. HAHAHAHA"
– Cornyboy100
A certain religious organization got a bad rap.
Faith In Hollywood
"The Church of Scientology."
– SuvenPan
Sometimes, it's the little things.
Expensive Solution
"The price of printer ink."
– SolarGum
"This is really a thing the EU ought to regulate better. They have introduced USB-C for standardization, now please force printer companies to make new models that all adhere to one standard ink cartridge that must be able to accept any 3rd party made ones."
– Chillypill
This Cuts Deep
"Replacement razor cartridges have entered the chat."
– Hockeygoalie1114
Too Much 4 Tulips
"Tulips in the Netherlands in the 16th century. There was a point at which one tulip bud cost as much as a good house."
– Aerobiesizer
It's always good to be aware as a consumer that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Also, listen to your gut instincts when in a suspicious scenario.
My first time in New York during snowfall, a man "bumped" into me and "dropped" his glasses on the freshly accumulated snow and accused me of breaking them because I wasn't watching where I was going.
He insisted I repay him by going to the ATM and handing him $200. Being skeptical right away, I told him I didn't have my debit card on me and I offered to take his address so I can send him a check.
Considering he wasn't getting cash in that moment, he huffed and walked away. I guess he didn't really need the money.
Unfortunately, incidents like this has made me a cynic and it's made it very difficult for me to trust everyone I meet.
But is it better to always be on your guard or allow yourself to be vulnerable from time to time to avoid being judgmental?
Ultimately, that's up to you.
We want to believe the world is a good place, and it can be. However, there are still those who seek to deceive us.
They prey on the innocent and naïve and run scams that take advantage of us and our assets.
Some of these scams are as old as time itself, and most people have wised up. They can recognize the tricks and protect themselves. However, every now and then, someone still falls for one of those stupid scams.
Redditors identified some of these scams and are ready to share.
It all started when Redditor MrTenBelow-1 asked:
"what's a scam so stupid yet people keep falling for?"
Gift Card For Bills
"People who fall for phone scammers telling them they can pay an overdue utility bill in Apple gift cards. WTF?"
– AdmiralBofa
"My client got taken for 40k in gift cards and a bit coin machine scam over the course of 2.5 days. The bank held her and begged her not to leave because they thought she was in danger but the scammer told her to tell them she has a right to her money and they gave up. They never called her husband which would have helped. The second Kroger refused to sell her the gift cards and told her they would call the cops and called her credit card company to tell them to close the card. Kroger was the hero in this situation. It helped snap her out of it but most of the money was gone."
"Talk to your older relatives. This is so common."
– pamidawashername
Bail Them Out
"As a teller manager, I have had a few elderly people who actually believe their grandkids are in jail, and need to take out 20k out of their accounts in cash, in order to bail them out."
"Literally tell them they are falling for a scam, and to call their grandkids in front of me. Of course the kid then answers."
"Their hearts are in the right place, but they need to think before they take large amounts like that, but also if they gave the scammers their personal addresses."
– Nouls
"Thank you for looking out for them! My grandma’s attempt to bail me out of jail with target gift cards was foiled by a kind bank teller like you. My grandma doesn’t have a cell phone so she called the police and me from the bank to make sure everything got sorted."
– gingersnap9210
Money, Money, Money
"Any get rich quick subscription program. The actual get rich scheme is launching a subscription program for a get rich scheme."
– Kretuhtuh
"Subscribe to my courses to learn how to get rich quick. I'm only offering this because I don't want to use my tricks to get rich quick and want to share it with you instead."
– eggtart_prince
Love = Money
"Sending ppl on dating apps money"
– marvelwonderwoman
"While I've never been scammed, they've made attempts on me while I was on dating apps. It's easy to spot when they're attempting to scam you, like using some Instagram model's photos on their profile, or they try to get you to move to another app like skype or WhatsApp. But some guys don't think with the head on their shoulders and lose hundreds to probably a guy in Nigeria."
– draiman
The Future Is No Mystery
"Psychic hotlines"
– fonduktoe
"Or, any psychic really. Storytime: in NYC a few years ago, I walked by one of those storefront psychics as the proprietor yelled out to her husband, “But I can’t find my keys!” Not great advertising."
– moltenlavashake
How Romantic
"My coworker who was widowed three years ago met a man online and has been speaking with him for over a year. He says he has an apartment in an upscale neighborhood of the nearby city. They haven't met in person yet because he is building a bridge in Dubai. He was going to come home for Christmas but the flights were very expensive."
"I am 95% sure this is a romance scam."
– elusivemoniker
"He’s building a bridge in Dubai😂😂😂😂😂"
– Jellyb3anz
Don't Have Wheels
"I'm calling about your cars extended warranty..."
– WhoaSpoders
"Man I was getting those calls before I even owned a car"
– justaguyonreddit02
"Okay, I'm not proud of this, but I nearly got screwed by an extended warranty call."
"I had just bought a used electric car out of state. And even though I've never done this before I bought an extended warranty from the used car dealership because it covered the batteries."
"While I was waiting for delivery I got a letter from what I thought was the warranty company. I was getting a lot of paperwork so it didn't look out of place. It said to give them a call so I could finalize the warranty information."
"I called the number and they asked questions like mileage, trim package, etc. And after all that they said because of a change in their policy I could save $50.00 a month if I made the first payment before close of business Friday."
"The only reason they didn't get my credit card number is because I asked them why I needed to make monthly payments for something I paid in full on my loan. That's when the discussion started sounding fishy (phishy) after a few more attempts to convince me to pay I just hung up on them, and called the dealership."
"What's crazy is that the company is a legitimate extended warranty company. They just have shady business practices."
– could_use_a_snack
Sell, Sell, Buy!
"Pyramid schemes. For the life of me I can’t fathom how people think they’ll get rich selling stupid sh*t like oils or wax"
– AkuraPiety
"A family friend sells one of the kitchen things as an MLM and is always boasting about going on cruises and stuff... Of course she leaves out the part where she has to park on her driveway because her garage is literally floor to ceiling, wall to wall with boxes of unopened merch. She isn't getting rewarded for her sales, she's getting rewarded for her purchases."
"She cooked some kind of dip for us in a microwave to show off a product. It tasted like I imagine a dead cow's milky an*s tastes."
– WillemDafoesHugeCock
Heal The Virus
"“Hello, this is John White. I am calling from Windows Technical Support. We have received notification that there are many errors on your computer, and that it may have a virus.”"
– MasterAinley
"My friends mother kept a guy like this on the phone for 20minutes, did everything he told her and was so greatful the nice Windows man was trying to fix her computer. Then eventually asked him "Oh, was my computer meant to be switched on?""
– anderoogigwhore
Please Hang Up!
"My MIL almost fell for this."
"My wife got a call from her father about something completely unrelated and as they're talking, he says that her mom is on the phone with Microsoft. I overhear this. I've listened to my IT friends talk about how getting MS on the phone is a huge pain in the a*s, so I'm immediately wondering what is going on.""My wife prods a little and finds out that they called her. Immediately, I'm saying over and over again "Tell her to hang up. Hang up HANG UP""
"Her MIL is...well, she's an older Jewish lady who is allergic to silence. FIL is a very typical older Jewish man..."
"FIL tells her "The kids are saying you should hang up, they say it's a scam.""
"MIL says on the phone to the "representative": "My kids are telling me this is a scam, are you trying to scam me?""
"The fake rep says "Of course not, you know me, why would I do that""
"MIL: "He says it's not a scam.""
"FIL: "She says it's not a scam.""
"My wife: It scam."
"Me: HANG UP HANG UP HANG UP"
"FIL to MIL: They're tellin me you should hang up."
"MIL to FIL: Do you know where the checkbook is?""
"Wife: OMG TAKE THE PHONE FROM HER AND HANG IT UP"
"Me: Why is she not HANGING UP?"
"FIL to my wife: I think I might have to call you back, your mother can't find the checkbook"
"Wife, now screaming: SHE IS BEING SCAMMED"
"MIL, to the rep: Hold on, I think I need to talk to my daughter, can I call you back?"
"Rep: Sure, but if we could process payment..."
"FIL: I think you better tell him to call back later"
"MIL: That's what I told him [to the rep] I need to call you back hun"
"Wife: I am begging you dad, take the phone from her"
"Me: [screams]"
"MIL to the rep: No, that's not a good time, we'll be eating dinner"
"Me: I'm driving over there."
"And that's what I did."
"She hadn't given him any payment information thankfully, but she had scheduled a call with him later. I blocked the number and told her not to answer any other unknown numbers. I had to show her several articles proving this is a scam and she STILL said "Well ya nevah know, and I don't want any virus on my computer""
– Daddict
The Truth About Social
"Facebook is going to change its algorithm by you copying and pasting a post"
– mamaj747
"Literally yesterday I saw one of those dumba** "I do not give FB permission to blah, blah, blah...""
"Yes, honey, you already did when you signed up and every time you accepted their new terms of service. Buried in the fine print you entirely gave them permission."
– Cinemaphreak
Thin Out
"Those “lose 15 pounds in 5 days” type diets in supermarket tabloids"
– AssociateGeneral4275
"Dude it works, I lost 20 pounds in 10 days. The diet is called a very aggressive stomach flu. You can’t keep anything down and you sh*t your brains out."
– Omegaprimus
Steer clear of all of these!
Do you have any popular scams to add? Let us know in the comments below.
Between our parents' words of wisdom and the annoying cliches we hear daily, life lies to us a lot.
The advice we get from our family and life seems like a good thing; at the very least, it's well-intentioned.
However, it's not always true.
My parents told me I could be anything I wanted. What they didn't mention was that not everyone has an affinity for science, and there's every possibility I won't be a physicist. That one was not fun to learn.
Redditors know all too well the reality of the world proving to us that life has many lies, and were eager to share what those lies are.
It all started when Redditor GandalfGreen95 asked:
"What do you consider life's greatest lie?"
Mother Knows Best?
"That I'm the most handsome boy in the whole wide world. Wrong again mom"
– nthroop1
"Human nature makes it so we always see our children this way, otherwise we might drown you in a tub. :P"
– ToxicAdamm
"No YOUR wrong mother always knows best"
– toastpandaYT
We're All Messes
"That other adults have it all together."
"No, just no. Everyone has some part of their life that is a sh*t show."
– Deleted User
"Lol looking back I got so much advise and looked up to so many adults from work in my late teens early twenties that were barely functioning adults. I just followed along cause I assumed they knew better and I was just a young kid."
– Talk0bell
"Married 17 years, 2 kids, a house, cars, dog, job with retirement plan but I DO NOT feel like I have my sh*t together. Everyday is a stress filled gut-punch of doubt and remorse."
– pinchhitter4number1
"I am a 40something married mom. We own our home and car. And yet, every single day, I feel like I am role-playing. I feel like I am a child playing house. The older I get, the stronger this feeling becomes. Maybe it is because my personal life as far as friendships, social outings, etc. has become very small. I spend 90% of my time in my home, on my phone spaced out playing games or surfing reddit. I barely leave my home, especially in the winter, and when I do, it is because I have errands or yet another doctor appointment or antibody infusion for breast cancer. I barely talk to anyone even online. I know there are days where the only time I speak out loud is to either discuss something with my husband, usually about the kids, or talk to the kids about what they have been up to."
"I chose all of this. I love being home and being with my husband and kids. I find it difficult to connect with other women and form friendships. All the friends I do have live minimum an hour away and I no longer drive because I don't trust myself (thanks to chemo and other medications I severely lack the focus required to drive. Last time I tried I backed into my mother in law's new car. I simply didn't see it even though it was easily seen). I have a good life as far as comforts and care and sharing my life with my husband and children. But I severely lack socializing, and all that brings."
"The isolation plays a huge part in how I feel like I am a child role-playing. I can totally understand how and why some think we are living in a simulation. Somedays feel exactly like that."
– metastatic_mindy
Soulmates
"That there is one person in the world that is perfect for you."
– Spodson
"Well statistically there probably are a lot of people that would be perfect for you. It's just that we will probably never meet them."
– creptik1
"Right? You married your soulmate huh? And she just happen to grow up and live in the same town as you? How lucky!"
– poopstinkss
Dirty Politics (Which Is Just Politics)
"Politicians are there to represent their constituents..."
– Hughja*s_60
"The lie there is that the constituents are the voters. Their real constituents are the people/companies that pay them"
– cormac596
We All Need To Pay Rent
""The money didn't matter.""
"Is not a lie at itself, but it needs to be clarified. The money is not all in the world, but it really matters. It can be more comfortable a bad moment or difficulty, or save you from a big problem. And if you don't have any mayor problem or so, is always good and healthy have some for any surprise the life have for you."
"I hate when I'm worried or mad because the money is barely enough (and always stuck with credit to complete), and say me "money didn't matter", "money came and go". I know money is not all what I must worries and must put time and attention in other important things, but I can't keep that important things (like my wife or my cat) if I have not money for the basics of the house or some emergency."
– MexicanAugustus
Life Isn't Fair...
"The belief that life is fair is a lie, and it's a particularly toxic lie, because people who believe life is fair tend to believe that everything which appears like injustice must actually be secretly fair somehow, and so they rationalize injustice."
– Bizarre_Protuberance
"People who believe life is fair also tend to be the ones benefitting from the unfairness."
– RedBoxSet
Hard Work Doesn't Mean Much
"Hard work = good life."
– iammeanbecauseiamsad
"If that sh*t was true every woman in sub-Saharan Africa would be a millionaire"
– kilbus
"Hard work=more years a company screws you and robs you out of your pension until you retire at 70 or 80 with only memories of working your life away as you slowly die."
– GandalfGreen95
Who Really Cares?
"That the people in charge care about you. They in fact, dont care if you or your loved ones die."
– Muhjigger11998823
"I care about my guys. Corporate doesn't."
– xs81
"They care that they'll have to hire and train a new worker if you die. They don't care about your loved ones one bit."
– Busy-Ad6502
The Company > The People
"The HR Department is there to protect the employee's interests."
"BS......it's there to protect the company from lawsuits"
– MJN91075
College Isn't The Be All End All
"Going to college = success. The fact that so many people go to college, get their degree, and then get a job that has nothing to do with their degree "
– Deleted User
"That you need to go to college and get a degree to be successful. You really don’t, you can still find success without a degree, IT IS NOT REQUIRED."
– the_comedian-kid
Found Family Is Better
"Family is everything.This lie has imprisoned so many in abusive situations"
– Vixen35
"Yuuuup. "Blood is thicker than water" is another shiny gem."
– fleakie
Life Isn't About A Formula
"You must go to college, get a job, find a partner, buy a house, retire and die."
"That formula and the expectations that it puts on us is the basis for so much loss. All that matters is the time we have left and how often we get to spend with those that love us."
– OtterLakeBC1918
"Specifically if you work hard in school, get good grades, go to uni, you will get a good job and be able to achieve all this easily."
"Yeah it doesn't work like that. I switched career in my 30s and make more money now a couple years later than I did with 10 years under my belt working in the industry I graduated into (construction management) and am infinitely happier."
"Find something you enjoy doing for work, don't immediately go to university because your parents and teachers say you have to, try a few different things until something sticks, then work out if you need a degree from there."
– codemonkeh87
Infallible
"The one where your parents are infallible. You don't realize it until you get older or become a parent. They were holding it all together by the skin of their teeth just like I am."
– potatoboat
"This one hits me hard. I grew up in a very authoritarian family and was basically indoctrinated that my parents had it all together and knew it all. Early adulthood was hard because I was living on my own and was afraid to make decisions without checking with them first."
"Many years later and now I can see all the faulty logic for what it is. Wish I had figured that out in my 20's."
– snap802
"Remember when you were young and you thought your dad was Superman... Only to grow up and realize he was just a drunk guy who liked to wear capes."
– Kebb
Yeah, I remember learning that one myself!