I find it surprising that it's so hard for people to agree on what is and what isn't a scam, but the original focus of the thread seems to have been on scams run by shady characters trying to sucker people out of their money and not so much things which can be generally characterized as scams such as political promises, etc.
Re: Scams
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 1:52 pm
by surfsteve
I just wanted to thank everyone for their input. I think I see the difference now. A scam is a lie; while politics is merely making a promise that is not based upon reality. A scam is deceptive. Politics is making someone believe something by presenting the facts in such a way so as to convince them to do something they otherwise would have never done.
Re: Scams
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:16 am
by recluse
What is Ransomware My theory is that most viruses are created by businesses that sell stuff online as a way to punish people for trying to download stuff for free from pirate sites. That's just a theory, but it stands to reason.
Re: Scams
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:20 am
by recluse
CS:GO - Scam Alert! This is a good example of how scammers use YouTube or Facebook to get people to click on their links:
Re: Scams
Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 6:24 pm
by ergot
FBI warns of new holiday scam If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...
Re: Scams
Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2015 8:19 am
by recluse
Rightscorp: extortion and fraud are siblings Don't fall for this copyright scam.
Rightscorp demands only a nuisance amount — $20 per infringement. Obviously, only the most ignorant and gullible part of the US population rushed to pay, but even if a tiny percentage of recipients pay, it translates to quite nice loot. Metaphorically speaking, Rightsorp is in business of throwing hundreds of thousands pieces of feces against the wall: some do stick.
How to protect yourself from a virtual scam This is an unusually elaborate scam and it would take a lot of effort to make it convincing, but apparently some people can pull it off.
Re: Scams
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 8:21 pm
by dzrtdwg
A familiar scam with a twist Familiar scam? It's new to me and it doesn't even seem like a very good scam. Wouldn't I know if I had been assigned jury duty?
Re: Scams
Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2016 8:44 am
by CactusHugger
I've heard of a few fairly convincing scams, but most of them are not likely to fool most people. Victims of scams are usually people who are exceptionally gullible or people who aren't paying attention because they're distracted in some way. The Jury Duty Scam doesn't seem like it's something most people would fall for, but I suppose if the person on the phone is convincing enough it might work.
Re: Scams
Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2016 7:47 am
by BallaratBob
SCAMS? Ever hear of Verizon? That's a fucking scam if there's ever been a fucking scam. They provide the worst service on the planet and they charge ridiculously high fees for it. The biggest joke of all is that we have no choice in the matter and they know it. We really should send a petition to the FCC and sue Verizon for fraud because that's exactly what it is. It's not just a scam it's legal fraud to the highest degree!