45 Scammers Who Got ‘Destroyed’ By The People They Were Trying To Rip Off (New Pics)

The internet’s a double-edged sword: information at your fingertips, but also scammers lurking around every corner. From phishing emails to identity theft on social media—it’s enough to make you paranoid.

Some people, however, choose to defend themselves against scams with humor. For the past few years, Bored Panda has been diving into the r/Scams subreddit and showing you hilariously embarrassing attempts to steal people’s money.

The subreddit’s community has more than doubled in size since we last covered it: there are 783K members now! To keep you sharp, we’ve gathered new posts from r/Scams along with tips from cybersecurity pros Chuck Brooks and Burton Kelso.

#1 Some Intense Scam, Be Aware!

Image credits: yannblas

Scams are hitting wallets hard these days. The Federal Trade Commission reports that Americans lost a staggering $10 billion just last year.

According to Chuck Brooks, President of Brooks Consulting International and Cybersecurity Person of the Year, modern technology has made it easier to fall victim. For example, AI can now create video and voice recordings that impersonate loved ones in distress to trick you into sending money.

#2 Found In Tumblr

Image credits: Bitter_Jaguar_7914

With 117k followers on Linkedin, Brooks shares insights on cybersecurity, emerging technologies, business development, and government relations. He notes that fraudsters pretending to be someone else is one of the most common scams.

This technique is known as spoofing. It’s usually done through phishing emails or text messages that look like they came from a trusted source, like a friend, a bank, or your workplace.

#3 Friend Sent Me This And I Got A Kick Out Of It. Thought Y’all Would Enjoy Too

Image credits: Randevu

#4 I’m Still Getting Those Random Messages. How Do You Deal With Yours?

Image credits: RealRoosterhoot

In the past, it was easy to spot spoofs because they often had misspelled words, bad images, and claims that didn’t make sense. Now, scammers can convincingly fake entire webpages, caller IDs, and even IP addresses.

#5 I Love Messing With Scammers. The Phone # Is A Spam Number That I Pulled From My Contacts

Image credits: OtekahSunshield

#6 Bait Not Taken

Image credits: RealRoosterhoot

Technology expert and TEDx speaker Burton Kelso also advises to be cautious of suspicious ads, as they can lead to fake versions of company websites. To stay safe, check official websites independently.

#7 🙂

Image credits: reddit.com

#8 Apple Pay Scammer Gets Pissed

Image credits: DefiantDeviantArt

#9 F*****g With Scammers Is Fun

Image credits: The_Scooter_Boy

Even if you are tech-savvy, that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily immune to scams. For instance, younger generations who heavily rely on the internet are particularly vulnerable. According to a survey by Deloitte, American Gen Zs are 3 times more likely to fall for online fraud than boomers.

#10 I Was Surprised To Get A Message From A High School Friend’s Father

Image credits: blackcav

#11 I Just Caught This In The Wild

Image credits: bPhrea

#12 How My Buddy Deals With Scams

Image credits: xMrSaltyx

So while it may be entertaining to read these posts because some scammers are not the brightest, you need to be careful. The most effective way to protect yourself is simply to avoid interacting with them altogether.

#13 The Person Who Definitely Wasn’t Talking With A Bot

Image credits: anonymous

#14 Kindly Hit Her With That Uno Reverse Card

Image credits: coreythebuckeye

#15 It’s Not A Story The Scammers Would Tell You…

Image credits: Apprehensive_Ad_7249

Brooks and Kelso recommend using multi-factor authentication on your devices to prevent scammers from getting your private information in the first place.

“This raises the bar toward stealing your passwords by requiring two or three steps to access data,” says Brooks. “You can use biometrics such as facial recognition, an eye scan, or a thumbprint to add an additional level of security”.

#16 Kevin

Image credits: Jurrienvn

#17 A Pleasant Conversation I Had With A Whatsapp Scammer Today

Image credits: apersello34

#18 Omg They Sent It Again

Image credits: why_seal_why

Hackers are also really good at figuring out passwords by themselves. On social media, they can find people’s birthdays, places where they lived, and phrases they like to use. Don’t use that information to create your passwords and change them regularly.

#19 Scammer Was Asking Me To “Invest $300”. Had To Do It To ‘Em

Image credits: 7phyr

#20 I Used To Live In Los Angeles. I’ve Never Owned A House. I Get These Texts All The Time

I have no idea how this scam even works or what the end game is. But I’ve started replying in ways that make me giggle

Image credits: sniperwolfjob

#21 The Person Who Was Kind Enough To Connect A Scammer With Some Other Scammers

Image credits: bradchriswick

Moreover, Kelso suggests being mindful of where you share your phone number and email address. If you give them out too freely, untrustworthy companies might sell your data. This could leave you with dangerous spam emails and unwanted calls.

#22 If Messing With Scammers Is Wrong I Don’t Want To Be Right

Image credits: DanOfMystery

#23 The Person Who Deployed Eighth-Grade Humor To Great Effectiveness

Image credits: anon

#24 I Have Suddenly Been Receiving Lots Of Fake Check Scams, Probably Because I Respond To All Of Them. This One Is Gold?

Image credits: RyeSicle

Remember that scammers rely on psychological manipulation to take advantage of you. “They use fear-based tactics to get us into our primitive brain, which is always on alert,” Alex Melkumian, founder of the Financial Psychology Center, said for Time Magazine. “[This] really just hijacks our ability to rationally think through the situation.”

#25 Very Bold

Image credits: vandaloLO

#26 They Didn’t Even Try

Image credits: alldemboats

#27 Scammers Really Dislike It When You Force Them To Venture Off Script

Image credits: johndeaux588

At the end of the day, Kelso says to “trust your gut.” Delete messages that make you feel uneasy and don’t make quick decisions. “If people really want to contact you, they will reach out [until they do].”