Everyone wants to be scammed online!It is a rite of passage in the 21st century.

What's better than actually believing you're buying something, only to find out later that your money went to some scammer halfway around the world?Does a punch in the intestine feel better?A karate chop around the neck?

No, getting ripped off looks MUCH better!Trust me, you will really enjoy being scammed.

I know because I've been there.I didn't send hundreds, but thousands of dollars to people online, only to find out later that I wouldn't get anything in return.I'm an expert on scams, you might say.

As an expert, I would like to share my wisdom on how you too might one day be scammed online.Just read and follow to join the ranks as one of the suckers.It's going to be fun!

I have too many good stories not to share them.Should I be embarrassed to share my stories of being caught?After all, there seems to be this stigma that getting your money taken from strangers is a bad thing.I'm here to convince you otherwise.

I'm the best to be scammed, the best!

1. THE NIGERIAN PRINCE

We have all heard of the Nigerian prince and we all know that he is very rich.He really wants to send you a few million dollars, but he just needs to know that you really want it.Just send him $10,000 (or whatever amount you feel at the time) and the money will be all yours!

This particular scam is too young for me. As I said, I'm an expert and I would never fall in love with something so obvious.If you don't want to fall in love with these, don't send money to people you don't know and can't verify online.Go quiet.

The types of scams they give me are when people you know know and have a bit of history with which to ask for money and then take it and run.Those are the ones I fall in love with.I laugh really loud when they happen.

2. THE FAKE YOUTUBE EXPERT FROM INDIA

Now, I want to share some scams that I am personally a victim of… All in 2018. Yes, over a period of 1 year, I was scammed 3 different times.I told you I was really good at these things!

This first little scam was more than a long swindler, and boy I fell in love with it.This little fool started in 2014 when I was contacted by a reader of my blog (yes, a Niche Pursuits reader got me).

In 2014, he shared some things he was working on that were doing well, particularly with YouTube.In 2016, he offered to sell me a YouTube channel, but I didn't consider it.We actually made a call and in the video he showed me the backend of his channel with statistics, earnings, etc. A short time later, he sold it … Everything seemed quite legitimate when I saw the full list, etc.

Fast forward to 2018, he caught up and said he had built a second YouTube channel and was looking to sell again. 

Again, I made another phone call with him and he showed me the numbers and it seemed quite legitimate.However, I didn't want to buy the channel… So he offered me something else.He said that for $2,500 he would teach me exactly how to quickly build YouTube channels with huge followers.

Also, not only would he teach me, but he would like his team to create a new channel for me, create the first different videos, and bring my channel to a certain subscriber level for me. It would be a white glove service to build and launch my YouTube channel.

After a couple of discussions with him, I said, "What the heck… Let's do it!" After all, the worst that could happen is losing $2,500.

Well, it turns out I lost $2,500!

After sending the money to a stranger in India, he communicated to me for about a week.He shared a couple of interesting tricks on YouTube and everything seemed legitimate.

Then excuses started piling up.He had a wedding and was out of this world for a week.Then he remained silent for several weeks.He showed up long enough to tell me to be patient.

Then it disappeared altogether for months.No communication, no channel, nothing.

To rub salt into my wounds, my 14-year-old son keeps laughing every time he asks me how my YouTube channel is doing!"Just an idiot sends $2,500 to a stranger in India for a YouTube channel."

At least I raised my son well. 

It's been 8 months and I don't have a single YouTube video to show for it.Strangely, the "stranger from India" casually communicated to me a couple of weeks ago (so I know he's alive) and said he was sorry… But he still hasn't given me my money back.

I don't hold my breath to get it back.

Feel free to let me know if you want his contact details and wish to be scammed.You'll really make you and your kids laugh when you send them money and don't get it back!

3. THE CHANGE OF DESTINATION OF THE WIRE

If you think sending money to a mysterious man in India to become a YouTube star is fun, you'll love it (at least I know I do!).

I sent $3,500 for socks.It turns out I didn't have socks.

This requires a little explanation.Remember, I'm really good at these things, so try to keep up.

So, I ran an Amazon FBA business for several years.I make products in China, ship them to Amazon and sell them under my own brands.You can read how I started selling on Amazon here and how I sold an Amazon FBA company here.(I also use this email automation tool from Amazon.)  

So, for several years I have been connecting money to companies in China… to people I didn't know.I have NEVER had any problems.

That is, until I decided to enter the socks industry.I had a unique idea for some socks and worked with a manufacturer to design and make samples.

They sent me samples with my custom design, they looked great!All the while, I worked with "Amber" (Chinese manufacturers always get the American name).

It turns out that Amber was quite sneaky.I should have taken it, but I've had so many successful transactions with producers that I wasn't overly cautious.But if you want to be scammed like me, you should NEVER be overly cautious and always check things out.

At one point, "Amber" changed her email address from amber@companyname.com to amber_xyz@hotmail.com (just an example, not her real email address).It should have been the first red flag.

However, he was still communicating all the correct order details, so nothing seemed out of his emails (and we just needed it to be a new email address).

Then it was time to send the payment of $3,500.Amber, the amber hotmail, sent the details of the thread.I took the details of the wire and sent a wire for $3,500 without being cautious.

It turns out that Amber had pulled a small switchheroo to target the wire!Instead of going to China, I sent the money in Thailand to a "company" with a different name.

In conclusion, the false amber stole my money and disappeared.At this point, the real Amber, with the email address of the company name, started asking when we would send the funds.

Uh Oh.

I felt sick as we began to unravel what had happened.Although we only found out a couple of days later, the banks failed to return the funds with a "guaranteed funds" transfer.

I kissed my $3,500 farewell as it went to a lady not named Amber in Thailand.She probably wasn't even a lady.

Afterwards we exchanged MANY emails with the company.The scammer SHOULD have been inside their company, but nothing ever came of it.They were as confused as we were.

So, I spent a lot of money on some awesome socks, but all I got instead is this story that I'm absolutely not embarrassed to tell every chance I get.It makes me look really smart.

Oh, and I decided not to tidy up from that company.My sock empire never took off after that.

4. FREE STUFF ON CRAIGSLIST!

My wife loves this story.She likes it so much that she forbade me to use Craigslist again.

If you've used Craigslist before, you'll know there's a "Free Stuff" section.I've posted free stuff on Craigslist several times over the years. 

If my dishwasher, dryer or something else breaks, I will list it for free instead of loading it into my truck and taking it to the landfill.I've been doing this for over a decade and I've never had any problems.

That is until my lucky year, 2018.

Long story short, I ended up with an old couch and an old chair that not even Goodwill wanted.So, my next attempt to get rid of them was Craigslist.Surely someone would want a free sofa and chair, right?!

Sure enough, the next day we had a buyer!However, we were leaving home to go to church when the astute Craigslist couple arrived.I got out of the car, introduced myself.They said they had just moved to the city and were glad they had things for free.

They looked nice.

Being the really smart person that I am, I decided it was more important to be on time for the church than to stand and watch them.So, we left while they were still loading on our couch.

It turned out that they decided to load more of my couch as soon as we left.

They started with our portable basketball hoop.Yes, they loaded the entire basketball cane, scoreboard, frame, etc. Then they started collecting our basketballs, soccer balls and everything else that lay in our backyard.

Meanwhile, my wife used her Craigslist spidey sense and decided she wanted to go home immediately and check out the house.So, we arrived at the church, then she came back immediately.

She arrived just in time to see them come out of our driveway with our things.Fortunately, they have not returned, but we are on a basketball hoop and other sports equipment.

So, in summary, I listed a free sofa and chair on Craigslist and one lucky couple ended up with a whole truckload of my stuff.

That feeling you get when you come home and see a handful of your missing stuff and your wife gives you WHAT I look like?Oh man, it's delicious!

I was forbidden to ever reuse Craigslist, and my wife likes to remind me of this funny time when I was scammed whenever she could. 

Oh, and the best part is that they actually left the old chair.So, I still had to take a trip to the landfill which is what I was trying to avoid in the first place.

APPARENTLY, I'M NOT ALONE

It turns out that some other Niche Pursuits readers have also been scammed.Here's an example of some of the comments people made to a Facebook group request I made to scam other people's experiences.

Remember, there are plenty of opportunities to get scammed online.So, pick your favorite below and see if you can experience the joy we've all found!

(Names withheld to protect the innocent…)

5. GRANDFATHER SCAM

I have an acquaintance who cheated his elderly grandfather.Scammers find out a little about their grandchildren and then call them stating that they are "in prison" and need money to "get out of a bond."Sad but true.And I have some elderly family members who have also attempted similar phone scams.

6. FAKE JOB HIRING

I was the victim of a hiring scam.They got a .com with a large company whose dominance was. co.uk. Then they interviewed me for more than half an hour, until the question arose, "What is your bank?We want to make sure they will accept transfers from us. "The flags went up, I did some more research and suspended their hosting accounts and job listings.

7. FIX "COMPUTER ERRORS"

I was a computer technician working on a client computer.While I'm sitting there, the woman gets a call and says it's from MicroSoft.I asked her to pass me the phone and followed the phone technology.He told me to go to the Windows event log and then told me that all those errors (which are normal mistakes) were dangerous and that for $100 he could fix the computer.I told him to go suck an egg.

Protecting your devices is important.

8. CASH THESE TRAVELER'S CHECKS…

Years ago, while looking for a job, I saw a small job advertised for someone checking some traveler's checks.They sent me checks, and all I had to do was go in cash and then I could keep half the money.Of course they were fake… and as a result I got a ride to the back of a police car!

9. GIRL FROM TEXAS OR OLD MAN FROM BANGLADESH?

I get a lot of freelancers who claim to be young English-speaking women who are actually native English speakers and probably not even women.I think people get more jobs if they have Bianca: 20 years old from Texas with curly blonde hair than a 56-year-old Bangladeshi guy. The problem is that I can't say because none of these people speak fluently. 🙂 It happens all the time between

10. YOU WON THE LOTTERY ONLINE!

Years ago I received an email on my private domain email where my yahoo account was selected to win $1000 in their lottery.The email, domain sent by etc. It seemed really reliable (especially for a 10 year old).Luckily it was really hard for me and my parents to make an online transfer from PLN to USD that I was asked to make as payment verification…

11. MISSING PARTS FROM YOUR AMAZON ORDER?

Amazon customers who return broken items or simply return only part of a product.Buy aka to get a part.This causes Amazon to resell it and the next buyer will definitely leave a negative review since a part will be missing!I hate this.

12. JUST PAY MY GRAPHIC DESIGNER…

For web design you will receive an email about web design and accept credit cards.If yes, great.I'm blind/deaf/in the hospital or for some reason can't talk on the phone.My graphic designer does not accept credit cards, can I pay you the full amount and then you have to pay my graphic designer?A month later … You charge back for fraud and you have no more money.

13. WAIT, HE'S NOT NIGERIAN!?!

This is the largest … To scam thousands of people into believing that the "Nigerian prince" is Nigerian. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/31/us/nigerian-prince-fraud.html

14. PLEASE CASH THIS BIG CHECK FOR ME

Someone wanted to buy my old plan, but it was this scammer.A second after posting the ad, he responded and said that his name was like Earl Von Cleef (something distinct) and that he was ready to buy the plan and send a delivery man to get it.I did not answer .. Then weeks later I received a check for 3 times the amount of the plan.. was written by an oil company in Alberta, for about $2K.Guy then sends a message and says "you took my money.. Quick, go cash!" And I was like "why is it 3 times the amount I asked for?" It's like "it's a suggestion just for you sir" then I called the oil company, they got their own accountant and it was like "yes, someone got our checks and is handing out fake checks". I'm like oh, okay.Luckily I called that oil company and fished in their list until I found someone.Oil companies don't always have secretaries.

15. CONFIRM THIS CODE TO PROVE THAT YOU ARE REAL

Craigslist scammer: They list a cheap item like a PS4 for $150 and require you to send a message to contact them.When you do, they send a Google confirmation code to your phone and ask you to repeat that code to prove that you're not a bot.This code is actually a recovery code to tie a phone number to your Google account and everything in it.Pretty scary!

16. DO YOU NEED A VIN REPORT?

Post a vehicle for sale on Craigslist and shortly after you will receive a message that the person is interested and they want you to receive a VIN report from any scammer company they own.

17. MLM, PONZI … JOIN!

I was scammed in my first online job where an MLM type of Ponzi scheme was offered by a company called Speak Asia.It was a big scam that took India by storm with TV commercials and everything.Many of my friends made money on it before I joined.But the government.I opened my eyes as soon as I reached him unfortunately spending a fortune from my already broken pockets and hammered him. 😂

It closed before I could make a single penny.

18. SELL THESE COUNTERFEITS ON EBAY FOR ME

I made a stupid mistake many years ago when I was looking for ways to earn some extra money.

I ended up getting in touch with a distributor in China who needed "sales representatives" to sell their shares using our eBay accounts.I was listing things that Beats by Dre headphones and Ugg Boots told me were 100% authentic.

After doing this for almost 2 months, some customers sent me messages saying they were fake and wanted a refund, some were happy with them but still informed me that they were fake and some sent me messages to say that their product had been seized by customs.

Things got very bad when I sent my last payment to the distributor for him to ship my last orders at which point all contact with him became obscure.I was left with hundreds of complaining customers who were waiting for their products that I could not refund because I had already sent the money to the distributor.

I felt bad!

Fortunately, PayPal refunded all the money due to those who had paid, but I was left with eBay fees and PayPal close to £2000 and all my accounts were suspended.

Now I think back to all this and I can't believe I got into such a mess, I'm a changed person and I'm grateful for the lessons I learned during what seemed like such a horrible time.

19. SEND ME MONEY VIA PayPal

Now I've given you plenty of options for ways you can get scammed, feel cheated, or lose some money, but I have another great idea.If none of the above options appeal to you, I'll make this final option really easy.  

Send me some money on PayPal.

That's right, for the very low price of only $25, I will give you the feeling of being scammed.Send me $25 and you will get absolutely nothing in return.No thanks, no products, nothing.

Just that weird feeling of losing your hard-earned money.

Go ahead, click on the "Buy Now" button and get the experience you've always wanted.You know you want it.

 

 

Now, if for some reason after reading the whole article, you are hesitant to send me your hard-earned money, I should say that my work here is over!

PS WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF ONLINE SCAM

I hope you enjoyed this somewhat ironic article about how not to get scammed online.

If you find yourself in an uncertain situation, I highly recommend checking out this resource from the Federal Trade Commission: 10 things you can do to avoid fraud.This is a great list of tips to avoid getting scammed.Good luck out there!