59 Sneaky Scams Millennials Fall For—And How to Outsmart Them Before It’s Too Late
Isn’t it wild how we keep falling for the same old tricks dressed up in shiny new packaging? Just like that album re-released with bonus tracks we never asked for, or the remake of a game that definitely doesn’t live up to the original, scams targeting millennials are often just nostalgia wrapped in a convincing disguise. We pride ourselves on spotting phishing emails and dodging bogus apps, yet somehow, the rage bait and slick marketing keep pulling us back in. From MLM schemes to crypto cons, and even the innocuous-looking monthly subscriptions, it turns out that the love for ‘retro’ mixes curiously well with modern-day gullibility. So, are we just hopelessly nostalgic, or is this a crafty new way to cash in on our soft spots? Either way, buckle up—it’s a twisted ride through some of the most surprisingly effective scams millennials can’t seem to resist. LEARN MORE
Nostalgia.
yup. sell me that album/game/movie again.
remaster the album, remake the game as a remaster, and toss the entire cutting room floor into the movie.
f**k it.
just start making stuff that looks like it came from back then and we’ll still eat it up.
I feel like we (myself included) fall for rage bait easily. We are decent at spotting scams, phishing, and AI, but rage bait is something we can’t resist.
Lots of our fellow generational cohort tried selling MLM products – Lularoe, Beach Body, DoTerra, HerbaLife, Monat, Pure Romance, Rodan + Fields, Scentsy, Young Living, Younique, Beauty Counter…
Maybe not an out and out scam per se, but monthly subscriptions. Hell I went through a car wash yesterday with my son to get the cheapest wash ($10!) and 3 employees were there trying to hard sell me on a monthly pass.
Online sports betting. I’ve seen it destroy a handful of couples in their 30s and 40s.
Apparently random QR codes. It’s becoming a common scam where a nefarious person will place a QR code on parking meters or something random and people scan it.
And we’re still very bad with phishing attacks. Oh hey sorry I sent you this random email with this super intersting sounding link….
According to my friend who works in the fraud department at a large bank, crypto/bitcoin/nfc scams are very popular. People give up their whole life savings to people who promise them that they will be the next billionaire, and never see a single cent ever again.
Ugh, apparently a lot of people are falling for ChatGPT and generative AI being the answer to all their questions — and I mean ALL THEIR QUESTIONS. I refuse.
I’ve noticed that we’re prone to having mental health weaponized against us. I’ve heard ppl talking about how buying c**p like Funkos, Lububu dolls etc, helps them heal their inner child that was neglected. Some marketer or influencer convinced them that buying=mental health.
I work for a bank and can confirm there are a ton of large-scale financial scams that are active. Some common ones are:
Convincing customers that their computer is compromised, need to pay to clean/unlock it
Posing as their bank to phish for financial account info
Hacking email posing as a known correspondent to change a billing address/account for a payment
Contacting customers saying they owe money to the IRS/DMV/Town of Residence and are at risk of arrest.
My pal got his identity stolen after he thought he found a discount site for a brand that almost never does sales. Poor guy was just trying to get his fiancé a surprise gift.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I felt for one of those blackmail scams on IG where you send a racy picture to someone you think you’re hitting it off with and they threaten to send it to everyone if you don’t pay. No one ever did (not that I know of) but it scared me enough that I haven’t been back fully on IG since, this was almost 3 years ago.
Lonely friends falling for romance scams. Crypto schemes. Getting buried in buy now pay later debt. Signing up for student loans. Had a buddy fall for a blackmail scam from an email saying they had photos of him jerking off they’d send to everyone on his contact list.
Engaging with bots online.
The Labubu craze seems to fit this. I personally haven’t fallen for it but I have a colleague whose preteen daughter has been begging for them so she (the colleague) said she’s been up beyond midnight multiple nights on different devices looking for them or whatever the scheme is.
Influencer culture. Buying s****y, poor quality products from social media that you regret buying as soon as it arrives.
And also those guru MLM type “courses” teaching you how to start your own 6-figure drop shipping business or how to turn your side hustle into a booming business, etc.
