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Worst scam you've fallen for

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  • 08-08-2019 1:32pm
    #1
    mr_fegelien
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,483 ✭✭✭


    or almost fell for. A couple years back, I got the "gardai virus" (type of scareware) on my laptop which said I'd need to pay €150 to unlock my laptop. I stupidly entered my debit card details and on the weekend, found that not just €150 but 300 was taken from account leaving me with just €20. Canceled the card and reported it to the bank who unfortunately couldn't refund it.

    Friends werea a bit shocked as they said I'm a computer nerd but they themselves have also fallen victim to ponzi schemes etc and one even lent his camera to a stranger who ran off in Tanzania...


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    #2
    Bigbagofcans
    Registered Users Posts: 1,164 ✭✭✭Bigbagofcans


    Prince in Nigeria


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    #3
    FFred
    Closed Accounts Posts: 772 ✭✭✭FFred


    ‘Lending’ all my confirmation money to my mother in 1985

    Turns out it wasn’t a ‘loan’ as I never got it back.... #bitter


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    #4
    B.A._Baracus
    Registered Users Posts: 11,171 ✭✭✭✭B.A._Baracus


    fortunately, *touch wood*, I have never fallen to any of these.
    I remember that Garda one. Got it myself. They used the Garda insignia too. Douchebags.
    I was a little freaked ou for a minute or so but quickly realised why on earth would the police be looking for money to unlock.


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    #5
    G Shock
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭G Shock


    Bought a bit of hash off a fella in a pub down past Connolly station on the quays years ago (What could go wrong).
    He dissapeared with my 50 euro, and I was left with a square of Cadburys chocolate wrapped in tin foil...
    Bastard!


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    #6
    BrokenArrows
    Registered Users Posts: 7,500 ✭✭✭BrokenArrows


    When I was 12 I was selling strawberrys on the side of the road. Some older kid conviced me that we was collecting the cash for the manager. Almost immediately after he left I realised how stupid I was.


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    #7
    GBX
    Registered Users Posts: 11,902 ✭✭✭✭GBX


    Lad I worked with got caught with the top of the range laptop from a car sale. Expensive argos book purchase!


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    #8
    BrokenArrows
    Registered Users Posts: 7,500 ✭✭✭BrokenArrows


    G Shock wrote: »
    Bought a bit of hash off a fella in a pub down past Connolly station on the quays years ago (What could go wrong).
    He dissapeared and I was left with a square of Cadburys chocolate wrapped in tin foil...
    Bastard!

    At least you got some name brand chocolate.


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    #9
    magic_murph
    Registered Users Posts: 1,521 ✭✭✭magic_murph


    Ex-Wife - said she would love me and the 5 kids forever.She took half my money and is now shacked up with a Nigerian prince.


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    #10
    Boom_Bap
    Moderators, Music Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,730 Mod ✭✭✭✭Boom_Bap


    G Shock wrote: »
    Bought a bit of hash off a fella in a pub down past Connolly station on the quays years ago (What could go wrong).
    He dissapeared with my 50 euro, and I was left with a square of Cadburys chocolate wrapped in tin foil...
    Bastard!


    Did you at least eat it?


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    #11
    wally1990
    Registered Users Posts: 1,222 ✭✭✭wally1990


    Not an offical scam but I felt like an idiot and robbed due to my own stupidity

    In new York, wrecked from.shopping all.day with herself and sick of shops plus walking!!

    I was standing outside some.clothing store while herself was inside

    Outside the store there was this beauty stall [hand wash, facial creams, etc]

    Anyway this sales woman walks over to me and grabs my arm and basically says oh come try our hand wash ****e etc

    So tired and unwilling to decline I went about 5 feet away

    So 2 min later im washing my hands into a basin and sure doesn't the water look off colour [prob eating, touching money etc all day] and she is look oh great cleaning product bla bla

    Then she rubs some creams on my hand while bigging up the product and its natural origins and ****e

    Im a male and couldnt give a f to be honest


    Anyway , im half alseep and she is like 'will you take a bit for you and the wife and I asked how much?

    50 dollars she said

    And why the **** I didn't walk away then i dunno

    Handed 50 quid for bascially a bar of soap and cream

    Wife comes out and big smile oh what did you buy

    I just handed her the bag in my own disgust and said lets not talk about it

    I hated myself for blowing 50 dollars but being so tired I just wanted that woman to **** off

    5 years ago and still annoys me


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    #12
    mr_fegelien
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,483 ✭✭✭mr_fegelien


    G Shock wrote: »
    Bought a bit of hash off a fella in a pub down past Connolly station on the quays years ago (What could go wrong).
    He dissapeared with my 50 euro, and I was left with a square of Cadburys chocolate wrapped in tin foil...
    Bastard!

    Is it not €30 for a bar now? €50 for an eighth ounce of weed....but what do I know:D


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    #13
    G Shock
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭G Shock


    mr_fegelien wrote: »
    Is it not €30 for a bar now? €50 for an eighth ounce of weed....but what do I know:D

    I wouldn't have a clue these days tbh..


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    #14
    G Shock
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭G Shock


    Boom_Bap wrote: »
    Did you at least eat it?
    Na, it got hurled into the Liffey :)


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    #15
    jiltloop
    Registered Users Posts: 2,182 ✭✭✭jiltloop


    wally1990 wrote: »
    Not an offical scam but I felt like an idiot and robbed due to my own stupidity

    In new York, wrecked from.shopping all.day with herself and sick of shops plus walking!!

    I was standing outside some.clothing store while herself was inside

    Outside the store there was this beauty stall [hand wash, facial creams, etc]

    Anyway this sales woman walks over to me and grabs my arm and basically says oh come try our hand wash ****e etc

    So tired and unwilling to decline I went about 5 feet away

    So 2 min later im washing my hands into a basin and sure doesn't the water look off colour [prob eating, touching money etc all day] and she is look oh great cleaning product bla bla

    Then she rubs some creams on my hand while bigging up the product and its natural origins and ****e

    Im a male and couldnt give a f to be honest


    Anyway , im half alseep and she is like 'will you take a bit for you and the wife and I asked how much?

    50 dollars she said

    And why the **** I didn't walk away then i dunno

    Handed 50 quid for bascially a bar of soap and cream

    Wife comes out and big smile oh what did you buy

    I just handed her the bag in my own disgust and said lets not talk about it

    I hated myself for blowing 50 dollars but being so tired I just wanted that woman to **** off

    5 years ago and still annoys me

    I was sure you were going to say that the shopping bags were nicked.

    I'm a bit disappointed now to be honest.


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    #16
    Mister Vain
    Registered Users Posts: 6,040 ✭✭✭Mister Vain


    The attractive woman who approached me in a bar that turned out to be a hooker.


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    #17
    Sharp MZ700
    Registered Users Posts: 673 ✭✭✭Sharp MZ700


    About 13 at the time got caught with the leather belt trick by the usual suspects at the annual point to point. £10 lost which was a fortune to me!


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    #18
    Sharp MZ700
    Registered Users Posts: 673 ✭✭✭Sharp MZ700


    Mister Vain wrote: »
    The attractive woman who approached me in a bar that turned out to be a hooker.

    Cheaper than a girlfriend.


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    #19
    Lil Sally Anne Jnr.
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 600 ✭✭✭Lil Sally Anne Jnr.


    One and only time something like this has ever happened, I'm usually very careful, but I got caught by a fake website geared towards providing info to people on how to use bitcoins safely. Link on the website led to cloned coin washer that was fake. Lost 200 Euro I think. Was annoyed for 24 hours, but then just had to admire what a good job they'd done.


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    #20
    Purple Mountain
    Registered Users Posts: 13,012 ✭✭✭✭Purple Mountain


    This wasn't a scam by any means but I'll post it anyhow because it'll give some a laugh.
    A few years ago, I was on a boozy weekend city break with some girlfriends in a European city.
    We were well on this one evening, and walking around an area deciding on pubs and clubs to go into.
    This really friendly local girl suddenly appears at our side and there's the usual drunken bants, although I realised after she was sober!
    So my friends start following her to a pub door so I figure, cool we've made a new friend and she's taking us to her local.
    So in we go and a few seconds later, I turn to my friends and say 'Where's your woman gone?'.
    They had a great laugh explaining that she wasn't actually a new friend but a promoter for the pub trying to bring in business.
    It wasn't a sun resort and wasn't a busy area at all so I really thought she just wanted to tag along for a night of girl's fun!

    To thine own self be true



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    #21
    ButtersSuki
    Registered Users Posts: 53,028 ✭✭✭✭ButtersSuki


    TV licence. Every year they get me.


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    #22
    Signore Fancy Pants
    Registered Users Posts: 3,682 ✭✭✭Signore Fancy Pants


    That time I bought a '7 Minute Abs' dvd.

    Turned out it was only '6 Minute Abs', fcuker stiffed me out of a whole minute.


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    #23
    Smashmouth
    Closed Accounts Posts: 41 ✭Smashmouth


    Bought a ringtone sometime in the early-mid 2000s. ****ers took money out of my credit for weeks. And the ringtone was ****e.


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    #24
    Bogwoppit
    Registered Users Posts: 2,556 ✭✭✭Bogwoppit


    Paid a street hawker €20 to get into the coliseum, facepalm 🀦*♂️

    Wife got stung by a phone scam and let a guy onto her laptop by vpn, got her banking details and got stung for 10 grand , lucky it wasn’t more as we were building a house.
    The bank got it back a week later.


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    #25
    Mam of 4
    Registered Users Posts: 21,826 ✭✭✭✭Mam of 4


    With this ring ....

    :D


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    #26
    con___manx1
    Registered Users Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭con___manx1


    G Shock wrote: »
    Bought a bit of hash off a fella in a pub down past Connolly station on the quays years ago (What could go wrong).
    He dissapeared with my 50 euro, and I was left with a square of Cadburys chocolate wrapped in tin foil...
    Bastard!

    A similar thing happend to me in paris. Bought weed for 50 quid turned out to be just leaves wrapped up. Couldnt see in a dark alley thats my excuse.
    Felt like some idiot : )


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    #27
    Bigbagofcans
    Registered Users Posts: 1,164 ✭✭✭Bigbagofcans


    ButtersSuki wrote: »
    TV licence. Every year they get me.

    Pay €160 to go towards Tubridy's €495,000 a year salary? No thanks.


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    #28
    xzanti
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 10,435 Mod ✭✭✭✭xzanti


    FFred wrote: »
    ‘Lending’ all my confirmation money to my mother in 1985

    Turns out it wasn’t a ‘loan’ as I never got it back.... #bitter

    Please tell me you're joking.


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    #29
    fergus1001
    Registered Users Posts: 2,625 ✭✭✭fergus1001


    tried to order a stripper off some site, turned out to be a honeypot and demanded significant money not to call my place of work


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    #30
    Necro
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 51,015 Mod ✭✭✭✭Necro


    Anyone who's been in Southeast Asia is usually scammed within the first few days lol.

    The travel agents with the cheap as chips fees with massive commission on top is one that got me.


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    #31
    CrankyHaus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,281 ✭✭✭CrankyHaus


    Those pull-up competitions in public places. The bar rotates to force you to lose your grip once you get a few in. Think I did one drunk. €5 I'll never see again.


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