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People Who Got Swindled In Real Life, Tell Me How You Got Scammed

We all gotta watch out.

It's been a bit since the scammer era — from Anna Delvey to the Tinder Swindler — completely took over pop culture, but that's not to say many scams aren't still happening every day.

Woman in courtroom with glasses and black dress, standing with a serious expression

Like... it's scary out there!!!!

my mom just got a call from a girl hysterically crying claiming to be me saying she got into a car accident.

then a man came on and introduced himself as a police officer. he said ‘i’ was at fault and he’s taking me to jail. he claimed she could bail me out easy if she sent 4k.

— MJ (@morganisawizard) May 6, 2024
Twitter: @morganisawizard

So, whether you've been the target of Facebook ticket sale fraud or the complete and utter deception from a human being, I wanna hear alllll about how you've gotten scammed. You might be able to help someone avoid being scammed too.

Maybe you were the target of a text messaging scam whereby someone pretended they had the "wrong number" only to trick you into becoming their friend so they could get vulnerable enough to open up and share valuable information or even hand over cash.

Text messages on a phone screen showing a polite conversation about a wrong number with someone named Aaron

Perhaps you were scammed when someone stole your friend's identity online. They convinced you they were in a desperate situation and needed your help. Being a kind friend, you did, only to later realize they weren't your friend, and you'd never be getting that "borrowed" money back.

Person at a computer screen with text, viewed from behind

Maybe you got scammed by a prospective romantic interest on a dating app, and you want everyone to hear about it so others don't fall for something like it, too. Your match seemed genuine, and things got flirty. You took your conversation off-app and noticed they unmatched you, but didn't overthink it. You ended up talking for weeks, even exchanging some risqué photos. That is, until they threatened to leak your pictures if you didn't send over $600.

Hand holding smartphone displaying a dating app profile with user photos and interface

So, whether over money, intel, or something else, tell me about the time you were scammed down in the comments or by submitting through this anonymous form. Your response could be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post.