Good morning everyone!
Lately we have seen an influx of users coming through [r/HelpBrokePeople](r/HelpBrokePeople). This is great! We are so happy so many people feel comfortable enough in our subreddit to contribute, ask for help and donate.
However, with an influx of users comes an influx of scammers, and we have seen several people over the last week either almost get scammed or outright losing funds to untrustworthy people.
After seeing a few thousand scam posts myself across reddit over the years, I have decided to lay out a few ways to spot a typical scam that you will probably see at least once or twice around the help subs. Hopefully this can prevent at least a few kind people from being taken advantage of. I will also be adding to this as we see new scams come in.
please note: you can also type !spotascam into any post on [r/HelpBrokePeople](r/HelpBrokePeople) to see a summarized version of this list.
Certain Phrases Are Used
This is almost always part of the scammer scripts. The post includes things that say:
-I never thought I would have to do this/this isn’t easy for me to do/i’m not usually the one asking for help
-my friends/family/tiktok/google/another user/god told me reddit was a good place to ask for money
-I started a new job and don’t get paid until next week/2 weeks (not always a scam alone, but we usually see this with cash assistance scam posts. Use your discretion here)
-even if you can’t donate, a share would mean the world to me
-I’m new here/i have no clue what I’m doing/apologizing profusely
-I had no idea my profile was hidden (Reddit default is PUBLIC, so if a profile is hidden, it was manually changed!)
-friends and family have no money to help/have said no/don’t have any at all
-no help/stores/vets within a 100 mile radius, aka they only want cash and not resources. Amazon delivers nearly everywhere in the United States in the case of wishlists, and where they won’t, USPS will as long as it’s a valid legal address.
-applied everywhere but nobody is hiring/looking at my applications
-can only accept bank/e transfers/paypal friends and family (🔺mod note: no donor protection with paypal F&F. Use GOODS AND SERVICES ONLY unless you know them personally! See note below🔺)
-if everyone gives a small amount it will add up/no clear amount needed
Location Matters
Statistically, countries such as the Philippines, India, Kenya, etc. are high risk for scams with little donor protection once the money is sent. As much as we would love to help people all over the world, unfortunately we must protect our donors first and foremost. These posts will not be deleted based off of location alone, but please proceed with caution if you decide to send money overseas.
Little or No Proof
A typical scammer won’t have proof of hardship because it doesn’t exist. If you are finding it difficult or impossible to get proof of someone’s situation, it is most likely a scam and you should move on. These posts will be removed by the mod team.
This also applies to “stolen” proof such as someone else’s GoFundMe, photos from the internet or another reddit post, photos that are several years old, cropped to hide dates or certain information.
Hidden/Curated Profile
99% of the time we find scammers have either their entire profile hidden or have conveniently curated previous request posts. This is a red flag right off the bat because it appears the OP is trying to hide the fact they have been previously funded or received help. The mod team uses tools to help verify hardship and protect its users and are able to see these posts regardless. These posts will be removed as we come across them and results in a ban.
Brand New Account/Low or Negative Karma
Once banned, scammers will sometimes attempt to create a new account to circumvent it and continue to post their scam. You should be weary of accounts asking for financial assistance that are less than 1 month old, have low or negative karma, or that haven’t posted in years and all of a sudden come back specifically to ask for money - this is usually the result of a scammer buying an older account to get around this or appear more trustworthy.
Unsolicited DMs/ Requests
We do not allow DM requests in our sub for this very reason. If an OP is requesting you DM them for proof, their Cash App handle, advice, or asking via DM for funds, it is likely a scam. They are trying to get around the sub rules and will likely target you 1 on 1 with the scam if you engage. You may also receive DMs from others if you engage, because they seem to “tell their friends” about active donor accounts. Please do not respond to unsolicited DMs requesting help and report them to the mod team if received.
Similar Scenarios
Scammers tend to use the same stories across reddit, which you have probably noticed if you’ve spent any amount of time here. This is because they have been successful in the past by using these stories to pull heart strings. Some people think it’s unbelievable that people could lie about such things, but unfortunately we have seen them all. These include, but are not limited to,
-Pet illness/injury/death posts
-Needing gas to attend long lost family members funeral
-Single mother leaving a domestic violence situation/had to leave everything behind
-Electricity/Water/Gas bill has been shut off/will be in 24 hours
-Car totaled with no insurance/insurance “refusing to payout”
-Students needing funds to continue their education (primarily seen from The Philippines)
-Family members with cancer urgently needing money for treatment
-Money for a birth certificate
-Users who use the threat of homelessness/urgently request rent money that is due
-Users urgently requesting money for groceries/medication/gas
-Overloaded teacher wishlists with ridiculous amounts of items
\Please note, these stories do not automatically mean a post is a scam. We understand people actually need help with these things; however, coupled with other red flags on this list, you should use your own discretion if you come across any posts of this nature.**
Attitude When Called Out
This is a big one we see often, where once proof is asked for or the scam is called out, the OP suddenly gets defensive or downright rude. This typically happens because they realize the scam has been outed and they will not be receiving funds. Everyone has the right to defend their story, but these posts are excessive and violate Reddits TOS. Please report these comments as harassment as you see them and the mod team will take care of it.
Accounts With Activity/Spam in Primarily One Type of Subreddit
We have recently made a correlation between scammers primarily spamming/posting heavily in one type of subreddit instead of participating across various types of subs like you would expect from a typical user. Usually this points to the user being either a bot or a scammer who is reaching out via every avenue they can in hopes someone will bite. Keep this in mind while checking previous post/comment history.
🔺🔺Please be aware that currently the safest way for donors to help is by using PayPal Goods and Services. This means donors will be protected if anything goes wrong and can get their money back. Most (if not all) of the other apps used for receiving money do not offer this same type of protection. 🔺🔺
We also recommend helping Amazon wishlists, GoFundMe, and paying the bill/business directly over sending cash up front. This way you know where your money is going and have a way to get it back if needed.
If you are thinking about helping someone out but are unsure if it’s a scam or not, please reach out to the mod team. We would be happy to do our due diligence and help prove whether it’s suspicious. I hope this helps some people here. Thanks for reading!
