7 Easiest Frauds to Commit and Make Money (Updated)

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“How to get rich fast” or “how to make money fast” is a question which is the essence of everything. That precisely is the reason why some choose to trick others, and why the other side falls for it so quickly and naively. For one reason or the other, we are pressured to have more and more money. We are all living in a consumer society and are constantly being persuaded (consciously or unconsciously) to buy more and more in order to feel happier since happiness is equaled to possession nowadays. Therefore, if we have someone promising us more than what we bargained for, we are very much inclined to believe it. Undoubtedly, there is a plethora of such websites online and advertisements offering an easy way to get rich only by investing a small amount of our belongings. They sound too good to be true, and usually, they are. However, humans are generally a rather optimistic species, otherwise, such schemes wouldn’t have fooled anyone.

Additionally, some frauds succeed because they play on people’s emotions. If a hustler is a good psychologist, he will get what he wants from you while receiving gratitude for taking your money.

For our list of easiest frauds to commit and make money, we have chosen frauds that are extremely easy to commit. They are listed according to how complicated they are to perform, i.e. whether you need an accomplice, or they require some special knowledge. We found inspiration at Western Union since they deal with money matters on daily bases and are best informed about the hustles that may occur during the process. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission also had some good warnings, or should we say advice/instructions. The internet has brought a revolution in all fields, simultaneously making our lives easier and more complicated. When talking about scams and deceits, it definitely helped a great deal to ease people off their money. If you live in some of the countries from our article 11 worst countries for credit card fraud, you had better be extra careful since they have the highest rate of illegal activities with credit cards.

Now let us see which frauds we have selected as the easiest frauds to commit and make money.

7. The Ring Reward

An oldie, but a goldie. It’s in the last place since it requires having a partner. This one works so well because it plays on two very important feelings: sympathy or greed. It is almost impossible to fail. You may have seen this in a movie Zombieland. The story goes like this: you are walking down the street when a pretty, kind girl approaches you and asks worryingly if you have noticed a ring somewhere. An engagement ring, precious and valuable, is missing. She lost it somewhere and is offering a big reward to the person who finds it and returns it to her. Nodding sympathetically, you leave her and go around your business. But, who should you encounter next but (usually) a guy who accidentally found the ring and you end up with a dilemma: buy the ring for a smaller sum and give it to the girl, or buy it and pretend you found it to get the large reward. Either way, it’s your loss. But you still got the ring, right? Wrong. The ring is nothing but a cheap imitation with a shiny rhinestone.

6. Pyramid (Ponzi) Scheme

Believe it or not, but this one is still happening and quite successfully for that matter. The first Ponzi scheme was pulled off in the 1920s by its namesake. It is so straightforward and simple that it is hard to believe people are still falling for it. But they are, and it happens on a daily basis. For this scheme today you would need to set up a website just as some kind of reassuring your company is real. Next, you advertise while promising huge interests on the investments. Most Ponzi company founders justify creating income through offshore investment or high-yield investment programs. But it doesn’t really matter which option you choose since it’s all bogus anyway. Money is obtained through constant new investments coming from naïve investors. The interest they are paid is the money received through other Ponzi scheme believers. Of course, this pyramid is bound to fall apart sooner or later. Interestingly enough, this scheme is recommendable since people of different backgrounds and financial status fall prey. Once the scheme is out in the open, you are already gone with the money and enjoying it at the Bahamas or some similar destination.

5. Emergency call (Grandparent scheme)

Here’s another uncomplicated fraud, next on our list of easiest frauds to commit and make money that plays on people’s feelings. It takes a bit of digging, i.e. finding some personal details of your victims or hacking into their email addresses, though with so many people on social media, personal information is shared publicly more than we are willing to admit. In this scenario, you have prepared a story about some emergency that happened, and the victim’s grandchild/friend/relative needs cash as soon as possible. The emergency can be an arrest, a mug, accident, calling from a hospital, etc. Just use your imagination, and plead urgently and desperately for money, or else something awful will happen. One of the popular variations is when the grandparents are called because their beloved grandchild is hurt badly. Ethical? No. Easy? Definitely.

4. Auction scheme

This simple money making hustle that ranked 4th on our list of easiest frauds to commit and make money is related to the internet, but you don’t need your website or anything else. Just a good internet connection and perhaps a phone. If you would like to commit this effortless fraud, you should go online and check some auction sites, all depending on how much money you wish to earn/steal. The process goes like this, you follow the auction and its bidders competing, and once the object is sold, you call or email one of the unsuccessful bidders offering him the same object at a lower price. Of course, choose the objects and auctions carefully. When the victim accepts the offer, all you need to do is give him the account on which the money should be paid into. And that’s it. You get the money, and they get –nothing!

3. Overpayment fraud

One more of the easiest frauds to commit and make money is cheating people by offering them more than they bargained. Opposite to the auction one, in this money grabbing trick, the fraudster represents the buyer who accidentally sent the wrong check to the seller. The check looks legitimate and is usually “issued’ by a reliable, well-known bank. The trickster contacts the victim explaining he/she accidentally paid extra and asks for the seller to wire back the excess funds. Only later does the victim realizes the check is fake, but what isn’t is the obligation to pay the bank back for the money withdrawn. This scam requires some skill, but once you master crafting fake checks, it can be pulled off as many times as you wish.

2. Lottery prize scam

This undemanding scam, next on our list of easiest frauds to commit and make money is so simple to perform. Once again, the cheat plays on everyone’s belief that we deserve to be rich and lucky. For that is exactly how one feels when he receives a phone call/fax/email about a sudden prize/lottery he won. Representing a government agency and using big names should do the trick. The only thing separating the lucky winner from the prize is a meager fee/tax amount he should wire. That amount is nothing compared to what is coming, so the greedier the person is, the easier they are to deceive. Very simple and beneficial, and a bit easier from its predecessor since its preparation is even more minimal.

 

1. Charity scam

This fraud is the first on our list of the easiest frauds to commit and make money for several reasons. Minimum investment, maximum revenue. You can do the elementary fraud, or take it to the next level by making websites, etc. One of the most basic ones would be that go door to door and ask for donations for children in Africa, disabled children, children/people fighting a disease…(anyway, opting for children is always a good choice). The lower amount you ask for, the more customers aka victims you’ll have. As for the material, in this case, you need a printed photo and a fake ID. Normally, people just see the eye-catching photo while the more suspicious ones will closely inspect your charity ID. Since the real and fake name cards don’t have obvious discrepancies, it all comes down to the inner choice: to donate, or not to donate. In most cases, people will go for the first option. After all, they won’t get poorer for donating such a low sum. On the other hand, with so many people contributing, you will get richer.