The Internet Gets Real About the ‘Biggest Scams in Life’

Redditors have weighed in when it comes to the “biggest scams in life,” and they aren’t holding back with their eye-opening responses.

The viral Reddit post probing the question is titled, “What’s the biggest scam in life that no one wants to admit?” It has amassed 25,000 upvotes since it was shared on the subreddit “Ask Reddit” on April 29.

The cost of items, specifically for babies was brought up, and it’s enough to produce emotion in some. “The prices of anything baby-related,” a Redditor relayed. “Toys, food, clothes, etc. Was in a store on Saturday to get a cot mattress and cover. I cried.”

In fact, Statista reported that in 2020, diaper sales totaled $4,858,230 in the United States. In addition, baby wipes sales amounted to $1,544,150 that same year.

Redditor @Horror-Tap2093 shared the post, which has garnered over 19,000 comments and counting.

Some people brought up insurance and the fact that it doesn’t always cover everything. “How the f**k does health insurance not cover dental and vision?” a Redditor asked. “What kind of shenanigans is that?”

That wasn’t the only comment calling out health coverage though. Another Redditor mentioned having to pay “exorbitant amounts of money for health insurance, and still having to pay boatloads of cash for any doctor/hospital visits.”

Others mentioned circumstances involving subscriptions, such as for gyms. “The easy-to-join, difficult-to-cancel subscription model,” a Redditor expressed.

Another user seemed to agree, adding that the model was “pioneered by gyms,” adding, “I canceled mine as soon as lockdown started, and I put together a home gym. Literally had to print out something from their website, and mail it in then call them three times.”

One comment received 19,600 upvotes on its own, and mentioned that people work most of their lives “during our fittest years of health, for the promise of a golden retirement, when we will probably [be] too old and ill to enjoy it properly.”

Some think diamonds are also a scam. A Redditor didn’t mince words when they said, “F**k diamonds. Moissanite is lab-grown, cost-effective, and is basically indistinguishable from diamonds. In fact, they can look even more brilliant.”

Other items considered scams by one Redditor included: “Mattresses, diamonds, and home furniture.” They added that there are “massive markups on these items.”

The practice of tipping was also called into question. One Redditor believed “It’s how businesses scammed the general public into paying additional costs so they could avoid paying their staff a living wage.”

A Redditor chose most taxpayers having to file taxes in the United States as the biggest scam in life, adding, “the IRS already has all the relevant information.” They also made note that there were benefits for the “tiny percentage of self-employed individuals and business owners.”

Newsweek reached out to Redditor @Horror-Tap2093 for comment.

This isn’t the only viral Reddit post lately. Redditors recently weighed in on why they were still single. Another post saw Redditors getting real about one thing they’ll never do again. In addition, Redditors mentioned their biggest regrets online.