There are lots of different types of scams out there, but people sharing their stories about them seems to help the general populace get educated on when something is shady. An Imgur user named ShankABee has been trained to spot a scam from a mile away, which means he keeps his money and we get a weird story. The screenshots of his wannabe scammer started on Imgur and were then posted to Reddit’s r/ChoosingBeggars. They center around a gaming computer that ShankABee put up for sale.
First, the scammer asks about the gaming computer, which is listed at a price of $1,100.00. He seems to be opening for negotiation and asks for pictures. He tries $800, and ShankABee counters with $950 if it’s cash and Venmo. That’s when things get shady.
“I don’t have any of those since my ex hacked me,” the scammer says, really stretching the meaning of “hacked.” When ShankABee asks about cash, he responds, “I’m busy with my daughter at the hospital she just undergo a surgery.”
ShankABee told Bored Panda that he was suspicious as soon as the supposed buyer asked for pics that are already in the ads, but decided to go along with it.
“I honestly chuckled a bit that he was trying to say he had his account hacked so he couldn’t pay in cash,” he told BP.
He ended up asking the scammer if his daughter was single after saying he’d take a check. Sarcastically, he tells the scammer that he’s obviously going through a tough time, and “DEFINITELY needs a gaming computer.”
After he jokingly asks what the daughter looks like, he actually receives a picture. It does seem like somewhere, there is a girl in a hospital. Is it the scammer’s real daughter? ShankABee did a reverse image search and nothing came up, so he says, “Unfortunately, it seems like this guy was taking advantage of his (possibly) daughter.”
Or maybe both the scam and the daughter are real, and she also wants a gaming computer. Who knows!
ShankABee ends up asking the scammer for his daughter’s hand in marriage, and he seems amenable. Except now he wants the computer for free plus $400.
The computer never got to the scammer, nor did the $400. It seems like he figured out he was being messed with pretty quickly and ended the convo with a clown emoji.
The comments on Reddit are all people joking about how common it is for people trying to get stuff for free to cite a sick relative. They’re wondering if death and sickness make people into bargain hunters:
A few others actually explained what the scam probably was, because it didn’t make sense to a lot of people:
I guess it needs to be said: don’t take checks from strangers or hand out bank info. You’re welcome.