Reddit Scam Pattern
Social media platform scams targeting creators and sellers
241 reports · first seen 3 May 2026 · last seen 16 May 2026
Scammers approach users on TikTok and Facebook Marketplace under the guise of PR partnerships or legitimate purchases, harvesting personal details such as home addresses and email addresses. Victims are drawn in by low-friction requests that appear routine for their platform context.
How the scam works
Platform-native social engineering collecting personal data via form submissions or payment-flow pretexts
Brands impersonated
Member posts on Reddit (50)
- Mall Kiosk Potential Scam?
A mall kiosk salesperson promised free hair extensions verbally but charged for them, resulting in a $500 bill the buyer did not anticipate.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · shopping_scam
- [US] is it a dumb idea to try and negotiate w the scammer that stole my phone for photos?
Stolen iPhone owner asks whether negotiating with the thieves via fake promises could recover personal photos stored on the locked device.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · other
- My friend sent me a mrbeast crypto scam pictures
A friend's account was hacked and used to distribute MrBeast-branded cryptocurrency scam images to contacts.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · impersonation
- i fell for the twitter scam and lost 500€
Victim received a Twitter DM claiming accidental reporting against them and was directed to a fake tech support contact, losing €500.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · tech_support
- William David on a rig in Yemen - Part 5 - Another Ask, the reveal & The end!
Ongoing romance scam series documents 'William David on a rig in Yemen' using repeated manufactured crises to solicit money before being exposed.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · romance_scam
- (AUS) Has anyone heard of a shipping company called Conflux Logistics?
An Australian buyer's package was held by a suspected fake logistics company demanding a $250 USD insurance payment for release.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · shopping_scam
- [US] I received a message earlier. Help me figure it out?
User received an early-morning text asking them to block and unblock the sender, suspected to be a tactic to verify an active phone number.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · phishing
- [US]Recent email phishing attempts with the same method used - email letter from a law firm requesting payment
User received a convincing phishing email from a fake law firm demanding an unpaid debt and embedding malware in a downloadable invoice.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · phishing
- Usairum Butt getting mad and blaming me for scam😂
User shares screenshots of a suspected scam freelancer who turned hostile and accused the user of scamming when asked for proof of legitimate work.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · employment_scam
- I got phished by the Punchbowl invitation scam, here's what happened
Victim clicked a Punchbowl phishing link that compromised their Gmail account, enabling attackers to redeem Capital One Shopping rewards for a gift card.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · phishing
- [US] I think my neighbor is being scammed, can I even help?
Neighbour reports an 80-year-old veteran who appears to be targeted by a scam offering a fake WWE private-security job.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · employment_scam
- Received cut seatbelt in mail
User received an unsolicited package containing only a cut seatbelt and seeks help understanding whether it constitutes a threat.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · other
- Personal information given (US)
Job seeker shared their SSN and passport with a fake hospice company that ran a full fake hiring process via LinkedIn, Slack, and Zoom.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · employment_scam
- Elon... Part 2
User shares part two of a documented Elon Musk impersonation scam encounter, with minimal detail provided in the post.
reddit · 16 May 2026 · impersonation
- Gave my phone number to a scammer [US]
User gave their phone number to a Telegram sugar daddy account and immediately blocked it, concerned about potential follow-up targeting.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · romance_scam
- Came across a sketchy (and predatory) job listing [PH]
A Philippines-based user identified a fraudulent remote job listing for a fictitious Japanese specialised art role with multiple internal contradictions.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · employment_scam
- [EU] Scam attempt - my phone number on a scammers FB account
User received a WhatsApp message from a fake verified Facebook account containing a verification code intended to hijack their Facebook login.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · phishing
- I met some person from website chit chat and added them on discord and claim their an " artist" i found out it was a scam later on in the chat i decided to fuck with him lol
User encountered a scammer posing as an artist on a chat site who moved to Discord, and chose to engage them provocatively rather than report.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · employment_scam
- Stolen card scam - but no sensitive information requested
UK victim received a call from someone posing as their credit card provider citing accurate partial card details, raising concern about data exposure.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · phone_scam
- Aadil Jamali web developer scam (Again😂)
User documents a suspected freelance web development scammer who deleted messages and turned accusations back on the victim when challenged.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · employment_scam
- Random scammed my Mother of 1000+
Small Avon sellers received a fraudulent overpayment cheque and wired back $1,800 before discovering the cheque was fake.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · shopping_scam
- [AU] My boyfriend was just scammed by someone who was selling an item. does anyone know how this was done?
An Australian buyer was deceived into photographing Apple gift card digits — with only four blocked — allowing the scammer to redeem the card remotely.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · shopping_scam
- Jerry part 2. Non-love friendship bombing at most.
User recounts a sophisticated romance scam attempt where the fraudster used a chatbot persona with good language skills and avoided typical love-bombing.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · romance_scam
- US Fiance fell for it - Jury Duty scam
Victim's fiancé was deceived by a spoofed police call demanding payment to resolve a fabricated jury duty warrant.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · impersonation
- Is this bike website scam (chabane-bike.com)
Multiple fake cycling websites with different names all redirect to chabane-bike.com, offering Cube bikes at 50% off but accepting only bank transfers.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · shopping_scam
- Question on what signs could be someone trying to scam you (also is it possible they can find my location)?
User asks for general advice on identifying scam behaviour during an in-person transaction for a necklace sale.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · other
- [US] Did I get scammed???
Freelance artist was offered $200 for a commission via Telegram and PayPal, then told they needed to receive an extra $300 before releasing a refund.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · advance_fee
- Cashmygc.com is a SCAM phishing site pretending to be a legit company that pays you for your gift cards.
User submitted gift card details to cashmygc.com believing it was a legitimate card-buying service, but received no payment and found the site uncontactable.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · phishing
- [FR] spinflex.pro KYC verification
User registered on Spinflex.pro, was prompted to deposit $50 to unlock a fake $2,500 bonus, and correctly suspected a scam before paying.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · investment_fraud
- Signed Google Phishing Attempt
User received a convincingly formatted phishing email purporting to be from Google claiming a recovery contact was added to their account.
reddit · 16 May 2026 · phishing
- Happy Friday minibait- oil rig! Sextortion! Loan! All in 15 minutes!
User shares a humorous summary post describing encountering an oil rig romance scam, sextortion, and loan scam within 15 minutes.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · informational
- [EU] I think I might be getting pregnancy scammed.
Poster suspects they are being extorted with a fabricated pregnancy claim requiring $6,000 in staged payments.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · advance_fee
- Brother's flake wife gets arrested, all scammer hell breaks loose
Scammers used people-search websites to identify and phone-bomb relatives of a newly arrested person, demanding money before family were officially notified.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · impersonation
- [US] Is this a scam? Religious 'Conference' using my personal phone number with a QR code that isn't real.
A person's phone number was placed on a fake religious conference flyer circulated on Facebook, generating unsolicited calls and texts.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · other
- [US] Possible Stripe Credit Card Scam
A contractor received a flagged call claiming a fraudulent charge via their Stripe account, with transaction details that matched a real client payment.
reddit · 16 May 2026 · phone_scam
- Vin Diesel, part 1/2
Post documents a romance scammer posing as or referencing Vin Diesel, shared as a warning or scam-baiting record.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · romance_scam
- Recieved unsolicited text images
Recipient received unsolicited image-based text messages from multiple area codes advertising fake remote support job openings.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · employment_scam
- Pilot yummy yummy. Guys I lost him :(
User documents a romance scammer using a pilot persona who eventually abandoned them, likely moving to a more compliant target.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · romance_scam
- [US] Just found out that the property I moved into was a scam.
Family fleeing domestic abuse paid deposit and rent via Cash App to a fake landlord and began moving in before being confronted by the real property owner.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · rental_scam
- [US]Am I being scammed by this job offer? Chroma-signet.org
Job seeker suspects a fake recruiter operating as 'Chroma Signet' via Zoom is conducting a fraudulent hiring process to harvest personal data.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · employment_scam
- [CANADA] Fake Coinbase Email
A Canadian user received a fake Coinbase email about a phone number change; the email contained other people's names suggesting a bulk phishing template error.
reddit · 14 May 2026 · email_scam
- Patton Design Job offer
A job seeker found a suspiciously attractive $30/hour remote listing on Indeed under the name of a real company, Patton Design, with escalating pay promises.
reddit · 14 May 2026 · employment_scam
- [US] email i got from paypal
A US user received a PayPal-branded phishing email referencing a fictitious cart at 'Acme Electric Motor Inc', containing their correct name and email address.
reddit · 14 May 2026 · phishing
- [US] scamm calling or missdial?
A person received repeated calls and texts asking for a painting quote for a house, intended for someone else; likely misdials or wrong-number contact rather than a scam.
reddit · 14 May 2026 · other
- Pilot yummy yummy part 3
Post contains insufficient content to classify; appears to be a scambait activity post with no actionable detail.
reddit · 14 May 2026 · other
- Quick Instagram fails
Post appears to be a brief scambait-related comment with insufficient content to classify.
reddit · 14 May 2026 · other
- First scambait
Post references a first scambait attempt but contains no substantive content to analyse.
reddit · 14 May 2026 · informational
- Scam ft. Microsoft, UltraViewer, remote desktop (US)
An elderly man called a fake Microsoft support number after a browser pop-up, and scammers installed UltraViewer to remotely access his computer.
reddit · 14 May 2026 · tech_support
- (US)Urgent vehicle notice form
A person received a suspicious mail piece using a fake government form number (9550-WARR) related to vehicle warranty solicitation.
reddit · 14 May 2026 · other
- Website shopping scam
A shopper paid for shoes on a fake website called 'aletan' that provided working parcel tracking briefly via the Shop app before disappearing entirely.
reddit · 15 May 2026 · shopping_scam