Digital media hoaxes, scams, and data manipulation
When I started college this fall, I decided to upgrade my wardrobe: nothing too fancy, just comfortable and stylish gear to wear on campus. That’s when I came across this website that promised high-fashion looks for very affordable prices for students. Their ads looked sleek on Instagram: models laughing in oversized, perfectly dyed hoodies and vintage-style graphic tees. Of course, I was hooked, sadly.
One stood out in particular: a forest green, thick-knit hoodie advertised as a steal at $25. Something told me that it was too good to be true, but the urgency of the Flash Sale: 90% Off for Next 3 Hours Only drowned out my worries. The site looked professional, had a countdown timer, and even a little floating pop-up saying “customer just bought this!”
I entered my credit card details, paid the $25, including shipping, and got a confirmation email within minutes. Looking back, the email was the first red flag: It was full of typos, and the tracking number it provided didn’t link to any carrier.
That is when the sickening realisation hit me: I hadn’t just bought a cheap hoodie; I’d fallen for a classic digital media hoax and scam. The hoax used high-quality stolen images and brand names to give the illusion of legitimacy. The scam was taking the money and product, and the website disappeared right after my purchase. This scheme preyed on the urgency and low price point that tempts broke college students.
I never got the hoodie or any part of my $25 back. No, instead, I got a cheap silver ring with a glass stone about 2 months after I ordered the hoodie. I felt embarrassed that I’d trusted the slick visuals and fake scarcity. Now, before I click ‘purchase’ anywhere, I do some serious background checks on the website and products.
What is the most unbelievable online scam you have ever come across? Share your story in the comments!
8 Comments
Isa
Hi Anika! Ive been in the same sitation as you multiple times too!
agatzk
I’m glad that it doesn’t happen to me often. But I’m sorry it has for you in the past. One thing I like to do now is avoid buying things off of ads on social media and instead look for the same product or brand on a credible company like Amazon.
Alexandra Hayes
Wow, this is wild. I’ve seen ads like that too and always wondered if they were real. That’s really frustrating, but thanks for sharing your story because now I know to avoid those “90% off” sites.
agatzk
Yeah! It really is hard to tell what cites are trust worthy these days. One thing I always do to check cites like this is I go to a review cites and check it review outside of the company to see how credible it truly is.
Alex
Hello, Anika. Reading your experience makes a lot of sense. I’ve run into similar online deals that didn’t turn out how I expected. It’s a good reminder to double-check sites before making a purchase.
agatzk
Yeah, it’s always good to have reminders that keep shoppers aware of the scams and problems they could face when it comes to shopping online!
Ana
At times it can be very hard to differentiate between real brands and fake ones! I haven’t been scammed before, purely because I go in-store, but I see all kinds of places attempting to sell me knock-off products!
agatzk
That’s a really good way to avoid online scams. I hope that your luck continues even when you start making online purchases of your own.