I Clicked On All Scammy Ads I Saw, And It’s Maddening How Sneaky They Can Get
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Soon after my grandma got her first smartphone, she told me of a fascinating story she had read on the internet. A 150-year-old woman living in the mountains was using this one weird trick to take care of her health. To me, this was clearly a scam, but to her, it was a legitimate news article. I went through her browsing history, and indeed, it was an advertorial selling herbal cream.
Tech-savvy users, the kind who wield the best Android phones and spend much of their time online, surely know how to avoid a scam when they see one. Folks like my grandma, on the other hand, are particularly vulnerable, while scams are getting increasingly convincing. To find out how sketchy advertisements lure in their victims, I spent some time clicking on every suspicious ad I saw. I quickly found out that misleading ads are worryingly common.
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Android users have to do this now
Except that no, they don’t
According to the FTC, online advertisements must be truthful and not misleading. Similar regulations apply within the European Union as well. Despite this, I saw the advertisement pictured above. “Android Users Don’t Forget To Do This Before Saturday (Do It Now),” it states, while the image shows someone using a toothpick on a phone’s USB port. Clicking on the ad takes you to an advertorial, an advertisement that looks like an editorial article, promoting an antivirus product. It makes no mention of the thing Android users should do before Saturday.
Although the ad promotes a seemingly legitimate product, the tactics in use are unethical, at the very least. This is not an isolated case: it’s typical of sketchier ads to scare you into believing your data is exposed, or your device is at risk. In reality, they have no way of knowing, and it’s infuriating how the shady companies behind them try to scam unsuspecting people.
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My intelligence is exceptional
This online IQ test told me so
Some dishonest ads manipulate our egos. One example is this IQ test advertisement I came across. Clicking it took me to a pattern recognition test with 25 multiple-choice questions. What’s funny is that even though I chose the first answer on every page without looking, the report rated my abilities in Logic and Pattern Recognition as exceptional. To get the full report, I had to pay for a subscription, and I had only seven minutes to do that.
Even if the advertised IQ test company offers legitimate services, the test they use to attract subscribers is clearly bogus. It relies on wowing you with your supposedly outstanding score, hoping you’ll pay to reveal results that may or may not reflect reality. Ironically, the most intelligent people would see right through these manipulative tactics and never sign up.
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Unlimited internet access for “free”
Mobile carriers hate this
This was one of the most audacious scammy ads I came across. Again, it was disguised as an advertorial — from a non-existent author and publication, as far as I could tell. It tells the story of former SpaceX engineer Alex Morel, who launched a free satellite-based internet service. All you need is a $99 dongle to connect from anywhere in the world. All of this would seem very convincing to someone new to the internet.
As you’d expect, none of this is true, and I could find no evidence to suggest Alex Morel is a real person. In reality, the gadget pictured in the ads is a mobile hotspot that operates internationally. You pay to top it off and use the internet abroad. It doesn’t give you free internet access and most definitely doesn’t work on a satellite network. YouTuber Computer Clan tested the device and found out it doesn’t work particularly well. It looks like a reliable eSIM for travelers remains a better option when going abroad.
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Claim: this smartwatch was designed for the military
Truth: it costs $30 from China
Who wouldn’t want the most rugged smartwatch in the world, the one the military relies on? Well, this one isn’t it, and you might want to take a look at the best Android smartwatches instead. I got an ad claiming this watch, the Onyxus FitForce K52, can survive hammer strikes or a truck running over it. It can also measure your blood pressure, they say. The price? Only $79 if I order today.
In reality, a quick check confirms the watch is a rebranded unit that costs $30 on Chinese shopping sites like AliExpress. While it probably works as a smartwatch, it’s hard to believe the extreme durability claims from the ad. Additionally, the blood pressure measurement feature is likely fake since it’s extremely difficult to measure blood pressure with a smartwatch.
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How to spot dodgy and misleading ads
The red flags to look out for
I could go over more examples of sketchy ads I explored: overpriced pet trackers, bitcoin mining apps, fake satellite TV dongles, and so on. However, I probably don’t need to. They typically rely on the same techniques to take your money. Here is what to look out for:
- Products that are too good and too cheap to be true. Scammy ads wildly exaggerate or lie about the features of the products they promote. They also often pair them with extreme discounts.
- Limited-time exclusive offers. Some websites try to nudge you into buying with fake limited-time deals. Fake timers warn you that a discount, usually for you or the first X amount of customers only, expires soon, even though it doesn’t.
- Misleading advertorials, or advertisements disguised as regular articles. While advertorials on trustworthy sites are much more likely to be legitimate, ones posted by non-existent publications or authors surely aren’t. Look for advertorial disclaimers and search for the original source of the information.
- Ads relying on scare tactics. Ones that warn you of risks you can avoid by buying their product or subscribing to their service.
- Dropshipping sites. While dropshipping is a legitimate business model, these shopping sites typically sell overpriced products that cost a fraction from China or even eBay.
Stay safe out there and don’t believe everything you see
Tech enthusiasts may be immune to cheap online scams, but their kids and grandparents likely aren’t. Scams and misleading ads are still around, and it’s maddening that, clearly, not enough is being done to stop them. They can pop up on popular sites, including those you trust, as well as on social media and in Google Discover.
The good thing is that a little digital literacy goes a long way. A quick chat with a loved one who’s now learning to use the internet could be enough to prevent not only frustration, but also financial loss. Make sure they’re aware of all the risks online and know how to protect themselves from scams and phishing links.
