The Glorification of Scam Artists

[@Shutupdede]

nothing’s better than opening youtube and unexpectedly seeing a new Smokey Glow upload 🥰

[@X._.COCO._.X]

Brain does a dopamine!

[@jayare6804]

Yes!! 💯

[@m.b.1899]

FACTS

[@jyn07_]

The notification gets me sooo excited - watching on a lunch break at work haha

[@lh9761]

RIGHT?

[@fp7988]

I was so mad when that tinder show came out and people were so mean to the women! but brings up the point of when a man gets scammed by a woman there seems to be less victim blaming and more empathy for the man. I think a lot of people have a bias that women should know better and that men are easily fooled

[@Mothromance]

Very true, it also goes along w/ the idea that men will do anything for sex (and therefore women scam them by preying on this). tbh so offensive & harmful to both genders

[@ayannabranchcomb7535]

I also feel like its very unfair to blame women for falling victim to this stuff when we live in a world where we are still told at large that we are worthless without a husband. I’m glad I was raised by a group of black women that made sure I knew my worth was never tied to the desires of men bc wow this was infuriating to watch. I’m also very protective of my money 😂

[@ShinyPrimarina]

It's why I can't stand people who claim to care about victims but dismiss female victims yet have the gall to say that others "don't care about male victims". There's a difference between acknowledging and supporting male victims and people who use male victims to attack and dismiss female victims

[@wormshack3928]

Like yeah maybe don’t go on trips with men you just met but also who could fathom that a man could pull up with limos and private planes and beautiful vacations that ACTUALLY happen and somehow be lying about being rich?? Like. He was extremely convincing. That’s why they fell for it. That’s why most people fall for scams.

[@alicialynnette9889]

Well they fell for the scam!! 🤷🏽‍♀️ Why would anyone get on a plane with someone they don't . Then friends are telling you it's not safe. Then take out multiple credit cards and ruin your credit and life for "love".Its hard to feel bad for these women because they are just living in a fantasy world they created . Then once they have snapped back to reality it's too late. They made their choices so people do have the right to judge of they feel sorry for them on not. Red flags are very important and some people choose to ignore them. The same goes for men too! They should also get the same heat that women do that fall for these scams.

[@Phantom124356]

I think the biggest thing with the victim blaming is that no one wants to believe that they would get scammed. It's like how people treat those who fall into cults, which a lot of these interpersonal scams are similar to in a "cult of personality" kind of way. We blame others for the horrors subjected to them because if we don't then we're faced with the uncomfortable reality that we're no better than anyone else. We're not smarter, we know better because of hindsight and because we're not in the same situation as those who get scammed or fall into cults, but if we accept that it becomes scary and our illusion of how the world works is shattered. It is so much more comfortable to believe that people only get what they deserve then it is to accept that bad things happen to good people.

[@jasminelambert3753]

This is one of the reason I personally find cults so interesting. Truly anyone can fall into a cult and there are a lot more things that are super common that use the exact same recruitment tactics as cults do than people think. Everyone just wants to find community and belonging and cults (and other things that aren’t considered cults by most people) generally prey on that want.

[@alexbennet4195]

...I mean... a lot of the time people who fall for scams actually ARE way stupider than... all the people who don't because they can tell it's clearly a scam? Sometimes the stupidity comes from being ignorant and uneducated, sometimes it comes from a complete lack of critical thinking skills - either way, I don't understand how anyone could disagree on this?

[@nikkismith2858]

In psychology that’s called the just world theory- bad things happen to bad people

[@kaleighsmusicvideos]

this is one of my favorite ideas to think about. The mother of one of the Columbine shooters wrote a fantastic book that centers around the bad world theory - it’s called A Mother’s Reckoning (Sue Klebold). She also has a ted talk. “If love were enough to save someone from committing suicide (or harming another), there would be no suicide (or violence)”

[@OrNaurItsKat]

It's kind of the same way people treat addicts and the homeless too, like they must have done *something* to deserve their situations rather than having sympathy for the issues that got them there. A lot of the time society just treats these people like their sole reason to exist is as a warning to others. I think it's the individualist mindset most Americans have, I hope someday we can become more sympathetic and community minded in the future.

[@anne-marie339]

Thank you for talking about the rising amount of victim blaming. This is something I'd had to shift my own mindset and immediate reactions when hearing these types of stories. No matter how savvy you are, how aware or educated or paranoid, *anyone* can become a victim. And it's not their fault at the end of the day - it's the scammer's. They didn't chose to be targeted for fraud, harassment, etc. And that shame really of being "dumb enough to fall for a scam" stops people from seeking help, going public, etc.

[@trishamarie]

This^^^^^ 💯 You just said everything that is wrong with stories about scammers. They are glorified, and the victims are blamed for being “stupid or dumb” for being scammed. It could happen to anyone. It breaks my heart to see anyone get scammed and then blamed because of it. I especially despise Jordan whatever his last name is, because he is still glorified to this day, and he deserves no glorification.

[@giaparmer]

@@trishamarie right and what gets me the most heated is that half of those people shaming the victims would do the SAME THING if they had the coin to lend somebody!!! The only reason why I say this could never be me is because I literally do not have $.50 to lend somebody but I could certainly get scammed out of a lot of other things that I would be willing to do for others. It’s not a character flaw to be compassionate and it’s definitely not their fault that they were exploited for their kindness!

[@morganadvantures]

Yes, everyone has a pain point that master manipulators will try to use to play you like a fiddle

[@saldebrowde7823]

Exactly! I feel like a similar thing happens with cults. Some people will watch a documentary about a cult and their first response is how dumb those people were to join in the first place or to remain once they were clearly being abused. Same happens with DV relationships. It's the whole 'I'm smart. I'd never be conned/used/abused in that way! What a moron that victim is!' We all have a tendency to think this way because it's much nicer to imagine that you're safe from horrendous things and those things only happen to people who are dumb. Often this original thought (which just comes from us wanting to feel relative safey within a fair and reasonable world/society) will sadly extend to then blaming those victims. Obviously we're not actually discussing cults here but I do feel like the whole mindset/way people think about them is very similar to what Smokey is critiquing. I don't have any evidence of this and I could be wrong but my husband (who is incredibly smart and curious and therefore knows a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff) told me that there was actually a study/multiple studies (can't remember which) that actually showed that more intelligent people are more likely to be drawn into a cult than those who are less intelligent. If true, that really flies in the face of the whole victim-blamey concept that people who get scammed are dumb and therefore maybe deserve it a bit.

[@Unsureshelby]

I liked how in Inventing Anna they showed her ‘friends’ with the guy that did the fyre festival. Small world of NYC scammers.

[@roselinestephania]

THANK YOU! I hated how Netflix made it seem like Rachel was the bad guy (in my opinion because she didn't want to be part of the show) when her "rich" friend left her in debt and ghosted her just like that. It wasn't even a personal card, I can't even imagine the months of stress and agony she went through. Good for Rachel for making money out of that awful situation; Anna used her, just like the banks and all the other rich people. That Netflix show was disgusting.

[@natatatm]

Totally agree. I can't believe people are mad at her for turning a bad situation into a good one and "using Anna" when anna had been using her the whole time.

[@jacklynnkaelin3408]

I read the book Rachel wrote and it literally stressed me out so much. I would have thrown hands.

[@gena_unknown]

I agree and I don’t think Rachel used Anna, she shared her story and made money on it. People do that all the time, and it’s an honest way to make money.

[@Eli2103]

Agree. Hated that show, hated the fact that at the end the show is trying hard to like make it seem like we’re supposed to root for this person. Like the scenes reading the verdict with the main characters coworkers is a joke

[@chanthy_lim]

1000% agreed! I refused to watch any of the shows on Anna because I didn’t want it to get any additional ratings. I read the article Rachel had written and that’s how I even knew about it but clearly Rachel was the victim. If your friend wants to treat you to an extravagant vacation who seemingly could afford it, you go. Anna had put her in a tough spot having to pay for the entirety of the trip with promises to pay her back and acting like it was no big deal. $60k is more than most people make. WTAF?!?!

[@alexisvalenzuela6163]

I’m so glad you said something about inventing Anna because I was genuinely upset when everyone was saying great things about Anna and terrible things about Rachel. My thought has always been, if Anna was justified or “right” in selling her story to Netflix, then Rachel is also “right” for writing an article, a book, and doing a whole media tour about her story. It was a double standard. And then Anna came back saying “she’s so desperate for attention” when Rachel started doing interviews again after the Netflix show when Rachel literally wouldn’t have had anything to talk about if Anna hadn’t sold her story to Netflix. Like even I had forgotten about Rachel’s article, news outlets wouldn’t have been so interested to re-interview her if Anna/Netflix hadn’t brought it up again

[@anniemarie63]

Good points! Also considering how she was portrayed in the Netflix show, it’s totally understandable that Rachel would want to defend herself.

[@mjjulian72]

It gets worse. Anna recently got another deal. Whatever happened to criminals not being able to profit from their crimes?

[@isabellabass5346]

You should do a video on Jennette McCurdy and her new book. I’ve been reading it and it’s really interesting, I’d love to hear your take on it.

[@psychosalad6653]

Disclaimer: didn’t read it and only have a surface level knowledge of her whole story. I think some of the reactions to her book’s title are kinda gross. “You only get one mother!!!” Yeah, you’re right. It’s a shame hers left her with severe health issues (the eating disorders) and long lasting trauma.

[@unknown_limes]

That'd be a fascinating video, but I wish Smokey luck in grabbing a copy! The book has already sold out in several places

[@Mgdr2011]

YES YES YES

[@ariw9405]

I’m reading it to wow what a heartbreaking story the book is so well written

[@HowDoYouDo_]

it's also really easy to say "that could never happen to me" when you're given all the information served to you on a silver platter on a Netflix show. These people thought they were alone in a situation and didn't know it was happening to multiple other people.

[@ayannabranchcomb7535]

I’m very much unsurprised that in a culture of uplifting billionaires and shaming people for being poor while making it so they cannot actually improve their situations, that we also glorify scam artists. The only difference between these people and billionaires is that they didn’t go through the proper legal channels to be able to scam us peasants the right way. Or that they scammed the rich, and that’s a big no no

[@lizzmae4560]

People say “I would never fall for a scam” and then join an MLM.

[@thalesclayton2016]

Facts

[@misseselise3864]

i have such a hard time discussing true crime because there’s always going to be people who manipulate the narrative to make the victims into perpetrators

[@sheelfjohnson]

Have you seen the whole disgusting community out there blaming Shannan Watts for her own death (and her children's)? Because they think she "emasculated" her husband?? Those idiots make me sick.

[@giaparmer]

@@sheelfjohnson yes and it’s especially heartbreaking when you actually read the texts from Shannan to Chris begging him to be intimate with her and to repair the relationship and saying how much she loves him even though she knew he was having an affair :(

[@giaparmer]

@@sheelfjohnson it’s serious incel behavior

[@bbygirlfromda253]

Anna Delvey did tip staff at hotels well but she also took people on extremely expensive trips saying that she would pay for all of it but then when she didn’t have money to actually pay for the trips/hotels she put her friends in a position to where they would have to pay for it all otherwise they would literally be out in the street in a foreign country or police would be called on them. She always told them there was a “problem” with her bank and that she would pay them back but never did. She would basically tell hotels that she would have money wired to them to pay and the hotels would eventually get tired of her excuses for not paying and demand her to pay. Of course she couldn’t thus her friends had to foot the bill with money they really didn’t have. She never paid her friends back and majorly fucked them over.

[@emmarosie7176]

Why would you go on a “expensive trip” with someone that you don’t know very well ??? Like y’all expect us to feel sorry for them because they were trying to gold dig anna ? Lmao

[@bbygirlfromda253]

@@emmarosie7176 they did know her they were all friends. And Anna begged them to go. At least that’s how it was portrayed in the show. It seemed like Anna didn’t want to and couldn’t go on these trips alone (because she couldn’t pay and didn’t want to be alone) so she needed people to go with her so she asked her friends and offered to pay for it because she was “so wealthy” and “had a trust fund”. You don’t have to feel bad for them but she did fuck over other people besides the banks she defrauded.

[@emmarosie7176]

@@bbygirlfromda253 she knew her LESS THAN A YEAR and was willing to allow her to pay for everything lmao and she isn’t a good digger .. ???? Even if anna was “wealthy rich” if she was a REAL friend she wouldn’t allow herself too leech off of her just because “she has money so its ok” yea sorry that gold digger deserves it

[@bbygirlfromda253]

@@emmarosie7176 Personally I wouldn’t do what the friend did and just allow someone to pay for everything on an expensive trip but even so Anna did fuck her over by lying and saying she would pay for everything knowing damn well she couldn’t and then forcing her to pay for it ($60,000) so that they wouldn’t be out on the street and have police called on them in a foreign country. I’m not saying the friend was completely innocent and made a good choice but what Anna did was worse. This is just my opinion and you’re allowed to have yours too it’s not that big of a deal at the end of the day.

[@xanderkai6353]

@@emmarosie7176 I just love when people blame victims instead of literal criminals 🥰

[@briannaa_xo9386]

I genuinely believe that if the tinder swindler was a woman and the victims were men that the victims would get more sympathy and that the perpetrator would get more hate.

[@girlwhomustnotbenamed4139]

It's the patriarchy in action. No matter which side of the case women are, they would be blamed. One of the most outrageous things was how the swindler's victims were all self-sufficient, independent women who were then used, abused and defrauded by that waste of space to the extent of hundreds of thousands of dollars but a lot of people still called the women the gold diggers. Absolute mindfuck. That said, I think these stories are important to tell because they inevitably educate people on what narcissistic abuse is, and that will hopefully change societal attitudes in the long run. But the knee-jerk victim blaming is indeed exhausting.

[@ty-zz9ic]

Nah she would be seen as a badass

[@KatMcCollum]

@@ty-zz9ic finally someone on this app telling the truth

[@lauras5359]

Inventing Anna was definitely glorifying and idealising Anna Delvey because her real life friend who is just as delusional as she is worked on the show. And I hate that so much

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

That one bitch whose name I can’t remember disregarded Rachel because she made money on a book deal, saying that that basically made it all right in the end. The trauma to make money wasn’t worth it. I’m not saying Rachel was 100% innocent (she should have told Anna she couldn’t afford it and booked a ticket home, but chose to be a doormat), but she didn’t sign up for the months and months of sickness and worry over her future. I’m sure she’d rather have her old life back without small-time fame and trauma. Instead McBitchface thought it was all cool. She herself was clearly a fame-chaser even before Anna was unveiled for who she is. She was supposed to go along on that Moroccan trip, but posted too much about it on social media. And she’s buddies with Anna since she’s getting stuff for it.

[@cassandralee9770]

I noticed your IG socials are gone and I am hoping that you’re healing is going okay. We miss you but want you to be healthy, even if that means you leave behind your online life. Just know that you have made a difference while you have been here and continue to do so. Your videos taught me to think more about the world around me instead of blocking things out, if that makes sense. I pay more attention to the details now. ❤❤❤

[@autumnrybin6656]

I love scammer stories because they are true crime without the murder. Some very good points made in this video, thank you! Always love watching your content, Hannah. Makes me think about things.

[@shart8008]

same!! i love learning about cases but watching murder mystery stuff has taken a toll on me

[@jasminelambert3753]

Absolutely! I feel like it’s a much more ethical way to consume true crime/mystery-type content. There’s no murder (usually) and I feel like it generally is less exploitative of the victims than the true crime content surrounding murder or other brutal crimes

[@blutygar]

I mean... There's still a victim, even if they're not dead, their lives are turned upside down from the scammer scamming their money away from them.

[@reynas344]

@@blutygar no one’s saying there isn’t, but it can be harmful to constantly consume content about death/violence/assault etc. these cases have the mystery still but with lower stakes and without the anxiety that can come from listening to gory details of murder

[@sophianotsofia]

You're right🤨 why don't true crime content creators talk more about scammers?

[@Coochie_Seasoning]

we’re told that we’re responsible for our own destiny & have absolute control over our lives which, obviously, is not the case. so when something bad happens to us, its our fault bc we let it happen (S.A. , poverty, racism, being scammed etc.). until we unpack that, victim blaming will unfortunately continue.

[@babiigirljulian01]

I miss you, and your commentary. 😢 I hope everything is well.

[@LexieMoon321]

I had a VERY bad week with my grandmother in the hospital. Thank you for being a relief ❤️

[@Rexdrinkredbull]

Sending good vibes to you and your family

[@sourgreendolly7685]

So sorry, Lexie! I was in your position earlier this year. Sending good vibes to y’all as well💕

[@juliettes6226]

I hope your doing ok! And that your grandma will be ok❤️❤️

[@Nicole-jo6vz]

Sending you love

[@sourgreendolly7685]

I usually say this about cults, but that’s a type a scam ig If you think you can’t fall for a scam, you’re a good target for scammers.

[@afroqueen698]

That part! It’s always been my opinion that assuming you’re too smart to fall for anything blinds you to possible red flags. I feel like it’s usually people who see the best in people or arrogant people who you see get caught up in scams the most often. Very smart and good people have gotten fooled, why should any of us assume that we’re any different?

[@celialovesbooks]

when you mentioned the inventing anna rachel thing it hit home. when i was watching it, i never understood why they portrayed rachel as the villain. she would obviously want to profit off a situation that she was the victim in, and "use" anna for her money because anna told everyone she was rich so she wouldn't question that

[@afroqueen698]

The reaction to the Tinder Swindler really got me heated. The amount of men who were calling the victims gold diggers who got what they deserved, the amount of other women who had zero sympathy and thought they were stupid. Like did we watch two different documentaries? The amount of emotional manipulation that man did was astounding. Honestly, if you really think that you wouldn’t have at least considered giving that man money after seeing how much effort was put into the scams, you’re either a misogynist or a borderline sociopath. We basically all been tricked into something or other, you just may not have even realized it yet because that’s literally how it works. How many people were bamboozled into thinking those skinny ass eyebrows and skater boi haircuts looked good in the aughties?

[@giaparmer]

My heart really breaks for the Bahamian locals, towards the end they were literally Working 48 hour shifts straight with one hour naps to try to get this thing off the ground and then anything that they had accomplished was washed away the day before people arrived. I don’t know how lawsuits and extradition work between the US and the Bahamas but I hope that they are able to sue Billy McFarland, unfortunately even if they’re successful there’s no guarantee they’ll get even a fraction of that capital back.

[@dancerbabe02]

People are not talking about it enough and it was disgusting! No one cared about the locals or their environment it was so so so ANNOYING!

[@giaparmer]

@@dancerbabe02 yep. I haven’t heard one thing about what happened to any of those Bahamian people or their money.

[@breeandmegs6156]

I’m Bahamian and I lived in Exuma for 7 years. I was in school when the event was taking place but many of my friends were working it. We tried our best to help the tourists be as comfortable as possible, even sometimes going so far as to pay for it out of our own pockets. One lady that owned a hotel especially tried by allowing as many people to stay there as she could, even spending money out of her own savings so that they could be fed and housed. And to answer your question, no, none of us were ever compensated for our help.

[@giaparmer]

@@breeandmegs6156 truly, truly i could not be sorrier for the way you were treated! On behalf of Americans it’s despicable and I truly hope that one day y’all are afforded justice!! You deserve to be compensated for your time your efforts and your misery afterwards. Billy truly took everything from the Bahamians and he did it on camera too. There’s a long history of Caribbean island peoples labor being taken for free, and that sounds like a painful thing to be recreated for y’all in our day and age. Anyways I never stopped thinking of y’all over the years and really wanted to express my condolences and empathy. If there happens to be any way we can help let us know.

[@IzzyandMimi]

if the song didnt hype you up enough, YOU'RE STUNNING! and this commentary video seems very interesting since a lot of commentary channels havent talked about this topic!

[@jasminelambert3753]

Right! Hannah is looking particularly gorgeous today. The hair the makeup and that necklace is so pretty! Just so gorgeous!

[@xorayne_]

omg Hannah your cameo in not okay! i literally screamed when i saw you 🤣 i couldn’t tell if it was a clip from a video you already have or if it was specifically recorded for the movie but i’m so happy you got that opportunity!!

[@peytonwalker6783]

I’ve been the victim of a scam artist; she was my “friend” but hindsight showed me that this person does this professionally and I was the exact type of person that would fall for her ruse. It was pretty much Inventing Anna on a smaller scale, but the funny thing was that all of this started coming to light right around the time that show was released. I’m glad you made this video. While the people close to me where supportive and understood the situation, others weren’t as kind. I do think that this type of media has the potential to spiral into something uncontrollable. I feel like I t shows these scammers that they will continue to get away with their ploys as long as they can continue to find the right type of “dumb b*tch” to fall for them.

[@Listening_Books12345]

My dad is an incredibly sharp guy for business, he's a tremendous salesman and has a knack for charmingly but assertively getting the deal he needs for his company. Several of his in-laws, and then his closest brother died unexpectedly last year. One day, out of the blue I notice my mom getting her purse together in a sort of frantic way, and I asked what she was doing. She told me my dad had gotten a great deal on a new cable/internet provider, but she had to go to Walgreens to get some gift cards to pay the people. I had a bad feeling (I've worked on live-captioned calls before and I have heard dozens of different scam offers and come-ons), so I told her not to go while I looked something up online. Sure enough, people had already reported being approached with this exact offer and it was indeed a scam. Unfortunately my dad had already given them some portion of the money, but I managed to stop them forking any more over. My dad was so embarrassed, he had no idea what he was thinking or how he'd been swindled, but these scammers really do be throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks, and when people have a lot of stress or grief in their lives, they are waaaaaaay more likely to fall for this stuff because they genuinely are not thinking clearly, and the scammers are looking for those exact people. Even my dad, who has great business acumen and knows a shitty deal when he hears one, got sucked into it.

[@cantmissliss]

I think one of the things people like about the Anna Delvey case is the “equal opportunity” aspect of it. Like, she wanted to open an art gallery in new york city, that was her goal & she had a specific plan for it. A normal person would never be approved for a loan that would be needed to make that happen, but a super rich person would. Assuming she was actually planning on going through with the art gallery, I think that’s one of the reasons her story resonates with a lot of people

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

Her plan was never very specific.

I think her plan was to spend those millions on keeping the luxury life style, not actually building the foundation

[@cantmissliss]

True, there’s no real way to know what she intended to do with the money after she got it.

[@wormshack3928]

I’m so upset about the Tinder Swindler. Like yeah, maybe don’t go on a trip with a strange man and other such red flags, but like?? How the hell would ANYONE fathom he was lying about being rich when he had limos and private planes and the vacations he promised actually happened???? Like. He literally made sure to provide them “evidence” to lull them into trusting him. That’s the whole point. He was convincing. Ugh

[@tatertots43]

For me, I didn't question why they believed he was rich but what confused me is how they believed that he loved them/that they could trust him bc of their romantic relationship... His messages to them were so corny, inconsistent, and transparently manipulative/abusive, and their descriptions of why they loved him or felt that they had any intimacy were so vague/empty/unfounded/delusional-sounding. That was what I couldn't understand. But then again, I don't understand how most straight women can believe that their obviously misogynistic boyfriends/husbands love them, and I'm sure there are a lot of societal factors at play that he took advantage of :( I don't blame them at all, but I definitely felt alienated from them for that reason. Like as a woman, I can't imagine trusting a man like that lmao sry if that's bad but yeah I think the point I want to make is actually that I think the reasons men and women reacted so negatively to them were different. Yeah, there were women hating on them because of internalized misogyny, but I also think a lot of them were responding to a naïveté about men in a misogynistic world that they sensed in the victims. In some ways, I'm jealous of those women's optimism and faith in love, but I just couldn't relate to it?

[@puppppppies]

@@tatertots43 I feel you on that, but keep in mind that there are lots of grown ass women out there that genuinely think that Fifty Shades of Grey is sexy and romantic. They don't exactly teach you about abusive relationships in sex ed (even though they ABSOLUTELY should), so if you're not lucky enough to have parents that are in a healthy, loving relationship (or failing that, step parents, grandparents, etc) it's very easy to come to the conclusion that whatever toxic bullshit you see is just how relationships are supposed to be.

[@Hannah-xg4ry]

i think caroline calloway is another example of someone who's become notable as a scammer and has also gained a cult following because of it. whether it's people who hate follow her or people who genuinely find her someone to look up to, she's essentially built a career out of people's fascination with her, literally making being a scammer part of her brand.

[@juliasmith5006]

as someone who is an accountant and had to study famous scam artists and scams in U.S. history (Manafort and Enron), I find this content very interesting as a dream job is to help hold these scam artists accountable. personally, I use this to identify 1. how/when the scam started 2. how it escalated 3. the "downfall" of the scam. I do this while always acknowledging the victim(s) as they are the ones who are seeking justice and accountability

[@NailsbyBunnyBear]

Curious if you think bitcoin is a scam?

[@bridgetbaker7529]

I have been comfort rewatching old Smokey Glow videos while miserable with covid. So happy to see a new video. Love it. Thank you.

[@Kiki-pr4cy]

Hannah wishing you peace and love and healing 💛 you’ve been on a real rollercoaster recently

[@angelraee]

Amen 🙏🏼 love and light to you and everyone 🤍

[@AMoniqueOcampo]

While I'm a fan of White Collar and Leverage, I can't stand real life scammers/con artists cuz they end up hurting regular people. The podcast Scamfluencers dives into various scams. I highly recommend it.

[@char3808]

I was just about to comment about Leverage! It’s one of my favourite shows. I think it’s because it scams the bigger corporations to aid those that have been scammed by said companies previously and gives them a chance again when usually, their lives would have been ruined.

[@butterpecanrican_]

Thank you for talking about this. I couldn't bring myself to watch Inventing Anna because I just couldn't get past the fact that they're glorifying a scam artist. It literally bothered me that much 🤦‍♀️

[@darthjuno]

My fiancé and I were talking about this recently - we call it "scammertainment", and ngl I can be pretty into it. I've had all these thoughts and concerns too about what the implications of the genre are, so love this articulate and thoughtful video on it. Very Hannah content, 10/10 ✨

[@minamorgul]

i miss your videos so much, hannah. i hope you’re doing ok and that everything in your life gets to a peaceful place soon. this too shall pass and you deserve nothing less than adoration and devotion. ❤

[@simplycleva]

I was literally just talking about the Anna situation with my friend, it's crazy how media uplifts con artists.

[@thegayathrikable]

This is so well timed since I've been seeing a dude named Andrew Tate being talked about from all of KZbin. He sounds like a nasty dude in general but now he's made something which is pretty much a MLM scam. I'm also fascinated by scams but it's also terrifying at the same time

[@Jazzywazzywoo_]

hey Hannah, I just wanted to let you know we hope you're doing a bit better and we're thinking of you. I found your channel when I was in need of a friend and I miss your sassy attitude, and your overall presence. obviously you take the time for you to be able to heal and come through this hurt you're going through. I just thought id let you know that you are always thought of and missed. you got this girl.

[@wendyxkuma]

Hope you’re doing okay Hannah 😢💖

[@luluhawley270]

saw you in Not Okay!! didnt even know you were featured. congrats!!!

[@MaltinOnMovies]

I miss your regular uploads-and you deserve to take as much time as you need-but I wanted you to know that you’re a very welcome face on KZbin

[@laurenr5095]

Came here to say this 💕

[@TahminaBeauty]

Same! ❤️🫶🏼

[@anarsuarez]

Rachel was never the villain in my eyes. Anyone would be pissed about the $60,000 situation. Especially her using a credit card; chances are she owed more than $60,000 when credit card companies charge interest, fees, etc.

[@theLauraOspina1]

Thank you! for mentioning the workers who were scammed during Fyre Festival. This is so important and so terrible and it’s just glossed over all the time

[@BirdPeopleArentReal]

I do also wonder if the lack of empathy for the victims is because another “stereotype” of scammers is that they only go after the rich, so the ”oh this would never happen to me” mentality is really strong

[@jenfurlow9074]

Wanted to message you to see how you're doing. No instagram posts, nada. You've disappeared. Wishing you the best. Always

[@cuebitt]

I'm pretty sure that the end of Inventing Anna where everyone turned on Rachel and supported Anna in court was implying that Anna had even scammed Vivian and co into supporting her, but it still felt a little weird tbh

[@chronicallykelly7193]

I just saw you in a Hulu movie with Zooey Deutch, which is cool affff!!! 😱 Congrats girl💕

[@hannahinverse]

i just wanted to say your videos have always been such a comfort for me and thank you for making life less stressful sometimes 💗 i hope you’re doing well!

[@maximumbees]

it's like how MLM (multilevel marketing) huns are conditioned by their MLM scheme to defend said scheme and their uplines and ceos to the point of cutting off people that try to show them they're being scammed or cutting off anyone who manages to escape. people who leave get blamed for 'not working hard enough' hannah alonzo has a lot of good anti-MLM content and a playlist of horror stories.

[@Ellliieeeeee]

Hope you're OK ❤️

[@bt2598]

white collar crimes are extremely pervasive and are never really discussed in the tough on crime conversations. it's really really gross to be honest. it's insane how corporations and individuals are able to do this and then movies are made fo rthem to profit on them even more.

[@celiahunley6281]

i have had a sucky day and your upload was just what i needed hannah! i love you and your videos!! 💗💗

[@lindas9103]

The topic of victim blaming has come up a lot recently and someone mentioned it comes from a place of fear. Those who blame the victim feel like (it) can't happen to them because they won't do the thing "that person did". Not sure if I'm making sense but thought I'd throw that nugget od info out there.

[@promisedjubileedaniels]

I just need you to know, I LOVE this "series." Two thumbs up from me.

[@HayleighPaige]

Omg I’ve been on a SmokeyGlow rewatch kick today, this is great timing!! I hope you’re doing well Hannah :))

[@TheMiniMimi22]

bro i second this the depression is strong with me i hope hannah is ok

[@micael8343]

SAMEEEE

[@vibesarelovely8277]

Saaaaame!!!

[@foreverfalling86]

It's been awhile since I saw Wolf of Wall Street, but I don't think it was meant to glorify Belfort. I felt like it was all a trap. He's the audience vehicle; you're meant to root for him, even as he does terrible things. And you DO until he hits his wife. When I saw it in cinema, the mood in the room changed after that point. People stopped laughing at his behaviour. It takes him committing domestic abuse, which we as a society have determined is 100% unacceptable, to alter our opinion of him, even though he's objectively a horrible person before that. The movie is filled with him committing crimes in the name of greed and money, but we're okay with that. It's only once he commits a crime that we don't glorify, that the audience, who up until that point is on the ride with him, is confronted with how terrible he is and how far they've morally slipped along with him, and how easy it was. Or at least, that was my interpretation of the film at the time!

[@psychosalad6653]

That’s a great point, the idea of us having breaking point and a moral line in the sand with which crimes we “like” and which ones we don’t.

[@jackharrow7147]

I genuinely don't think that the movie ever has you "root" for belfort, and the narration frequently hints that you *shouldn't* be rooting for what he's doing (think of the scene where he talks about the one worker that commits suicide) it's the Scorsese film with the most vitriol towards its protagonist and, yeah, that last shot of the audience does display vitriol towards those in the audience who buy belfort's BS but anyone who thinks that film glorifies what he does has a wildly different reading than mine

[@andS7]

I see these things the same as heist movies. It’s all about the drama and fantasy of getting away with something so complicated/risky

[@ayannabranchcomb7535]

I think what makes it weird tho is that what makes heist movies fun is that the thieves in question are stealing from the upper crust and doing what we all wish we could do. These real scammers are always scamming regular middle/working class people and that makes them disgusting

[@rachell7318]

I just realized Hannah’s IG is gone. :( I hope she’s doing amazing - even if that doesn’t include being in the public eye anymore! 🧡🧡

[@kendrickdinger]

OMG it is??😭

[@pj9397]

I noticed that too 😢hope she is doing ok

[@purplelibra24]

Can you talk about the rise of murder true crime podcasts and how it evolved from just talking about cases to people thinking that they could solve the case on their own to the point where they’re contacting family members of the deceased. True crime has been putting such a bad taste in my mouth because of things like that

[@reynas344]

omg i haven’t heard of that, that’s insane… definitely would love a video from her on that

[@cybersucia]

HANNAH I WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE YOUR CAMEO IN “NOT OKAY” 😭💕

[@TheEtherny]

Hope you're okay girl, miss your videos but I hope you're taking care of yourself

[@andisorenson3269]

Missing you like crazy! Hoping all is well with you!

[@cviolet7373]

THANK YOU! I have been infuriated by the idolization of these scammers and the victim blaming that has ensued. I’m so glad someone said it!!

[@gummycats]

i was just thinking about how nice it would be if you uploaded something today!! please take it easy, no matter what your upload schedule looks like we'll appreciate it!

[@pootoobaby738]

Damn girl you're spitting straight facts. I am totally with you, every one of these scams I always think about who was truly harmed. For me the thing that keeps things in perspective is that in most of these scam artist stories they GET CAUGHT. I can't idolize someone in the end who is a loser. To become a prolific and famous scam artist you literally have to be bad at your job.

[@maxzytaruk8558]

Miss you Hannah, hope youre doing well

[@Wyrecc]

Thanks for giving me something to listen to while I pack for my first year of college

[@karenmontalvo06]

Thinking of you today! Hope you’re doing OK. I watched Love is blind - after the altar & think you’d get a laugh out of it 😊

[@artsyaliceyoung]

Hey Hannah, it's random but just a quick message to say I miss your presence on KZbin (I'm sure I'm not the only one 😊). I hope you're doing well and can't wait to hear you again eventually, whatever you decide to talk about!

[@Buzz0Killington]

Great vid, as always. I will say, I was familiar with the Anna Delvey case before the Netflix show and while I’m not “team Anna”, she’s literally a crook and a scammer, Rachel never came off to me as sympathetic. I think that may have something to do with her actually losing her case against Anna at trial. Anna spent a lot of money taking Rachel to dinners and on trips and she never paid a dime. Then when she got stuck with the bill, she put the Morocco trip on her company card, (mind you, she was lucky enough to have had a company card to begin with), and then didn’t even have to pay the money back because AMEX excused the charge. She then had a big article in Vanity Fair and got a book deal about the whole ordeal. And even after all that, she still cries in nearly every interview about the trauma of those few months where she may have potentially owed 60k, on her company card. I’m not saying she didn’t literally experience some trauma as a result of the ordeal but people are out here with 100s of thousands in student loans. Rachel just never came off as someone who understood how privileged she was at the end of it all and reveled in victimhood. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@FifthAveAtFive]

THIS!! I was looking for this comment and planned to write my own. I read Rachel’s article (that was not part of her job description at VF. It was an op-ed she submitted for consideration and the fact she worked there already gave her a leg up to be published compared to other submissions) and her book. She comes off as ignorant of her own privilege and entitled in both. I’m sympathetic to the trauma and anxiety she suffered (I’m disabled partly due to an anxiety disorder) but she never once acknowledges how privileged she was during and after that time. She would be a sympathetic character if she had owned up in court, press, etc her accountability in finding herself in that situation and how fortunate she was that she had many people offering money to cover her bills and pay her debt outright so she wouldn’t accumulate interest. Besides family, family friends, on/off boyfriend, her boss was offering to her debt. Plus in her book she repeatedly makes a point to say she didn’t consider Anna a good or close friend. Personally i don’t know many people that would go on a vacation, much less out of the country, with someone that isn’t a close friend or family and be comfortable with them paying for it entirely. In Rachel’s own words, that’s what she did. I don’t think she’s a villain or antagonist, she’s just naive, privileged, and slightly entitled with some people pleasing/wanting to be well liked by everyone tendencies all of which worked to Anna’s advantage.

[@bean0329]

@@FifthAveAtFive I also felt the same way after listening to her book. Obviously she didn't deserve what happened to her and she is still a victim, but even in her own words (and the audiobook is narrated by her), she comes off as an upper middle class girl from Tennessee who had internships at major publications before getting a job at VF, as if her coming from a southern city and getting these opportunities paints her as a relatable "everyman". I don't recall anyone offering to pay off her debt besides one of her family members, but I do remember her saying that one of her family members offered to pay off that 60k debt in full for her, which is also not something most of the people who'd hear her story are going to be able to sympathize with, since the vast majority of people don't just have rich family members who can afford that.

[@gitzieisreading]

exactly. it feels pretty entitled to go on a vacation you're unable to pay for, expecting not to have to contribute whatsoever. i don't think she's a villain or a bad person, and i do have sympathy for her, but a lot of her behavior came across as very entitled to me.

[@NinaDreams81]

I don't like the idea of judging a victim on how much they suffered to decide whether they are a true victim worthy of any sympathy. She did have a sort of privilege where she was able to recover her finances quickly compared to say you or I, but that doesn't make her less of a victim. Especially considering the emotional impact. Finding out everything about a person you trusted was a lie and everything you saw with your own eyes was based on lies completely shatters a person's trust and the ability to trust may never be there again. That's a whole weight of emotional damage that will be there likely for the rest of her life. I also reject minimizing her victims because Anna is a psychopath with no empathy and she cannot feel remorse. She would fuck over you, me, or a homeless person on their death bed if it was profitable or beneficial to her goals.

[@sativaloves]

Let’s goooo!!! YOU hype me up girl. Wishing you peace and happiness 💕

[@isabellecb]

I was so shocked to see u in not okay!! It made my day :)

[@CutiePie4325]

as an engineer, the term “social engineer” for a scammer always made me uncomfortable. “engineer” is a regulated title in order to hold paramount the health and safety of the public. it’s odd and upsetting that con artists are being socially legitimized to the extent of a profession people usually choose to do the most good they can for the most people.

[@puccarts]

I know someone can be sued for calling themselves a medical doctor who doesn't actually have a medical degree. (PhD doctors can call themselves doctors, but can't call themselves MD) Is it the same case for engineers?

[@uliejaba]

@@puccarts with engineers, a degree is not enough. To officially call yourself an engineer, you need a PE (professional engineer) license and you need to pass the FE (fundamentals of engineering) exam before you can work towards becoming a PE. That’s how it is with civil engineering, I know that some other fields are less strict though. But yeah, when you become a PE, you get an official stamp that you use on documents so you are held responsible and could be sued if something fails.

[@CutiePie4325]

@@puccarts yes in the us. it depends on the state, but usually you need a pe license as the other commenter says, an abet-accredited degree, or both. where i live you’re not even allowed to “use figures or wordmarks that may suggest you are an engineer or practice engineering,” without both. but in the state where i attended uni, you can call yourself an engineer with just an abet-accredited degree (the low low price of 4-6 years in an american university and your entire social life lol).

[@kawaiikoibito3268]

It's only been a month and I need more smokey glow in my life😥😥😥

[@noodlepoodlegirl]

i’m watching this late, but hannah you are absolutely glowing! I recently learned about the difficulties you’re going through, and I don’t know to what extent they are but you’re absolutely gorgeous! Sometimes I think the best way to get through hardships is to put on a full face of beautiful make up, fluff your hair up and go fight fire with fire! Anyway, I love you and I love all of your fans, we’ve had some really good bonding moment and I just think this channel is really special.

[@jacquelinexoxx]

1. So excited to see your video. Your analysis gives me life always 2. I would offer the counterpoint that it cannot be overstated how traumatic and awful being in any state prison or ICE detention in the US is for any period of time. I just want people to remember that whatever quasi-positive feedback someone famous is getting for their criminal notoriety, the majority of people convicted of financial crimes in the US are poor marginalized people who are being forgotten in prisons and jails as we speak. I would just caution people to remember this before they use the stories of a few obnoxious famous people to become more punitive towards everyday people convicted of crimes and “scamming”

[@bingo7829]

Hope you’re doing well! Came to check if you had posted anything recently❤

[@holigatis7588]

I miss your videos!!!

[@angel4utasia]

The tindler swingler made me so upset when I watched it to. My heart went out to those poor women. Its not just the victims of scammers either. I listen to a podcast called "Something was Wrong" and I find in the online community a lot of people and even the survivors themselves on the podcast will say "I should of seen the red flags I should of gotten out earlier" etc etc. But they are normally involved with someone who is an expert at manipulating people. Why do we expect people to just know better. Life is very rarely so black and white, and it is so hard to compare what you are in the mist of, to a definition of a narcissist in a text book. We make decisions based on what we know at the time to be the truth. Hindsight is 2020. I wish there were more justice for the real victims of these scammers crimes and I wish there wasn't so much victim blaming. :(

[@SaltyMsMorton]

I just gasped and went OHHHHHH. Girl. I love your videos. I’ve been thinking about you so much. Your videos make me so happy Hannah!! Thank you for being you and continuing to put out fun content for us, while being deliciously yourself.

[@angelicaschuyler9349]

I had the exact same experience with The Tinder Swindler! Almost no one I talked to were sympathetic to their situation! Why was no one mad at the jackass who made women literally suicidal and put them into massive amounts of debt??? Fraud is not a victimless crime!

[@cotapillar7802]

love in most of your videos you mention the “dont take a shot every time i say-“ i always take a sip of water if i have some with me :)

[@ryleighsweet2375]

I love content about scam artists. I've been binge watching American Greed, which is basically like Forensic Files but with fraud instead of murder.

[@poppyhodgkinson5428]

hope you’re okay hannah 💖

[@iloveyertle]

One thing I hate about the Fyre Festival coverage - and you also ignored it here - is a ton of the attendees weren’t influencers with the VIP package. They were just normal people. The regular tickets sold for $1,000, which if you think you’re going to have days of amazing concert lineups, food included, and a glamping setup in an amazing location on the beach on an exotic island, is really not a bad deal at all. I’m sure many people took on extra shifts or dipped into their savings to treat themselves. Then they get blasted all over social media with “you deserved to get scammed.”

[@francilg]

Hannah, we miss you! I hope you are OK.

[@jasminepitts7094]

Okay but your hair looks so pretty omg 😭

[@rebekahbishop8870]

Oh my god! I was laughing my ass off about the influencers stuck at Fyre Fest. I was seeking out more content about it as it was happening, and I had literally no idea that there were a bunch of locals who got screwed over until I watched this video. This makes me mad at the people who were reporting about it.

[@xragdoll5662]

They’re interviewed in the documentary on Netflix :)

[@Kayla-xt9hx]

I miss you and hope you're doing well. Keep healing

[@hannahalexia]

Loosely related, I LOVED seeing you in Not Okay!!! Have you mentioned your cameo anywhere and I totally missed it or have you not talked about it? I nearly exploded when I saw you!

[@ndiamond3405]

I only needed to see the title of this video, and it hit every nerve of my subconscious feeling around these headlines. Thank you for posting this.

[@reynas344]

I’ve only watched the intro, but i totally agree with you on the true crime thing. used to love it, not for the gore but just the mystery, drama and investigation. I’ve now started watching con docs, mlm videos, cult vids etc. bc it provides me the same mystery and drama without hearing about really brutal violence lol

[@LS-ew1zx]

"The consumption of scam content"... That statement makes me sad. The Wolf of Wall Street asshole should still be rotting in prison. Great video on a thought provoking topic.

[@jonathancraneswife]

While I do agree wholeheartedly on the majority of these points, I will say that Wolf of Wall Street I think is an interesting case. In Scorsese's defense, I don't think his intention was for the audience to walk away thinking "man that guy was cool". He's often sighted alongside characters like Patrick Bateman, Travis Bickle, Walter White, etc. as guys that are shown doing awful things, but are rallied around by (mostly men) that believe they were someone to idolize. While I do see how Scorsese can miss the mark on really driving home, as you said, the victims of these people, I don't think it was his intention for the audience to perceive Belfort in that way.

[@jackharrow7147]

anyone who took it that way is represented by the film's final shot of a slack jawed audience mindlessly accepting what he's saying - there is no way it was his intention for people to perceive belfort that way when the final thing that the film does is display vitriol towards those exact same people

[@lenaalmassy1050]

It's so interesting to see that you're posting a video on this topic today, because I was just talking to my dad about this former Mafia boss guy that he likes to watch on KZbin. He really loves this guy and buys his merch because "he's a changed man" who's "on the right side of the law now"...and I dunno. Not that people don't deserve second chances, but I personally wouldn't be giving my hard earned money to some guy who used to order hits for a living. I definitely feel a lot of big media channels on here are helping the mobster guy launder his reputation. Also, your hair looks so cute and I hope you're having a good day/night!!

[@asmileisspecial]

I know exactly who you’re talking about and he makes me feel very weird in ways I don’t know how to articulate but I can’t stop watching.

[@madisonelizabeth8008]

I know you probably don’t feel like it on the inside but you look like you’re glowing! 💗 I’m sending you all of my love though this hard time you’re going though. 💕

[@MascarasAndMixers]

Sometimes I catch myself blaming people who get scammed by the fake Instagram and KZbin accounts saying they won a prize and pay money to get it but then I'm like well not everyone has been "randomly selected" by so many fake accounts that they recognize the pattern. Those scam accounts are super annoying tho