I was a typical fangirl when I was younger. From various singers to YouTubers, I idolized them all.
It was an unhealthy and embarrassing time in my life, especially because I spent hundreds of dollars on low-quality merchandise and collaborations.
Looking back at my preteen financial decisions, I can see how I was wrapped up in the illusion of celebrities’ and influencers’ luxurious lives. I was too obsessed with the glitz and glam to realize I was getting scammed.
YouTubers including David Dobrik and Jake Paul are known for their outrageous stunts and pranks. A more recent project Dobrik launched was “The Hundred Thousand Dollar Puzzle.”
The puzzle was announced on Dobrik’s social media and was sold online. It quickly gained traction because of how exclusive and unconventional it was.
“Launched Dec. 10, The Hundred Thousand Dollar Puzzle promises that anyone who purchases it will win some amount of cash, with prizes ranging from a single humble quarter to a $100,000 jackpot,” according to a Dec. 11, 2020 article by Tubefilter, a news website covering online content creators.
The completed puzzle reveals a QR code revealing the cash prize.
Sure, everyone wins something, but it’s a big scam when you break it down.
According to a Dec. 10, 2020 Insider article, “only 651 out of 100,151 (.007%) of the prizes available would allow you to actually gain money by participating.”
The puzzle itself costs $30 and doesn’t have a reference photo to help users put it together.
With the likelihood of you losing money on the initial purchase and accounting for the amount of time spent on the puzzle, the saying “you can either win or win” found on the official Hundred Thousand Dollar Puzzle website is a slap in the face.
I would know because I’ll shamelessly admit I was one of the people who fell for the gag.
My family and I spent a whole month working on the puzzle. Not only did my mom and dad spend hours trying to put it together, but we also recruited family members to help us.
It was a monumental moment when we finally completed the puzzle, but found we only won 25 cents. When we all saw our prize, it was a laughable moment because we realized how ridiculous it all was.
The amount of time and money we lost because of the puzzle did not feel like a win.
However, this wasn’t the first time I fell for a celebrity marketing scam.
During my time as a ‘Harmonizer,’ I committed hard to the Fifth Harmony fanbase. It got to the point where I dedicated time to memorize their choreography and even dropped hundreds of dollars on merchandise.
In 2015 I spent $140 on a Fifth Harmony bundle which included personalized letters and merchandise from each of the group members, as seen in a fan’s screenshots from a 2015 Twitter post.
Yes, I know it was ridiculous, but I was 14 at the time and it just made sense.
I waited months for the bundle to arrive, but I was filled with utter disappointment when it finally did.
The quality of the merchandise was terrible. The “personalized” letters were photocopies distributed to everyone who purchased the bundle. I ended up throwing half of it away as soon as I got it.
Looking back at my scam experiences, I can now see how celebrities take advantage of their fans.
Next time, I would think twice before deciding to drop money on products pedaled by famous people looking to make a quick buck.
