19 Things That Are Unfortunately Normal For Americans, But Are Basically Scams

If you do or have lived in the US, you've probably noticed some things that are (unfortunately) totally normal here are actually...fully bonkers if you think about them for more than a second. Like, "How is this even real? This is a SCAM," levels of bonkers. Well, redditor u/catlady427 decided to bring this up and ask, "What's the biggest scam in America?" Naturally, people had a lot to say. Here are 19 of the very best answers:

Ilana Glazer looking shocked in front of an American flag
Comedy Central

1.Bank fees

<div><p>"You are broke, so we are going to charge you for being broke."</p><p>— <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/r534v6/comment/hml6umf/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:u/Bradyj23;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">u/Bradyj23</a></p><p>"I got charged $200 in like a week — even after I paused my card — because subscription services that I gave my card info to were bypassing that to charge my bank directly. I was so pissed."</p><p>— <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/r534v6/comment/hmligdz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:u/SchizoDogFucker;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">u/SchizoDogFucker</a></p></div><span> Igorbondarenko / Getty Images/iStockphoto</span>

2.News as entertainment

Young Man in Glasses is Sitting on a Sofa and Watching TV with Live News.

3.The price of college textbooks

A stack of textbooks with sticky notes

4.Student loans

application for student loan. Filling up the loan form with calculator, pen, note pad on the desk.

5.Multi-level marketing

NBC

"Whatever MLM scheme my sister-in-law was peddling at Thanksgiving."

u/YELL0Wvj

"MLMs are so prevalent in female circles, preying on the vulnerable with promises of financial freedom."

u/janae0728

6.Health insurance

Will Ferrel as an angry doctor on the phone

7.Rent-to-own stores

NBC

"They sell furniture and electronics type stuff to people with bad credit who can't really afford it and let them pay a small amount weekly. If people end up paying on time and pay stuff off, they will pay two or three times more than the item is worth. If they make a payment late, the item is repossessed and resold to someone else, and the first person loses all the money they paid."

u/bgwa9001

"I used to be the sales manager at my local Rent-A-Center years ago. It’s a huge scam, and I feel dirty even having worked there. The worse thing I ever had to do was repossess a fridge from a single mother. She cried as she removed the items and kept saying, 'I have no where to put these. They are going to go bad.' Another one was when I had to repossess a bunk bed from two kids. They asked their dad where they were going to sleep. It’s been years, and I still think about it from time to time. Don’t rent from rent-to-own stores. Don’t give them business."

u/MaxTimeLord

8.College tuition prices

Male and female students using laptops in classroom

9.Payday loan businesses

Couple signing contract

10.Online charlatans that will share their "secrets" if you buy their course

Paramount Network

u/rateIdentity

"My college classmate sends me spam about buying his classes on how to succeed at being a lawyer... He's not a lawyer."

u/taleofbenji

11.The credit system

Fox

"Pay everything off and your score goes down? Talk about indentured servitude."

u/privietmylove

"FICO is fucking rigged. My scores dropped last week. The property management company reports my rent payments to the bureaus. The building owner changed to a different management company, who set me up as a new account. I've been here for a long time, and that account gave my report some age. Now I have a closed account hit, and a new account hit. Nothing about my credit use or risk changed, but since two other people transacted business, my score takes a hit."

u/upthecounty

12.The cost of funerals

Family laying flowers on the grave

13.Cable TV/internet monopolies

— u/dan1101

14.Insulin prices

Vial bottles

15.The two-party political system

Donald Trump And Joe Biden Participate In First Presidential Debate
Pool / Getty Images

16.Ticketmaster

man using mobile app cinema movie e-ticketing reservation looking for seat inside cinema hall

17.Joining the military

Soldiers lining up for the annual New York City Veterans Day Parade

18.The whole health system

Male nurse pushing stretcher gurney bed in hospital corridor with doctors & senior female patient

19.And finally, insurance

NBC

u/chuckiefinstaaa

"Buying any kind of insurance and then they refuse to pay out a reasonable claim."

u/spammmmmmmmy

Did we miss anything that you think is a major scam in America? If so, let us know in the comments below.

H/T: r/AskReddit

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.