12 Exploitative Ways To Make Money

Opportunities for making money come in many forms, and not all of them are equally fair or ethical. Some people turn to methods that exploit loopholes, manipulate systems, or take advantage of others. These tactics can lead to quick profits, but they raise important questions about fairness, ethics, and how they might affect people over time.

I've researched different profit-driven strategies, and some really push the line of what's generally acceptable. If you've ever wondered how people pull in cash without following the usual rules—or if you’re curious about what to avoid—understanding these exploitative ways gives useful insight into the world of money-making schemes.

So here are 12 exploitative ways people make money. Each one is broken down to show how it works, why people use it, and what can happen as a result. While some of these may look tempting or even clever, I encourage everyone to think carefully before jumping into any method like these.

1. Dropshipping Low-Quality Goods

Dropshipping allows people to sell products without keeping inventory. The issue arises when sellers push eye-catching items at high markups, but customers receive cheap, lowquality goods shipped directly from overseas. Sellers often avoid support issues, making it almost impossible for customers to get help with returns or refunds.

This method benefits from the gap between marketing and product quality. Sellers focus on high volume and quick turnarounds, often skipping real product reviews and honest feedback to keep the operation moving.

Key Tactics:

• Pick trending items and run strong ad campaigns.
• Keep the true product source and delivery times hidden.
• Ignore refund requests or shift blame to "shipping problems."

Buyers often find out too late that they paid a lot for very little. Whenever shopping online, check out seller reviews before buying from unknown stores.

2. MLM Schemes

Multilevel marketing (MLM) invites people to recruit friends and family into buying products or starter kits, bragging about the commissions per recruit. Most of the money flows from recruitment, rather than real sales, causing most sellers to lose more than they gain.

Income depends on building a so-called downline—new sellers beneath you—rather than selling actual goods. Only a small group ever profits, while the majority get stuck with unsold inventory and sunk costs.

What Makes It Exploitative:

• Encourages pressuring friends and family to invest.
• Relies on big income promises that rarely play out in reality.
• Keeps the scheme alive on the backs of new recruits, who lose the most.

I’ve seen friends get drawn into MLMs full of hope, only to leave with regret. Always look closely at a company's pay structure before you join any program like this.

3. Reselling Highdemand Tickets (Scalping)

Scalpers buy up lots of tickets for concerts, sports games, or exclusive launches, then resell them at steep prices. Automated bots are often used to snap up tickets before regular users even get a shot.

This type of reselling blocks access for fans and inflates prices. Many venues try to block bots, but resourceful scalpers consistently find new tricks.

The Process:

• Use bots to buy tickets the second they go on sale.
• Relist tickets on secondary markets with fat markups.
• Repeat the process for every hyped event or launch.

If you want to score fair-priced event tickets, choose official vendors over scalpers.

4. Charging Hidden Fees

Some businesses lure people with low initial prices, then hit them with service, convenience, or handling fees at checkout. These extra costs usually show up late, surprising buyers after they’ve already spent time making their choice.

This method is common in industries like travel bookings, delivery services, and rentals—anywhere it’s tough to make direct comparisons. The "advertised price" looks great, but the real total can be much higher.

Typical Moves:

• Only show base prices in search results.
• Disclose all fees at the last minute, near checkout.
• Make it hard for buyers to spot the actual cost until it’s almost too late.

I’ve been tripped by hidden fees booking hotels or flights. Always read the fine print before paying online.

5. Ad-Heavy Content Websites

Some publishers fill websites with aggressive, intrusive ads, pop-ups, and clickbait headlines. These sites aim for repeat clicks, not valuable content, nudging users through endless articles and videos.

These so-called content farms depend on ad deals that pay by user numbers, not by information quality. The goal is to keep people clicking and watching, no matter if the content's any good.

Common Tactics:

• Post misleading headlines and exaggerate claims.
• Shove ads between every few lines of content.
• Add auto-play videos and fake download links to get more clicks.

When I see too many ads and lowvalue info, I just leave. Trustworthy sites put user experience and real facts first.

6. Payday Loans and Predatory Lending

Payday lenders give out fast cash for emergencies, but their loans come with sky-high interest. Borrowers often can't repay on time, trapping them in a cycle of mounting debt and ongoing fees.

The business works best when people can't pay off the loan, triggering fee after fee, often far beyond the original amount borrowed.

How the Money Flows:

• Quick approval, usually with little or no screening.
• Short repayment periods that lead to multiple rollovers.
• Extra fees and interest stack up with each extension.

If you're short on cash, I always suggest exploring credit unions or nonprofit programs before ever turning to payday loans.

7. Selling Fake Reviews or Fake Followers

Some businesses make money selling fake product reviews or phony social media followers. Paid reviews get posted on shopping sites to boost rankings, while artificial followers make accounts seem more influential than they are.

Both moves show off misleading signals, which fool buyers and brands who rely on social proof rather than careful research.

How It’s Done:

• Create or automate fake accounts for canned reviews.
• Send "instant" fans through bots or like farms.
• Sell review or follower bundles to those looking for a quick image boost.

When shopping or scanning social media, I look for odd review patterns and weird follower spikes to pick out the fakes. Genuine content eventually stands out.

8. Data Harvesting Without Consent

Apps and websites often request access to personal data for so-called "improvements," but then sell profiles to outside companies. Most data collection is quiet, so users don’t always realize what’s being taken or how it will be used.

Advertisers and data brokers pay big for this info, using it for targeted ads, insurance, or even risk checks—all without clear user permission.

How This Works:

• Bundle vague privacy policies with signups or downloads.
• Collect sensitive info like location, habits, or friends’ details by default.
• Sell or share it with little transparency or oversight.

I recommend always checking app permissions and privacy settings so you control what you want to share.

9. Domain Squatting

Domain squatters buy website names matching common searches, misspelled brands, or future trends. When a company or person wants that domain, the squatter demands a steep fee for the handover.

Some buy hundreds or thousands of domains, hoping that a few bring in profits. This practice slows or adds costs for entrepreneurs building their brands.

Strategy in Action:

• Register potential or typo domains for cheap.
• Hold them and wait for someone to want the name.
• Negotiate big sales with businesses needing those URLs.

I’ve seen start-up founders forced to change names to dodge high domain fees. Planning early can help you avoid falling into this trap.

10. Subscription Traps

A lot of companies promote free trials for apps, streaming, or product boxes. What they hide is how hard it can be to cancel once the trial ends. Cancellations can be buried deep in menus, require a phone call, or bundle multiple verification steps to make quitting frustrating.

They profit when people forget to cancel or get tired of hunting for the process, letting subscriptions renew month after month—sometimes unnoticed for ages.

Usual Tactics:

• Ask for payment details up front, even on “free” trials.
• Send confusing or missing renewal notices.
• Make quitting ten times harder than signing up in the first place.

I keep track of every free trial with reminders to avoid charges. Always check for a simple quit option before signing up for anything recurring.

11. Affiliate Bait-and-Switch

Affiliates should push products honestly and earn from referred sales. Some cross the line by recommending fake “best” options and swapping out links for unrelated, highercommission products. These tricks mislead visitors who trust the original reviews.

These baitandswitch moves work best on folks seeking quick answers and not hunting down multiple sources.

Examples:

• Change old reviews to link to new, barely related products for more money.
• Fill “Top 10” lists with the highest paying picks, not the best ones.
• Switch up recommendations after building early trust for bigger payouts.

Whenever making big buys, I look for honest, independent reviews from different sources, not just one site or influencer.

12. Mobile Game Microtransactions

Many free games use microtransactions to earn money. These might be loot boxes, energy boosts, or cosmetic upgrades—things that don’t make gameplay better but are priced to get you to spend small amounts over and over. Games are sometimes designed to become slow or boring unless you pay, nudging people to spend more than they ever expected.

The highest-earning games zero in on top spenders, also called “whales,” who may pay thousands chasing rare items without noticing how quickly it adds up.

Common Microtransaction Structures:

• Random reward loot boxes nudge you to keep spending.
• Offer time-limited or special items to push urgency.
• Make progress painfully slow unless you pay extra.

When playing new games, I turn off inapp purchases and set spending caps. Setting limits keeps gaming fun without the nasty bill.

Making Smart Money Choices

While these methods sometimes seem like a shortcut to easy cash, they bring big ethical, legal, and long-term risks. They often leave people angry, misled, or broke—and some even end up in trouble with regulators. Thinking things through before making or spending money helps prevent mistakes and builds trust for the future.

If you want to earn online or explore new business models, I suggest finding win-win plans, honest marketing, and long-term customer focus. In my experience, backing fair business methods leads to much stronger success stories in the long run.