What Is The $50,000 In A Shoebox Meme? 'Never Thought I Was the Kind of Person to Fall for a Scam' Jokes Explained

There has been a slew of memes lately that revolve around Op-Ed writers pushing out some truly bizarre stories. Who could forget the New York Times writer who asked if the cure to male loneliness was "out on the pickleball court?" Or that time another opinion writer exclaimed that we could all be a different person after the pandemic?

A recent opinion piece put out by The Cut, a subsidiary of New York Magazine, saw the publication's official personal finance columnist talking about how she fell for a scam that involved handing over $50,000 of her savings in a shoebox. The seemingly ridiculous story caught the eye of disbelieving readers, who went on share memes about how they too "never thought they were the kind of people to fall for a scam."

What Was The $50,000 Scam Article In 'The Cut'?

In February 2024, Charlotte Cowels, financial advice columnist for The Cut, published an account of how she was scammed out of $50,000 by people impersonating Amazon, the CIA and even the FTC. The article delved into the various ways in which the scammers encouraged her to keep her massive money withdrawal a secret, and how she ultimately handed over the vast chunk of her savings to them.

The article opened with the words, "I never thought I was the kind of person to fall for a scam," a phrase that subsequently became the subject of much ridicule.

How Did People Turn The $50,000 Scam Article Into A Meme?

Charlotte Cowel's article sparked rousing debates between people who thought that no one was above getting swindled by a good scam and others who were convinced that nothing could ever make them hand over $50,000 in cash to strangers.

Various people began making jokes about fictional characters falling for scams within their own universes, a trend kicked off by X user @McHenryJD in the form of a Dune meme.

The joke format soon spread, with X user @joshcarlosjosh joking about characters in The Lord of the Rings.

What Are Some More Memes About 'I Never Thought I Was the Kind of Person to Fall for a Scam'?

For the full history of "I never thought I was the kind of person to fall for a scam," be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.