IT-Industry Scams, Shams and Flim-Flams
The IT-industry are filled with scams, shams and flim-flams, ranging from simple deception during consultation, to cookie stuffing (Wikipedia, n.d.), theft and fraud.
Deceptive Computer Technicians
While all “IT guy” (and girls) are prone to mistakes, since no-one could possibly know everything, some “computer nerds” are nothing but “wolves in sheep’s clothing”, knowingly deceiving customers for financial gain.
Dubious Product Specifications
Beyond outright scams, many tech companies engage in deceptive marketing by exaggerating product specifications, using misleading benchmarks, and burying caveats in fine print.
The Honey Scam
One of the biggest IT-industry scandals in recent years involved the Honey browser extension, a popular coupon-finding tool owned by PayPal.
In December 2024, YouTuber MegaLag published an investigation exposing how Honey was intercepting affiliate cookies and claiming commissions for itself, even when it did not find any working coupon codes (MegaLag, 2024). This practice effectively stole referral income from content creators who had originally referred the sale, with Honey pocketing the commission instead.
This was five years after YouTuber, Markiplier, first attempted to warn everyone (O Moinho Grego, 2020).
The fallout was swift. Major tech creators like Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) spoke out, with Brownlee calling it “the biggest scam of the decade” (Brownlee, 2024).
In fact, Markiplier himself weighed in (OrCave, 2025).
The controversy raised serious questions about transparency in affiliate marketing and how browser extensions can manipulate web traffic for financial gain.
The “Made in India” AI+ Smartphone Scam
In 2025, a new smartphone brand called AI+ launched in India under the leadership of former Realme CEO Madhav Sheth, promising a device that was entirely “Made in India”—hardware, software, and apps all supposedly developed domestically (Ahmed, 2026).
Investigative tech YouTubers TechWiser and GyanTherapy soon discovered that the reality was very different.
Using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) analysis, they uncovered pre-installed Chinese-built apps like Clean Assistant, Phone Clone, and Mobile Butler, whose privacy policies pointed back to a Shanghai-based ODM manufacturer called Sprocomm Technologies (Ahmed, 2026). The company’s privacy dashboard also failed to fully disclose permissions taken by Google services, raising further concerns about transparency (Kanchwala, 2026). Even the hardware appeared to be rebranded Chinese reference designs—the AI+ Nova Flip was identified as a rebadged ZTE Nubia Flip 2, and the “Wearbuds” product traced back to a Chinese company called AI Power (Ahmed, 2026).
Rather than addressing these findings, AI+ responded with legal force. The company obtained a Delhi High Court injunction ordering TechWiser and TechBar to remove their critical videos, using a “John Doe” clause to avoid notifying the creators beforehand (Ahmed, 2026).
The controversy drew international attention when UK-based creator Mrwhosetheboss published his own investigation, exposing fake reviews, AI-generated marketing slop, and the same Chinese hardware and software connections (Rasik, 2026).
In May 2026, the Delhi High Court directed Madhav Sheth to appear personally as it examined how the injunction had been obtained (Kanchwala, 2026). The case remains ongoing, but the damage to the brand’s credibility is already done - a textbook example of deception dressed up as patriotism.
What can I do to protect myself against scams, shams and flim-flams in the IT industry?
When dealing with new IT technicians, just like with doctors, it often pays to get a second opinion. Bear in mind though, that second opinions cost money. There is no point in a second opinion at R500, when replacing an item worth R50.
It is also important to note that advice is not only true, when it confirms, what you want to hear. We are all susceptible to confirmation bias.
In my 23 years teaching and working in the I.T. industry, I have seen numerous consumers buy new laptops, that turned out to be worse than the ones they had - despite what the “other I.T. guy” said. But they went with the other I.T. guy, because he told them what they wanted to hear, namely that “this is an upgrade to your existing laptop” and “it’s cheaper.”
I will also advise against arguing with I.T. consultants about things you know little to nothing about. We are all susceptible to reductionism. But things are often way more complex, than you first assume (Hill, 2026). To the uninformed everything seems simple.
When buying consumer electronics, first watch a few product reviews on YouTube, and then use AI to compare products2.
Finally, it is important to understand, that when something is FREE, you are most likely the product. They will either advertise to you, sell your data to third parties, or do both. That said, this is not always the case, since some brilliantly non-invasive monetization strategies do exist.
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Footnotes
2. Use more than one AI to compare products, since Microsoft Copilot may be biased towards Microsoft products, while Google Gemini may be biased towards Google products, etc. ↩️
References
Ahmed, A. (2026, June 1). India’s AI+ caught lying about “India-Only” phones, forces YouTubers to take down videos. ProPakistani. https://propakistani.pk/2026/06/01/indias-ai-caught-lying-about-india-only-phones-forces-youtubers-to-take-down-videos/
Brownlee, M. [Marques Brownlee]. (2024, December 31). The Honey Scam: Explained [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAx_RtMKPm8
Hill, EJ. (2026, June 15). Random Access Memory (RAM). SOHO Systems. https://www.sohosystems.co.za/random-access-memory.html
Kanchwala, T. (2026, June 2). Indian smartphone brand Ai+ faces scrutiny after YouTuber questions Chinese links & ‘Made In India’ claims. Free Press Journal. https://www.freepressjournal.in/tech/indian-smartphone-brand-ai-faces-scrutiny-after-youtuber-questions-chinese-links-made-in-india-claims
Kleppe, F. [Fredrik Kleppe]. (2015, August 2). Computer repair retail scams exposed documentary [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6iO-3m1wSI
MegaLag. (2024, December 21). Exposing the Honey Influencer Scam [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc4yL3YTwWk
Mrwhosetheboss. (2026, May 30). I Investigated India’s Biggest Smartphone Controversy [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7aOJYueEtI
O Moinho Grego. (2020, January 2). markiplier being crazy about honey for 3 minutes [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdMAC61RK7s
OrCave. (2025, January 2). Markiplier RESPONDS to Honey Scam Drama [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGC2a7VrDZY
Rasik, A. (2026, June 2). AI+ smartphone controversy explained: privacy claims, ‘Made in India’ debate, and the ongoing legal battle. TrueTech. https://true-tech.net/ai-smartphone-controversy-explained/
Waltermyer, D. [David Waltermyer]. (2008, March 10). Computer Repair Undercover Investigation [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmNrm9vHBHs
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Cookie stuffing. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cookie_stuffing
For more information, please visit the SOHO Systems cybercrime archives; or run a search via Bing, DuckDuckGo or Google for “it-industry flim-flam”.
📅 June 14, 2026
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