This topic is tangential to comic making and novel writing since part of the gambit of making art is wanting other people to see it. I thought about this topic because I've been getting back into watching scam exposé content on Youtube.
You got people tracing AI slop and passing that off as their own, passing generated AI slop off as their own, starting Kickstarters for books, games, and other artistic endeavors only to string people along for years, years, with nothing to show for it, and taking on commission after commission with no intention or ability to get the art back to the buyers in a timely fashion. The amount of money lost on the internet because people know how to sell a lie is astounding. But on the other side of it... I'm a little envious of these scamming creators.
Hear me out. I'm not in the business of scamming people out of their money, but there's always going to be a part of me as a creator, as a human, that wishes for the amount of validation a scammer gets when the grift is good. When the idea is good enough that people will throw money at you to make it a reality even with no evidence that it will be possible to do so. It can be frustrating when what you make doesn't get the recognition you want for it. I don't say “deserves” because I don't think I'm deserving of, more like entitled to, people's time or money.
This really speaks to the bigger issue of the 
attention economy in that strangers only have so much time in the day to consume your content and only so much money in their pockets to spend on your products. Is what you're making, what I'm making, even worth that much? For what a lot of these scammers are producing, the answer is no. And since these people don't have scruples and are just greedy, they'll debase themselves, tell lies, manipulate, and girl boss, gatekeep, and gaslight their way into a few hundred more dollars in their wallets.
Or thousands...
Or millions.... Depends on how they're feeling that day.
What’s even crazier is that many scammers were initially people with good intentions.
This is a bit off topic, lol, but I'm less envious of the money that's leveraged and more desperate for the community or audience that grows in these situations. Rather than profit, I want the people part of the equation. Money is nice to have, and while that is a privileged statement, it also comes from a place of anxiety. People get weird around money. And by weird I mean out-of-touch and/or murderous. Anyway, back on topic.
The other side of this coin is getting caught up in a "scam." I'm not talking about myself personally, just general audiences who end up having to deal with the regular red flags: lack of communication, emotional manipulation, going back on previous statements, distractions, etc. All things that usually come after the money's been taken. I wonder if anyone here has fallen victim to the silver tongue of a scammer.
But let's answer the question at hand: how far would you go? I don’t think I have it in me to actively deceive other people. The white lies I tell in my personal life are always a hassle to keep up with to the point where I end up being honest eventually. Disappearing for months on end after making a public declaration? That’s more my speed. Social media just takes a mental toll so it can be difficult sometimes to post even if no one is watching.
I'd say, it's never worth it. Even if the internet is a big place, there's always going to be at least one person who will blurt your grift out to the masses. There's a paper trail, a trail of victims, and a digital footprint will always follow you.
TLDR:
Scams, they happen. Have you ever been caught up in one? Would you perpetrate one just for a drop of clout? And if you would, can you please turn here and smile into this 4K HD camera. Thanks!
