Private jets and fake phone notifications are all part of the “hustlebro” scam

Jul 13, 2026
Private jets and fake phone notifications are all part of the “hustlebro” scam

“They always take these videos and photos in really exotic locations, and they basically say, ‘I’ve made all of this money, I took my private jet to this island somewhere,’” said Jason Koebler at 404 Media

There’s a chance you’ve encountered a video on TikTok or Instagram where a person, often in an exotic locale or inside a private jet, is showing off how they got rich online. Perhaps they even have notifications blowing up their phone, as “proof” that they’re making sale after sale after sale. At the end of the video, there’s often a pitch: buy their course if you want to get rich too.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of that is fake, including the things that might be considered “proof.”

“In a lot of the videos, they show what’s called the dashboard, and that dashboard refers to the analytics page for a given platform,” said Jason Koebler, cofounder of 404 Media. “These were fully editable. You could click and drag the charts to make it look like you’re making tons of money.”

Koebler, who covers online scams, shot several of his own videos to see how much it cost to fake wealth and success. And as it turns, it’s actually pretty inexpensive. “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal spoke to Koebler about his reporting

Click the audio player above to hear their conversation

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Source: www.marketplace.org