'A really nice car with tires that have no tread': 20 Foolproof ways to spot people who are faking being rich

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
May 13, 2024 3:00 PM EDT

Some people just love flexing how much money they have. They can't help it. They've made good money, and they want everyone to know about it. 

Oftentimes, people like this will pick a particular name brand, and then buy a bunch of bags and shoes and clothing all with that branding on it. It can get a little ridiculous when that person is dressed from head to toe in one brand. 

Other people spend every penny they have on expensive cars. There's nothing wrong with being a car person, but some people have monthly car payments that rival their rent payments! But some car lovers want to pay like that. When the next shiny new car model comes out, they can quickly switch their lease over. All of this to impress their friends, or to drive a vehicle they love, but can barely afford. 

Here are a few tips to spot the wealth-faker in your life. U/il_balilla asked people to share the signs that someone looks rich but has like, ten bucks to their name. And people shared some great examples, while also calling out the friends, family, and coworkers in their lives who are clearly guilty of this. 

After that, read about these ultra-weird gifts that people were baffled to receive. 

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  • 01
    100 w Hes FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE LI 16795299 B 19 TED STATES FEDERAL RESERVE Tony F. Gaither. Secretary of the Treasury. Ras Sumatetas Ris Treasurer of the United States. 100 TEM
    via Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
  • 02
    What says "I look rich but I don't have a dollar in the bank"?
    via u/il_balilla
  • 03
    Astridisenchanting My brother always carries a I of cash in a money clip. He has a $100 bill on the outside, but the rest is all $1's. It's all for show. He has no money and lives with my parents.
    via u/Astridisenchanting
  • 04
    Looking like a Gucci billboard cosplay is usually a pretty good hint.
    via r/AskReddit
  • 05
    whysoha4d Flashing cash in your dating profile pic.
    via u/whysoha4d
  • 06
    Fit_Swordfish_2101 A really nice car with tires that have no tread.
    via u/Fit_Swordfish_2101
  • 07
    Oldz88Rz Better to look poor and be rich. keeping up with the joneses.
    via u/Oldz88Rz
  • 08
    As a teen I worked at a car dealership detailing the cars before the new owners would pick them up. Always loved watching the salesmen blow off the old farmers that would come in wearing bib overalls looking. like they just got off the tractor. To turn around and kiss their when they picked out a vehicle and paid for it with cash.
    via u/Oldz88Rz
  • 09
    Bright_Bid_5630 Big designer logos on everything
    via u/Bright_Bid_5630
  • 10
    a333482dc7 A $60000 car parked in front of your run down single wide trailer.
    via u/a333482dc7
  • 11
    SamerDufour Living in a mansion on Sims but can't afford the expansion packs.
    via u/SamerDufour
  • 12
    JasonGouw gucci shoes and designer clothing with flashy logos.
    via u/JasonGouw
  • 13
    Alert-Accountant-... I used to decision car loan applications and review portfolio performance. I remember one where a husband/wife with a memorable-to-me last name were applying for a new GMC Yukon Denali ($75 or $80k at the time). He had a good income, she was SAHM. Nice address in a nice neighborhood. No money down, no savings
    via u/Alert-Accountant-515
  • 14
    balance, substantial credit card debt, chunky mortgage, an open BMW lease. We "cut" the request by requiring some money down. They don't end up getting the loan through the source I worked for. By chance, they pop up shortly thereafter on my FB feed-friend-of-a-friend.
    via u/Alert-Accountant-515
  • 15
    Country club scene, she's dripping in jewelry, kids are decked out in designer labels. Flash forward five years. I see another application for a used minivan, same name. It is them: just out of BK, house foreclosed, BMW lease done, rental address, he has the same job, she now works, too. They took down (included in the bk)
    via u/Alert-Accountant-515
  • 16
    over $100k in credit card debt and the loan on the Yukon they got from another lender. Now deeply subprime credit scores; I give the application to a coworker b/c I know who they are, and can't really decision blindly. He writes an approval at close to a 20% interest rate with money down required. We don't get the loan that time either.
    via u/Alert-Accountant-515
  • 17
    AnyCorgi283 Most people driving their luxury cars to the laundromat each week
    via u/AnyCorgi283
  • 18
    Ed... I have a friend with a 60K truck that doesn't drive anywhere because gas is too expensive. He is spending like 100 bucks a week for his 20 minute commute. His dumbass is 20
    via u/Educational_Dust_932
  • 19
    Conversely, I drive a 2015 Versa and everyone thinks I am dirt poor. But the dang thing is paid for and runs. great.
    via u/Educational_Dust_932
  • 20
    Moonlightdancer7 When they're obsessed with money talk - how to make money, how someone could afford something. I know someone who constantly tells everyone how much they bought something for to insinuate that it's expensive and to prove they can afford it. Why always state the price? It comes off as so tacky and unnecessary.
    via u/Moonlightdancer7
  • 21
    Moon_Jewel90 Bragging about how much money they have to spend on things, and being concerned if someone thinks you're rich or not.
    via u/Moon_Jewel90
  • 22
    gnarliquinn I know someone who goes on cruises and gets designer clothes/items but is $20k in debt. She's constantly asking her dad to pay for things. She's 47 with a well paying job but is so far in debt because it's a status thing. She doesn't even shop at Walmart.
    via u/gnarliquinn
  • 23
    ap... Texans have a term for people like this: All Hat, No Cattle. The more someone wants you to look at the flashy thing they have, hoping you'll be impressed by it, the less they have behind it.
    via u/apetnameddingbat
  • 24
    Real wealth projects a sort of understated confidence... look for the person who treats sudden financial shocks (like the water heater dying or needing a major car repair that's not covered by insurance) as little more than an annoyance. Anyone who's living one missed paycheck away from disaster will have a very different reaction.
    via u/apetnameddingbat
  • 25
    Rare_Hovercraft_... Mismatched gaudy clothes. with giant brand logos, they can't style clothing to save their lives. Plastic accessories that looks cheap. Poorly performed or botched plastic surgery and badly tattooed eyebrows.
    via u/Rare_Hovercraft_6673
  • 26
    Vraye_Foi My ex husband grew up poor and it gave him a horrible complex. It was so important for him to look rich and we went so far in debt - he drove a Porsche (I had a 14 year old car), had to have designer clothes and got mad because I didn't have a closet of designer shoes and clothes myself.
    via u/Vraye_Foi
  • 27
    When I was pregnant with our daughter, I had saved around $10k to help pay bills so I wouldn't have to rush back to work after 6 weeks. Know what he did? He took a chunk of that money and bought an Omega Seamaster watch because he felt he "deserved it". That should have been when I walked but I stuck around another decade.
    via u/Vraye_Foi
  • 28
    He always tried to blag an upgrade on flights and of course had to pay for entry to airport lounges. He's take a lot of photos to share on social media. But it wasn't enough to post for the sake of gloating - no, he had to find fault and talk about how standards were slipping or that it was "simply not good enough" whilst tagging the airline in
    via u/Vraye_Foi
  • 29
    hopes for compensation of some kind. I couldn't take it anymore, it was such an embarrassment and I hated the debt and struggling to pay our bills to fund his faux rich lifestyle. Filed for divorce and wished I would have done it sooner.
    via u/Vraye_Foi
  • 30
    alacr182 Driving a brand new SUV with a $1,200 monthly payment that you can't afford and it's about to be repossessed, so you park it somewhere else to hide it from the tow truck that's been circling your block for the past few weeks.
    via u/alacr182
  • 31
    Distinct-Exercise... Driving in a high interest loan/leased BMW/Ferrari/Benz. You're just as in debt as the rest of us bud.
    via u/Distinct-Exercise417
  • 32
    Scuron Saying I am in Crypto or i am a motivation speaker/life coach/career coach
    via u/Scuron

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