The ‘Fauci Scheme’ Will be Studied by Online Scammers for Decades to Come

The world of online scammers is buzzing with admiration for what they’re calling the “Fauci Scheme,” a masterclass in deception they believe will be studied for decades.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is being hailed as an unwitting pioneer by fraudsters who are dissecting how he convinced millions to follow restrictive COVID-19 measures despite the virus’s high survival rate.

With a reported 99.7% survival rate for most age groups, according to CDC data, scammers are amazed by the fact that Fauci pulled it off.

Fauci, who earned $480,654 annually as the highest-paid federal employee, saw his net worth climb during the pandemic, a fact that has scammers excited to learn more.

“I’ve been running phishing emails for years, but this guy had the whole country wired,” said Jake “CryptoKing” Larson, a self-proclaimed scam artist operating out of an undisclosed basement.

Larson noted that Fauci’s ability to maintain public trust while pushing mask mandates and lockdowns was a level of finesse rarely seen in the grift game.

The scheme’s brilliance, scammers say, lies in its scale. Fauci didn’t just target a few gullible retirees; he had governors, mayors, and even school boards enforcing his guidance. Posts on X from scam enthusiasts have called it “the ultimate long con,” pointing to how Fauci’s daily briefings kept the public hooked.

Some fraudsters are already experimenting with similar tactics, like sending fake health alerts to trick users into buying useless products.

Not everyone in the scam community is convinced it’s replicable. “Fauci had the media, the government, and fear on his side,” said Vanessa Monroe, a veteran of online dating scams.

Monroe argued that without the unique conditions of a global health crisis, most scammers would struggle to match Fauci’s haul. She’s currently workshopping a “new virus alert” email campaign but admits it lacks the original’s gravitas.

Scammers are also studying Fauci’s pivot to retirement. After stepping down, he secured lucrative book deals and speaking engagements, further padding his wealth. The FBI’s cybercrime unit has noted a spike in scam attempts mimicking public health themes, with fraudsters citing Fauci’s playbook as inspiration.

“It’s like he wrote the manual on milking a crisis,” said an anonymous hacker on a dark web forum.

The admiration isn’t universal, though. Some purists in the scam world argue Fauci’s methods were too mainstream to be considered true grift.

“Real scammers don’t need a title or a podium,” said Reggie Thompson, a specialist in fake tech support calls. Thompson dismissed Fauci’s approach as reliant on institutional power rather than raw hustle. Still, he’s enrolled in an online course titled “Fauci’s Fear Factor: How to Sell Panic.”

As fraudsters continue to analyze the Fauci Scheme, one thing is clear: the bar for deception has been raised. Whether anyone can replicate its success remains to be seen, but the scam community is determined to try.

For now, they’re taking notes, tweaking their spam filters, and dreaming of a con as big as the one Fauci perfected.

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