Shadowing Practice: Furry Scams Are Getting WAY Too Good - Learn English Speaking with Video

Kies een oefenmodus

Elke modus opent een volledig scherm oefenruimte.

186 zinnen

Als zinnen te kort of te lang zijn, klik op Bewerken om ze aan te passen.

Furries love spending money.

Art commissions, conventions, fursuits, VR chat avatars.

We have endless ways to throw money at this fandom.

Unfortunately, scammers know that too.

And lately, I've seen some incredibly sophisticated ones.

Hack sends sending malware, people impersonating artists and faking sketches, and scammers turning creators into money mules.

So today, let's talk about the scams I'm seeing in the furry fandom right now and how you can avoid them.

About a month ago, I actually fell for one of these scams.

There was a furry artist YCH that I'd been eyeing, so I decided to place the opening bid.

There hadn't been any other activity on it, and about two days later, I got a message on Telegram from who I thought was the artist.

And everything seemed completely normal.

They asked for my reference sheet.

They asked if I had any special request.

We talked about the commission like you would any other artist.

And then they sent me a rough sketch of my Sona in the YCH's pose.

I told them it looked good, asked them where I could send the payment, and forwarded the funds.

And then, nothing.

Three days later, I checked on the original YCH and saw that somebody had actually outbid me.

I went back to Telegram, and the account I had been talking to was gone.

I had paid an impersonator.

They had used AI trained off the artist's style to impersonate them, and then sent me an AI-generated sketch that I had missed.

Since the Telegram account was deleted, the evidence I would have wanted for a PayPal dispute was gone.

I contacted the real artist and they told me that someone had been impersonating them for a while.

Then I realized there was literally a warning about the impersonator on their fur affinity profile.

I just hadn't seen it as it wasn't mentioned on the YCH post.

So a general rule of thumb, always reach out to the artist on the original platform.

Don't respond to targeted DMs.

This is why I really like Vigen.

You can see an artist reviews and commission history.

There's active cues to see if it's small.

There's an actual verification process for artists.

And the platform is very clearly anti-AI and continues to build tools around protecting artists.

It also gives buyers more protection than just sending money through a random DM.

With things like delivery deadlines and payment protections.

It's not fully scan proof.

but I feel a lot safer commissioning someone through Vigen than through a random Twitter, Discord, or Telegram message.

And hey, while you're busy checking out Vigen, please take a moment to subscribe to my channel if you enjoy hearing this furry yap on the internet.

Okay, this next scam has been hitting my friends on Discord pretty hard.

Two, er, actually three of my friends now have fallen for it.

And in one case, the scammer even got into an account that had two-factor authentication enabled.

The setup is usually something like, hey, I made a game.

Can you come test it?

Or hey, can we watch anime in this app?

Check out lobby number two.

Not hey, check it out whenever you want to.

They want you clicking before you stop to think.

If someone sends you a game or program, especially an executable file like an exe, please don't run it right away.

Be cautious with unfamiliar download links such as Mediafire or other unfamiliar websites.

And if you really need to inspect the file, you can scan it with something like VirusTotal online.

Just remember, even a clean scan doesn't guarantee a file is safe, especially if the malware is new.

And while more technical users can investigate suspicious files with a virtual machine,

for most people, the safest option is simply not to run it and don't even download it.

If the file is from a link they wouldn't use, avoid it.

And even then, be careful with familiar websites.

Just be safe and always wonder why is this person sending me something?

All right this next one is a little bit crazy because

when we think of scammers we usually think about us sending money to them

but in this case the scammer wanted to put money into the artist account.

One of my artist friends had someone repeatedly offered to work

together by bringing people to their patreon then splitting the money after a withdrawal.

When my friend said it sounded like a scam they replied

i don't want any upfront money from you you'll see members you will see money then only you will withdraw and split

and then the scammer tried to prove it my friend received

a random 300 ko-fi donation from a completely different account

which the scammer basically used to justify see i can bring

people to you you just give me half of what we

make the scammer is using a stolen account's money to earn your trust

if those donations or memberships are coming from a fraudulent or compromised payments, which they are, they can later be reversed or charged back,

potentially after you've already sent the scammer they're halved.

So if this happens to you, don't touch the money.

Save screenshots, contact the platform support or fraud team, and do not forward the money somewhere else.

Nobody legitimate needs your Patreon or Ko-Fi accounts to act as a middleman.

In general, just don't spend money you get online for a little bit

because people can always gift subs or give donations and then charge it back later.

So I recommend waiting about a month personally.

This next one, I feel like we've all heard of.

We've all seen the fake Timu fursuits, Etsy listings, and Instagram posts.

Oftentimes you'll see an amazing looking fursuit for $800.

And the tough thing is, some of these fursuits are in fact legitimate.

Oftentimes these are overseas makers or newer makers that are making quality suits and have yet to raise their prices.

But there are a lot of fake fursuit makers out there.

Some of these I've seen on Instagram can reach over 20,000 followers on the platform.

How do they get that following?

By saving images of other people's suits and stitching together shorts and stolen videos to make it seem like they're legitimate.

In some instances, there are fursuit makers that aren't on a platform yet.

So a scammer might swoop in and start posting all of their stuff to emulate the maker themselves.

If you're an artist, please create and post on accounts on most social media platforms

or at least have an account to identify yourself as the official one

so you don't have scammers imitating you and people can find you.

Another example, I noticed an Instagram maker posted a very good-looking brown fursuit.

However, I recognize this suit.

This is a color-shifted suit of fellow content creator Pranzo.

I suspect we'll see more AI edits in Photoshop's pre-existing suits to appear to be original fursuits, so you got to keep an eye out for that too.

Ask other people how their experience was with a maker before commissioning them.

Websites like Fursuit Reviews can also be helpful.

Some makers, like my fursuit maker, Firmity, have unofficial telegrams for the existing suitors.

You may be able to ask around to see if you could be added to a group chat to ask these questions.

These are expensive thousands of dollar purchases sometimes.

So make sure you are completely confident before you buy a fursuit.

100

If someone is rushing you to buy it, there's a good chance you're going to be scammed.

101

Just the general tip right there.

102

So keep an eye out for stolen fursuit portfolios and too good to be true offers along with unverified fursuit makers.

103

Always ask others about their experience before you buy one.

104

For example, look at this Reddit thread here.

105

I found someone commented on r slash furry asking for advice on fursuit makers.

106

And this person posted this fursuit here of the Pranzo suit.

107

You got to be careful even with Reddit comments nowadays. Be safe.

108

Unintentional scams.

109

Not every bad commission is intentionally a scam.

110

It could just be that somebody is very bad at business.

111

And one of the biggest risks is an artist or maker taking on a cue that becomes completely unmanageable.

112

Once you've paid someone hundreds or even thousands of dollars, a lot can happen while you wait.

113

One of the most infamous examples of this is Fur The Wind Studios.

114

They were an established maker starting around 2011 with a long history of making fursuits.

115

But eventually, their queue completely ballooned out of control.

116

In 2022, one fursuit review customer described them as having an open queue that never closed for commissions,

117

with more than 50 people waiting ahead of them.

118

And these weren't just people putting their names on a free waitlist.

119

Customers were actually paying into their commissions before work began.

120

One reviewer said that after their first payment, communication largely stopped while they waited to find out when their suit would even be started.

121

And this is why massive prepaid queues scare me.

122

I'm not saying a long queue automatically makes somebody a scammer, but if somebody is taking thousands of dollars for a fursuit they may not even start working on for years,

123

you're taking a huge amount of risk.

124

People get sick, businesses fail, people leave the fandom, and unfortunately, sometimes people pass away.

125

I don't even know if I'll still be in the fandom six years from now.

126

And in 2025, Fur The Wind Studios closed.

127

Customers reported that the business had gone bankrupt, including people who were still waiting on unfinished commissions after years.

128

So here's my personal rules.

129

I want to see the queue before I pay.

130

Platforms like Vigen are great because you can actually see an artist's work queue.

131

Other artists use Trello.

132

If I can see somebody consistently completing work and moving through their queue, I'm way more comfortable giving them money.

133

If they don't have a public queue, I'll usually ask, hey, where am I in the queue?

134

For normal art, if somebody wants payment and they're more than four months away from starting, personally, I'm out.

135

Unless it's an incredible artist I've dreamed of working with.

136

Otherwise, I'd rather they put my name in the queue and let me pay when they're actually ready to start.

137

You could always ask an artist, you know?

138

Fursuits are obviously different as they take much longer, but even then, I personally don't want to wait multiple years.

139

With my own fursuit, my maker, Furmini, gave me a clear estimate.

140

I could see that they were actively completing suits.

141

And my wait was around eight months is what they told me.

142

That's what I want to see.

143

Not just a cue, but a cue that's actually moving.

144

How to protect yourself.

145

Through the course of this video, we've seen different ways we can get scammed, but let's summarize how you can protect yourself.

146

First, if somebody is telling you to pay now, act immediately, or threatening you with something like, the FBI is coming to your door.

147

Slow down.

148

Take a deep breath.

149

The whole point of urgency is to get you to act before you can verify.

150

So your brain begins to panic.

151

If they claim to be law enforcement, for example, or recently in my case, the IRS or the New York State Tax Authority, for whatever reason, your bank,

152

VGen, PayPal, or whatever, go find the real organization yourself and contact them independently.

153

Also, I think it's important to have a non-emergency police number on your phone.

154

If someone's threatening the FBI or police, just call them real quick on the non-emergency line and say, oh, let me call them real quick to verify.

155

Or play dumb and be, hey, let me check with my lawyer.

156

I don't actually have one, just so you know.

157

Number two, verify through a second channel.

158

If someone on Discord claims to be an artist, don't click on the links they send you.

159

Open the platform yourself, like on FurAffinity or something, and search for them.

160

Find the artist's real profile and then ask them directly on the platform, hey, by the way, is this you?

161

Are you hacked?

162

You'll have to wait, and that'll help you think more analytically.

163

Sometimes that saves you money on spending tons of commissions.

164

Number three, use the platforms that protect you.

165

Going off platform is not automatically a scam, but if somebody approaches you through VGen and immediately says, hey, let's do this somewhere else so we can save on the fee,

166

someone DMs you off platform, such as on Discord saying, hey, I can't access VGen or something, be on alert.

167

That is absolutely a reason to be cautious.

168

Websites like VGen give you buyer protection, a paper trail, a means to dispute your issues, and in general, protect you.

169

If you think anything is sus or just in general, probably take photos of every interaction, so you could always do a chargeback if need be.

170

Four, protect your money.

171

For expensive commissions, I want clear written terms, documented payments, expected milestones, and deposits instead of blindly funding the art or suit for years in advance.

172

You have a right to ask for a queue, and don't be afraid to check in.

173

The longer your money is sitting in somebody else's queue, the longer it's at risk.

174

And number five, does the person sound like themselves?

175

You'll sometimes see scam messages using phrases like, kindly send payment, or I have an inquiry, or I have a query.

176

Those phrases themselves do not mean someone is a scammer.

177

They're normal English in a lot of places, but what matters is the mismatch.

178

If your friend normally messages like, oh my God, Alina, stop being a fucking unk

179

and then they send you a fucking meme or some shit and suddenly they're saying, kindly remit payment at your earliest convenience.

180

I'm currently stranded at sea and I need money for my boat or I'll sink to the sirens.

181

Hey, sirens, you want to tie me up?

182

Maybe verify the account before sending them $800.

183

Does the person DMing you sound like your friend?

184

Or do you even know that person that well?

185

Feel free to ignore weird DMs rather than respond.

186

Slow down, verify who you're talking to And don't let them convince you to give up the protections you already have.

App downloaden

Alles wat je nodig hebt om vloeiend te spreken

AI UitspraakScoor elke zin

IPA OefeningBeheers elk geluid

WoordenschatBouw je woordenschat op

WoordenspelLeren terwijl je speelt

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

✨ Aanbevolen Video

156 zinnen

Former Performers, Now Anti-Porn Advocates, Reveal The Truth About "Consent" in Porn

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

147 zinnen

BIG NEWS! NEW HUNTER BUFFS! JUNG YERIM NOW BETTER THAN GINA?! DEV NOTICE! [Solo Leveling: Arise]

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

270 zinnen

Subliminals 101 - how to listen THE CORRECT WAY

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

251 zinnen

FNAF GRAVEYARD SHIFT AT FREDDY'S…

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

243 zinnen

I Trolled the TAYLOR SWIFT Fandom...

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

28 zinnen

How I Became a Full-time Artist 🧚 #clayartist #smallbusiness

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Deze spreekles op niveau B2 is gebaseerd op de video “Furry Scams Are Getting WAY Too Good”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: fursuit, artist, maker, scammer, queue. Deze video bevat 186 zinnen en 2441 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 13:00. De spreker praat snel, ongeveer 188 woorden per minuut, dus reken op verbonden en ingeslikte klanken. Slechts 80% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden, dus de woordenschat is pittig.

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

De 15 moeilijkste woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:

Woord	Uitspraak	Betekenis
queue zelfstandig naamwoord	/kju/	rij
scam zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈskæm/	oplichting, deceptie
furry zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈfɜɹ.i/	furry
donation zelfstandig naamwoord	/doʊˈneɪʃən/	schenking
sketch zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈskɛt͡ʃ/	schets
scan werkwoord	/skæn/	afspeuren
impersonator zelfstandig naamwoord		imitator
malware zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈmæl.wɛəɹ/	malware, schadelijke software
siren zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈsaɪɹən/	sirene
cautious bijvoeglijk naamwoord	/ˈkɔːʃəs/	voorzichtig
threaten werkwoord	/ˈθɹɛt.n̩/	bedreigen, dreigen
kindly bijwoord	/ˈkaɪn(d)li/	vriendelijk, beminnelijk
buyer zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈbaɪ.əɹ/	koper, koopster
authentication zelfstandig naamwoord	/ɔːˌθɛntɪˈkeɪʃn̩/	authenticatie, authentificatie
blindly bijwoord	/ˈblaɪndli/	blind, blindweg

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

Woord	Betekenis
check out werkwoord	onderzoeken
slow down werkwoord	afremmen
find out werkwoord	ontdekken, onderzoeken
give up werkwoord	zich overgeven
go off werkwoord	afgaan
pass away werkwoord	overlijden, ontslapen

Zinnen om te herhalen

Korte, volledige zinnen uit de video die je in alledaagse gesprekken kunt gebruiken:

Can you come test it?
That's what I want to see.
I don't actually have one, just so you know.
Hey, sirens, you want to tie me up?

Grammatica in deze video

De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:

Structuur	In de video
Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt	I've seen · have fallen · you've already sent
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet	was deleted · wasn't mentioned · be reversed

Uitspraak om op te letten

De spreker gebruikt 57 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals don't, they're, I'm. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.

De “th”-klanken: threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/, authentication /ɔːˌθɛntɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, thumb /ˈθʌm/, withdrawal /wɪðˈdɹɔ(ə)l/, withdraw /wɪðˈdɹɔ/
De klanken “sh” en “zh”: donation /doʊˈneɪʃən/, cautious /ˈkɔːʃəs/, authentication /ɔːˌθɛntɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, unintentional /ˌʌnɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, unofficial /ʌn.əˈfɪʃ.əl/
Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: impersonate /ɪmˈpɜːsəneɪt/, unfamiliar /ˌʌnfəˈmɪli.ə(ɹ)/, analytically /ˌæn.əˈlɪt.ɪ.kli/, authentication /ɔːˌθɛntɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, executable /ˈɛksəkjutəbl/

Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:

Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: oftentimes /ˈɔf.ənˌtaɪmz/, outbid /aʊtˈbɪd/, summarize /ˈsʌməˌɹaɪz/, strand /ˈstɹænd/, subscribe /səbˈskɹaɪb/
/æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: scam /ˈskæm/, fandom /ˈfændəm/, scan /skæn/, malware /ˈmæl.wɛəɹ/, analytically /ˌæn.əˈlɪt.ɪ.kli/
/w/ — met ronde lippen: malware /ˈmæl.wɛəɹ/, waitlist /ˈweɪtˌlɪst/, query /ˈkwɪɹ.i/, withdrawal /wɪðˈdɹɔ(ə)l/, withdraw /wɪðˈdɹɔ/

Zo oefen je met deze video

Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als queue, scam, furry.

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?

Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.

Shadowing-techniek: lees de volledige stap-voor-stap-gids →

Shadowing Practice: Furry Scams Are Getting WAY Too Good - Learn English Speaking with Video

Kies een oefenmodus

App downloaden

The scammer who got away

“I’m Addicted to being a Furry”

The Worst Sponsorships in YouTube History

10 oddly specific things to NEVER share with anyone

How the Location of the Backrooms Photo Was Finally Discovered

Is AI About to Change Movies Forever?

Former Performers, Now Anti-Porn Advocates, Reveal The Truth About "Consent" in Porn

BIG NEWS! NEW HUNTER BUFFS! JUNG YERIM NOW BETTER THAN GINA?! DEV NOTICE! [Solo Leveling: Arise]

Subliminals 101 - how to listen THE CORRECT WAY

FNAF GRAVEYARD SHIFT AT FREDDY'S…

I Trolled the TAYLOR SWIFT Fandom...

How I Became a Full-time Artist 🧚 #clayartist #smallbusiness

Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

Zinnen om te herhalen

Grammatica in deze video

Uitspraak om op te letten

Zo oefen je met deze video

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?