It's called 'LARPing' — where hustlebros and influencers fake YouTube, Shopify and Stripe dashboards to sell get-rich-quick courses

Kit PulliamSun, July 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC

0

The classic get-rich-quick scheme is back in a new form, and it’s called “LARPing.”

LARP stands for live-action roleplay. It started as a way for nerdy adults to hang out together (1), dressed up as their favorite fictional characters, instead of simply playing as characters in video games or Dungeons and Dragons. It’s akin to fictional versions of war reenactments.

Top Picks -

Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake — here’s what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP

The tax breaks in Trump's 'big beautiful bill' expire after 2028 — and experts say most people won't act in time. What to do before the window closes

Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one

But recently, the term has taken on new meaning online. Now, people use the term “LARPing” or call others “LARPers” when accusing them of pretending to live a rich and extravagant life they don’t (2).

Hustle bros are now leaning into this to make a quick buck.

“New larp method just dropped: Go to the airport and walk around (don’t get on a plane)” reads a 1 million view TikTok from user dellasilijoe (3). Another TikTok user, lvrpy, has a whole series on how to look rich without actually being rich (4).

Lvrpy, who goes by Jordan online, is being tongue in cheek. But other influencers are sinking real money into looking rich so they can sell courses to teach you how to be rich like them (5).

“The extremely obvious truth… is that at least most of these hustlebros are faking it. They hope to make money selling their courses,” says 404 Media cofounder Jason Koebler in his article covering this new brand of LARPing. “The scheme is… the course, the community, the fantasy.”

Here’s what people are spending to look rich — and why courses have taken off as the newest get-rich-quick scheme.

Purchasing fake wealth is cheaper than actually being wealthy, but it’s still expensive

Just saying you’re making money hand over fist isn’t enough to convince people you’re actually wealthy. People want proof — and that’s where LARPing comes in.

The best way to convince people of your net worth is to show numbers. Personal dashboards from platforms like Stripe, YouTube, or Shopify are a popular choice as proof that you’re really as successful as you seem.

But if your plan is to sell courses off of your visible success, and you haven’t sold any courses yet, then how do you prove yourself to people?

The answer: fake dashboards that let you create dashboards that look just like those of major ecommerce or content-sharing platforms, but populated with whatever numbers you’d like them to have.

One fake dashboard provider, dashmock, offers individual company dashboards for a monthly subscription anywhere between $99 and $279 — each (6).

“Fake it til you make it,” reads dashmock’s homepage (7). It says its products are for sales teams, startups, and agencies for use in demos.

Advertisement

If you want to fake mobile notifications showing how many people are buying your products, you can pay around $90 for a lifetime license to Fakify’s notification services (8). The company also offers fake dashboards, although their prices aren’t published on its website.

“There’s no Limit To The Larp,” says Fakify’s front page (9).

Other, more indirect forms of wealth include taking pictures in (rented) private jets or supercars or taking pictures outside of expensive stores (without buying anything). These methods are less expensive — taking a picture outside of a store is free, and you can rent a photoshoot set that looks like a private plane for as low as $50 per hour — but the only thing you’re getting out of the experience is a good picture (10).

“The studio felt cheap and old but actually looked good on camera,” said Koebler about his own experience with a private jet set (11). “I periodically had to stop for ambulances and power saws.”

Read More: Millionaires under 43 hold only 25% of their wealth in stocks. Here’s where their money is actually going

LARPing is the latest in a line of attempts to create easy passive income

Selling courses is a popular side hustle because it can theoretically work as passive income.

Trying to build passive income is a huge part of hustle culture. The idea is, if you’re successful enough, you can practically retire early, only working a few minutes each day to maintain your income (12).

With courses, the promise is simple: once you’re done making the course (which can be as low-effort or AI generated as you want), you can sit back and watch the money roll in.

Ironically, many of these courses are targeting the same group of people making them — people hoping to learn how to earn a truly passive income easily.

“I don’t know of anybody who made as much as they were hoping to make or as much as the teachers of these courses say you’ll make,” Ana Lohrmann said to WSJ (13). She spent thousands of dollars on courses from entrepreneurs promising lucrative passive income strategies.

If you see a creator showing off millions of dollars of sales or offering courses guaranteed to let you retire early, it’s best to avoid them. Even if the courses offer the training advertised, there’s a good chance you’re about to step into an overcrowded market led by someone in the same situation as you.

What To Read Next -

Here’s the average income of Americans by age in 2026. Are you keeping up or falling behind?

Robert Kiyosaki issued grim warning for baby boomers. Many could be ‘wiped out’ and homeless ‘all over’ the country. How to protect yourself now

Vanguard’s outlook on U.S. stocks is raising alarm bells for retirees. Here’s why and how to protect yourself

Are you paying too much for car insurance? Here are 3 clever ways to slash your monthly bill

Article Sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see ourethics and guidelines.

Larp Adventure Program (1); Mental Floss (2); TikTok (3), (4); 404 Media (5), (11); Dashmock (6), (7); Try Fakify (8), (9); FD Photo Studio (10); CNBC (12); The Wall Street Journal (13)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Money”