Sticky Money: Sweetest Con of the Year

January 28, 2025 • 8 min read
Honey scam illustration
Art by MegaLag
"The sweetest honey is loathsome in its own deliciousness."

For years, Honey was that friendly little extension that whispered, “Hey, want a discount?” whenever you hit checkout. It felt like cupon collector in TV shows came were embeded in everyones device. But in 2025, the mask slipped, and people realized they were being played.

Turns out, Honey wasn’t just “finding” coupon codes—it was selling your data faster than a scalper with Taylor Swift tickets. Every click, every search, every purchase—shipped off to the highest bidder. And if you thought that was bad, buckle up.

The Plan

Reports started surfacing that Honey was doing more than just tracking your purchases. Allegedly, it was injecting fake coupon codes just to make you think you were getting a deal. Some users reported that prices actually went up after using Honey because retailers were onto the scam and adjusted their pricing accordingly.

🚨 The Three-Part Sting

  1. Data Harvesting: Tracked every click, hover, and hesitation
  2. Price Manipulation: Inflated costs before "discounting" them
  3. Affiliate Fraud: Pushed partners paying highest kickbacks

MegaLag's Exposé

Watch Full Analysis on YouTube
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Revealed Honey's "discounts" were often cheaper elsewhere

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Exposed how Honey artificially inflates prices before applying coupons

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Demonstrated Honey's data collection scale - 94 data points per minute

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Showed how creator's affiliate links where being swapped out for their own

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Highlighted suspicious browser permission overreach

The Fallout

🔥 User Backlash

  • • 12M+ extension uninstalls in 72 hours
  • • #DeleteHoney trends globally
  • • Class-action lawsuits in 14 countries

💸 Financial Impact

  • • $2.3B company valuation wiped
  • • Chrome/Apple ban extension
  • • Retailers drop partnership

The Lesson

Here's the bitter truth - if a product is free, you're the commodity. Honey's real business model? Selling your shopping anxiety to the highest bidder.