“I'll get you 10% off.” The employee discount trick

“Bro, if you want to buy anything from a prominent eCom platform, do tell me. I’ll give you a flat 10% discount.”
Naturally, I asked why the generosity.

Answer?
“You’re a good friend. Least I can do.”
A little poking later, the real story came out.
He followed a #finfluencer’s “hack”:
👉 Buy gift vouchers of the prominent platform using Credit Cards
👉 Earn accelerated rewards
👉 Use them to buy gold
👉 Get “massive discounts”

So over time, he loaded up vouchers worth ₹1L+.
Then the eCom platform changed T&Cs.
Gift vouchers can’t be used for gold anymore!
Now he’s stuck with inventory he doesn’t need and is offering discounts to friends just to recover cash.

The influencer?
Already made their money.
The follower?
Holding the risk.

That’s the part missing from most “hacks”:
No downside discussed
No policy risk mentioned
No exit plan was explained
Extra returns are exciting.
Risks are boring, so they get ignored.

Hacks are not a strategy. It’s a ticking clock!

Have you ever been trapped in a similar Hack? What was your exit strategy?