Joining the Illuminati: Scams, History, and Conspiracy

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Take a deep dive into the Illuminati without having your identity stolen

Co-authored by Christopher Earnshaw and Carmine Shannon

Last Updated: August 22, 2025 Fact Checked

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Can you join the Illuminati?

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History of the Illuminati

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The Illuminati Conspiracy

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Illuminati Scams

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In recent years the internet has been alight with websites and telegram chats promising that “You too can become a member of the Illuminati…for one low fee of $200.” While these sites are scams and the Illuminati no longer exists (we think), there's a rich history behind the organization and its many conspiracy theories. We’ve compiled a comprehensive article about the inception, the hype, and the scams so you can learn everything you could ever want to know about the elusive Illuminati.

Key Things to Know About the Illuminati

According to Freemason Christopher Earnshaw, the Illuminati were founded in the 1700s as a secret society in competition with the Freemasons. The original Illuminati only lasted about 15 years. Current organizations claiming to be the Illuminati are scams, so be cautious of anyone saying they can offer you membership.

Section 1 of 4:

Can you join the Illuminati?

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The Illuminati was an 18th-century organization made up of scholars and inspired by Enlightenment ideals that disbanded after less than two decades. While the image of the Illuminati exists to this day, there is no evidence that the organization continued after its disbandment in the 1780s.
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People claiming to be in the Illuminati run scams to steal your personal information. Some people believe that joining the Illuminati gives you access to great power and wealth, and scammers have taken advantage of that idea to trick people into giving up their personal information and money.
- The idea that joining the Illuminati makes you powerful is false, as well. The Illuminati’s power came from the power its members already had.

Section 2 of 4:

History of the Illuminati

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The Illuminati was founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt. Growing up, Weishaupt was heavily influenced by the Jesuits, a former secret society within the Catholic church, and Enlightenment teachings on reason. As a law professor, he developed a clique of students and contemporaries focused on the illumination of the human mind, and from this, the Illuminati was formed.
- Although Weishaupt took inspiration from Judaism and the Jesuits, a primary goal of his society was to replace Christianity with a religion based on reason.^{[1]
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The Illuminati grew by recruiting young, affluent men. After the society was formed by Weishaupt’s trusted friends, they began to reach out to other individuals who would bring the intellect and power to properly contribute to the group. The people chosen were often wealthy young men with high social standings.^{[2]
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- The new recruits often came from Freemason lodges. Weishaupt joined the fraternity and encouraged his followers to do the same to draw attention away from his own secret society.
- Membership was based on a three-tiered hierarchy: a novice level, an “ordinary” level, and a “mystery” level.
- Famous thinkers from the time period are thought to have been members, such as the author of Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
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The Illuminati was banned by the Bavarian government in 1784. As the society grew in power and numbers, its goals diversified and were regarded as “anti-religious.” Tension within the organization led to public criticism of the monarchy, and soon after all secret societies were banned.
- It is important to note that gaining social power was always a primary goal of the Illuminati. They wanted their ideas to influence the entire world and believed they could only achieve that through an air of secrecy.
- Sources vary on when the ban was enacted. Some say 1784, others 1785, and still others 1787.
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The direct inheritor of the “Illuminati” title were the French Martinists. The Martinists were a group of Christian mystics founded by Martinez Pasqualis.^{[3]
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Research source} Their esoteric views and tendency towards secrecy left them with a reputation similar to the Illuminati’s, and when the 1784 edict was passed some believe the title moved to the Martinists.
- Since the 18th century, Martinism has had several resurgences. The latest organization, the Ordre Reaux Croix, or ORC, was founded in 2002.
- If there were a surviving Illuminati group today, it would be a descendant of the Martinist movement.
- The Illuminati’s relationship with the Masons turned attention towards them, as well. The Freemasons are the oldest fraternal group in the world with their own fair share of secret handshakes and intriguing symbols. But, as mysterious as they are, the Freemasons are not a secret society. They advertise themselves as a philanthropic group focused on the pursuit of knowledge and virtue.^{[4]
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  Research source} They’ve had no recorded affiliation with the Illuminati since the late 18th century.

Section 3 of 4:

The Illuminati Conspiracy

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Rumors about the Illuminati were ramped up by the Discordian movement. In the 1960s, the Discordian book Principia Discordia brought Illuminati conspiracies into popular culture. The Discordian movement was founded in 1963 under the principal that the only way to free oneself from authoritarianism was to question everything, so they spread misinformation designed to elicit suspicion.^{[5]
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- The Discordians used stories about the Illuminati to spread their misinformation, culminating with the writing of the Illuminati! trilogy. However, instead of seeing this discourse and questioning the truth of their current realities, the general public enjoyed the advent of one of the largest conspiracy theories of the last two centuries.
- Principia Discordia is a satirical book about a fake religion. The Discordians worship Eris, the goddess of confusion, and believe you shouldn’t consider anything you read to be true.^{[6]
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- The Illuminatus trilogy is another satire filled with conspiracies about the Illuminati, such as their having a hand in the French Revolution.
- Robert Anton Wilson, a writer for Playboy, spread the conspiracy even further by publishing fake letters from “Illuminati members” in the magazine. To make things more confusing, he also wrote letters claiming the Illuminati was a hoax.
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Celebrities have been accused of being part of the conspiracy. The Illuminati may not be real, but the ubiquitousness of its image is. Due to their wealth and exposure to the public eye, some celebrities have been considered part of the Illuminati. People who believe this cite hand gestures and coded messages in music that may refer to the organization.
- Some notable people considered “Illuminati members” are Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Beyoncé.
- Some theorists believe that these celebrities have been abducted by the Illuminati and replaced by clones. There are videos of celebrities staring into the distance for prolonged periods of time that they believe are proof of this (although the celebs are probably just zoning out).
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Books, games and TV shows have cashed in on the Illuminati image. Books like Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons continue to popularize the conspiracy. A secret society that controls the whole world inspires a lot of intrigue, so it’s no wonder they’re so prevalent in the media. They make pretty good bad guys, too.
- Other notable Illuminati references come from the Netflix show Inside Job, and the video games Deus Ex and Streetfighter.

Section 4 of 4:

Illuminati Scams

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Assume any message you get from “the Illuminati” is fake. Phishing scams riding the Illuminati wave are more prolific than ever, so if a recruiter hits your inbox, ignore it. Scammers have also been reaching out to people through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They usually ask for your personal information and a sum between $150 and $600 as a membership fee.
- It can be tempting to respond to phishing emails, but doing so signals that your email address is legitimate. People who respond are more likely to receive scam emails in the future.^{[7]
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Watch out for websites advertising get-rich-quick schemes. It’s good practice while trying to avoid scams to steer clear of anything that seems too good to be true. Many Illuminati sites advertise member salaries of $200,000+ a year, a house anywhere in the world, and even winning lottery numbers. Anything that sounds overly hyped up or too good to be true is likely to be a phishing scam.
- The scam sites often recycle images and text across platforms. Some common pictures are of masonic regalia, Barack Obama, luxury houses, and, of course, the famous Eye of Providence (the pyramid that looks suspiciously like the one on the US dollar).
- Some scam websites are illuminatiofficial.org, joiniluminationline.com, and illuminatiworldofficial.com.
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Report phishing emails to reportphishing@apwg.org. In most cases when you receive a scam email you should report it to the company it’s supposedly coming from. There’s an obvious difficulty here with the Illuminati. Luckily, the APWG and FTC handle any and all phishing scams and provide resources on how to recognize them.^{[8]
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Federal Trade Commission
Independent U.S. government agency focused on consumer protection

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- Report scams to the FTC (federal trade commission) at FTC.gov/complaint.
- The APWG is an anti-phishing group made up of law enforcement, internet providers, and financial institutions.
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Join a legitimate society instead. If the message of enlightenment and helping your community appeals to you, consider joining a group like the Freemasons. You’ll still get the prestige of some level of secrecy, but you’re way less likely to be scammed.
- If all else fails, you can always create your own secret society.