Dear wannabe Bitcoin miners: If it seems too good to be true, it's probably 4Chan
The allure of Bitcoin is understandable. In the past, the digital currency's price has fluctuated wildly, growing in value at an incredible rate. What does a Bitcoin currently cost? It changes by the hour. And outside of buying them at market rates, the only way to get Bitcoins is a complicated mining process. As with any gold rush, there are always suckers to be found, and the pranksters at 4chan are always ready to mess with them.
Today, the denizens of 4chan's infamous /b/ board, an anarchist playground for horrific images and incredibly cruel jokes, released the image you see above. It purports to tell users how to unlock a secret Bitcoin mining program in the Mac OS. Instead, it directs them to delete essential files on their computer, effectively killing the machine. 4chan is in no way safe for work, so take that into consideration before Google searching the site.
The Daily Dot was able to find a few users who were dumb enough to try unsolicited secret money-making information they found on the internet. So here's our helpful three-step guide for not getting tricked into bricking your own computer.
1. When you discover something online that's too good to be true, stop and think before acting.
2. Don't worry about thinking with your gut. Do a Google search and see if a reputable source has replicated the results. If not, leave well enough alone unless it's a neat lifehack for crisping potatoes.
3. If the original source of information was an infographic you saw online and it's not just a neat lifehack for crisping potatoes, skip step 2 and simply don't take the advice.
Stay safe out there.
