A young streamer just learned a valuable lesson about the internet, at the cost of a $1,200 PC.
In a recent video uploaded to Twitch by a streamer who goes by rogue07, viewers watched a young man and his siblings destroy their brand new PC. According to the video, a commenter pretending to be MrBeast told rogue07 that if he livestreamed himself destroying his current PC, he would get a $5,000 replacement from a sponsor.
The video is apparently filmed by rogue07’s mother. Though she seems nervous about the legitimacy of the offer by the fake MrBeast, she assists rogue07 in his quest to see his PC in pieces. They toss it in the tub, soak it in water, and ultimately go after it with a baseball bat and a machete. A woman who said she’s rogue07’s mother wrote in an email to the Daily Dot that someone named “mrBEAST6000__0” appeared to donate more than $10,000 to her son’s account before sending him the request to destroy his PC.
“The same guy told him he would send him a ‘$5000 Origin PC from Sponsors’ if he made a live video, destroying his current PC,” she said.
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has found fame on YouTube through videos of his surprise charity. Throughout the course of his YouTube career, the 20-year-old has given away more than $1 million.
Both rogue07 and his mother express some degree of skepticism throughout the clips. “If it’s not real then there goes my gaming PC,” rogue07 said. “Oh I hope you are legit dude,” his mother added, later in the videos. “My son is going to cry himself to sleep if not.”
According to Reddit user Gazymus, the person claiming to be MrBeast was, in fact, a fake. After posting the story to r/LivestreamFails, Gazymus noted that “Some guy in the chat was showing up in chat as Mr. Beast, which was obviously fake.”
“The kid believed it,” Gazymus wrote. “And there was a promise that if he destroyed his PC he would get a 5k PC in return through sponsors/in return for a video.”
Several people in the Reddit comments speculated whether or not the story behind the video was real. “[We’ll] find out later that it was actually a scam by the kid and his mom,” armpitpuncher wrote. “And the PC either was just a case, or ready to be scrapped anyway, and the Mr. Beast in chat was the dad.”
Not everyone agreed that the video was a fake. Of those who believed it, several noted that if the real MrBeast did see the video, chances are good he would happily purchase the young streamer a new laptop for his troubles. According to rogue07’s mother, everything seen in the video was real. She and her son genuinely believed the offer by the fake MrBeast was legitimate.
“It was an awful scam,” she said. “We are not looking for any handouts. I am the parent, I should have known better, and I will find a way to buy him another [laptop]. There is no ‘ploy’ in this. Just an unlucky family and some jerk who thinks its all funny. “
This unfortunate example serves as a valuable lesson to any other young streamers out there. When the choice is between trusting a stranger and keeping your new computer in one piece, choose the computer.
This story has been updated.
H/T Dexerto
