Bitcoin Education

‘Bitcoin Sign Guy’ Receives Over $15,000 in Bitcoin for Janet Yellen Photobomb

Antonio Madeira | Jul 14, 2017 | 09:00

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Just when you thought ICOs were the easiest way to gather funds to come to the cryptosphere, along comes “Bitcoin Sign Guy” to prove us all wrong.

‘Bitcoin Sign Guy’ Becomes Instant Legend

The cryptocurrency world was amazed as a man held a “Buy Bitcoin” sign for the cameras during Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen’s appearance before the Congressional committee on Wednesday. The attendee and the person he was with were later asked to leave the room, but not before giving out some great investment advice and going viral while doing so.

Later on, the young man holding the infamous “Buy Bitcoin” sign resurfaced in a picture posted by a cryptocurrency trader which showed him holding this same sign along with his Bitcoin address, which has so far received over 6.77 BTC in donations from the Bitcoin community, which is currently worth about $15,700. Although the picture was deleted, users can still see the address on the blockchain here.

The Bitcoin Sign Guy was later “spotted” at the Coin Center headquarters in DC., doing what he loves most: holding a sign reading “Donate to Coin Center,” a non-profit research and advocacy center for cryptocurrencies.

A hero stopped by the office today. #buybitcoin pic.twitter.com/zxlKxh8GIZ

— Coin Center (@coincenter) July 12, 2017

The Power of Bitcoin QR-Codes

Although the Bitcoin Sign Guy amazed cryptocurrency enthusiasts from around the world with his clever placement, he’s not the first one to hit the Bitcoin jackpot thanks to a sign. In 2013, a college football fan’s sign got him over 22 BTC in donations, which was worth $20,000 at the time and roughly $51,000 now.

At the time, ESPN’s College Gameday recorded the fan holding a sign that read “Hi Mom send Bitcoin.” The sign had a QR-Code next to it, which fellow enthusiasts used to transfer bitcoins to.

The man holding the sign later identified himself on Reddit, showing a picture of sign used. The user, named bitcoinpitcher2, expressed his amazement, stating that he didn’t expect so many coins to be sent. The user also pledged to send roughly 20 BTC to Sean’s Outpost.

However, others weren’t so altruistic. In fact, the “Buy Bitcoin” sign got so popular that it was bound to attract scammers, a scenario one sees often in the cryptocurrency landscape. Reports of altered images surfaced, where someone attempted to photoshop their Bitcoin address into the image to receive the donations. Bitcoinist reminds everyone to make sure you know who you’re sending Bitcoin before pressing “send.”

Bitcoinist reminds everyone to make sure that you’re certain that the address belongs to the intended recipient prior to pressing “send.”

What about you? Can you think of an easier or funnier way to get some free coins? If so, let us know in the comment section.

Images courtesy of The Verge, Shutterstock