Public service announcement: folks, make sure you educate less tech-savvy friends and family about this. The number of times my parents almost fell for these tricks... better safe than sorry.

Remember: Stay vigilant, update software, use ad blockers, and always verify before you click.

ugh, literally just had to system restore 'cause of this crap. spent my whole evening dealing with it instead of chillin. why can't we have nice things on the internet?! 😤

Hot take: the malware is an upgrade if you're using certain notorious operating systems... LOL 😂

It's basically modern art. The 'click the malicious X' is a metaphor for the futility of trying to avoid internet garbage. Or, you know, it's just bad design intended to trap us. Whichever.

They do it because it works, and they profit off every misclick! It's a scummy practice. How is this not illegal? It's like putting a bear trap on a sidewalk.

New around here, just happened to me while trying to watch cat videos. I almost threw my laptop out the window! 😡

Tech savvy person here. Always make sure that your browser has an ad-blocker extension enabled. Also, frequently update the ad filters. For mobile devices, consider browsers that have built-in ad blockers or download a reputable ad blocking app. And NEVER click on anything unless you're certain it's safe. Phishing and malware are a serious deal, folks.

Ugh this is the WORST. I swear these ads are getting sneakier by the day. Pro tip: if you're on mobile, use the 'back' button. Sometimes that does the trick without having to play 'find the hidden x' 🙄