What if referrals from sites like 23andMe could net you thousands of dollars? Well, an entrepreneur on TikTok recently shared the secret to making bank.
TikToker Rene Lacad (@renelacad) went viral when he gave an example of how you can use creativity to make money online. Lacad’s video has been viewed 1.7 million times, and viewers were shocked by the evil genius of the method he shared.
Speaking underneath a text overlay that reads, “The least ethical but LEGAL way to make money (don’t do this),” Lacad said, “This is gotta be one of the easiest ways to make $20,000 in one week, and it’s completely legal.”
Then, he explained how he’d stumbled upon a bizarre post from Stela (@ms_kaffeinated)—an X (formerly Twitter) user supposedly seeking a sperm donor for her friend.
Donor requirements ranged from vaccination status to race. The post also specified that the insemination had to be natural. It has 3.2 million views as of publication.
“OK, so you might see that post and be like … ‘How is that an unethical way to make money?'” he continued.
A follow-up post added more details, including pictures of the friend and promises of getting lucky several times over the course of five years. The post then asked for people to apply through Stela’s direct messages and claimed that she would reach out if her friend were interested.
“So, now we have a post on social media with over 4 million impressions,” Lacad explained. “We have thousands of guys DMing to inseminate this woman, and this is where the Stela character, if it’s a real person, replies to them back and says, ‘Hey, it looks like she wants to choose you to inseminate her, but can you take a DNA test so we can confirm your ancestry?'”
Then, Lacad revealed the legal con: “Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’d been waiting for. This is 23andMe.com, and, essentially, they’re a service that analyzes your DNA, tells you where your ancestors are from, tells you about your genetics.”
His green screen showed the site’s referral page. “But they also do this: they’ll give you $20 for every person you refer to their service.”
Lacad took it a step further. He explained how the con woman could respond to each request by asking for a DNA test and sending the referral link.
“I’m no math expert, but 4 million impressions, thousands of guys, $20 a pop—they cleared at least $20,000,” he remarked.
@renelacad Stela is somewhere in the bahamas chilling rn #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Rene Lacad
Viewers were floored by his logic and commended the scammer for their creativity.
“My brain could NEVER lol this is CREATIVE,” one wrote.
“That is insane! If just 1% of the 1.4m viewers goes for the test, you’re looking at $280k,” a second added.
Others argued that the $20 was in discounts and gift cards, not cash.
“I mean the 20$ is not in cash, it’s a discount TOWARDS another test,” a viewer wrote.
“There has to be a cap on how many referrals you can get commission from,” another added.
The 23andMe website does offer a referral bonus, but it doesn’t offer cash. Instead, the company offers a 10% discount for the friend and a $20 Amazon gift card for each qualifying order. However, according to the terms and conditions, there is no limit to how many people someone can refer.
It’s an unfortunate part of the internet that avoiding scams can be a daily part of life. There are a variety of scams that everyone should be aware of.
The AARP says one scam people should be aware of involves con artists emailing links to fake student loan forgiveness application sites so they can steal bank information and Social Security numbers.
Another way criminals steal information is to contact you via a fake social media account to lure you into a scam. A red flag is if they request to go off-platform or begin talking about the benefits of cryptocurrency.
The Daily Dot has also reported on numerous scam PSAs, including one posted by a banker on how to avoid a scam that cost people their entire life savings.
The Daily Dot reached out to Lacad and 23andMe via email.