- if it was generated at a coin generator website.
- if it was premined. There are some exceptions, but in most cases a premine is bad for obvious reasons... it's hard to know the funds actually get used for what the developers say they are and not just going straight into their pocket.
- if it was instamined. Instamining is when a lot of coins are mined in the first minutes or hours of the launch of the coin, compared to a couple days later. This can happen if difficulty is not thought out and set correctly at launch. Most pump and dump coins start with low difficulty that allows them to mine more at the coin's launch compared to days or weeks later.
- if the only thing that was done before its launch was change a few parameters from Bitcoin, Litecoin, or any other coin.
- if it the coin has multiple threads on the first page of this sub forum. Pump and dump coins require buyers of the coin. Perpetrators of the scheme will make many posts and threads on the subject so someone is more likely to see it and invest. They will bump threads on the subject all day long.
- if you found out about it in a poll. Polls on here aren't worth a crap. Communities conspire off these forums to fix polls in this subforum. They will post a thread on their own forums telling people to come vote a certain way. Nothing needs to be said if you've been around for a while, you know what you're supposed to do. Usually in polls or threads on the topic of "what is the best ALT coin to invest in?", the newest flavor of the week magically wins the poll/thread.
- if most its supporters are new members to the forums. If the Hero Members are not excited, investing, and actively posting about the coin, then you need to sit back and say... maybe there's a reason? Simply put, most new ALT coins do not provide large enough improvement to Bitcoin or Litecoin to switch to it. Please be careful, some Hero Members are perpetrators of pump & dumps themselves and just write whatever they want you to believe (coincidentally that belief makes them money).
- if its only innovation is a good meme, slogan, name, or marketing scheme. This is just part of the pump part of pump & dump at play. They need something catchy that people will like and be more likely to invest in. ALT Coin supporters make posts on many websites and forums just to say good things about the coin they're pumping. Nothing is wrong with that, but they do it in such a spammingly annoying style that it is really irritating. Everyone in the know knows that it is a horrible investment & not likely to survive in the long term, but everyone just wants to make money. They're basically robbing innocent people to make a pay day.
- more to come
