There is no flaw. I said anyone who is computer literate (our definitions may differ here.. what I intended probably is more-so "geeks" than anything.. my mistake for not being more clear) should be able to tell the difference.
There is a danger, yes... but if you know what you are doing, the danger is very very minimal, if any.
And to be honest.. I have downloaded a few tv episodes myself from shows I missed.. and I know how and where to get what I want off IRC. I have NEVER.. EVER.. run across a large known channel that servers illegal content and had an official bot that had an infected file. Furthermore, none of my friends have either. Downloading off IRC via larger known channels for stuff like movies is safer than downloading off KaZaA, IMHO. Altough it is still not recommended if you are unfamiliar with it.
