Chapter 5

Theft, Scams, and Storage

If you get one thing from this article let it be this:

Don't store your bitcoins on exchanges!!!

Here are two examples where users got screwed by leaving bitcoins on exchanges:

And there are many more I could list.

Make sure you get yourself a Bitcoin wallet that will securely store your bitcoins.

Besides storage, there are many scam exchanges out to steal your credit card information and/or bitcoins.

Following these two basic principles should help you avoid theft, scams, and any other loss of funds:

1. Do research before buying on any exchange. Check reviews, ratings, and regulation information.
2. Don't store coins on the exchange. Already mentioned above but worth repeating.

Secure Bitcoin Hardware Wallets:

What To Do With Bitcoin After You Buy It

Buying Bitcoin is becoming easy. If you are an institutional buyer, the CBOE and CME offer options arrangements to buy Bitcoin. Additionally, there are endless points of sale and even ATM machines where you can buy Bitcoin. On the other hand, as an individual buyer, all you need to have is money and access to any of the platform that offers Bitcoin for sale such as Crypto Exchanges, financial institutions, etc. Once you buy Bitcoin, you use the BTC for the following:

Bitcoin Buying Options

Bitcoin continues to be an ultimate investment choice due to the immense probabilities of gains. The options for buying the leading cryptocurrency are diverse:

Credit Transactions

Although most Banks do not authorize the use of credit cards to buy Bitcoins, some credit card providers whose sole business is to offer credit are flexible and offer the service. If you are considering using your credit card to acquire Bitcoins, you can follow the steps below:

• Find the Best Bitcoin Marketplace such as Coinbase, Coinmama, Bitpanda, etc.

• Sign up an account

• Connect to your credit card

• Trade your local currency in the card

• Transfer the Bitcoin into a secure wallet

The credit card transactions, however, attract fees that average 3.75% that is considerably expensive. Moreover, the credit purchase can be considered as cash advances that may attract higher fees making the transaction expensive. However, the credit card can increase the credit line if the exchange is considered as a purchase to enable you to spend more on Bitcoin exchange.

Debit Card Transactions

The protocol for debit card transactions in Bitcoin purchases is almost similar to credit card transactions. The steps are the same, as you have to open an account in your preferred exchange and follow the process as outlined under credit card transactions. The only difference is that you are to select the debit card option as opposed to credit card selection.

Under this category, the fees are usually lower than on credit cards. The only major hurdle is that your bank may not be allowing Bitcoin transactions due to regulatory or precautionary measures that are being adopted in almost all countries in the world.

Cash Solutions

There is a Bitcoin ATM that offers one-stop solutions to people with cash who want to buy Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. The machines are places in people’s businesses, malls or high traffic areas that accessible to the public.

However, a prerequisite for buying BTC is that you have to have a wallet from which you can directly deposit the BTC after the cash purchase. The machine is convenient, easy to use, and safe as the risk of being scammed is almost zero. The safety factor is underpinned d y the fact that the machines operate under KYC regulations as per the jurisdiction of operation.

Online Money Transactions

Online money is different from digital cash. The difference is that online money is fiat money denoted by online codes such as numbers, etc. On the other hand, the digital cash represents tokens such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. that are generated through mining, in addition to being decentralized and supporting private transactions. In this regard, the option for online money in Bitcoin transaction is possible through various platforms.

PayPal

The PayPal platform enables you to buy Bitcoins within Bitcoin exchange platforms such as eToro, Cryptex24 Exchange, xCoins P2P Bitcoin Lending, and many other crypto market platforms. To complete a transaction, you will need to have an account of Second Life Linden Dollars (SLL)-the currency for the virtual world.

The PayPal platform has recently applied for a patent right on the Expedited Virtual Currency Transaction System (EVCTS). This means that the BTC can be bought in the Virtual world mainly for speculative purposes. Additionally, the EVCTS allows instant transaction time frames as the PayPal platform supports the creation of “mini wallets” to act as blocks for authorizing transactions that support BTC exchange.

Other Similar Platforms are:

• Google Wallet
• Skrill
• Intuit

Conclusion

Bitcoin is a major investment, both as an asset and a cryptocurrency. With such a potential, it is worthwhile to consider aspects of Bitcoin such as its history, payment options, biggest scams in history and the wallet.