Bitcoin Forum

Hello,

I have recently bought $100 bitcoins (the guy that helped me said this was the minimum) and added them to my Blockchain Wallet.
Now, 48 hrs later, I was paid something like $920 into my Blockchain wallet but it says it is Non-Spendable.
Now, this guy that helped me says I must add ANOTHER $300 to the wallet before that $920 becomes Spendable.

This does not sound right to me and sounds to me like a bit of a scam.

Can someone please give me some advice here.

You got scammed! DO NOT give the scammer more money!

I've seen this before: the scammer probably had you import a Bitcoin address, which creates a watch-only wallet. In other words: you can see the balance, but it's not yours. The $920 isn't yours either, and will never be yours.

Questions:
1. How did you buy the Bitcoins?
2. Who was "the guy that helped you"? How did you know him? I guess it's not someone you trust.
3. How did you create the wallet? Did that guy "help" you there too?

I created my Blockchain account myself but they did log in to "make sure their mining system is active".


1. I bought the Bitcoins on Coinmama (this is the site the guy gave me)
2. The guys name is Brett Frank, I met him on Facebook ( I know, I know - never trust people on Facebook. But I know Bitcoin is legit so I honestly thought the offer was real)
3. I created it myself but the guy did log in to my account

Forget that account, it's compromised. Unless of course your first $100 isn't "Non-Spendable", but I expect it is. If you can spend it, move it to another wallet as soon as possible.
One of the most important things in Bitcoin is to never give anybody access to your wallet.

The name is probably fake. By giving him access to your account, he probably added his own address to your account, but as "read only".

Bitcoin is legit indeed, but scammers love it just as much.
If you're still brave enough: make sure you understand what you're doing before buying Bitcoin again. The best options to buy depend on your country of residence. The most recommended wallet is Electrum (https://electrum.org). Note: do your own research, there are also fake websites trying to have you download a compromised wallet.
I think you're too trusting for Bitcoin, you should consider everyone a possible scammer.

Okay, thank you for confirming my suspicions.

I think I will steer clear of Bitcoin for the time being

Why? I don't think you should 'steer clear of Bitcoin' but you should continue to try it out to see how it works. Getting scammed 100$ shouldn't be a reason for you to give up. You can try buying bitcoin from a bitcoin atm which you can find one at https://coinatmradar.com. Alternatively, you can buy from an online exchange like coinbase. Just be aware that atm fees are very high. Some ATMs charge over 10%. The website will give fee information for some ATMs listed on the site, but not all.

it's another variant scam of "blockchain investment mining",
even when you add fund to another address in your wallet, you will lose it
couple things he must have done while logged on your account,
he might have imported a watch-only address and definitely copied your mnemonic recovery seed
your blockchain account is compromised, don't ever use any addresses generated in that account again

here's some threads about similar scam (with slightly different method)
Possibly scam with blockchain.info wallet?! (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2131516.0)
Do these sound legit or are they scams? (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2605143.0)

Were you already able to move any funds out?
Or did the person you have dealt with only import addresses as watch-only ?

If you can access any funds, move them out ASAP. Get a new wallet (preferably a desktop wallet instead of a web wallet) and NEVER share any private information.

Remember, to receive bitcoins you need to provide your public address. This should be the ONLY way for you to receive bitcoins.
If someone claims he needs access to any account of you to 'load up' some btc, they are lying and try to scam you.

Create a wallet yourself and provide the other party your btc address. Do only accept btcs SENT to this address.

^The guy that helped you out^ should be revealed here so as to stop others from being scammed by him.
Can you please post his (Brett Frank's) FB link here?
As bob123 said, you should create your wallet itself which generates an address that can actually receive Bitcoins for you, so you possess them.
Try Electrum and Bitcoin Core as wallets (Electrum is best) for creating addresses, you will also be able to hold your private keys if you go for such wallets (only the best ones mentioned here). As well, if you are interested in buying Bitcoins, go for Currency Exchange part of the forum here - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=53.0
Else, you may try Localbitcoins where you will be able to check reputation of traders before you initiate your trades.
It's better to be late than sorry.

First of all, congrats, you are on the right place to avoid getting scammed.

This is a lie, you can but $0.1 if you want, there is not minimum.

This is weird, maybe you have to wait a couple of confirmations, but should be spendable

This mother fucker is trying to scam you. There are 2 options, or he have access to your blockchain wallet, or he have a backup from your private key.

So... what to do now.

Open a new wallet, and move your founds there. Never give access to no one to that wallet and hold your bitcoins in your hands. If you need some support to do this i could help you, just send me a personal message.

By the way, move fast before he takes your money, but let him think you will depo more ;)