Always have a backup card. Never rely on just that one bitcoin debit card while shopping or having dinner. Imagine inviting family and friends to lunch and while waiting for the bill you get an email from the card provider saying they suspended their card operations indefinitely. You have no cash. Your family might have forgotten their credit cards back home. The embarrassment is immeasurable.

Card declined. Do not honor.

You might feel like being in this guy’s shoes:

https://youtu.be/I_qCAAZAuDI

Really hard to totally trust all these crypto cards. When I pay with them, my eyes are glued on that machine waiting for that approved alert. Convenience should be about trusting the card will be honored. It’s unhealthy to pay while feeling nervous and uneasy.

I can’t wait for a solid crypto card provider to finally introduce a card we can all totally trust and rely on.

Yes I did read the thread's title BIG MAMMA and perhaps you would like to work on your arrogance and impudence, given you were after all not so smart as to engage the services of a trusted escrow to protect you from being scammed out of $2050. You lost that money and you now cry here for help and you have the audacity to address forum members arrogantly.

You want someone to work with you to recover something you lost out of sheer negligence? It pays to use the right approach and attitude.

Sorry you lost that money and I understand you are extremely angry about what happened but had you used escrow you wouldn't be here telling people to move along. If you are asking someone to help you scam the scammer or convince him to return your coins, then you should start by being nice to people. Alternatively, if you love being rude after losing all that money, then good luck is all I can wish you.

It's a single-page document that they send in PDF format. You are required to print it, sign it, then scan it and send it back to them (signed and dated). If I remember correctly, it was a document certifying that you will be operating the account for legal purposes and not on behalf of someone else. You also certify that the KYC information you provided are true and correct.

Step 1 is the actual KYC procedure. You will need to provide your passport and proof of residence or address.

When you complete both steps, your card limits will be increased.

Yes, I was not left just wondering but someone had to help reattach my jaw after it dropped a foot. I'm still waiting for Siri to tell me how you did it.


Since you sent the coins upfront, they are gone. Paying in advance was the biggest mistake in this entire equation. Always engage a trusted forum escrow and never allow anyone to pressure you do something unsafe.

Requirement is a valid passport and a utility bill or bank statement issued recently. After submitting the documents, you need to wait for pass KYC step 1. Step 2 involves signing, scanning and returning to them a document certifying certain KYC-related things.

As for re-verification, I was required to submit documents again after a few months. The inconvenient part is it comes without warning. Loading the card takes ages. During the loading process, you might get that unexpected email instructing you to resubmit your KYC documents again. In essence, to do the entire verification process again while your card is downgraded to minimum limits.

So you spend $200+ for the card and you wait forever for your card to be loaded and you have that extra bonus of being surprised with KYC inconveniences every now and then.

 

Yes, that looks like the exact same chain. $2k. That's really expensive for 13 inches (the shortest length offered) and the links don't look very thick which suggests it's probably the brand which commands that price and not the actual gold content.

This is a luxury piece of jewelry, not really ideal for gold investment, but I'm sure given the hefty price the quality of craftsmanship rivals those of top brands.

You won't get $2k here unfortunately.

What happens is that "non-US company" becomes a conduit or a tool to promoting something which bypasses KYC regs. Using loopholes might not be illegal but I'm sure those loopholes were nicely covered and dealt with by those who made the rules. I'm sure there's something unlawful about using a third party to facilitate something which, in the assumed absence of that third party, would have not been allowed or would have been illegal in the first place.

Your analogy and the way you explained the process of circumventing KYC restrictions or rules on who may or may not participate might not pass the test of ICO providers. They will probably also KYC that "non-US company" you suggested and if it is discovered that they are acting as an intermediary for US citizens, legal and compliance troubles might ensue.

Horrible and also scary to see accounts being locked with impunity. They know they can't be touched, possibly because it is hard to locate them on this planet. This locking of accounts and blocking of coins for who knows how long is unhealthy, to say the least. You get sleepless nights, become seriously depressed, might even contemplate self-harm. Then you have the occasional guy walking totally naked on a busy street, probably too exhausted mentally after giving up on recovering those locked coins.

This is why it is unwise to park all your coins in one exchange. Keep the bulk of it stored in a wallet you have direct and unfettered access to.

Shame, these are sad stories. I hope you won't have to wait longer.

Scamming begins when there is someone and something to be scammed. Always be on your guard and never ever disclose to and share with anyone or anything any information which can be misused to your financial disadvantage.

Scammers are simply waiting for that one opportunity to strike, that one weak point when they know they have you on a leash. Some are known to painstakingly build rapport over a long stretch of time while they carefully plot the most devious and effective approach to scam you. The aim is to play the dominant role in any discussion or negotiation. If they have the upper hand, they expect you to follow their commands like a leashed dog. Send me the coins now... Give me your recovery phrase now...

Being firm and guarded is a good anti-scam trait. Firmly refuse to be pressured to do anything if you know it will jeopardize your coins. Never be afraid to say no. Scammers often use pressure to deprive their victims of any chance to think about what's happening or what they are doing or even seek a second opinion.

Learn to detect or identify bluffs. It is a scammer's tool. Hurry, give me that private key so I can help you recover your coins before your wallet self-destructs... Now that might be an extreme example but it nevertheless works in a few situations. Believe it or not, there are people who fall for that kind of nonsense.

When you are asked to do something, pause. The best way to identify a threat is to transpose or put yourself on the other person's shoes and ask yourself why he needs that information. One of the best ways to achieve this is to be inquisitive during any trade or transaction. If I were in his shoes, what would I do with this blockchain wallet's mobile pairing key? Why does he want my email address? Why is this message from escrow grammatically wrong? Why is he rushing me to do this? These are just some examples of questions you might face during a trade.

Another way to thwart scammers is to ask for a second opinion. Don't be afraid to open a thread and ask. The worst case scenario is getting scathing or rude comments but that is infinitely way more tolerable than losing your money or coins. Scammers love Skype and email or other chat platforms because they want privacy. A private and enclosed space where they can rape you financially, away from the eyes of anyone who might forewarn you.

Common sense. When you see it labeled private key, you know it's something meant for private use. You don't share private things with strangers, do you?

Be safe, guys.

Using this post of yours as an analogy, why would users be comfortable trading on your exchange when there exists the same risk of potentially losing their coins to your exchange? It's not exactly an exchange with an established track record as of yet and (no offense meant) 2017 has been a year of so many rogue and errant exchanges entering the market. To date, there are still exchanges which make the lives of their users a living hell by locking their accounts and blocking access to their crypto assets. How do you guarantee this will not happen anytime or in the foreseeable future?

Just keeping an open mind and also thinking out of the box. This is not to accuse you of anything or to assume anything negative about your exchange. After all, opening exchanges and later doing a quick exit scam is all the rage now. Scammers realize it's the best way to bypass or avoid the escrow dilemma.

There are a couple of options:

1. Sell the necklace based on the published price of Jennifer Fisher Jewelry which is the least likely option a sensible and prudent buyer would follow, given not everybody knows the brand. If somebody offers to buy based on the chain's retail price, they might want a discount.

or

2. Sell the necklace based alone on it's weight x price for 18k (Au 750) gold

or

3. Sell it as scrap gold. You can use this scrap calculator to give you an idea of what you might get:

http://www.goldcalc.com

Buyers will usually assay or test the gold first to ascertain it is definitely solid 18K and not just plated, even if you have the chain's paperwork.

Sadly too, there might be a problem with this.

It is risky. You can recover the account by going through the domain registrar's domain recovery procedure (if such a procedure exists and I'm just being imaginative, to be on the safe side).

While writing this thread, I just googled how it works and I see recovery is a challenging piece of work but it's not impossible. One domain provider mentions this:

You will need to provide documentation to registrars or dispute resolution service provider that proves an association existed between you, the complainant (the one who has legitimately registered the domain name) and the hijacked domain name or account, prior to the incident.

The reversal or "chargeback" process might not be easy, give this:

Domain hijacking, theft, or registration account attacks typically result in one of two types of consequences: (1) the attacker changes DNS configuration, so that name resolution for the domain is performed by a name server not operated by (or for) the victim, or (2) the attacker alters registration contact information and effectively takes control of any domains registered under the compromised account.

In cases where the attackers want to keep the name, domain thieves may alter the registration data (WHOIS) associated with a domain name, because this is the immediate, most accessible "proof." They may alter payment information. They may transfer the domain name to a new registrar: the new registrar will have information about its customer, but may not have any registration activity history. Any of these factors can make the recovery process long and trying.

but it's essentially similar to the challenges faced by chargebackers or PayPal disputers. Essentially and effectively, it is possible to severe that link of transfer from one owner to another by disputing the domain's sale or transfer.

If however you genuinely intend to sell and you intend to do none of the above, then don't be taken aback by this post. It's merely meant to look into the pros and cons, the risks and dangers of entering into reversible transactions. Nothing against you personally.

Well, now that we all know that, you can consider this newbie account as already tagged (it will be, eventually, it's just a matter of time).

Bought accounts are almost always used for fraudulent purposes. It is also unfair for those who worked hard and waited long to get where they are now.

Wondering what your motive or intentions might be... 1) join a signature campaign fraudulently? 2) scam lower tier members by demanding they send first? 3) replace an already heavily tagged account? 4) bypass newbie restrictions?

Care to share what you have in mind with the account?

And can you confirm the card will be available for countries outside the EEA too? If I set my hopes on this card, I want to be sure you are working on a card which I can apply for and not just persons living in the EEA/EU.

I can hardly wait! Email your verified users as soon as you are ready to issue cards please.

Here’s one potential source:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2988770.0

This post of mine is not meant to endorse that seller as a trustworthy source of BTC. Neither am I explicitly or implicitly vouching for his credibility. Do your due diligence and always exercise care and caution when transacting with anyone on this forum or elsewhere.

The purpose of this post is to link the buy/sell chain between two members posting on this section. Nothing more. I am not making guarantees of any kind.

If he does have the 5 BTC and if the trade turns out to be a success, then I’m happy to have helped in a small way.

Before anyone "touches base" with you and wires you $55k you should discuss your terms of sale here.

Email and Skype are shady platforms for discussing deals. They are best openly discussed here to give you and the buyer an opportunity to be transparent, fair and, most importantly, safe.

You must also know that a trusted escrow is strongly recommended for the safety of all parties involved.

As for e-transfers, be aware that they are reversible. The service provider, Acxsys, is known to reverse e-transfer transactions if there is any element of fraud involved, proven or otherwise. When the fraud defense is invoked, the sender usually succeeds in reversing the payment. Be very careful of this payment method. There were several Canadians on Localbitcoins who lost coins and money AND had their accounts frozen as a result of the reversal.

Wire would be a safer method for as long as you can conclusively and definitively identify the sender of the wire. Assuming you do have the 5 BTC, do not underestimate the importance of doing due diligence if you want to stop scammers from stealing them.

Use wire and do not instruct escrow to release coins until the money is credited to your bank account with finality. Never rely on screen shots or pics of receipts as a basis for releasing coins. Don't allow the buyer to pressure you to release the coins earlier even if evidence of payment is presented. Wait for the money to appear on your account. Do not take checks (cheques), money orders, drafts or anything similar. If you are offered a cash deposit to your account, double check and make sure it's cash and not a check.

As for the buyer, use a trusted forum escrow for a secure trade. Contact the escrow directly and wire money only after the escrow confirms the coins are in his control.

The necessity stems from the regulatory requirement that they be and stay KYC/AML compliant. Banks want assurance that the source of funds being wired to them are from legitimate sources and are not being laundered. And because cryptos can come from anyone anywhere (even criminals) then an exchange's non-compliance potentially makes them a conduit or a tool to launder funds. When you convert the coins to fiat, then instruct the exchange to wire that money to your account, the money is given a legit facade. The missing link is where the coins come from which is why regulators want exchanges to positively identify people trading on their site.

The ID and utility bills story is the sensitive part. I would give mine to a licensed and regulated exchange (Bitstamp, Coinbase, Kraken..) but not to one of those fly-by-night exchanges. Do your due diligence too. Don't give your documents to anyone or anything which has no track record of operational accountability and also to those which do not operate in jurisdictions that have solid and established data protection laws.

Nah nah... this sounds very dodgy. You opened this account on 18th of February and this is your third post and you claim a forum escrow took off with your funds? When did that happen? On your other (now-negged) accounts? Do you think we are all 5-yr old kids here? Who are you trying to fool?

I suggest trading with a forum escrow only. Beware of the increments scam which is usually where the above (second) post is heading toward.

Never rely on images alone. They are easy to source and manipulate.

Couldn’t care less if they have 1 million rep? Right. We’re all buying that argument, sure.

Uh oh... I see all the red flags in this thread of yours OP. Screaming red flags.

For one, that email address: usamarketpllace@gmail.com

Legit US-based merchants do not usually openly use the wording "USA Market Place". It's usually non-US scammers who do that to emphasize they are in the US and try to manipulate buyers into thinking the "shop" is in Alabama. The misspelled "PLLACE" is another dead giveaway.

Then you have this invoice nonsense. You are obviously avoiding the ESCROW aspect of the discussion. It's clear you do not want to use escrow because this is a scam.

Our operators will contact you via the email address you entered. This is another piece of nonsense. There are no operators. The "operators" are you and your co-scammers.

Here's another thief, guys. Avoid and please tag the account.

Which escrow did you use? I'm especially interested in this part of your story.

Can you explain the escrow procedure? Who was the escrow for this transaction?

0.20 BTC is a lot of money. Did you ever think about asking for someone's opinion on this forum before doing this trade? Did it ever cross your mind that buying accounts is very risky, knowing the seller can recover the account easily?

And what was that? You emailed Estonia's police? Slim chance you might hear about an arrest.