Bitcoin ATM problem

[faber]

I bought some bitcoin at an ATM today.  A couple of moments after inserting my money the display on the ATM asked if the paper wallet printed correctly, it didn't (nothing came out) and so I pressed the key it said to press if it didn't print. It then displayed a string of 16 alpha-numeric characters with the message I should write them down or take a picture of them. I took a picture then decided to write the string down in case the picture was blurry. When I was half way through writing it the screen went back to the welcome string.

I'm not sure what to do with the string of characters. I tried entering them into a qr code generator, but my wallet told me it wasn't a valid bitcoin address. I thought I should have received two strings: a public address and private one. Is that right? If I did receive all I need how do I enter this string to my wallet (blcckchain.info) to receive the bitcoin?

[AgentofCoin]

Hello,
It is possible that the ATM gave you the private key, which will generate the address.
If it is the privatekey, then the steps in Blockchain.info are:
(1) Log into your blockchain.info wallet.
(2) Click the "Import/Export" tab.
(3) Advance Warning will pop up, click "I understand".
(4) On this new page, find "Import Private Key"
(5) Place the string of characters into this box (the string of characters are case sensitive)
(6) Then click "Add Private key".
(7) It may ask you to sweep or import the keys directly, you can import directly and move your bitcoins to another address you control.
(8.) You should now have the bitcoins you purchased from the ATM, in your blockchain.info wallet.

If this worked, then the "string of characters" was a private key.

[faber]

Thanks for your reply. When I do that I get the error message "Error importing private key: unknown key format"

Also, if that was a public key don't I also need the public key to add the bitcoin to my wallet, or am I misunderstanding it?

[AgentofCoin]

Thanks for your reply. When I do that I get the error message "Error importing private key: unknown key format"

Try your best to enter the "string of characters" exactly as your picture shows them.


A few questions may help in figuring this out.

(1) What was the name/brand of the ATM you used?

(2) Did the screen say that the "string of characters" was your address/private key?
(3) Did it say it was a recovery code and to call the company?

(4)Does the picture you took of the screen, have other numbers/letters that are longer?

(5) When you attempted to write down the "String of characters" before the screen went blank, was that the same as in the picture?

[notlist3d]

I would go back to ATM and talk to the owner.  They will be the most likely to be able to help, or them contacting their atm support depending on brand.

The only bad thing is I think this could be hard as I don't think ATM's store private keys for storage for security reasons.  If you truly don't have a good receipt I'm not sure what owner will do.

[pissedoff]

Contacting the person who owns it would be a good start they would probabl need to contact the manufactor though and this could take days to week the issue should get resolved!

[AgentofCoin]

...
Also, if that was a public key don't I also need the public key to add the bitcoin to my wallet, or am I misunderstanding it?

FYI, a private key is used to get your public key(address). If you have the private key, then you have both keys, and can spend the btc.
If you only have a public key(address), then you can not get the private key, and thus, you can not spend the btc.

Normally, with a paper wallet, it will give the address and privatekey in letter/number format and QR code format.
If your ATM gives a paper wallet, I would assume it would do as i said one line above ^.
Since you said it did not print the paper wallet (maybe because it was out of paper or w/e), it should have provided it on the screen and be in your picture.

In Blockchain.info, if you import the private key, it will automatically add BOTH the address and private key, and you could instantly use it.
OR in Blockchain.info, you can ONLY add the address ("Watch Only Address"), and NOT the privatekey, so that you can see your balance, but it is not spendable.
it only becomes spendable after you import the private key.

[notlist3d]

Contacting the person who owns it would be a good start they would probabl need to contact the manufactor though and this could take days to week the issue should get resolved!

Is there much they can do from company?   I just cant imagine these storing the private keys.  Maybe I'm wrong and they do.   Just seems like a bad idea.

[faber]

It appears I should have received a string of about 34 characters, not 16. I'll assume that if the screen hadn't timed out before I finished writing the characters down and hit the * key it would have given me a second screen with the additional information. It's a problem with the ATM if it doesn't have controls built in to ensure a transaction is successfully completed.

Unfortunately, the store with the machine closed shortly before I went back. I'll go back tomorrow to talk to the store owner.

[notlist3d]

It appears I should have received a string of about 34 characters, not 16. I'll assume that if the screen hadn't timed out before I finished writing the characters down and hit the * key it would have given me a second screen with the additional information. It's a problem with the ATM if it doesn't have controls built in to ensure a transaction is successfully completed.

Unfortunately, the store with the machine closed shortly before I went back. I'll go back tomorrow to talk to the store owner.

I would make sure to talk to store owner and get contact information.  I never thought about it but if they put a BTC atm and give out partial numbers they could make fiat from scamming people thinking they have BTC on their receipt.

Hopefully someone is not doing this, but I had never thought of this before it could be a way of being scammed.

[Jeremycoin]

Did you buy the BTCitcoin using BTCitcoin ATM or using normal ATM?

[Professor James Moriarty]

Did you buy the BTCitcoin using BTCitcoin ATM or using normal ATM?

Pretty certain he means Bitcoin ATM...right op?

[notlist3d]

Did you buy the BTCitcoin using BTCitcoin ATM or using normal ATM?

Pretty certain he means Bitcoin ATM...right op?

Yes I'm sure OP does.  Since he mentioned a paper wallet with half right information. 

A regular ATM does not do you much good as far as buying BTC unless you meet with someone face to face.

[pawel7777]

It appears I should have received a string of about 34 characters, not 16. I'll assume that if the screen hadn't timed out before I finished writing the characters down and hit the * key it would have given me a second screen with the additional information. It's a problem with the ATM if it doesn't have controls built in to ensure a transaction is successfully completed.

Unfortunately, the store with the machine closed shortly before I went back. I'll go back tomorrow to talk to the store owner.

16 characters seem way too short, although there's such thing as 'mini' private key. From bitcoin wiki:

Mini private key format

Some applications use the mini private key format. Not every private key or Bitcoin address has a corresponding mini private key - they have to be generated a certain way in order to ensure a mini private key exists for an address. The mini private key is used for applications where space is critical, such as in QR codes and in physical bitcoins. The above example has a mini key, which is:
SzavMBLoXU6kDrqtUVmffv

The example shows 22 characters. But maybe it's worth to look for bitcoin wallet/service that supports mini keys and see whether this works.

[kwaasteniet]

Be aware that the adress is upper-undercase sensitive. type it exact in!

[TheNabeel]

i wish there was an bitcoin atm in my country as well 

[notlist3d]

i wish there was an bitcoin atm in my country as well 

Depending if you have a decent place with security you could set one up.  I think main thing is having decent security as it is not super secure like a fiat atm.

There are different grades of them though.  I have seen some that look more like a regular ATM, and lower cost that basically accept money and look like a tablet attached.

[vishwaratna]

Buying the Bitcoin from the Robocoin ATM was at least a straightforward process. It happened like you saw in the video--I had to create an account with the Bitcoin Agents through the Robocoin machine, giving it my telephone number (for SMS verification), creating a PIN, scanning my palm, letting it take my photo, and then also scan a copy of my driver's license. That's a whole lot of personal information, which in retrospect was pretty stupid of me. Bitcoin Agents holds on to that identification data to comply with government anti-money laundering laws, but there's no promise that they can't be hacked or won't use that information for suspect ventures in the future. Anecdotally, my identity hasn't be stolen yet, but I have received on average one strange telemarketing call a week since signing up for Robocoin--the first of which was from an adult chat service just hours after giving the Robocoin machine my phone number.

There's also the matter of the transaction fee, which for one Bitcoin (~$617 at time of purchase) was $38, or over 6%. Robocoin operators make money from these fees, which they charge for both buying and selling of Bitcoins. These fees are just one of the sources of controversy regarding Bitcoin ATMs; in Vancouver, the Robocoin operator had to hire a part-time chaperone to watch over the kiosk and prevent other traders from intercepting customers with the promise of lower-cost or free transactions.

[yeponlyone]

i wish there was an bitcoin atm in my country as well 

Depending if you have a decent place with security you could set one up.  I think main thing is having decent security as it is not super secure like a fiat atm.

There are different grades of them though.  I have seen some that look more like a regular ATM, and lower cost that basically accept money and look like a tablet attached.

if you were to set up a Bitcoin ATM, you need to comply with the local AML and KYC policy.

It is easier to scan qr code of the Bitcoin address and send the Bitcoin directly to it. If it's not possible, take several pictures of the private key and make sure they are all clear instead of copying them down. As a good measure, send all the Bitcoin immediately to your own wallet incase your phone gets corrupted.