Physical safety and BTC influencers

[bitterguy28]

Anonymity on the Bitcoin network depends heavily on our actions, so I would not recommend relying solely on the tools that can be used in the Bitcoin protocol. Before doing anything, think about what it might lead to in the future. Do not disclose that you own Bitcoin and do not link your wallets to your identity, and then the likelihood that someone will hunt for your savings will be minimal. The same applies to fiat money, but unlike extortion with fiat money, it is much easier for an attacker to hide with the obtained Bitcoin than with fiat money, including cash.

I do not understand how someone can link their wallet to their identity in real life? If someone really says in public in real life (I don't mean forum where you can be anonymous)  that I own Bitcoins and this is my wallet, then this person is stupid.

people think the internet is their diary they post anything and everything with their entire personal information blasted out for the public to see

many do not understand the consequences of their actions until it is too late and they are already being harmed even if it is only being posted on the internet it can still harm them in real life

[arabspaceship123]

They're worried about their safety they don't want to be kidnapped or pay ransom to ppl who're holding their families. Most of the responsibility for crypto crime can't be on social media companies it's because ppl post their private activity.

Their safety shouldn't be in their minds all ppl deserve to be safe. It doesn't matter which job they're doing they've got a right to be safe. If they're visible like social media influencers or company owners they shouldn't be scared they'll be kidnapped or their families are in danger.

They must be worried about their safety and security regardless of whether they have a lot of bitcoins or not. Their faces and identities are exposed through videos posted on various social media - so many people must know them and bad guys will target them for easy money. You can't say they don't care - in fact, many influencers who have a lot of assets will hire bodyguards for their safety and their family.

[john_egbert]

people think the internet is their diary they post anything and everything with their entire personal information blasted out for the public to see

many do not understand the consequences of their actions until it is too late and they are already being harmed even if it is only being posted on the internet it can still harm them in real life

It's all fun and giggles before the first disaster happens regarding the matter.

[arabspaceship123]

I'm sure the ppl who've already been kidnapped & tortured didn't expect they'd face it. They posted in their social media because everybody's doing it they didn't expect they were going to get kidnapped. Crypto ppl know about dangers of posting their life's stories in social media so they've got to be careful.

people think the internet is their diary they post anything and everything with their entire personal information blasted out for the public to see

many do not understand the consequences of their actions until it is too late and they are already being harmed even if it is only being posted on the internet it can still harm them in real life

It's all fun and giggles before the first disaster happens regarding the matter.

[Fiasem20]

Before becoming a Bitcoin influencer, prioritize your security and that of your loved ones.Attackers often target influencers' families when they can't reach the individual directly.Many assume crypto influencers have substantial crypto holdings, but often, they're simply sharing knowledge with their audience.As a crypto holder,discretion is key,avoid disclosing your holdings publicly.With the rise in crypto-related physical attacks, safety should be your top priority.Many crypto holders have fallen victim to abduction due to publicly disclosing their holdings.As a holder,it's unsettling when you can't keep your assets private without compromising your safety.

[arabspaceship123]

Influencers like showing off so they're getting attention from likes & followers. It doesn't mean they've got millions we don't know their crypto balance but ppl look at their social medias so getting info about their private life. They should make their safety a priority before they're posting info.

Before becoming a Bitcoin influencer, prioritize your security and that of your loved ones.Attackers often target influencers' families when they can't reach the individual directly.Many assume crypto influencers have substantial crypto holdings, but often, they're simply sharing knowledge with their audience.As a crypto holder,discretion is key,avoid disclosing your holdings publicly.With the rise in crypto-related physical attacks, safety should be your top priority.Many crypto holders have fallen victim to abduction due to publicly disclosing their holdings.As a holder,it's unsettling when you can't keep your assets private without compromising your safety.

[Sticky Bomb]

Anonymity on the Bitcoin network depends heavily on our actions, so I would not recommend relying solely on the tools that can be used in the Bitcoin protocol. Before doing anything, think about what it might lead to in the future. Do not disclose that you own Bitcoin and do not link your wallets to your identity, and then the likelihood that someone will hunt for your savings will be minimal. The same applies to fiat money, but unlike extortion with fiat money, it is much easier for an attacker to hide with the obtained Bitcoin than with fiat money, including cash.

I do not understand how someone can link their wallet to their identity in real life? If someone really says in public in real life (I don't mean forum where you can be anonymous)  that I own Bitcoins and this is my wallet, then this person is stupid. If you just say that you own Bitcoin, then no one will know your wallet unless that person works in an exchange that you use and has access to the all the data but majority of us here use Electrum, some of us exchange coins through decentralised exchanges.

In my country, lots of people no longer use cash and the security of online banking is really high if you want it to be. Banks also have good insurance for customers. Banks here are doing really well, two of local banks here have one of the best UI/UX designs in the world.

There are likely members who are transacting with their bitcoin, and they can transact directly onchain or maybe they use a lightning wallet.

I doubt that it is a good idea for guys to be getting scared away from transacting with bitcoin in the real world, when there are opportunities to do so.  A lot of the power of bitcoin comes from being able to transact directly with other people and with no one being able to stop such transaction.

So even if their main storage of bitcoin might be kept separately and private, there could be situations where guys are either transacting with large transactions or guys might be using a wallet that has a high BTC balance, and even if the amount transacted might not be large, the balance of the change can be seen.. ... so if a guy might be buying some good or service worth a few hundred dollars, yet he is using a wallet with several thousand dollars, then the person who is engaged on the other side of the transaction may well see the change address...so it seems that some of us are suggesting to use wallets (or addresses) that have lower amounts of BTC contained in them or perhaps using lightning network, it might be more difficult to see the quantity of bitcoin in the originating wallet address.

I feel that in order to continue protecting yourself from visibility and attacks, holders of heavy what balances can still split it into multiple addresses of smaller UTXOs and spend from them individually so that when the attacker sees the little balance on any sending address, he would not be very motivated, or even if he further traces the funds to the parent wallet, he wouldn't see much balance, if at all in it and may not really have a wild guess that the other transactions made by it was sent to other addresses still owned by the person.

Additionally, it would be better if all your holdings aren't in only a wallet, you can have more than one non-custodial wallet and store the seed phrases offline at different places to limit the risk of losing all your coins at once in case of eventuality.

[_BlackStar]

They're worried about their safety they don't want to be kidnapped or pay ransom to ppl who're holding their families. Most of the responsibility for crypto crime can't be on social media companies it's because ppl post their private activity.

That's right - no one is responsible for the leaking of user data on any social media platform - that is why every user should be wise in posting anything there. If it is sensitive data that is potentially dangerous ^{[financial data]} then it makes no sense to post it on social media where it will be viewed by the public. It is highly recommended to maintain financial privacy - you never know who wants it from you.

The internet is not a safe place to store any type of sensitive data - in fact, you will always be advised not to store your bitcoin online. If you do - then you should know the consequences and be prepared to take responsibility for the risks yourself.

[Jaycoinz]

The issue of physical safety for BTC or cryptocurrency hodlers  has been debated many times on the forum, and following several kidnappings of crypto influencers' relatives in France (but these kidnappings obviously also occur in other countries), how can btc influencers ensure their safety and that of their loved ones?

How can they both have visibility AND ensure their safety?

Well they choose that line of work and obviously they have to face the dangers involved because Bitcoin itself originally is an asset that is meant for privacy and what else do you expect when you go online and flex and flaunt about the amount of Bitcoin in your possession, you will definitely be a target for criminals to attack you and that's just the truth about.

[Hatchy]

How can they both have visibility AND ensure their safety?

You can definitely be an influencer and still keep a low profile. It all comes down to how you decide to show yourself to the world. Remember whatever you do people are watching, so it's always smart to prioritize your safety.If you don't take precautions you could face unexpected repercussions. For influencers who can afford it, getting topnotch security for yourself and your loved ones is a wise move to stay safe.

For a regular Bitcoin holder it's best to maintain a private life and enjoy your funds discreetly. Staying silent doesn't hurt. In fact, it can help keep you relaxed and make pronounced decisions...

[JayJuanGee]

Anonymity on the Bitcoin network depends heavily on our actions, so I would not recommend relying solely on the tools that can be used in the Bitcoin protocol. Before doing anything, think about what it might lead to in the future. Do not disclose that you own Bitcoin and do not link your wallets to your identity, and then the likelihood that someone will hunt for your savings will be minimal. The same applies to fiat money, but unlike extortion with fiat money, it is much easier for an attacker to hide with the obtained Bitcoin than with fiat money, including cash.

I do not understand how someone can link their wallet to their identity in real life? If someone really says in public in real life (I don't mean forum where you can be anonymous)  that I own Bitcoins and this is my wallet, then this person is stupid.

people think the internet is their diary they post anything and everything with their entire personal information blasted out for the public to see

many do not understand the consequences of their actions until it is too late and they are already being harmed even if it is only being posted on the internet it can still harm them in real life

Yep.  Some folks do not even realize the consequences of their putting so much personal information out there, and in some sense, they consider that they are getting benefits by "making themselves" known in personal and image-related ways.  It can be tough to deal with some of these kinds of people when they are posting their own personal information and they are also posting the personal information of other people, and if the other people confront them with the problematic nature of publishing so much personal information, even of other people, they have difficulties conceptualizing how it is problematic, and they sometimes even believe that the world is better with everyone being transparent and not trying to be so private...

I have been asked "what is it that I am hiding" since I don't want my information published?  Do I have some kind of a "secret life" that I am trying to keep hidden. .and so there becomes an assumption that my own motives are less than honorable because I am not wanting my personal information (such as my image and/or my name and/or my location) being disclosed.  Some of these same people consider devices like Alexa and/or smart doorbells (Ring camera) are such great things to have, and they cannot conceptualize the downside of such spying devices in which is questionable how the data is being used and/or how long it might be stored..and of course, how well it is secured, too.  There is a bit of a fiasco with the use of genetics-related data with the company "23 and me," and their change of ownership... In the context of their filing for bancrupcy, too?

Anonymity on the Bitcoin network depends heavily on our actions, so I would not recommend relying solely on the tools that can be used in the Bitcoin protocol. Before doing anything, think about what it might lead to in the future. Do not disclose that you own Bitcoin and do not link your wallets to your identity, and then the likelihood that someone will hunt for your savings will be minimal. The same applies to fiat money, but unlike extortion with fiat money, it is much easier for an attacker to hide with the obtained Bitcoin than with fiat money, including cash.

I do not understand how someone can link their wallet to their identity in real life? If someone really says in public in real life (I don't mean forum where you can be anonymous)  that I own Bitcoins and this is my wallet, then this person is stupid. If you just say that you own Bitcoin, then no one will know your wallet unless that person works in an exchange that you use and has access to the all the data but majority of us here use Electrum, some of us exchange coins through decentralised exchanges.

In my country, lots of people no longer use cash and the security of online banking is really high if you want it to be. Banks also have good insurance for customers. Banks here are doing really well, two of local banks here have one of the best UI/UX designs in the world.

There are likely members who are transacting with their bitcoin, and they can transact directly onchain or maybe they use a lightning wallet.
I doubt that it is a good idea for guys to be getting scared away from transacting with bitcoin in the real world, when there are opportunities to do so.  A lot of the power of bitcoin comes from being able to transact directly with other people and with no one being able to stop such transaction.

So even if their main storage of bitcoin might be kept separately and private, there could be situations where guys are either transacting with large transactions or guys might be using a wallet that has a high BTC balance, and even if the amount transacted might not be large, the balance of the change can be seen.. ... so if a guy might be buying some good or service worth a few hundred dollars, yet he is using a wallet with several thousand dollars, then the person who is engaged on the other side of the transaction may well see the change address...so it seems that some of us are suggesting to use wallets (or addresses) that have lower amounts of BTC contained in them or perhaps using lightning network, it might be more difficult to see the quantity of bitcoin in the originating wallet address.

I feel that in order to continue protecting yourself from visibility and attacks, holders of heavy what balances can still split it into multiple addresses of smaller UTXOs and spend from them individually so that when the attacker sees the little balance on any sending address, he would not be very motivated, or even if he further traces the funds to the parent wallet, he wouldn't see much balance, if at all in it and may not really have a wild guess that the other transactions made by it was sent to other addresses still owned by the person.

Additionally, it would be better if all your holdings aren't in only a wallet, you can have more than one non-custodial wallet and store the seed phrases offline at different places to limit the risk of losing all your coins at once in case of eventuality.

Of course separating wallets and trying to be careful in regards to transactions can be measures to easily draw attention to higher wallet balances that a person might have, yet at the same time, people can make mistakes and not realize it and they can also be accused of having balances that they don't have, merely because some higher level balances might be included in various back-hops.. whether a couple of hops or maybe even only 1 hop back.  Some criminals might have the wrong idea, and they may well not accept the explanation that is given after they had already committed themselves to attacking their target.  We cannot necessarily count on kind-hearted criminals to possess empathy and/or sympathy when they are also likely motivated to not getting caught.. and once they get into personal face to face encountering space, they have bridged a higher level of risk in terms of their getting caught.

[Doan9269]

How can they both have visibility AND ensure their safety?

Are we talking about visibility  here or safety, what does visibility benefits a bitcoin holder, when at the end he is going to get kidnapped or any of his family members, or maybe the hackers can even set him as a target for scam, knowing about his worth.

I don't think having visibility is important in this regard when it comes to safety affairs with our bitcoin, i don't think we all have to be the same as Michael Saylor announcing about his buys each time when there are more other giant investors doing great more than he is investing and we don't hear about them, this make me to remember Bhutan, which has been mining bitcoin secretly over years with the use of Hydroelectric power supply and the world just recently know about them.

I think privacy is not only when we use a secured wallet, but when we are also mindful of the things we say and how we expose our worth to the public, like seriously, there is an increasing rate of crypto kidnappers.

[FortuneFollower]

How can they both have visibility AND ensure their safety?

Are we talking about visibility  here or safety, what does visibility benefits a bitcoin holder, when at the end he is going to get kidnapped or any of his family members, or maybe the hackers can even set him as a target for scam, knowing about his worth.

I don't think having visibility is important in this regard when it comes to safety affairs with our bitcoin, i don't think we all have to be the same as Michael Saylor announcing about his buys each time when there are more other giant investors doing great more than he is investing and we don't hear about them, this make me to remember Bhutan, which has been mining bitcoin secretly over years with the use of Hydroelectric power supply and the world just recently know about them.

I think privacy is not only when we use a secured wallet, but when we are also mindful of the things we say and how we expose our worth to the public, like seriously, there is an increasing rate of crypto kidnappers.

Staying humble about what you do is the way to go, especially when it's about something that appreciates time and effort from your side

[madnessteat]

Their safety shouldn't be in their minds all ppl deserve to be safe. It doesn't matter which job they're doing they've got a right to be safe. If they're visible like social media influencers or company owners they shouldn't be scared they'll be kidnapped or their families are in danger.

They must be worried about their safety and security regardless of whether they have a lot of bitcoins or not. Their faces and identities are exposed through videos posted on various social media - so many people must know them and bad guys will target them for easy money. You can't say they don't care - in fact, many influencers who have a lot of assets will hire bodyguards for their safety and their family.

As I understand it, attackers are not interested in celebrities, businesspeople, and politicians who keep their money in bank accounts, since they apparently do not have any information that these individuals have anything to do with cryptocurrencies. The attacks are clearly coordinated and designed to demand a ransom in cryptocurrency. So there is only one solution: do not talk about cryptocurrencies to anyone, and then life will be calmer. If a person does not have the opportunity to maintain their confidentiality, such as Michael Saylor, then such people will most likely have to hire a bodyguard.

[melinoe]

As I understand it, attackers are not interested in celebrities, businesspeople, and politicians who keep their money in bank accounts, since they apparently do not have any information that these individuals have anything to do with cryptocurrencies. The attacks are clearly coordinated and designed to demand a ransom in cryptocurrency. So there is only one solution: do not talk about cryptocurrencies to anyone, and then life will be calmer. If a person does not have the opportunity to maintain their confidentiality, such as Michael Saylor, then such people will most likely have to hire a bodyguard.

Staying stable and not disclose all the details regarding your successes is what we should do - only our close ones should know that.

[Die_empty]

How can they both have visibility AND ensure their safety?

You can definitely be an influencer and still keep a low profile. It all comes down to how you decide to show yourself to the world. Remember whatever you do people are watching, so it's always smart to prioritize your safety.If you don't take precautions you could face unexpected repercussions. For influencers who can afford it, getting topnotch security for yourself and your loved ones is a wise move to stay safe.

For a regular Bitcoin holder it's best to maintain a private life and enjoy your funds discreetly. Staying silent doesn't hurt. In fact, it can help keep you relaxed and make pronounced decisions...

Some of these influencers assume that flaunting wealth on the social media will improve their reputation. So they go to the extent of showing off expensive possessions, which is why they are targeted by criminals. Hiring a high-quality security outfit will be expensive, so only the rich ones might be able to afford it.

I know people would want to see proofs of wealth before they can believe some crypto influencers, but it will be better not to do that. Flaunting wealth can easily expose your location and worth. One can still be a successful influencer without showcasing wealth. I know there a many successful influencers who live moderately.

[Y3shot]

Staying stable and not disclose all the details regarding your successes is what we should do - only our close ones should know that.

This is another aspect of bitcoin that some investors struggle with; it takes discipline and understanding to remain silent about one's bitcoin investment, but some investors derive joy when they disclose their bitcoin investment to others. It is very important to learn how to keep your assets and bitcoin investments unknown to anybody, especially strangers. Letting people know about your investment won't add any value to it; it is better to keep it secret and focus on how to make it successful.

[ruykeri]

Staying stable and not disclose all the details regarding your successes is what we should do - only our close ones should know that.

This is another aspect of bitcoin that some investors struggle with; it takes discipline and understanding to remain silent about one's bitcoin investment, but some investors derive joy when they disclose their bitcoin investment to others. It is very important to learn how to keep your assets and bitcoin investments unknown to anybody, especially strangers. Letting people know about your investment won't add any value to it; it is better to keep it secret and focus on how to make it successful.

I agree with you. The most important features of Bitcoin is decentralization and user freedom. But if we destroy these things ourselves, then the loss will be ours.Those who tell stories and promote their holdings to show off  they are putting themselves in harm's way. As someone's wealth increases, the possibility of others harming them increases.
Bitcoin is one of the most valuable assets today, so we should keep our assets as private as possible.

[Scarlett_23]

Criminals attack Bitcoin holders after getting information. This is published by someone known to the Bitcoin holder after seeing the lifestyle of the Bitcoin investor. Criminals think that Bitcoin is very expensive, so having someone in control of this coin means that that person owns a lot of money.

As the saying goes, a dumb person has no enemies. Therefore, celebrities and owners of huge money and Bitcoin investors must remain silent and aware. Because if you hear that I have a lot of property, the enemy will automatically increase.

As a result, your own wealth and life may be threatened. Therefore, a Bitcoin investor must strengthen the issue of privacy and security in addition to controlling Bitcoin.

[arabspaceship123]

Criminals check social medias because they want to know how much money you've got. If you're showing off on social medias you're going to attract bad ppl who'll want to steal your crypto.