This is becoming a problem

[coolcoinz]

For future transactions, those of you who don't want the person you're paying to know how much you have, you can always divide your money into a few separate wallets, but this is important only for people who have a lot of btc and transact with people who know their ID.

I don't really care that the exchange knows how much I have when I sent them money. I'm by no means a top holder and I'm sure they know many people who have more, same with people that I send money to. If they come at me saying I'm rich they'll only make fools of themselves.  

Let me ask you this. What about rich people who live in expensive houses. You can check transactions for a property and see that the guy paid 2mil for the house, drives a 200k car, you know he's got money. So what? Are you going to beg for whatever is left like that relative of yours?

[Raflesia]

I owe someone in BTC, a close relative and it was time to pay up so I did, but later this relative of mine started accusing me of having large amount of Bitcoin left, he was able to check my balance on Bitcoin explorer, now he knows how much I have left and he won't shut up about it.

What's the deal with that since your only job is to pay back what you borrowed (there may be extra as collateral but that depends on the initial agreement) the rest is moot regardless of whether you still have bitcoins or not in your wallet it shouldn't matter.

The most important thing here is that you have paid off the loan in accordance with the terms of the initial agreement and it should be finished there without any more intervention because the total wealth you have and the total debt you have paid is not related at all.

For another thing, maybe I agree with some people who have responded that in the end it could be a mistake when we transact with other people including the closest people using our personal core wallet.

[Z-tight]

Since that is the address this person has knowledge of, you can send all the funds in that wallet to Bisq, which is a p2p exchange. You can then swap BTC for XMR in Bisq. And then move your XMR into an instant exchange and swap it back for BTC into a fresh address. To that person, you probably have sold your BTC and they would not have any knowledge of your funds again.

However, in the future, you should have a hot wallet for things like this and for spending on the go. In it you keep only a small amount of BTC and you'd be fine.

[Findingnemo]

Everything is transparent in Bitcoin's network, so if one got tx id and your primary address is linked with it then they know everything which is not just the balance but the whole transaction history from which address you received the funds from and where you send them too.

And there are many ways to break the chain for this particular use case, as said mixer can be good but not necessary, you can use coinjoin, which is cheaper and often free so it is hard to track from which address the funds were received. Or use LN, which breaks the connection too, and average Joe can't find the sender's information.

[Stalker22]

Your original mistake was paying your cousin directly from your wallet since you basically gave them a copy of all of your transactions to assess you on.  If you were genuinely worried about privacy, you should have paid him using an alternate/new address or through the use of an exchange.

Whats the deal with your cousin anyway?  Why does he care about how much bitcoin you hold?  Just tell him to STFU - you made that money and he has nothing to do with it.

[Questat]

I owe someone in BTC, a close relative and it was time to pay up so I did, but later this relative of mine started accusing me of having large amount of Bitcoin left, he was able to check my balance on Bitcoin explorer, now he knows how much I have left and he won't shut up about it.

This is your indication to become more conscious of your safety and security, because you may just have become a target for anyone who hears of the amount you have in Bitcoin, even without you knowing.

In your case, you now do not only have to be conscious of criminals online, that is, cybercriminals, but also about the people you have around you, including your family members.

This is a big realization that relatives may not be your family always, as they can turn to be your enemies in the future, so be careful on choosing the people whom to trust. Also, this is a reminder that if you have bitcoin in your wallet, or whatever coin it is, prioritize their safety and security first 24/7, and when you make transactions, be cautious  on how you'll do it and where your bitcoin is being transferred so that you can avoid losing or stealing issues, and you can get rid of those people who may be your family but turn out like scammers in the real sense.

[Odusko]

Your original mistake was paying your cousin directly from your wallet since you basically gave them a copy of all of your transactions to assess you on.  If you were genuinely worried about privacy, you should have paid him using an alternate/new address or through the use of an exchange.

Whats the deal with your cousin anyway?  Why does he care about how much bitcoin you hold?  Just tell him to STFU - you made that money and he has nothing to do with it.

Some people are lousy and make alot of noise and if you have such people get access to your financial dealing you are at risk of getting exposed to security risks, since they hype such more than expected and any little amount of money seems big to them that is why you see them making something big out of little scenario like this the ops already made his mistake to have made the payment via personal wallet instead of exchange wallet.

[r_victory]

If you don't want anyone to know how much bitcoin you have in your wallet, use a separate wallet for that purpose; that's why people have hot wallets and cold wallets. Now, if you don't care about that, tell him to mind his own business; what you owed has been paid.

[KingsDen]

I owe someone in BTC, a close relative and it was time to pay up so I did, but later this relative of mine started accusing me of having large amount of Bitcoin left, he was able to check my balance on Bitcoin explorer, now he knows how much I have left and he won't shut up about it.

I never expected him to take this very seriously and the amount isn't even very big like Big Big, but to him it seems like a big amount, I guess make a mistake sending Bitcoin to him through my wallet instead of exchange.

This must be reasons why people hide transactions and use mixers or something, I wish Bitcoin has a way to hide balance when people scan through explorer but it's not made to work this way.

I just read something like this a few minutes ago in the Beginners and help board, talking about sending someone USDC and the person started asking them why they left so much money in the wallet. Like, is this a trend, coincidence or a matter of copying ideas.
I won't be surprised to see similar thread again....

[terrific]

I owe someone in BTC, a close relative and it was time to pay up so I did, but later this relative of mine started accusing me of having large amount of Bitcoin left, he was able to check my balance on Bitcoin explorer, now he knows how much I have left and he won't shut up about it.

I never expected him to take this very seriously and the amount isn't even very big like Big Big, but to him it seems like a big amount, I guess make a mistake sending Bitcoin to him through my wallet instead of exchange.

This must be reasons why people hide transactions and use mixers or something, I wish Bitcoin has a way to hide balance when people scan through explorer but it's not made to work this way.

Yes, that's why it's important to remain anonymous when doing transactions.
But if that does bother you, start to ignore him and soon he'll also stop telling tales to your relatives of how much you really own.
After you pay your due to him, that's the end of the discussion and stop talking anything anymore about bitcoin after that if you don't like what he did to you.

[LogitechMouse]

I owe someone in BTC, a close relative and it was time to pay up so I did, but later this relative of mine started accusing me of having large amount of Bitcoin left, he was able to check my balance on Bitcoin explorer, now he knows how much I have left and he won't shut up about it.
---

So what if you have Bitcoin in your wallet? So what if he won't shut about it? Let him be. He's jealous obviously because you are holding Bitcoins while he? He might not have that's why he's constantly saying it to the public.

Maybe the best thing to do is for both of you to talk with each other about the problem. I don't have any experience when it comes to that one (lucky me), but if time comes that I will experience the same thing as yours, I will confront that relative as well and will ask him why. As for the mixers, it might be better if you will use it especially if you have a relative like that. Relatives like that are rare. Kidding aside, Maybe the solution is to change your wallet then transfer your Bitcoins on that exchange thru a mixer then just say to your relative that you've already sold your Bitcoins on the exchange already.

[tread93]

This must be reasons why people hide transactions and use mixers or something, I wish Bitcoin has a way to hide balance when people scan through explorer but it's not made to work this way.

Using exchange won't solve the issue if you send using BTC wallet address, since it can be tracked using explorer, unless you send through internal transfer.

Bitcoin is pseudonymous, it hides the identity behind the transactions but all transactions are public not private.

There is nothing you can do for now, better be mindful, in any case of physical attack, it's clear who to hold culprit as first suspect.

Oh man, this is rough. And this guy is one of OPs family memebers too. He sounds jealous and sounds like he doesn't have much money at all. But I still don't get why he would care that much especially if he had already been paid off. Perhaps OP had owed his family memeber some other debts from long ago that this family member was expecting him to pay back now that he knows he has more money? Either way i'm still confused why just the fact that he knows you have a little bitcoin is a problem, I wonder if OP could shed some more light on that.

[bounceback]

-snip-
This must be reasons why people hide transactions and use mixers or something, I wish Bitcoin has a way to hide balance when people scan through explorer but it's not made to work this way.

If bitcoin is designed to have such features then bitcoin will no longer be fully decentralized moreover decentralization is one of the factors that makes people interested in adopting bitcoin because every transaction will be recorded in the blockchain so that everyone can know in detail the amount when a transaction occurs, in this case you should blame yourself for telling your personal wallet to others even though bitcoin actually promises privacy to its users with great anonymity but you actually ignore the anonymous nature of bitcoin by telling your ownership to others, this case is an experience for us so that we do not ignore the basic properties of bitcoin so that our privacy remains safe.

[jcojci]

Why he accuse you of having large amount Bitcoin left? He should not do that because you have paid your debt and the matter is done. You don't have to respond to him, leave him and pretend you don't know anything.

It is about privacy where you will send your Bitcoin to others. You can send your Bitcoin to exchanges and send it again from exchanges so you have a reason if they ask about the Bitcoin amount. The other way is to split your Bitcoin into multiple wallets and keep your large Bitcoin amounts in a private wallet you never share with others.

[Somegory]

This could have been avoided, but I guess you never thought about it.

This is why it's good to have extra BTC wallet for transaction sake, assuming you plan to send BTC from your hardware wallet to someone it will show how much you are worth, not good, all you can do is send from your hardware wallet to a trust wallet or other first then send from that second wallet address to your family member.

If they track they won't see anything than empty balance, some family members like poking their noses into everything, I hope this person won't start telling others how rich you are, this can be dangerous for you, it's better you start denying it.

[AprilioMP]

I owe someone in BTC, a close relative and it was time to pay up so I did, but later this relative of mine started accusing me of having large amount of Bitcoin left, he was able to check my balance on Bitcoin explorer, now he knows how much I have left and he won't shut up about it.

I never expected him to take this very seriously and the amount isn't even very big like Big Big, but to him it seems like a big amount, I guess make a mistake sending Bitcoin to him through my wallet instead of exchange.

This must be reasons why people hide transactions and use mixers or something, I wish Bitcoin has a way to hide balance when people scan through explorer but it's not made to work this way.

Is the amount of Bitcoin you paid equal to your debt to him? If so, then you should be careful with the person you consider a close relative because he already knows the assets in the address that made the transaction with him.
This misconception may be because he thinks that you now have a lot of Bitcoin after he checked the transaction address, and I don't want to offend you by asking whether you explained to him that you sent BTC to him not from your wallet.

Your case serves as an example that Bitcoin addresses must be kept secure after transactions. This is what it means to be cautious in public spaces.

[bitbollo]

you can just say that this a ... a centralized exchange... and funds come from there.
Anyway I would find somewhat scary and definitely wrong that someone would ever TALK about that.
This is the same that you open your wallet to pay with few banknotes. This cannot be an argument for a conversation with no one...

[davis196]

I owe someone in BTC, a close relative and it was time to pay up so I did, but later this relative of mine started accusing me of having large amount of Bitcoin left, he was able to check my balance on Bitcoin explorer, now he knows how much I have left and he won't shut up about it.

I never expected him to take this very seriously and the amount isn't even very big like Big Big, but to him it seems like a big amount, I guess make a mistake sending Bitcoin to him through my wallet instead of exchange.

This must be reasons why people hide transactions and use mixers or something, I wish Bitcoin has a way to hide balance when people scan through explorer but it's not made to work this way.

So you paid back what you owe him, but he wants more BTC? Is your close relative a "loan shark" or something? Is he blackmailing you?
The transparency of the transactions on the blockchain has been praised as one of Bitcoin's biggest advantages, but I do get your point. Sometimes the transparency on the blockchain can be viewed as a flaw. Why do you owe him BTC and not fiat? You borrowed BTC from him, but for what purpose? I would never borrow BTC from anyone. I don't know why BTC lending is still a thing nowadays.
If the blackmailing continues, then maybe you should seek help from a lawyer.

[FinneysTrueVision]

Having your UTXOs consolidated into a larger amount is not very good for privacy. I don’t know if that was your situation, but in the future, it might be useful to have some smaller coins in your wallet so you don’t expose too much of your balance. You can use some privacy tools, but these are mainly used to hide where your funds came from, not the amount you own. There isn’t a perfect way to solve this, but a combination of coinjoin and coin selection can be robust enough to give you good privacy.

[Tmoonz]

I owe someone in BTC, a close relative and it was time to pay up so I did, but later this relative of mine started accusing me of having large amount of Bitcoin left, he was able to check my balance on Bitcoin explorer, now he knows how much I have left and he won't shut up about it.

I don't care if he knows everything about my holdings in crypto as long as am no longer owing him, after all the blockchain technology is an open distributed technology, open to every as long as they can track such from the wallet address used, piece the need for us to also learn the more ways we could maintain privacy with the use of bitcoin layer 2 protocol, which is off chain transaction, some other users make use of mixers, full node transaction using Bitcoincore or other privacy medium that may ease their transaction not being tracked.

We don't really have to say that we don't care about if others knows our holding, it really matters alot it is easy for anyone to become envious of your possession and can lunch and attack on you out of hatred and enviness and this can happen undermining if the person is better than you or some people don't like others achieving things in life they only want them to always be at the top and to always feel superior, honestly you life can be in danger if some people get to know about how large the size of your holding is and some times what you can be seeing as small can be very huge to them and they will wish to have everything all to themself even when they can not.