What is Bitcoin? Is it a scam?

Bitcoin is a new currency that was created in 2009 by an unknown person using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. Transactions are made with no middlemen – meaning, no banks! Bitcoin can be used to book hotels on Expedia, shop for furniture on Overstock, and buy Xbox games. But much of the hype is about getting rich by trading it. The price of bitcoin skyrocketed into the thousands in 2017.

We are eady to exchange BTC to Paypal

Why bitcoin?

Bitcoins can be used to buy merchandise anonymously. In addition, international payments are easy and cheap because bitcoins are not tied to any country or subject to regulation. Small businesses may like them because there are no credit card fees. Some people just buy bitcoins as an investment, hoping that they’ll go up in value.

Unfortunately, anyone chasing that fortune can also just as easily fall victim to opportunistic con artists and hackers who perpetrate Bitcoin scams. One of the benefits of cryptocurrency is that it’s unregulated by the government and very private. But that also makes it ripe for Bitcoin fraud.

If you're interested in Bitcoin, be aware of these potential scams.

Bitcoin Scam 1: Fake Bitcoin Exchanges

In 2017, South Korean financial authorities and the local Bitcoin community exposed one of the most insidious Bitcoin scams: a fake exchange called BitKRX. It presented itself as part of the largest trading platform in the country and took people’s money.

Bitcoin Scam 2: Ponzi Schemes

Bernie Madoff may be one of the most well-known Ponzi schemers. He did it with mainstream investments. But the principle of a pyramid scheme, in which you take money from new investors to pay previous investors, can be applied to Bitcoin scams. In 2019, three men were arrested in a $722 million cryptocurrency fraud scheme. The men operated BitClub Network for years. The scheme solicited money from investors in exchange for shares of cryptocurrency mining pools. It also supposedly rewarded investors for recruiting new investors.

As you can imagine, the investors never got any returns on their investments in the end.

Bitcoin Scam 3: Fake Cryptocurrencies

A common scam is to present a new cryptocurrency as an alternative to Bitcoin. The idea is that it’s too late to cash in on Bitcoin and that you need to invest in one of these up-and-coming cryptocurrencies. My Big Coin was shut down for this reason. The fraudsters behind My Big Coin took $6 million from customers to invest in the fake cryptocurrency and then redirected the funds into their personal bank accounts.

Bitcoin Scam 4: Old School Scams

If somebody emailed or called and said they were from the IRS and that you owed back taxes that had to be paid immediately, would you send them money? Unfortunately, many people do. Instead of having the victim wire money via Western Union or transfer funds to a bank account, con artists are contacting victims and demanding that victims transfer bitcoins. The best way to avoid this scam is to be skeptical of phone calls or emails that say they're from a government agency. Legitimate authorities wouldn’t contact you that way—and they won’t ask for bitcoins.

Bitcoin Scam 5: Malware

Malware has long been a way for hackers to get passwords needed to access computer networks or steal credit card and bank account numbers. Now they’re using it to conduct another one of the most common Bitcoin scams. If your Bitcoin wallet is connected to the internet, they can use malware to get access and drain your funds if you're not protecting yourself from malware.

You can download malware by clicking links in your email. You can also download it from websites and social media. There might be a post, for example, where someone claims a certain program allows you to mine bitcoins for free. Download it, and you could get malware.