Are tumblers necessary or superfluous?

I have been using the Bitcoin Fog tumbler service until recently. I generally have had a positive experience but, the last time, my payment was delayed for several days. I am not the only complainant about their tardy service.

I have been looking at several threads on DNM and am wondering whether a tumbler service is actually needed.

One idea seems to be to convert BTC into LTC and then back again (unless the site directly accepts LTC). As I understand it, the use of a different currency, negates the possibility of tracing the BTC on the blockchain. Is this correct?

How would you hide the source of your BTC? Let's assume that you have purchased them through a mainstream provider with a bank transfer. What would you now do to hide their provenance prior to making your purchases?

Sidenote: I also wonder how easy it is to link a BTC address to the provider e.g Blockchain.info, Coinbase, BTC-E, Vicurex, and suchlike. Is there a simple way to achieve this? I suspect not but would like confirmation.

Many thanks for your input.


Comments


[3 Points] None:

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[3 Points] kuhgfvytf6r8yf:

I do not tumble. I use bitcoins for legitimate purchases and I sell them locally, easy money for meeting people in a coffee shop for 30 min. I always have some BTC sitting around in one of my "legit" wallets.

I only send BTC to markets from wallets I generate using tails and I never send coins back to my "legit" wallet after it has gone to my market wallet. I usually just keep the change around or donate a few $ to TOR or tails.


[2 Points] None:

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[2 Points] None:

Not necessary but it is nice to know you're safe.

If you buy using BTC using something anonymous (Cash, ukash, paysafecard etc) then there really is no point though. It's only actually useful if you're using something tied to you to buy the bitcoins such as debit card.


[2 Points] monstergroupF1:

This question keeps coming up and it seems that it keeps coming up for a good reason: there is not a single definitive answer.

I have read a few posts about slowness and even "scamming" with tumblers-- and due to the clandestine nature of tumbling it is bound to attract theives. Just as when buying drugs there is no recourse to the law (ie. "officer the drug dealer stole my money!") --there is little recourse for those who are scammed while tumbling beyond raising the ire of the "community" to damage the reputation of the service-- and we always end up wondering if it is just slander.

This is not to say that the services or the criticism are not without value-- or that most are even scammed. I've been able to tumble without any issue -- yet it seems that it is just the large ammounts that need to be tumbled most and that's just where the risk skeeves me out the most.

Thankfully, I'm not a player in the markets-- so this is onlya choice in theory.

I would imagine that sucessful earners have other methods for remixing their coins that do not expose them to as much risk-- There must be better ways.

One concept I've considered are paper BTC. If you print out your coin in small ammounts and then wait no one can say how many people have had that note. (it would be good to check the value, possibly from different ips, from week to week, before moving to one or two more destinations)

too simple?


[2 Points] alltheshrams:

Tumbling is an absolute waste of time and money for 99% of DNM users. The only way law enforcement would ever even care about a money trail and putting the effort into tracking bitcoins would be if it were high level federal charges for market owners like Ulbricht or VERY high volume dealers.

The two most likely charges for low-level personal use quantity buyers would be possession and/or possession with intent to distribute (which can be charged dependent on the quantity). Neither of those charges requires proving a money trail, and therefore LE won't give a flying fuck how you paid for your drugs.

You have to weigh the value vs the cost, and the only way tumbling has any value whatsoever is if you're dealing in five or six figures worth of coin or more.

Of course if you're ridiculously paranoid and have a boner about redundant OPSEC...go ahead and keep tumbling if it makes you feel better. Just realize that it's not actually providing you any protection that will ever be useful to you.


[1 Points] lsdood:

I always tumble, for safety. The litecoin route can still be traced.. Trace the purchase of the litecoins, then trance the life coins outve the wallet and back to into bitcoins. Don't use bitcoin fog though. Selective scammers


[1 Points] None:

This might help you out


[1 Points] eybruh:

Tumbling helps me sleep better at night.


[1 Points] None:

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[1 Points] DNMd:

If Bitcoinfog is going sketchy, can we still trust Agora?


[0 Points] None:

I never use it. Who cares about personal amounts of btc