Silk Road forums

Discussion => Security => Topic started by: b33m01 on November 21, 2011, 05:11 pm

Title: How to be safe with BTC?
Post by: b33m01 on November 21, 2011, 05:11 pm
Hello,
I was wondering if someone can outline the safest way to buy and use BitCoins. I've heard of using Instawallet a few times over, this seems like a good idea.
Thanks all
Title: Re: How to be safe with BTC?
Post by: rusty on November 21, 2011, 06:03 pm
Open Dwolla.com account
Link to Bank account
transfer money to Dwolla
transfer money to mtgox.com
buy bitcoins
transfer to instawallet or SR
buy stuff

It does take awhile.
Title: Re: How to be safe with BTC?
Post by: branflakes on November 21, 2011, 07:08 pm
There is also the #bitcoin-otc IRC channel. You'll almost most certainly pay a premium on the coins but it's much faster than doing multiple transfers. Plus, you'd pay some kind of premium on Dwolla anyway.
Title: Re: How to be safe with BTC?
Post by: imunknown2u on November 21, 2011, 07:29 pm
Open Dwolla.com account
Link to Bank account
transfer money to Dwolla
transfer money to mtgox.com
buy bitcoins
transfer to instawallet or SR
buy stuff

It does take awhile.

I do this with no problems. Once you have account links to Dwolla, you can go to mtgox and request $ through dwolla using your bank account (rather than transfering to dwolla, then transfering to Mtgox). Buy bitcoins, then I transfer to my Bitcoin wallet, then to an instawallet, then to SR.
Title: Re: How to be safe with BTC?
Post by: b33m01 on November 21, 2011, 07:33 pm
Many thanks for the quick replies, one more question. Is it safe to do all this within TOR? I don't know if I trust it enough to enter things like bank account info while using it
Title: Re: How to be safe with BTC?
Post by: rusty on November 21, 2011, 07:39 pm
Many thanks for the quick replies, one more question. Is it safe to do all this within TOR? I don't know if I trust it enough to enter things like bank account info while using it

You can, but dwolla and mt gox are on clearnet. I just used a regular browser to set up those accounts since they are pretty much trackable to me anyway.
Title: Re: How to be safe with BTC?
Post by: Aliahad on November 21, 2011, 10:45 pm
Be sure to transfer them to a wallet first, then to SR. But do you need to do the wallet step through Tor or on clearnet?
Title: Re: How to be safe with BTC?
Post by: CrunchyFrog on November 22, 2011, 03:56 am
...do you need to do the wallet step through Tor or on clearnet?
If they don't already know who or where you are, why tell them by revealing your IP address?  (Exception: those using open wifi connections.)

The end points of the chain -- your funding source (bank) and package carrier (postal service) -- would normally know these things anyway, so it makes good sense to *not* use Tor when accessing their sites in order to avoid arousing suspicion.  Using Tor with the intermediary wallet(s) and/or tumbler(s) would only seem to make good sense; they have no need to know anything other than a username and passphrase, if that.