There are many reasons why people want to know how to buy Bitcoin anonymously, without any checks. This may be due to the fact that verifying documents and ID takes time (sometimes up to 2-3 days), but you need cryptocurrency right now. Also one of the reasons are the buyer’s concerns about safety. In case of personal data theft, attackers will be able to track his Bitcoin wallet, track all transactions and be aware of his financial situation.
In the end, people sometimes just do not want to advertise the size of their fortune. And initially Bitcoin was positioned precisely as a safer and more confidential way of making payments, compared to, for example, wire transfers. And although Bitcoin is a public network, and any user has access to transactions, there are several ways to buy Bitcoin anonymously.
Purchase through P2P-services
P2P-services are sites for buying and selling bitcoins between users, without intermediaries or third-party observers. The buyer and the seller find each other on a specialized site. Then agree on the exchange in a way, convenience for both (for example, buying BTC for cash).
There are a few popular P2P services where people can find a counterparty to a transaction in almost any country in the world.
LocalBitcoins
LocalBitcoins is one of the most popular P2P cryptoservices in the world. With its help you can find a seller in your own city. Or in the nearby ones (if you want to remain completely anonymous). And agree on a personal meeting. It is better to hold a meeting on neutral ground, in a cafe or in a park. In order to reduce the risk of fraud or robbery. Although such situations are very rare, it happened several times that during the Bitcoin exchange for fiat cash one of the participants robbed another, threatening with physical violence.
Before you agree on a meeting, you need to check the seller’s reputation. If he has an impressive rating and a lot of positive feedback, he is unlikely to be a criminal. In turn, sellers also prefer to meet with verified users, so be prepared that not every counterparty will be ready to make a deal with a person about whom he knows nothing except only the email address.
By the way, nominally on LocalBitcoins it is required to specify some personal data, including email. However, you can create a separate e-mail address for this service. And it is recommended to specify the remaining data, but this is not necessary.
You can pay for bitcoins either in cash (which is a more preferable option) or a one-time prepaid debit card. Such a card, as well as a gift card, can be purchased in a supermarket without registration and ID-verification. Or use a credit card to buy bitcoin anonymously.
Wall of Coins
WallofCoins.com – another service for P2P-exchange, especially popular in North America. The principle of operation is similar to LocalBitcoins, but there are some features that make Wall of Coins less anonymous.
First, to work in the service you need to specify not only the e-mail address, but also the phone number. They need phone number not for identification, but for interaction, but this is additional information.
Secondly, the service is an intermediary between the seller and the buyer: the seller lists the bitcoins in a secure depository, after which the buyer needs to transfer the fiat to the seller’s account. Then the service unlocks the bitcoins, and they are transferred to the buyer.
To transfer money to the seller’s account anonymously, replenish it with cash or prepaid card through the terminal.
Bitcoin-ATM terminals
The second way to buy Bitcoin anonymously is to purchase them through bitcoin-ATM. This method has, perhaps, only one drawback: not every city and town have such ATMs. To find out where the nearest bitcoin-ATM is located, you can use a special application. For our Canadian readers ICOPulse experts recommend a useful article that will help you find the nearest bitcoin ATM in Toronto.
To make a purchase of bitcoins through an ATM, you can use cash or credit card (in this case, as in the previous cases, a prepaid debit card is used to preserve anonymity). After that, bitcoins are listed on specified wallet.
You should note that some ATMs have cameras that capture the user’s face at the time of the transaction. Also, some terminals ask for identity confirmation.
But Bitcoin price in ATMs is generally higher than the market average by 5-10%. Before buying a large amount of cryptocurrency, it’s better to specify the company’s rate, in the ATM of which you intend to purchase BTC.
Cryptoexchanges and exchange services
On some cryptoexchanges, you can also buy Bitcoin without specifying personal data. This is because the identification of the user’s identity is necessary only in the case of transactions with fiat the currency fiat (this is a mandatory requirement of financial regulators). If transactions are made exclusively in the crypto currency, then the ID confirmation usually is not required.
However, in order to anonymously buy bitcoin through the exchange, it is necessary to have another cryptocurrency – operations with the Fiat will not work out. You can get altcoins in a variety of ways, from buying (some coins, like Dash and ZCash, are even easier to purchase anonymously than bitcoin) to mining and receiving as a reward for bounty campaign or something else. After that, you only have to to register on one of the suitable cryptoexchanges.
For the anonymous purchase of bitcoins with credit card or bank transfer, decentralized sites are best suited. There are a lot of such cryptoexchanges, but some services set limits on cryptocurrency per day and per month.
BitFinex
BitFinex is one of the world largest decentralized cryptoexchanges allowing you to trade in cryptocurrency without identification. It is enough to open an account on the trading floor, replenish the account in altcoins and buy bitcoin at a market price.
Note that there have been more frequent complaints of fraud on the part of cryptoexchange, as well as the inadequate protection of accounts from hacking.
Changelly
Changelly.com is not exactly classical cryptoexchange, but rather a service of decentralized exchange. To buy Bitcoin, you do not even have to register on the site – the exchange passes through cryptowallets from other services.
ShapeShift
ShapeShift.io works in a manner similar to the Changelly’s principle. Users customize the deal, indicate their wallet and transfer altcoins to the counterparty’s wallet. After that, Bitcoins come to their account.
Other ways to buy bitcoins
In addition to these, there are many ways to buy bitcoin anonymously, which requires certain personal data (for example, e-mail or phone), but do not require full identification, with a passport or receipt for utility bills indicating the address.
For example, the Coinmama.com service allows you to purchase bitcoins using a debit card (in our case, an unprimed prepaid card) for up to $ 150 USD (for a larger transaction, identification will be required).
After the anonymous purchase of bitcoins, you should also take care of the safe storage of cryptocurrency. Otherwise all privacy measures may be useless. The first advice that cryptoexperts give on this subject is not to store your bitcoins on exchange accounts. It is much safer to use decentralized services.
In addition, it is necessary to adhere to certain security measures, making transactions through P2P-services. The likelihood that your counterpart will want to rob you in a public place is very small. But he can try out to track you through a mobile number or by car number just of curiosity. Consider these nuances when going to a meeting with a stranger.
Reviews
Your comment has been sent successfully.
