Silk Road forums

Discussion => Security => Topic started by: Sonitchka on March 24, 2012, 08:36 pm

Title: New Buyer Preparing for First Purchase - Please rate my bitcoin purchasing plan
Post by: Sonitchka on March 24, 2012, 08:36 pm
Okay, so I'm getting ready to take the plunge after a decent amount of lurking and reading through forum posts to make sure I do it right.  This is my plan, please let me know if it's stupid or needs correcting. For the record, I am only purchasing personal amounts of things like cannabis and psychedelics, not like, kilos of coke or something:

1.) Buy bitcoins through wm-center using western union.  Paying cash in person using a fake name and agent at location where I don't typically shop. Access wm-center through tor and give same fake name as giving western union but different from anything SR related, and provide tormail address unrelated to handles and tormail used for silkroad. Bitcoins sent to wallet on my computer, newly created and connecting through a socks proxy.

2.) Send bitcoins from wallet to bitcoin fog, withdraw only as much as needed for first transaction to SR wallet.

3.) Purchase desired item from trusted seller who has been on SR more than one month and has a high feedback score on a good quantity of transactions.  As I am a new buyer, get permission to order before doing so and finalize early.

4.) Give real name and shipping address of trusted friend who has agreed to receive shipments and knows better than to say anything except, "I would like to talk to my lawyer" to cops in case of controlled delivery.  Send shipping name and address GPG encrypted to seller's tormail.

5.) Once package is received, trusted friend writes "Return to Sender" on outside of package and waits three days to open.

6.) Retrieve spoils.

If more experienced vets could give their opinion on this method and what the potential security flaws might be, please let me know.  My biggest concern is giving Western Union a fake name.  Will they ask me for ID if sending less than $500?  Will they look up and somehow find out the name is not real and have that be some sort of red flag?  What about wm-center?  I heard Mt. Gox flags accounts accessed through tor.  Will wm-center do the same?  Does providing a tormail email address raise suspicion?  Thanks in advance for any advice more seasoned members of the community are able and willing to provide.

Title: Re: New Buyer Preparing for First Purchase - Please rate my bitcoin purchasing plan
Post by: Prawl42 on March 24, 2012, 08:40 pm
Im in a similar situation, sounds pretty sound but would be interested in what others think :)
Title: Re: New Buyer Preparing for First Purchase - Please rate my bitcoin purchasing plan
Post by: Soul-to-Squeeze on March 24, 2012, 08:58 pm
Im also in the same boat. The hardest thing about this whole process is buying these fucking bitcoins anonymously.

VETS PLEASE HELP A BROTHER OUT
Title: Re: New Buyer Preparing for First Purchase - Please rate my bitcoin purchasing plan
Post by: Tagore on March 25, 2012, 09:18 am
To the OP-

Have never used WM--Center, so can't comment on that aspect,

But you have thought out your process better than probably 90% of the buyers on this site- You should be OK.

Just check for VM center's policy on accessing through TOR and if necessary you can simply access your account from clearnet on a public network. In any case, if yo are planning on tumbling the coins after purchase before sending them to SR, buying them anonymously is not absolutely necessary... Just depends what you're comfortable with.
Title: Re: New Buyer Preparing for First Purchase - Please rate my bitcoin purchasing plan
Post by: raven92 on March 25, 2012, 10:43 am
bitcoinfog.com (1-3%) fee, not too bad to help obscure your coin.
Title: Re: New Buyer Preparing for First Purchase - Please rate my bitcoin purchasing plan
Post by: PooDollar65 on March 25, 2012, 12:53 pm
BTCking on SR. He's been my go-to guy for my last couple transactions. Anonymous and quick.
Title: Re: New Buyer Preparing for First Purchase - Please rate my bitcoin purchasing plan
Post by: QTC on March 25, 2012, 04:17 pm
you are planning on loading your coins anonymously so you don't really need to mix them but it cannot hurt.
Title: Re: New Buyer Preparing for First Purchase - Please rate my bitcoin purchasing plan
Post by: Sonitchka on March 25, 2012, 04:56 pm
Thanks folks.  I appreciate the feedback.  The only thing I'm worried about is needing to show ID at Western Union at this point.  A couple of sources seem to indicate that for the amount I'm sending it shouldn't be necessary, but if it is I will have to cancel my order and sign up again with my legit info - or just go through BTCBuddy or SugarMama or someone.

The only reason I'm mixing the coins in addition to sending the WU anonymously is because of a forum post where someone mentioned that neither is totally anonymous.  That poster had said that without mixing your purchase could theoretically be linked to the cash-in point (at WU they could theoretically pull up video footage of the person sending the money).  But with using your real information and then mixing, you could still be traced to having bought bitcoins that can't be accounted for due to mixing.  If that's the case in the midst of a controlled delivery... it might be hard to explain.  Evidence would only be circumstantial I think, but nevertheless...  Anyhow, I may not stick with that method forever, because it is overall kinda pricy to pay both the WU fee and the 1-3% for bitcoinfog, but I'm hoping it's a  pretty solid method as long as WU doesn't want ID.
Title: Re: New Buyer Preparing for First Purchase - Please rate my bitcoin purchasing plan
Post by: tinytim on March 25, 2012, 08:58 pm
Sonitchka,

I have worked all this out for my own purposes.  There are absolutely safe ways to achieve what you want but I will not describe them here because I want to retain that advantage.   I will tell you that you are much safer than the average joe (most do bank transfers from their bank account to dwolla, DOH!).   Good job.


I will share a one piece of advice:  If your solution is foolproof then it doesn't matter, but if there's any crack you should stay in the shadows.   Giving up the security of the shadows in order to be more secure only works if it really is foolproof.  If you have any doubt at all weigh the compromises carefully.

-tim