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> The real solution is to drop bitcoin and use better technology. Walk into WalMart with cash and buy a prepaid gift card. Voilà. And the best part: it works l

> The real solution is to drop bitcoin and use better technology. Walk into WalMart with cash and buy a prepaid gift card. Voilà. And the best part: it works literally everywhere. Both the buying and the using. Unlike flavor-of-the-week crypto. Though, let's be real for a second, the ways to screw up from this point are many and varied. Accidentally use your home IP address to make the purchase? Oops. Did the naughty thing at Starbucks and there just happened to be a CCTV cam on you? Oh noes. Probably best to stay offline, use cash everywhere, limit your banking, turn off your smartphone, and move from location to location constantly. Or just give up. > O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.

geoduck14 6y ago
The Walmart gift card will only get you so far. You can't: buy a fancy boat, car, or house. You can't pay for your kids school supplies (or school tuition), or treat your wife to a fancy hair do. The money laundering laws try to stop people dealing in tens of thousands of dollars, who LIVE off of the money.
- t0mas88 6y ago
  I think you could buy a prepaid Visa? Or is that not a thing anymore?
  - geoduck14 6y ago
    Hmm.... That IS a thing, and I think they have limits up to $5k. Mind you, if you try to buy anything too big, you'll get put on a list somewhere. Also, something to keep in mind, most financial companies have a "Know Your Customer" stage where they verify you employment and income. If you are trying to buy a $20k thing, and your only income is "a stack of Visa Gift Cards", you're going to have a bad day.
Spooky23 6y ago
It’s a pretty obvious strategy that is scrutinized already. Try buying $500 gift cards routinely,
mekster 6y ago
So, you're saying a hacker controlling an innocent person's machine can easily get away with it because law enforcement would catch the innocent person instead? Or letting someone else to do that in Starbucks by buying him off would be quite easy.

geoduck14 6y ago

The Walmart gift card will only get you so far. You can't: buy a fancy boat, car, or house. You can't pay for your kids school supplies (or school tuition), or treat your wife to a fancy hair do. The money laundering laws try to stop people dealing in tens of thousands of dollars, who LIVE off of the money.

t0mas88 6y ago
I think you could buy a prepaid Visa? Or is that not a thing anymore?
- geoduck14 6y ago
  Hmm.... That IS a thing, and I think they have limits up to $5k. Mind you, if you try to buy anything too big, you'll get put on a list somewhere. Also, something to keep in mind, most financial companies have a "Know Your Customer" stage where they verify you employment and income. If you are trying to buy a $20k thing, and your only income is "a stack of Visa Gift Cards", you're going to have a bad day.

Spooky23 6y ago

It’s a pretty obvious strategy that is scrutinized already. Try buying $500 gift cards routinely,

mekster 6y ago

So, you're saying a hacker controlling an innocent person's machine can easily get away with it because law enforcement would catch the innocent person instead? Or letting someone else to do that in Starbucks by buying him off would be quite easy.