Silk Road forums
Discussion => Security => Topic started by: monrovia on November 21, 2012, 07:08 am
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I'm a bit worried.
I went to 711, called moneygram, they say my location doesn't accept cash(which it has twice.) As I walk out the door, there's a cop in the lot. I leave and another cop cuts in front of me, goes really fast for a mile or two, then slows down so I have no choice but to pass him(2 lane road) then turns off after what I think was him looking at my license plate. I realize that I left my payment slip at the 7-11. If I was really being watched, they already have my plate and know what I look like, so I figured I would go back, and if I was worried for no reason, the paper should still be there(it was 2 in the morning.) I get back 15 minutes later. Cop still there. I go in and look at the machine and the paper is gone. After no one being behind the counter, a worker comes OUTSIDE and asks very suspiciously, "looking for something?" I told her I left a paper I needed to pay a bill, and she awkwardly said"Oh.....OK." As I leave, another cop pulls in the lot. All they can possibly have is my address, name, and description, and knowledge of the fact that I wanted to get bitcoins but I'm still freaked out. Now my address is compromised. I never get anything close to large amounts of anything but this is really messed up. Bitinstant may be compromised.
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It wasn't the first time I bought them. That's what made it weird at fist. I used the location twice and this time the location wouldn't accept cash. Then the 5/0 stuff... And the lady went out of her way to ask me if I was looking for something after not being visible when I went back in. I know they haven't caught me doing anything illegal, but my deal is they will probably assume that I'm doing something illegal and try to check my mail if, hypothetically, they have my plate #.
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Do you really think they would waste the resources of two cop cars to watch a small time user buying a legal product?
Your paranoid. Relax.
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all these newbie accounts fear-mongering
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I guess I'll digress. I just think it's bizarre that the payment slip wasn't either still there or in the very small, almost empty trash basket that was less than a foot away. I'm sorry though.... :-[
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I'm shakin!
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It wasn't the first time I bought them. That's what made it weird at fist. I used the location twice and this time the location wouldn't accept cash. Then the 5/) stuff...
It's a nerve-wracking coincidence for someone who is nervous to begin with, I'm sure! But a coincidence nonetheless. Sometimes they have network problems at those places or the "system is down".
Next time, just keep your cool and try to be confident - remind yourself that there's nothing wrong (or illegal) with buying bitcoins.
If the "system is down", why not just say that? Saying that the location does not accept cash makes zero sense! Cash is the default option for when networks / systems go down! Now if the moneygram system was having problems, then I could understand why they could not complete the transaction, but there are most certainly better ways to convey that message than saying that that location was not accepting cash. The only thing that makes any sense as to why they wouldn't accept cash is that it was in the middle of the night and perhaps that location wanted to limit the amount of cash they handled overnight. Even that does not make much sense to me because most gas stations have drop safes where cash can be stored completely out of reach basically on demand. So WTF was really going on with the message of "this location is not accepting cash?" It makes no sense.
The presence of the police, while certainly paranoia inducing, was almost certainly coincidence. Surely they are not dispatching police every time someone tries to do a wire transfer.
On the subject of BitInstant, I think it is safe to say they are feeling the heat from the feds. I doubt they were being pro-active in adding this new database search to their operations.
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You're just being paranoid, really. There are many uses for BTC other than buying stuff on SR. And most cops don't even know what BTC or SR is at this point.
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Do you think they would put 2 cops at every CVS and 7-11 to get info on small time bitcoin buyers? They don't have the resources.
A more likely scenario is that that store got robbed, or someone suspicious was loitering around, so the store called the cops, and when you came back looking around, that also looked suspicious like you wanted to rob the place.
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You turn those small coincidences into something it wasnt. I agree with everyone else. Buying the coins are Legal and there is nothing at all they can do to you for getting them. Your not even suspicious for buying them , Im sure half the PD dont even know what a BTC is. Specially a regular beat cop who does nothing but respond to problems and give out tickets. Its not like you had detectives following you. Chill out bro. Id worry more about the mail itself then buying coins
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I was once arrested for buying bitcoins. Sentenced to 5 years but got out in 3.
JK.
You have nothing to fear. Unless you were carrying some weed on you :-p
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I just purchased bitcoin using bitinstant today using moneygram at a liquor store. A cop was in there buying cigs while I was on the Moneygram phone. I got pretty anxious at first, but there's nothing illegal about purchasing bitcoin. I'm going to mix/clean my coins before transferring them on to SR anyway. And I'm a small time purchaser so there's nothing to worry about.
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Yep, nothing to get embarassed about, either: we all get paranoid at one time or another, and it's probably good in limited doses, so we don't get complacent, which is often my curse...and well done CaptainMal and others, sanely letting newbies know what's up around here. We don't want to ridicule people: they're new to this, and it is easy to get worried about coincidental behavior from cops...or hell, worse yet: guys in suits and sunglasses ;)
And sometimes we *do* need reminding that it's legal to buy bitcoins, since so much illegal shit does go on...kind of like how I used to feel when I first went into a store and bought rolling papers...or condoms haha... ;)
But anyway, that's what these forums are here for, find out what we need to worry about, and what's alright and cool. 8)
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I guess you guys are right. I'm thinking they were looking for some kind of suspect in a real crime or possibly even looking for someone who was doing some shady shit on the moneygram machine and thought I was that person. There were also 2 different locations a few miles down the road where people got pulled over by multiple cops and were searched/put in the back of the cop car(possibly arrested) and maybe this is all related.
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.kind of like how I used to feel when I first went into a store and bought rolling papers...or condoms haha... ;)
hahaha... i totally know what you mean! this made me smile :)