Silk Road forums
Support => Technical support => Topic started by: fordfiesta on May 03, 2012, 09:49 am
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I have bought some bitcoins from mtgox, how do i get them onto here, it says send to this address.. ****** < which is just numbers and letters?? I am from UK.
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That's a bitcoin address. On mtgox, there should be an option to withdraw bitcoins to an address. If you put in the address from your silk road account into the mtgox withdraw box and enter how many btc you want to withdraw then they will be transferred from your mtgox to your silk road account (they will show up after about an hour)
Note that this would reveal a direct link between your mtgox account and your silk road account, if silk road is ever compromised, it would be possible to trace the coins back to your mtgox account. Now while I don't personally think this is a big risk unless you're a big time vendor, it doesn't sound like you understand bitcoin and the system that's been set up here well enough to stay safe. I'd advise you to continue reading as much as you can before you proceed in ordering from the silk road.
http://silkroadvb5piz3r.onion/silkroad/buyers_guide
http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
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I linked my mt.gox account directly to sr, even though there is a direct link, they don't know what you are buying and using silk road isn't illegal for all they know you could be buying books.
but as vman says, you should only worry if you are a big vendor and big spender, if your just buying small amounts you should be fine.
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Ignore what you've just heard.
That ****** stuff or Bitcoin address is just like a bank account number and is used in pretty much the same way.
Your problem is now to disassociate yourself from the bitcoins you have purchased. You've kinda screwed up you see unless you did what I mentioned in 'Future Reference' below. Now you must do some work to cover your tracks. Read everything carefully.
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For future reference:
Ideally you should have remained anonymous right from the onset before your purchased anything. You would have to buy the bitcoins with a cash deposit at a bank *and* access the (mtgox) exchange website through a private proxy in your region of the world. You would have been using Tor to access that proxy which accesses the exchange clearnet site. I appreciate that sounds wildly complicated, but it's actually quite simple once you know how. Not only will it save you money, but it is many many times more secure. It's also less complex than what you need to do now unless you sell your coins and start over.
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Your work today:
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Since you've already bought B$ through clearnet at mtgox, you should send them to an instawallet (a one time address service offered by some B$ services online). Bookmark the instawallet URL otherwise you'll lose your money. Do not use Tor with instawallet or mtgox at this stage, that would be a red flag leading directly to you, you are assuming that both instawallet and mtgox relay all information to law enforcement and using Tor is bad news bears because mtgox will likely request a positive ID of you to release the funds citing AML requirements.
Use Tor to find a Bitcoin laundering service, search our forums to find a reliable one. They will give you an address to send to. Don't send anything to it just yet (and note that it would take roughly a day for a mix to operate, so don't panic if it takes time, it's not instantaneous).
Go to instawallet through clearnet and forward the coins to a Bitcoin wallet on your own computer (you need to download some bitcoin wallet software for this, you also need to torify your bitcoin wallet and download the block chain (will take a couple of hours), read this document: http://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Tor). Now it appears that you've paid somebody in a different country Bitcoins because your Bitcoin wallet is torified.
Ok, now you have an option. For more security, you can use a mix (the bitcoin laundering service I mentioned, it will cost you money), or you go proceed directly to sending bitcoin from your wallet to a new instawallet which you've accessed via Tor. Then from instawallet to the SR address you have.
I suggest you first do this with a small amount of bitcoin to ensure this all makes sense and then you can be confident enough to do it again. At each stage you should be using a different Bitcoin address, never use the same one twice because that creates a loop, indicating that it is highly likely that any transactions in the loop are authorized by the same person.
Yes, you could just link your mtgox a/c to your SR account. But if you read in the newspaper that the Silk Road got busted, then you're going to feel rather queasy and wish you'd followed the above instructions.
If all of this sounds like too much of a headache (albeit it would be hugely educational), then just sell the bitcoins, retrieve your money and start again. If you aren't confident enough, that would be best.
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Hmmmmm, maybe that wasn't too helpful either. Stream of consciousness may be easy for pine to sprout, but it's harder to interpret.
Here's the tldr; version where instructions are separated from advice:
Future Activity:
Cash deposit at bank to an exchange -> Use Tor to access private proxy* in your country -> communicate through that proxy to the exchange -> convert cash to bitcoins -> open an online wallet service -> send bitcoins to that service -> optionally put those bitcoins through a mix -> send bitcoins to your SR wallet.
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If you already have bitcoins connected to your identity. e.g. used a credit card to buy, transferred from your bank account to exchange etc.
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Go onto Tor and download bitcoin wallet software -> Printscreen http://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Tor instructions -> Turn off interweb -> Install and torify your bitcoin wallet software -> Turn on interweb and download the block chain to torified bitcoin wallet, now you are ready to proceed -> On clearnet, access your exchange account with the bitcoins -> Make an instawallet/online bitcoin wallet provider account through clearnet -> transfer bitcoins from exchange to instawallet -> transfer from instawallet to your torified bitcoin wallet -> Open new instawallet with Tor -> transfer from torified bitcoin wallet to instawallet on Tor -> Optionally transfer to a bitcoin mixing service -> wait a couple of hours/days -> transfer from mixing service or online wallet to SR.
Advice:
1. Don't have your clearnet browser and Tor browser open at the same time.
2. Never use a Bitcoin address more than once.
3. Search forum for bitcoin mixing services and online bitcoin wallet providers.
4. If you think you see flaws, you point them out. The only stupid question is one never asked.
5. Although the above procedures might make you more paranoid, you should really sleep a whole lot sounder since every service you've used from the exchange to the Silk Road itself could be compromised and it wouldn't matter a whole lot.
6. Clearnet means being on the normal web and you're not using Tor software. Darknet is the opposite.
7. To torify something means that its internet traffic is being routed though the Tor network.
8. Don't access exchange websites with Tor, period. Unless you're doing what I described above
9. [Edited ]Don't access any website via clearnet e.g. your instawallet, and then access the same web address/URL using Tor. Now instawallet knows who you are if you do.
10. Under no circumstances, none, forward bitcoins from A to B and then put the bitcoins back into a wallet you used earlier. This is circumstantial evidence that all bitcoin activity in that loop belongs to a single entity.
11. The larger the quantities being transacted, the more you want to be thinking about ferrying varying amounts of bitcoin over time with different Tor identities. I believe there is bitcoin software that can do this for you, future scheduled deposits that is, and your Tor software periodically changes identity anyway.
* It's like the Home Cooking Channel! Here's one we made earlier!
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I guess im fucked since i transferred from btc wallet.. O.o
Oh well. I hear jail is nice, time to be paranoid for the next 48-72 hours
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And if you wana be a gangster and become a seller and want to learn how to cash out properly, hit me up. The anonymous debit-card method isn't the way to go. ;)
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Pine you're awesome. When I can give karma it's going to you.
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As I said, I only buy small amounts for personal use, if you buy large amounts then tighten up security as Pine said or do it anyway, if your the paranoid type.
Your Bitcoins can be traced, but no offense there, if Silk Road gets busted they don't have any of your personal information.
It's not illegal to use silk road or buy bitcoins.
Some tips:
stick to domestic vendors if you can
Packages from Amsterdam are more likely to be seized when sent internationally
Use a real name; like a name of a former tenant where you live if you can.
As Pine said, change your Bitcoin address after each use.
send package to another address from where it's being used, if you live alone-
if you live in a student house for example, just send it directly there
I have knowledge of how drug police operate, that's why I don't get worried. They don't have the time or the resources to bust people buying for personal use. By some miracle if you do get busted, worst case scenario is scheduled rehab/ counseling sessions and lots of fines-- depending on the country of course,
Police only care about dealers and vendors, even arresting them is expensive for the police department and has to be worth it.
NOTE: I can only speak for my country which is the U.K
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Thanks! It is no trouble, please bump this thread so other people can take advantage of information. I notice recently a few people are asking questions which are answered here.
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Hmmmmm, maybe that wasn't too helpful either. Stream of consciousness may be easy for pine to sprout, but it's harder to interpret.
Here's the tldr; version where instructions are separated from advice:
Future Activity:
Cash deposit at bank to an exchange -> Use Tor to access private proxy* in your country -> communicate through that proxy to the exchange -> convert cash to bitcoins -> open an online wallet service -> send bitcoins to that service -> optionally put those bitcoins through a mix -> send bitcoins to your SR wallet.
--
If you already have bitcoins connected to your identity. e.g. used a credit card to buy, transferred from your bank account to exchange etc.
--
Go onto Tor and download bitcoin wallet software -> Printscreen http://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Tor instructions -> Turn off interweb -> Install and torify your bitcoin wallet software -> Turn on interweb and download the block chain to torified bitcoin wallet, now you are ready to proceed -> On clearnet, access your exchange account with the bitcoins -> Make an instawallet/online bitcoin wallet provider account through clearnet -> transfer bitcoins from exchange to instawallet -> transfer from instawallet to your torified bitcoin wallet -> Open new instawallet with Tor -> transfer from torified bitcoin wallet to instawallet on Tor -> Optionally transfer to a bitcoin mixing service -> wait a couple of hours/days -> transfer from mixing service or online wallet to SR.
Advice:
1. Don't have your clearnet browser and Tor browser open at the same time.
2. Never use a Bitcoin address more than once.
3. Search forum for bitcoin mixing services and online bitcoin wallet providers.
4. If you think you see flaws, you point them out. The only stupid question is one never asked.
5. Although the above procedures might make you more paranoid, you should really sleep a whole lot sounder since every service you've used from the exchange to the Silk Road itself could be compromised and it wouldn't matter a whole lot.
6. Clearnet means being on the normal web and you're not using Tor software. Darknet is the opposite.
7. To torify something means that its internet traffic is being routed though the Tor network.
8. Don't access exchange websites with Tor, period. Unless you're doing what I described above
9. Don't access any website with Tor e.g. your instawallet, and then access the same web address/URL using Tor. Now instawallet knows who you are if you do.
10. Under no circumstances, none, forward bitcoins from A to B and then put the bitcoins back into a wallet you used earlier. This is circumstantial evidence that all bitcoin activity in that loop belongs to a single entity.
11. The larger the quantities being transacted, the more you want to be thinking about ferrying varying amounts of bitcoin over time with different Tor identities. I believe there is bitcoin software that can do this for you, future scheduled deposits that is, and your Tor software periodically changes identity anyway.
* It's like the Home Cooking Channel! Here's one we made earlier!
Okay, I have a question. What is your opinion on sending cash through mail? Cash deposit isn't an option for me, since I'm underage so yeah. So the only actual option for me is the mail one, since you don't require a bank account or anything, you basically only have to put the cash in the envelope and dispense it the bank, more or less. You don't even have to leave your forward-adress on it, or? The only thing I'm afraid about is the money getting lost, that would be shit.
Also, is there any bitcoin trader you can recommend if you're not resident in the US?
Thanks
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pipedreamz is right polysoph, it is unlikely for any financial institution to require ID for deposits. Ring them and ask. You just need to walk into the bank and say this x money is for y account and here is z reference number to include with it. I mean, they're a bank, they're trying to get money in and prevent it leaving. In some cases in Europe I've heard you can even pop it into an envelope and put it into a special mailbox for cash deposits (check this before you do it though).
If you're concerned about CCTV, wear a hat or sunglasses.
Alternatively, there is always cash in the mail. But you'll be needing a pair of gloves, a steady hand and some patience. Cash in the mail is not illegal.
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For future reference:
Ideally you should have remained anonymous right from the onset before your purchased anything. You would have to buy the bitcoins with a cash deposit at a bank *and* access the (mtgox) exchange website through a private proxy in your region of the world. You would have been using Tor to access that proxy which accesses the exchange clearnet site.
Hi there - would you explain this part please? What are some examples of private proxies which would be suitable for this purpose? It seems that a lot of the commercial private proxies that I've been looking at either impose their own software to route your traffic, or require payment methods which would create new points of vulnerability.
k7
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Check your inbox karma7.
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Thanks pine! Your posts are very helpful.
k7
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very useful thread, especially Pine's comments.
Can you just clarify:
9. Don't access any website with Tor e.g. your instawallet, and then access the same web address/URL using Tor. Now instawallet knows who you are if you do.
do you mean without TOR in the 2nd part?
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very useful thread, especially Pine's comments.
Can you just clarify:
9. Don't access any website with Tor e.g. your instawallet, and then access the same web address/URL using Tor. Now instawallet knows who you are if you do.
do you mean without TOR in the 2nd part?
Yes, sorry about that.
If LE runs instawallet, and you ought to assume they actually run all the bitcoin wallet services for the sake of it, then they see a Tor node accessing a unique page, and if they then look and see that a guy accessed that same unique page from the clearnet, then that clearnet ip address is associated with bitcoins and the use of the Tor network, which doesn't exactly trend in your favor!
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Great Read. thanks pine. unfortunately i have done a couple of small transfers from mt gox to silk road. now i will have to fix that it will take me some time though. hope LE never takes down Silk Road or if so that there is some way to destroy all info. maybe a big ass magnet or something. i hope so