WHY DO I NEED GOV. ISSUED I.D. TO BUY BITCOIN ?

[WILLYCLINTON]

WHY DO I NEED I.D. AND PROOF OF ADDRESS TO BUY BITCOIN ??

tried to but bitcoin at several hubs/sites
they all asked for goverment issued id and proof of address

what gives ? i thought bitcoin was anonymous ?

any suggestions ?

[kingscrown]

try bitocin ATMs or CoinMama (not sure)

[rogerver]

You can try http://localbitcoins.com/as well.

[WILLYCLINTON]

thank yall for the replies, gonna try both yall suggestions, wish me luck

[WILLYCLINTON]

OH WAIT, I FORGOT TO ASK...HOW DO I KNOW IF THOSE SITES ARE SELLING ME REAL BITCOINs and not counterfeit ??
(sorry for the caps lock, too lazy to retype it)

[WILLYCLINTON]

sorry 1 more question : are the bitcoin atms available in america ?

[rogerver]

I believe Local Bitcoins acts as an escrow agent, so you will get real bitcoins that way.
There are lots of Bitcoin ATMs in America, and you will get real bitcoins there too.

Try: https://coinatmradar.com/

[mjglqw]

I'm sure there are lots of alternatives that doesnt require that much info to buy.

[bitkilo]

You could even purchase some bitcoins direct from a seller on one of the bitcoin forums, like here
I have fully verified accounts and have done 1 or 2 trades before, how much btc do you need?

Whenever doing business with another person on the net always use a reputable member to act as an escrow provider between yourself and the seller, too many scams to trust just anyone.

OgNasty is a member here and would probably be considered one of the most trusted escrow providers around.

[WILLYCLINTON]

I'm sure there are lots of alternatives that doesnt require that much info to buy.

UMMMM, no theres not !
if im wrong, please share some links that will clarify your statement

thanks

[rogerver]

I'm sure there are lots of alternatives that doesnt require that much info to buy.

UMMMM, no theres not !
if im wrong, please share some links that will clarify your statement

thanks

Here's a list of several dozen places you can buy bitcoin. Each place will have different ID requirements.
https://www.bitcoin.com/buy-bitcoin

[bitkilo]

How much do you need?
If it's only a small amount then a member here now could probably help you out at about the same rate or cheaper than an atm or localbitcoins.

Do you have PayPal or another type of Internet money transmitting service?

[WILLYCLINTON]

I'm sure there are lots of alternatives that doesnt require that much info to buy.

UMMMM, no theres not !
if im wrong, please share some links that will clarify your statement

thanks

Here's a list of several dozen places you can buy bitcoin. Each place will have different ID requirements.
https://www.bitcoin.com/buy-bitcoin

You missed the whole point
why do i need I.D. to buy bitcoin ?

[WILLYCLINTON]

How much do you need?
If it's only a small amount then a member here now could probably help you out at about the same rate or cheaper than an atm or localbitcoins.

Do you have PayPal or another type of Internet money transmitting service?

i was going to buy maybe $3500 worth
no, i dont have paypal

[mjglqw]

UMMMM, no theres not !
if im wrong, please share some links that will clarify your statement

thanks

Here's a list of several dozen places you can buy bitcoin. Each place will have different ID requirements.
https://www.bitcoin.com/buy-bitcoin

You missed the whole point
why do i need I.D. to buy bitcoin ?

like we've said earlier, you DONT need an ID to buy bitcoins in other sites. You just have to find the right site. Do your research.

[victorlustig]

It's because they want to want to know if it's actually you who is buying the bitcoins. Example: You could buy a stolen card from the darknet and and buy BTC using it then the bank would issue a chargeback and then the bitcoin seller is screwed. That's why they ask for ID.

[bitkilo]

It's because they want to want to know if it's actually you who is buying the bitcoins. Example: You could buy a stolen card from the darknet and and buy BTC using it then the bank would issue a chargeback and then the bitcoin seller is screwed. That's why they ask for ID.

That would definitely be one reason but i haven't seen the OP mention how he wants to pay for the coins yet.

I assumed he had probably looked into Coinbase or Circle already but didn't want to give up any ID, which is fair enough.

You missed the whole point
why do i need I.D. to buy bitcoin ?

The reasons all exchanges that require ID is so they can do business is countries like the US which have strict AML (anti money laundering) and KYC (know your custome) laws.

[ladoga]

what gives ? i thought bitcoin was anonymous ?

Bitcoin is not anonymous. It's pseudonymous.

If you take care and don't reuse addresses that's usually enough to protect your privacy. Keep in mind that every Bitcoin transaction is forever visible on the blockchain. If you exchange back to USD (or other government issued currency) you might need to break the trail and use some Bitcoin mixing service or exchange to anonymous cryptocurrency such as Monero in order to break the trail.

Your problem here is your dollars, not Bitcoin. Established exchanges need to comply with local laws and in the US and that means they have to implement some KYC and AML policies. As others have already stated you are able to buy bitcoins without I.D from ATMs, localbitcoins and directly from other Bitcoin users.