- A big misconception about
bitcoin is that it'sanonymous and untraceable, CoinFlip'sBen Weiss said. - Using bitcoin to launder money is one of the stupidest things to do, he said.
- Bitcoin addresses have no name attached, but transactions can be linked to identities with some effort.
"It's not anonymous. It's pseudo-anonymous. You can't buy any large amount of bitcoin without KYC or ID or driver's licenses," he said, referring to "know your customer" and similar identification checks.
"Bitcoin is actually more transparent in many ways than typical things in the financial system," he added.
The perception is that because the digital currency is often associated with illegal activity, then it must shield the identity of the user. But that is not true, Weiss said.
The $4 addresses may not have names registered to them, but in practice, they can be linked to real-world identities, he noted. That's because every investor is required to log their personal information before they buy the cryptocurrency.
A recent incident, the recovery of much of the $4 to a Russia-linked hacker group, raised questions as to whether bitcoin is $4 and manipulation.
What isn't well-known is that relevant enforcement agencies can track down bitcoin purchases, if they are prepared to put in sufficient effort, Weiss said.
That's why one of the most stupid things anyone could do would be to attempt to launder dirty money using bitcoin, Weiss said. The US government can track bitcoin transactions with the help of blockchain analysts and through serving seizure warrants authorized by district courts, he said.
"You're really playing with fire if you tried to today," he said, adding that bitcoin transactions are more traceable than cash.
To hunt out unreported crypto-related income, the US Internal Revenue Service has launched "$4". A dedicated team of IRS criminal investigation professionals is seeking out and targeting taxpayers who are not listing cryptocurrency transactions on their tax returns.
For a more in-depth discussion, come on over to Business Insider Cryptosphere>$4 — a forum where users can deep dive into all things crypto, engage in interesting discussions and stay ahead of the curve.
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