Topic: Don't share your first email or KYC documents with every bounty or airdrop!!! - page 2. (Read 1802 times)

I don't know how many of you have had the "pleasure" of working in technical support. I did and I can tell you that sending or not sending KYC is not the main problem. The big issue is sending KYC documents where they belong. I was in technical and there was a whole separate KYC department with a different email. The department was getting documents in a secure channel through a form in user's personal account but people did not care. They would send their IDs and other documents like utility bills everywhere, to every department and any email they could find on the site. They would even drop it in the chatbot window thinking that if they put it everywhere it will speed up the process.

Don't do it people. Don't be reckless with your documents. You don't know how valuable a genuine ID is and how easy it is to swap a picture.

Exactly, that is the main reason why we should never trust any airdrops or bounties, etc. if the first thing they ask for is KYC to "prevent multi-accounts". Especially when they ask for full scans of documents like passport or driver license. For such an airdrop or any other project which will distribute their coins in such a way should be enough if we send any document with a picture, name and maybe address on it, with all other info fully covered, so-called "SIMPLIFIED  KYC". This should be clearly stated that all other data on screens should be carefully covered, special stamp or something else added to make them not useful for scammers and later selling of course.

Let's take ENERGY airdrop as an example because this is the most lucrative airdrop in recent months in terms of payout. There is also KYC needed to qualify but this is so-called "SIMPLIFIED KYC" and any document with a picture, and the name is enough to pass it. Additionally, there was a piece of paper needed with Energy handwriting on it, which already make these scans useless for further selling. Energy team informed on the KYC page that all additional info should be fully covered and I was able to pass this KYC with an old expired document, exactly 20 years old driving license  .

I think the most important thing is to have a common sense. We simply cannot be blinded by the promised reward, just calmly analyze and check everything. If the project that is going to carry out an airdrop is acting, just like Energy team, then everything is fine. Just don't be fooled and don't send documents, especially when they ask for full scans, it should be a big red flag because they are certainly not needed to verify your identity. Remember that SIMPLIFIED KYC or even social media account should be enough to do this. There is no need for full KYC and in particular when it comes to a completely unknown team from some new project that can't be checked anywhere.

If the email accounts only purpose is for bounties and airdrops I wouldn't care too much about the spam that is being sent to it. Just don't connect it with anything of importance.


It is impossible to know what ulterior motives a company who is asking for KYC has. Do they need it to comply with regulations, do they want to sell your data on the black market or even try to abuse the info and steal your identity?
Projects who look clean and trustworthy can change over night if their intention was to gain their users trust and go out with a bang.

No. They don't need your KYC. Why? Give me one good reason? Saying it is to prevent multi-accounting makes no sense because you trading your safety and everyone elses just to prove you don't have more then one account. There other ways of doing this and KYC exposure or leaking is 1000x more dangerous and damaging then any amount of multi-accounting can.

Only pass kyc if your sure on the project where you pass your private documents. Fraud projects or programs that ask for kyc might use your info for illegal purposes.

This is exactly what I have done and created multiple gmail accounts:


Still, after some time they are so filled with spam that there is no way to use them further.

This is the main evidence that most bounty campaigns will eventually sell your email, and when this happens, there is no way, that this will not happen again, because they can do it multiple times and the actual buyer will also resell it further. This circle will continue until there will be a new buyer and the amount of spam will grow at an alarming rate.

There is no need to create a temporary email when you can create any number of free hotmail/yahoo/gmails or using any other free service that isn't a temporary one. As long as you don't use a business or work email or an email that is connected to some of your private or financial information for bounties and airdrops you should be fine.

It's still worth it if you use gmail. Gmail let you sort out legitimate emails from spam emails. It automatically sorts it and if ever some newsletter arrive at your primary email, you may put them to spam or just block them. I see nothing wrong in using alternative email account for the purpose of bounty and airdrop.

Maybe you know from my previous posts that I applied this solution and have multiple [email protected], ofertyww1..., ofertyww9... and so on addresses.

Anyways even such an amount of emails didn't save me from spam and overwhelming.

Every time when one email was flooded with spam I created another one and tried to sort the promotions and bounties from the best once to the worst and put them into different emails.

Finally, all of these addresses were so flooded with spam that to be honest, they are useless. My info was sold and with time the amounts of spam only keep growing until a moment that I was not able to find nothing more if sent to these addresses.

They will open Paypal account  with this document and send there stolen money from people on eBay. Withdraw to the prepaid credit card attached to this account or just spent. After the victim starts the investigation and the dispute this is the time when problems start for you.

This is just one and simple example, with only id or passport and sometimes they have full KYC documents and this is insane what one can do with such documents. Almost everything. You can open every account, even in the bank or buy something on credit and sell, take a loan online, and many, many more scams.
So be aware that your documents are the riskiest when it goes to scam and give the most opportunities for fraud.

Just think, when last time in very important institutions like a bank or even city offices, have you shared your full KYC documents? NEVER.

Nobody needs and nobody wants such documents because this is only pain in the ass, to hold them safe for years. There is such a big risk for fraud that nobody wants to have such detailed data lying around too long or at all.

But some of airdrop didn't accept temp email. That why i am using my 2nd email for every airdrop. But i'm regret now. too many spam on my email from scammer that saying i got free token bla bla bla you need to claim and etc. so now i won't do KYC for airdrop. Better just do kyc on bounty that more worth it

I generally recommend having a different email for each case so that it is as easy as possible to sort messages. not only spam emails but all incoming messages

I have one email for all my bounty and airdrops and if I received unusual offers I just click the spam email link and next time it will land in the spam folders and about KYC I stopped doing KYC from some bounty and if they require bounty I have one of my team, willing just a share of the token.

I have stop doing kyc for bounty because I am not their customer but promoting their project. I don't know why we should go deep into bounty by providing our personal information. It is wrong and those using other in scamming way is bad.

Let's say many have sent their documents to participate in the bounty.Many say that these documents can be used to commit crimes.But what crime can commit having just 1 page of the passport?

I used to give out my email address when hunting for airdrops but I'm less worried about it because I believe I'm been very careful when ever I open my inbox to check on mails,I know some mails are phishing rigged or scam

Sometimes KYC appears at the end of the bounty and makes us confused, between wanting to get paid or being their volunteer worker. Finally we have to do KYC and have to give all the personal data they want, it's very sad.

There are a lot of scammers among bounty companies and you need to be very careful
I do not take the company where to go KYC

You actually have a great point in your post. But I really don't worry myself about people selling my emails for money because I can always get rid of unwanted email if I see them. I can't use a throwaway email fo a business purposes be it bounty or airdrop.

Talking about kyc, well yeah I should be worried about that as well, but I believe there is a choice here, either do the kyc or dont. So you either in the project or not. It's simple and a choice for everyone

I also try not to go to such companies. Though I understand perfectly well that no one will use this information later, but I consider it to be dangerous in the same way. So before I go in, I see that not will be required verification.