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Topic: What happens when your identity is stolen -- real story || Avoid CEXs! (Read 1019 times)

hero member
Activity: 462
Merit: 767
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Thank you for this Learn Bitcoin! So yes, this story is similar to OP, which describes an event which happened without using a CEx. Such examples should show everybody how thin is the line between having an identity and losing it afterwards. It may happen because people make accidents but also without their will... But using a CEx is, for sure, a way of offering your identity willingly to a third party so such unfortunate events can happen even more often.

The case showed us that not only their Identity but their biometrics can be stolen as well. It was a fingerprint in that case. We do not value our privacy and do not think twice before doing these things. The thing is, we can grab the SIM seller because they have a local store. But, it's not possible to do anything with the CEX because we don't even know from where it was stolen! Most of us use multiple CEX these days!

I have read another story of a Bangladeshi scammer who uses Mobile banking accounts to scam people online. When Police investigated the cases, they found that the mobile banking account was registered with an old woman identity who could not even write or read. This means, that her identity was stolen and those scammers are using her identity to scam people. The woman wasn't in much trouble because it's understandable that her identity was stolen. But what if the same thing happens to me? They will initially arrest me and it will take ages to prove that I am not the scammer and my identity was stolen.
sr. member
Activity: 1820
Merit: 418
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Wow, at this point, when your personal info is available on the dark web for sale, then it's really hard for you to live your normal life. I would be living in paranoia if such an incident happened to me.

Even after taking the advice of the lawyer to change the name, there's no guarantee that he will not be called for checks by police for every crime committed by the person who bought his ID.
legendary
Activity: 3542
Merit: 1352
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This is why I'm wary in signing up for different online services that require KYC. Be it CEXs, online shopping apps--you name it, I just try to avoid using them as much as possible when there are alternatives that works the same. You'll never know how much info they're keeping and selling to other parties, especially if it's stated within their ToS that they can sell what they receive once you click 'Agree' on their ToS.

Here in the Philippines, a popular mobile wallet called Gcash is often the target of these guys. Idk how were they able to get our personal numbers but they're actively sending phishing SMS sometimes with our full names for us to believe that the message is legitimate. One theory is that after the mandatory sim registration, someone gained access to the database and are constantly trying to phish for more info to be later used on other crimes.

This one is more extreme though, as they were able to get fingerprints and other such personal information that are only obtainable through legitimate means. Bad actors are increasingly getting smarter and devious by the day.
legendary
Activity: 1680
Merit: 6524
Fully-fledged Merit Cycler|Spambuster'23|Pie Baker
If you are guessing that their identity was stolen, then yes. You are right! But their identity wasn't stolen from CEX, but from local SIM selling points. Some of the SIM sellers were collecting finger prints in silicon rubber and identifying information by taking a picture from phones. This could be another example of why you should be careful with your identity. Here is the video; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVrg9HInRJw

Thank you for this Learn Bitcoin! So yes, this story is similar to OP, which describes an event which happened without using a CEx. Such examples should show everybody how thin is the line between having an identity and losing it afterwards. It may happen because people make accidents but also without their will... But using a CEx is, for sure, a way of offering your identity willingly to a third party so such unfortunate events can happen even more often.
hero member
Activity: 462
Merit: 767
Instant cryptocurrency exchange with own reserves!
A friendly bump!

I was watching YouTube videos last night and saw an old video where they showed how a Bangladeshi guy was caught with an illegal VoIP calling system and over 3500 SIM cards. Usually, A Bangladeshi citizen can have a maximum of 15 SIM cards with his national identity and biometrics. Now, the question is, how the hell did this guy manage to buy 3500 SIM cards?

If you are guessing that their identity was stolen, then yes. You are right! But their identity wasn't stolen from CEX, but from local SIM selling points. Some of the SIM sellers were collecting finger prints in silicon rubber and identifying information by taking a picture from phones. This could be another example of why you should be careful with your identity. Here is the video; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVrg9HInRJw
legendary
Activity: 2072
Merit: 1023
DGbet.fun - Crypto Sportsbook
The purpose of using CEX is to avoid certain things.  Because trading on CEX has a very small fee. But when we use DEX for trading it charges another high fee. On the other hand p2P can be used through CEX and kyc is mandatory for p2P services.  Because of these basically we cannot avoid sex.  And if we have to use CEX then we cannot exclude kyc. There are many centralized exchanges in the crypto market but we can't use all of them of course.  But there are few exchanges which are very trustworthy like Binance, Coimbase, Kucoin and others which I have not mentioned.  So to use cex we need to use trusted and reputable exchanges then our documents will be less likely to be stolen.
Everything has pros and cons. For DEX, we will fully guarantee our privacy but there will be disadvantages such as high transaction fees and not enough services like CEX provides us. Especially for day traders, DEX does not yet offer a daily trading feature. Meanwhile, CEX offers a better experience than DEX but in return the KYC process makes it impossible for us to maintain privacy. For me, both are good and each person has their own choice depending on their needs. I wouldn't be so stubborn as to say that people who are using CEX are idiots just for the sake of privacy.
It is very important for us to use DEX to protect privacy and securely transact funds from being hacked, but p2p services are not available here.  So DEX can be used to trade cryptos and CEX to cash them out as needed.  Because we don't usually need to cash out large amounts, CEX can be used to cash out small amounts as needed.  Or avoiding Cex we can physically sell crypto to known crypto investors. In this case at least we will not have any fear of document theft

You are wrong, most DEXs provide p2p features but because the number of DEX users is still limited, p2p trading will be a bit difficult. For example, it will take us longer to find suitable buyers and sellers, we do not have as many options as in CEX. One more thing, p2p on centralized exchanges is no longer pure peer-to-peer trading because of exchange intervention. While that ensures the transaction goes smoothly and we can complain if a dispute arises, it makes the transaction no longer truly peer-to-peer.

By the way, if you use CEX to withdraw or convert to fiat, it means your identity is exposed, it is not necessary for you to use DEX to trade when your identity is known as CEX has be collected.

Although I don't use DEX often because it still has many shortcomings as I mentioned, I have to agree with what you said. All DEXs have a p2p feature and it is truly p2p trading following the concept that bitcoin created. P2P on centralized exchanges is not P2P because of the intervention of intermediaries.

But as I said, for those who don't care about privacy, CEX is a better choice than DEX because it offers more useful services and features, especially for day traders.


If you are a day trader, you really don't have too many options, I understand that. You are also someone who has participated in this market for a long time, and you know everything that has been going on, but I still sincerely advise you. You should limit your use of CEX and don't put too much trust in them, don't put all your bitcoins in them. The risk of CEX is not only that our privacy and identity are exposed, but there is also a risk like the collapse of FTX that you also know. Our safety is as important as our making a profit.
legendary
Activity: 1666
Merit: 1037
It didn't happen after using a centralized exchange, yet he lives the same thing as one which had his identity stolen by hackers from a centralized exchange or from any other source.

Good campaign Gazeta but this really does not validate the case. In fact, it hurts the validity of the whole story.

If the man's identity was mishandled by a centralized exchange, then this story would serve as strong precedent. However, this man could have easily had been a wrong doer himself, and at some point sold his identity or put it in the wrong hands by his own means.

I understand the point that "This could happen to you if you give your identity to CEXs" however it's not "This is what happened after someone gave their identity to a CEX"

I for one am against CEXs for the reasons stated in the OP, as I agree, it's completely possible....but sharing this story and using an unrelated story to validate the point? Not sure if that's good authorship.

That's just my 2 cents though.
full member
Activity: 756
Merit: 107
Buzz App - Spin wheel, farm rewards
The purpose of using CEX is to avoid certain things.  Because trading on CEX has a very small fee. But when we use DEX for trading it charges another high fee. On the other hand p2P can be used through CEX and kyc is mandatory for p2P services.  Because of these basically we cannot avoid sex.  And if we have to use CEX then we cannot exclude kyc. There are many centralized exchanges in the crypto market but we can't use all of them of course.  But there are few exchanges which are very trustworthy like Binance, Coimbase, Kucoin and others which I have not mentioned.  So to use cex we need to use trusted and reputable exchanges then our documents will be less likely to be stolen.
Everything has pros and cons. For DEX, we will fully guarantee our privacy but there will be disadvantages such as high transaction fees and not enough services like CEX provides us. Especially for day traders, DEX does not yet offer a daily trading feature. Meanwhile, CEX offers a better experience than DEX but in return the KYC process makes it impossible for us to maintain privacy. For me, both are good and each person has their own choice depending on their needs. I wouldn't be so stubborn as to say that people who are using CEX are idiots just for the sake of privacy.
It is very important for us to use DEX to protect privacy and securely transact funds from being hacked, but p2p services are not available here.  So DEX can be used to trade cryptos and CEX to cash them out as needed.  Because we don't usually need to cash out large amounts, CEX can be used to cash out small amounts as needed.  Or avoiding Cex we can physically sell crypto to known crypto investors. In this case at least we will not have any fear of document theft
But for some limitation still not much people are using DEX, where DEX is more safe in comparing CEX. As you mentioned, there are no way to P2P option in DEX. In my end, i can't stop to using CEX because crypto is not legal in my country, so it's very risk to sell crypto in physically.
legendary
Activity: 1680
Merit: 6524
Fully-fledged Merit Cycler|Spambuster'23|Pie Baker
P2P in CEX and DEX exchanges requires KYC.

DEXs do not require KYC (or, at least, most of them).
sr. member
Activity: 882
Merit: 326
P2P in CEX and DEX exchanges requires KYC. From this KYC data may be leaked or traded. However, in my opinion, the data leak could also come from other methods, or not from CEX or DEX exchanges but from other applications that involve personal data. Phishing regarding this identity has existed since before the CEX exchange existed. Like carding activities, isn't this also an illegal activity that also involves buying and selling personal data on the black market?
hero member
Activity: 1246
Merit: 508
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
The purpose of using CEX is to avoid certain things.  Because trading on CEX has a very small fee. But when we use DEX for trading it charges another high fee. On the other hand p2P can be used through CEX and kyc is mandatory for p2P services.  Because of these basically we cannot avoid sex.  And if we have to use CEX then we cannot exclude kyc. There are many centralized exchanges in the crypto market but we can't use all of them of course.  But there are few exchanges which are very trustworthy like Binance, Coimbase, Kucoin and others which I have not mentioned.  So to use cex we need to use trusted and reputable exchanges then our documents will be less likely to be stolen.
Everything has pros and cons. For DEX, we will fully guarantee our privacy but there will be disadvantages such as high transaction fees and not enough services like CEX provides us. Especially for day traders, DEX does not yet offer a daily trading feature. Meanwhile, CEX offers a better experience than DEX but in return the KYC process makes it impossible for us to maintain privacy. For me, both are good and each person has their own choice depending on their needs. I wouldn't be so stubborn as to say that people who are using CEX are idiots just for the sake of privacy.
It is very important for us to use DEX to protect privacy and securely transact funds from being hacked, but p2p services are not available here.  So DEX can be used to trade cryptos and CEX to cash them out as needed.  Because we don't usually need to cash out large amounts, CEX can be used to cash out small amounts as needed.  Or avoiding Cex we can physically sell crypto to known crypto investors. In this case at least we will not have any fear of document theft

You are wrong, most DEXs provide p2p features but because the number of DEX users is still limited, p2p trading will be a bit difficult. For example, it will take us longer to find suitable buyers and sellers, we do not have as many options as in CEX. One more thing, p2p on centralized exchanges is no longer pure peer-to-peer trading because of exchange intervention. While that ensures the transaction goes smoothly and we can complain if a dispute arises, it makes the transaction no longer truly peer-to-peer.

By the way, if you use CEX to withdraw or convert to fiat, it means your identity is exposed, it is not necessary for you to use DEX to trade when your identity is known as CEX has be collected.

Although I don't use DEX often because it still has many shortcomings as I mentioned, I have to agree with what you said. All DEXs have a p2p feature and it is truly p2p trading following the concept that bitcoin created. P2P on centralized exchanges is not P2P because of the intervention of intermediaries.

But as I said, for those who don't care about privacy, CEX is a better choice than DEX because it offers more useful services and features, especially for day traders.



but there will be disadvantages such as high transaction fees and not enough services like CEX provides us. Especially for day traders, DEX does not yet offer a daily trading feature.

Why are you engaged in such a risky thing like day trading? You like losing money?
For those still believing in getting rich over the night I suggest reading this topic: Trade vs. HODL - avoid traps.

Thanks for the reminder but I know what I'm doing with my money. Trading is really risky and many people have lost money from it but just because many people lost does not mean all or the rest did too. I have been trading forex for many years and now I am also making profits from cryptocurrency trading. Why should I stop? Just because many people have lost money with it?

For me, both are good and each person has their own choice depending on their needs. I wouldn't be so stubborn as to say that people who are using CEX are idiots just for the sake of privacy.

Some would also say that smoking is healthy or excessive drinking of alcohol is healthy. That doesn't mean that those activities are healthy. You can say and think whatever you want, that will not make CEXs a good phenomena in crypto space.


If you are just a long-term investor, only buying bitcoin and holding it, you should stay away from CEX because of the risks it brings not only in terms of privacy but also the risk of us losing assets like FTX did. But like I said, I'm a trader, I know what I'm doing with my money and I'm willing to take the risk if that happens.
hero member
Activity: 1750
Merit: 589
That's a massive ordeal if I ever read one. Imagine getting your whole identity stolen, the cops knowing that it was stolen in the first place, and then getting into the same altercation once again cause the cops failed to understand that your information was compromised from the get-go. In times like these they should put people whose information got stolen into some sort of filing group that doesn't kick them out of the suspect lists, but at least sets the expectations for the investigators that these people got their information compromised in the past, and they may have to employ a different style of apprehension or receiving anything of value from these people.

Just hoping this would be the last that he'd get into this situation, but if he does get into one once again, what are the possibilities of having his identity be replaced, just like what they do for witness protection?
sr. member
Activity: 1680
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Aside from losing your hard earned money from these hacks, what you mentioned is another big problem. Merely knowing that someone out there has every information there is about you is worrisome (I won’t speak for everyone, so at least worrisome to me). Centralized exchanges know the dangers involved in using their services which is why they must have stated something to back it up in their privacy policy. However, they won’t tell you the dangers because that will obviously cause bad business for them, and most of us sheepishly click on “Agree”. Hopefully people learn more about what goes on centralized exchanges, in fact, what could go on (because it may not be now but a lot could go wrong).
legendary
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Fully-fledged Merit Cycler|Spambuster'23|Pie Baker
On the other hand p2P can be used through CEX and kyc is mandatory for p2P services.  Because of these basically we cannot avoid sex.

You may want to rephrase that Smiley



Everything has pros and cons. For DEX, we will fully guarantee our privacy

Who is we?

but there will be disadvantages such as high transaction fees and not enough services like CEX provides us. Especially for day traders, DEX does not yet offer a daily trading feature.

Why are you engaged in such a risky thing like day trading? You like losing money?
For those still believing in getting rich over the night I suggest reading this topic: Trade vs. HODL - avoid traps.

For me, both are good and each person has their own choice depending on their needs. I wouldn't be so stubborn as to say that people who are using CEX are idiots just for the sake of privacy.

Some would also say that smoking is healthy or excessive drinking of alcohol is healthy. That doesn't mean that those activities are healthy. You can say and think whatever you want, that will not make CEXs a good phenomena in crypto space.



p2p services are not available here.  So DEX can be used to trade cryptos and CEX to cash them out as needed.  Because we don't usually need to cash out large amounts, CEX can be used to cash out small amounts as needed.  Or avoiding Cex we can physically sell crypto to known crypto investors. In this case at least we will not have any fear of document theft

See? You already answered yourself about how to avoid CEXs although you don't have DEXs in your are.



You are wrong, most DEXs provide p2p features but because the number of DEX users is still limited, p2p trading will be a bit difficult. For example, it will take us longer to find suitable buyers and sellers, we do not have as many options as in CEX.

This happens because so many users headed to CEXs at the beginning. Time passes and people start to understand the huge risks they are confronted with when using CEXs and DEXs came into play recently. The more people will use DEXs the more DEXs will exist. This is an effort we all have to do in order to avoid this plague caused by CEXs.

One more thing, p2p on centralized exchanges is no longer pure peer-to-peer trading because of exchange intervention. While that ensures the transaction goes smoothly and we can complain if a dispute arises, it makes the transaction no longer truly peer-to-peer.

Peer-to-peer services by CEXs are a joke, as you are also fully exposed to all risks involved by CEXs. Stay away of these services!

By the way, if you use CEX to withdraw or convert to fiat, it means your identity is exposed, it is not necessary for you to use DEX to trade when your identity is known as CEX has be collected.

This is true. Never associate crypto with CEXs and with banks!

For more information you can also read this topic of mine: 12 years later and people still don't know to use Bitcoin nor what it's good for.
legendary
Activity: 2072
Merit: 1023
DGbet.fun - Crypto Sportsbook
The purpose of using CEX is to avoid certain things.  Because trading on CEX has a very small fee. But when we use DEX for trading it charges another high fee. On the other hand p2P can be used through CEX and kyc is mandatory for p2P services.  Because of these basically we cannot avoid sex.  And if we have to use CEX then we cannot exclude kyc. There are many centralized exchanges in the crypto market but we can't use all of them of course.  But there are few exchanges which are very trustworthy like Binance, Coimbase, Kucoin and others which I have not mentioned.  So to use cex we need to use trusted and reputable exchanges then our documents will be less likely to be stolen.
Everything has pros and cons. For DEX, we will fully guarantee our privacy but there will be disadvantages such as high transaction fees and not enough services like CEX provides us. Especially for day traders, DEX does not yet offer a daily trading feature. Meanwhile, CEX offers a better experience than DEX but in return the KYC process makes it impossible for us to maintain privacy. For me, both are good and each person has their own choice depending on their needs. I wouldn't be so stubborn as to say that people who are using CEX are idiots just for the sake of privacy.
It is very important for us to use DEX to protect privacy and securely transact funds from being hacked, but p2p services are not available here.  So DEX can be used to trade cryptos and CEX to cash them out as needed.  Because we don't usually need to cash out large amounts, CEX can be used to cash out small amounts as needed.  Or avoiding Cex we can physically sell crypto to known crypto investors. In this case at least we will not have any fear of document theft

You are wrong, most DEXs provide p2p features but because the number of DEX users is still limited, p2p trading will be a bit difficult. For example, it will take us longer to find suitable buyers and sellers, we do not have as many options as in CEX. One more thing, p2p on centralized exchanges is no longer pure peer-to-peer trading because of exchange intervention. While that ensures the transaction goes smoothly and we can complain if a dispute arises, it makes the transaction no longer truly peer-to-peer.

By the way, if you use CEX to withdraw or convert to fiat, it means your identity is exposed, it is not necessary for you to use DEX to trade when your identity is known as CEX has be collected.
sr. member
Activity: 1400
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DGbet.fun - Crypto Sportsbook
The purpose of using CEX is to avoid certain things.  Because trading on CEX has a very small fee. But when we use DEX for trading it charges another high fee. On the other hand p2P can be used through CEX and kyc is mandatory for p2P services.  Because of these basically we cannot avoid sex.  And if we have to use CEX then we cannot exclude kyc. There are many centralized exchanges in the crypto market but we can't use all of them of course.  But there are few exchanges which are very trustworthy like Binance, Coimbase, Kucoin and others which I have not mentioned.  So to use cex we need to use trusted and reputable exchanges then our documents will be less likely to be stolen.
Everything has pros and cons. For DEX, we will fully guarantee our privacy but there will be disadvantages such as high transaction fees and not enough services like CEX provides us. Especially for day traders, DEX does not yet offer a daily trading feature. Meanwhile, CEX offers a better experience than DEX but in return the KYC process makes it impossible for us to maintain privacy. For me, both are good and each person has their own choice depending on their needs. I wouldn't be so stubborn as to say that people who are using CEX are idiots just for the sake of privacy.
It is very important for us to use DEX to protect privacy and securely transact funds from being hacked, but p2p services are not available here.  So DEX can be used to trade cryptos and CEX to cash them out as needed.  Because we don't usually need to cash out large amounts, CEX can be used to cash out small amounts as needed.  Or avoiding Cex we can physically sell crypto to known crypto investors. In this case at least we will not have any fear of document theft
hero member
Activity: 1246
Merit: 508
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
The purpose of using CEX is to avoid certain things.  Because trading on CEX has a very small fee. But when we use DEX for trading it charges another high fee. On the other hand p2P can be used through CEX and kyc is mandatory for p2P services.  Because of these basically we cannot avoid sex.  And if we have to use CEX then we cannot exclude kyc. There are many centralized exchanges in the crypto market but we can't use all of them of course.  But there are few exchanges which are very trustworthy like Binance, Coimbase, Kucoin and others which I have not mentioned.  So to use cex we need to use trusted and reputable exchanges then our documents will be less likely to be stolen.
Everything has pros and cons. For DEX, we will fully guarantee our privacy but there will be disadvantages such as high transaction fees and not enough services like CEX provides us. Especially for day traders, DEX does not yet offer a daily trading feature. Meanwhile, CEX offers a better experience than DEX but in return the KYC process makes it impossible for us to maintain privacy. For me, both are good and each person has their own choice depending on their needs. I wouldn't be so stubborn as to say that people who are using CEX are idiots just for the sake of privacy.
sr. member
Activity: 546
Merit: 309
The purpose of using CEX is to avoid certain things.  Because trading on CEX has a very small fee. But when we use DEX for trading it charges another high fee. On the other hand p2P can be used through CEX and kyc is mandatory for p2P services.  Because of these basically we cannot avoid sex.  And if we have to use CEX then we cannot exclude kyc. There are many centralized exchanges in the crypto market but we can't use all of them of course.  But there are few exchanges which are very trustworthy like Binance, Coimbase, Kucoin and others which I have not mentioned.  So to use cex we need to use trusted and reputable exchanges then our documents will be less likely to be stolen.
legendary
Activity: 1680
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Fully-fledged Merit Cycler|Spambuster'23|Pie Baker
Thank you for bumping this thread, cygan!

I also read UniJoin's article and, indeed, it is very useful for this matter. It is, if you want, complementary to this topic, both essays completing each other: one with theory and one with practical examples of what can happen when you lose your identity.

By sharing UniJoin's article here as well I hope that it will reach more readers and, maybe, they'll open their eyes regarding the risks they are facing by using CEXs.
legendary
Activity: 3304
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Crypto Swap Exchange
UniJoin has published a very interesting blog article on the topic, which describes the differences between cexs and dexs in detail and addresses various points

Quote
The essay explains the differences between CEXs and DEXs and explains properly why users should head towards DEXs.
https://unijoin.medium.com/why-choose-decentralized-exchanges-894b3d4e279e
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