A cryptocurrency is a digital currency established as secure and anonymous for peer-to-peer transactions. This generation of digital cash allows users to store, send and receive funds without a central authority or bank to oversee the process. You can read more here.
We can use cryptocurrencies in online communities to purchase goods and services through “smart contracts” executed by Blockchain – a public ledger that records all transactions.
Listing fees as the cost of doing business
Cryptocurrency mining or trading is VAT-exempted, but if you purchase goods using digital currency, then VAT legislation requires you to pay VAT for any purchase made domestically if your business accepts bitcoin as a payment method – even if no fiat currency is changing hands.
You can exempt digital currency from VAT, but if you are purchasing goods using any form of cryptocurrency involved in a transaction, then tax will apply, and it’s up to the business owner to charge money for this service.
Using digital currency as an investment
Cryptocurrency is not a reliable source of income. No one knows what the future holds for digital currencies, and there is no guarantee that they will even exist tomorrow. If you come into crypto with that mindset, you probably won’t lose too much money.
If you expect your altcoins to increase tenfold overnight, then prepare yourself for disappointment – because it will never happen! Exchange rates are volatile, and nobody can predict the market.
Treating trading like gambling
We can consider cryptocurrency mining or trading a hobby, but never a shortcut to making money. If you don’t have enough experience in this field, leave the trading part for when you’ve done your research and mastered all other aspects of digital currency management.
Leaving wallet security up to luck
Wallet security is essential. Consider it bank account security – if someone has access to your private key, they can easily take away all your funds without too much trouble at all! There are many tutorials available on the internet that explain how to secure wallets. Make sure you follow them correctly rather than dismiss them out of ignorance. If anything ever happens with your wallet, the least that will happen is you’ll lose all your hard-earned money.
Using cryptocurrency as payment for illegal goods and services
You must never use cryptocurrency to facilitate any criminal activity, including buying and selling drugs, weapons, and other illicit items on darknet markets. If something like this were to emerge on the Blockchain, authorities would dash in to arrest those involved. You could even face jail time or a fine if caught doing so. It’s not worth it because whatever you are trying to buy will be much more expensive than what you have spent on legal fees!
Validating someone else’s information
Just because a transaction appears on the Blockchain doesn’t mean that it’s legit. For instance, if someone paid you with a stolen credit card number, that transaction would reflect on the Blockchain as legitimate, and there is no way for you to know unless you physically see the person face-to-face. In such a case, your only option would be to refund them, which is precisely what they wanted from you in the first place!
Leaving your money out of your control
Cryptocurrency wallets must never be shared or given to anyone else under any circumstances. You should always keep backups of all wallet keys just in case one of them gets compromised. That being said, only use multi-sig wallets with an additional key for the funds to be accessed. Alternatively, you run a very high risk of losing all your money.
Trusting strangers with your money
Never send cryptocurrency payments directly to a stranger – especially if they tell you they can give you more profit from these coins than the developers themselves have already promised!
This is a classic scam that will see you lose everything. In such cases, always go through an official exchange platform where there are no chances for scammers to trick you into giving them your hard-earned money!
