Adopting Bitcoin 2024

Adopting Bitcoin 2024

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Scammer Radar: Spotting the Fakes Before They Take
2024-11-15 , Chaum Stage

Matt McPherson of Uila SV.

Emerging technologies come with the potential of high reward but also present inherent risks for early adopters. As NGU, Bitcoiners are becoming a larger target for nefarious actors aka scammers.

Messaging platforms such as Telegram, Signal and WhatsApp are popular among bitcoiners. These groups provide an easy way for us to share information and help others, but they also provide a honey pot of data for potential scammers and others who wish to harvest data (alphabet/number agencies, etc).

“Bitcoiners in El Salvador” is curated by Francesco @moneydelics and has helped my family as we relocated to SV. “SWAP El Salvador” curated by Kiki @bitcoinbabey provides a peer-to-peer marketplace for buying and selling goods in BTC. “Economia Bitcoin Berlin” curated by Pierre provides assistance and information for anyone traveling to the largest circular economy in El Salvador located in Berlin, Usulutan.

During this short talk we will cover some of the techniques used by scammers and some of the indicators that can help you to identify a scam. The goal is to protect your Bitcoin. As a great wizard once said, “Keep it secret, keep it safe”

Matt is a bitcoin miner, lightning node operator and amateur body surfer. Matt’s family moved from Hawaii to El Salvador in 2023 to contribute to the modern day renaissance that exists around bitcoin circular economies. Matt’s primary disciplines span computer networking, IT security, governance, auditing, cloud architecture and teaching. Matt has worked in the traditional IT space for 20+ years helping enterprise business in various sectors including logistics, pharma, healthcare, astronomy, utility providers, insurance and education. Matt quit his corporate job in 2021 and founded an IT consulting firm UILA ⚡ based in Hawaii and in 2023 founded an IT consulting firm UILA SV based in El Salvador. Please direct any inquiries to matt@uila.io