How to Make And Receive Anonymous Payments

Over the last decade, we have seen the rise of Bitcoin. It quickly rose to its peak and made many people billionaires. The reason for its popularity is the degree of anonymity it offers. While Bitcoin isn’t truly anonymous, it does offer some anonymity over the traditional payment methods. Bitcoin isn’t the only cryptocurrency in the market. There are several alt currencies that offer a lot of anonymity. And then there are some other payment methods that let your real identity stay hidden.

How to Make And Receive Anonymous Payments

Let’s discuss some payment methods that keep your identity hidden.

PayPal

PayPal is not anonymous. In fact, if you’re looking for payment methods that can stay hidden from the government, PayPal is just the wrong choice for you. However, if you want to receive payment without revealing your name, you can use PayPal.

As you might know, PayPal allows individual as well as business accounts. Your individual account will reflect your real name when someone sends you money. If you want to hide your name, you can open a business account.

Setting up a business account might need some extra paperwork. Depending on your location, you’ll probably need to open up a business bank account. For that, you’ll need to register a business first. However, once that’s done, you can receive payments in the PayPal business name without revealing your own name.

This is not truly anonymous and while it doesn’t reflect your name, it does reveal your business name. if you’re not okay with revealing your business name, you should check out the other options.

Cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are pseudonymous. When you send or receive payments through cryptocurrencies, it’s like using a pseudonym instead of your own name. If you write with a pseudonym and one day your real identity is revealed, everything you wrote until then will be linked to you.

It’s similar to cryptocurrencies. When you use a cryptocurrency (such as Bitcoin), you get an address. All transactions made with that address are recorded on the blockchain. If someday your real identity is linked to the Bitcoin address, all your transactions will be traced back to you.

In a sense, cryptocurrencies are secure if you exercise proper caution while working with them. Make sure you use a VPN while setting up a wallet so your real IP address is never revealed. Also, use a VPN whenever you make any transactions with the cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin uses a public key that’s used to secure transactions. This public key isn’t linked to any identifiable information about you. This is why it’s considered secure.

Prepaid Gift Cards

You’ll find gift cards in almost all stores. And as stores go online, you can find online gift cards. These cards have become really popular as they give you the option of gifting someone and letting them buy exactly what they need.

These gift cards are of a specific value. For example, a $100 gift card will let you buy $100 worth of goods or services from a store. You’ll find gift cards on several websites such as iTunes, Amazon, and even online games.

Almost all big online stores have their gift cards. While these cards give the receiver complete freedom to buy whatever they want, they also let the sender buy them in an anonymous way. There are many gift cards that can be purchased with cash.

If there’s a retail store that has an online outlet as well, you can purchase the gift card from the retail store by giving cash. This gift card can then be redeemed online.

When using the gift card online, you can enter any made-up information. And since they are completely anonymous, they can be used anywhere around the world (wherever that store has outlets). It’s a really convenient and anonymous payment option that lets you buy goods and services without revealing your real details. Not only that. Using gift cards also allows you to keep your credit cards safe when shopping online.

Prepaid Credit cards

There are several prepaid credit cards available in the market. And with the prepaid card services becoming more common, it’s easy to get a physical prepaid credit/debit card. The thing about prepaid cards is that they can be obtained on anyone’s name and anyone can purchase using them.

The details on prepaid cards can be all made-up. When you get a physical card, it will be shipped to your address, which doesn’t make it anonymous. However, there are some providers that can allow you to get the electronic version of the card. You can pay for the card using Bitcoin and get it on an anonymous email address. This will let you have a card that’s completely anonymous.

There are services like EntroPay that let you have prepaid virtual cards that can be used to buy goods and services all over the world.

PaySafe

If you’re in Europe, you can use a Paysafe card. They are like prepaid cards as they come with a specific balance in them. They can be used for any online purchase. You can redeem codes by opening an account with any fictitious information.

To purchase anything with a PaySafe card, you don’t need to use your bank account or credit card. This is what makes it so anonymous. However, to make sure it’s not traced back to you, make sure you use an anonymous email address with a VPN. A VPN will hide your IP address so it cannot be linked to you.

Cash

No matter which payment method you use, nothing can be as anonymous as using cash. However, cash cannot be transferred online. One way to make a purchase with cash is to check out an online store and then make the purchase by driving to their retail outlet and then by paying through cash.

Making Anonymous Payments Online – Conclusion

If you’re looking for payment methods that keep you anonymous, make sure you try these techniques. Depending on your location, you might be able to stay anonymous. While cryptocurrencies are the most widely used payment, they are banned in several countries. If you live in a country where cryptocurrencies are banned, make sure you check out the other options mentioned here.