how to send money anonymously and online payment security

how to send money anonymously and online payment security

just this year, the data of more than 1.2 million credit cards were stolen and then leaked onto the dark web and your info can easily end up there too. So keep in mind, this is just one instance. Now imagine how many small breaches happen every day. So yeah, it is really important to know how to be anonymous on the internet.

in this post, I want to go through the most popular, safe, and anonymous online payment methods you can use in 2023.

why should you use anonymous payments?

Well, three big reasons actually:

One, staying anonymous minimizes the risk of your personal information being stolen and then sold on the dark web.

Two, what you do and search online will be known to only you. I mean, you know how much your ISP and Google love to collect your data and then sell it. And well, some of you might live in countries where personal privacy is quite restricted.

And three, it's just something you want from time to time. Maybe like those certain things that we wanna buy but don't want on our banking statements.

how to receive money without giving personal information out?

Well, the first thing that at least comes to my mind when talking about anonymous payments online is of course cryptocurrencies. like Bitcoin, whose whole point back in 2009 was anonymity and security. The cryptocurrency process basically uses cryptography and decentralized user processing to validate tokens that can represent monetary value.

sure, you can pay with crypto, but at the same time, you're very limited in where and how you can spend those funds. Now, maybe in the future, it'll become the norm, who knows? But for now, most providers and stores don't accept cryptocurrencies. So the biggest limitation is still its reach and use.

Is cryptocurrency safe?

Well, it's kinda hard to answer since the market is so volatile, and since it's not regulated, those scams are just rampant.

how to shop safely online using your credit or debit card?

Prepaid debit cards or virtual credit cards are becoming increasingly popular and for good reason, especially for security. So let's say hypothetically, your data has now been stolen, well, no worries, just close the virtual card without any effect on your real accounts. They're like a typical debit card, but they also help in adding a little more anonymity.

So how can I shop safely online using them?

Well, it works just like the name suggests. You get a prepaid debit card that's loaded with money up front, like let's say a gift card. And while it's not associated with you personally or directly, it does still allow you to do online shopping safely.

Now, an anonymous credit card is slightly different. See, you create a virtual card that uses your regular credit account, so you have your account with a bank just like you do as a regular customer and if this virtual card gets compromised, well, you can close it without having to close your main account.

how to receive money anonymously?

PayPal and Venmo. Let's call both of them semi-anonymous because these providers do know your personal information. It is also possible to use a throwaway email to help keep your identity from your recipient.

Venmo, for example, does a little bit better with the whole receive money anonymously thing but every payment still goes through a PayPal checkout and you have to deal with weekly limits as well as a transaction fee of nearly 3%.

now as far as safe online payments go, well, PayPal doesn't exactly have the cleanest record when handling its users' private data, same can also be said for Venmo, some shady data handling over there. But ultimately you can open a dispute if you've been scammed and your online payments are a bit more secure than let's say with cash apps.

Cash Apps

And speaking of cash apps, despite the security questions, they are one of the most popular anonymous payment methods right now. There's an abundance of apps that will allow you to transfer or request money just through an email account or a phone number. So let's include all of these apps like Cash App, Paysafe, Google Pay, and Apple Pay into one group.

they mostly operate in a very similar way with some slight differences. Some of these are more about anonymity, like Paysafe, allowing you to buy prepaid cards and then top them up. Of course, this means extra steps and the need to find a provider that sells those cards.

Cash App allows you to send and receive payment anonymously without bank details, just using a unique Cashtag. And some of the apps are about to secure payment and ease of use, Google or Apple Pay might be the easiest apps to use. You can also pay where contactless payments are available or even transfer funds to your friends.

the last thing about how to shop safely online is this, true anonymity is quite hard to achieve especially when you still want to participate in everyday online life. While all of my mentioned methods add that extra layer of protection, none of them are perfect on their own. And ultimately being anonymous online requires these tools as well as you being aware of all of your data and actions online.

So with all of that in mind, adding that extra layer of third-party protection can help. For example, a VPN helps with that tremendously. It swaps your IP address and prevents ISPs and malicious eavesdropping on your private data. It helps you bypass restrictions in countries where the internet might be regulated.

And honestly right now, with lots of trustworthy VPNs costing only a couple of bucks a month, well, even if you're just a regular internet surfer, it's still a great tool to have in your arsenal.

Now, another tool I recommend is private email. Now, this doesn't mean anonymous, it's private, but it does help by encrypting your messages and increasing security so no one can just go in and steal your data.