I missed Steem and the beginning of Steemit by about two weeks. I read that when it first launched and you joined Steemit, you had 10,000 Steem in your wallet. Just imagine a month later and that's worth 30 or 40 grand! This got me paying closer attention to Synereo and AMPS. I luckily had already invested in AMPS way back in March of 2015 during the first crowd sale. I'll admit it, I love altcoins and trade them actively. It's a hobby if you will. I also have been chasing the "Next Bitcoin" for a few years now.
So, I had told a friend, Jon about Steemit and he joined. We talked a while later and I mentioned Synereo to him. First , know that my friend is a complete virgin to crypto currency and such. His first contact with the like, being here on Steemit.
So I told him where he could score bitcoin, Coinbase and he's all set. I've been investing again lately in AMPS and he wanted to also. I buy mostly on Bittrex, Just my preference currently. I use others exchanges for certain coins. Anyways Jon wanted to buy also and decided to buy into the "pre Crowdsale" and then again at the official "Second Crowd Sale'. He waited to get a portion of the million bonus Amps they offered the first 24 hours.
I had warned him back then of buying his AMPS only from a bitcoin wallet, preferably Omni wallet, as that's where AMPS were created. Another reason is that Synereo sends the AMPS back to the the bitcoin address the Bitcoin was sent from. If it's from an exchange or from any wallet that has more than two sets of private keys, you can't retrieve your AMPS.
This had almost got me before the first crowd sale. I had used a blockchain wallet and was able to import my keys to Omni. I had actually messaged Dor with Synereo on Facebook in 2015 and asked questions about why they weren't more outright in telling people which wallet and why? I think they were ashamed that it was a crypto asset or token on Omni's blockchain and not a real coin. Anyway, I told him plainly then that he needed simplify the process or he was going to deter the average Joe investors forever.
Our Conversation:
me:so if I send Btc to that address, how will they know which email address it is tied too? or where to send my amps? or will they come to my btc wallet?
him:to your BTC wallet.
me:not very clear for non-tech folk
me:it says this on the page. 🙂
"You must send BTC from an address under your direct control. Can you export your private key? If not, please set up a new account at omniwallet.org. We will not be responsible for funds that are sent from wallets you cannot fully access."
clear as muddy water
seems almost like ya'll trying to be too technical for your own good,people aren't going to spend money on something they clearly don't understand,imho
him:care to help phrase this better?
what's the main thing here that's not clear?
me:just my 2 cents,scared me away,proceed as you wish
him:I want to fix this.
what scared you?
me:You must send BTC from an address under your direct control. Can you export your private key? If not, please set up a new account at omniwallet.org. We will not be responsible for funds that are sent from wallets you cannot fully access."
please use a personal wallet,one that you control(not sent from an exchange). Once we receive your BTC and the crowdsale ends,your amps will arrive via the same wallet
make it crystal clear imho
him:thanks. we'll move the more technical stuff to the FAQ.
much appreciated
sorry for your trouble earlier
Knowing this, leading up to the pre crowd sale, I asked Jon questions about how he was purchasing and all and he explained he bought in early through Bnk to the Future who is hosting it and was able to pay with a cash transfer and was holding his bitcoin for the Crowdsale to get in on the bonus AMPS.
Well he did and we talked today and I about freaked! When you click on their page to buy AMPS, it prompts you to click not,Bnk to the Future, but to Synereo sale instead if you're using Bitcoin.
So, Jon followed the link for Bitcoin purchases and it didn't take him to Bank to the Future, where he had been buying, but to:
The smallest writing on the entire page says: Synereo cannot send AMPs elsewhere. We recommend using Omniwallet for your AMP transactions. You can later keep them in cold storage.
Well, unfortunately, it appears Jon missed the fine print and sent his bitcoin to sale.synereo straight from Coinbase. A year and a half later and still this level of confusion or trickery!
I messaged Dor of Synereo again on Facebook today, on Jon's behalf :
me:Hey man congrats on the huge sale today. My friend who I told about amps, bought with cash from banktothefuture,where will his amps be sent? He's new to crypto and worried. Also,he sent bitcoin today from his coinbase account buying more, how will he receive these as well? thank you for your time.
him:He'll have an email request for an address at the end of the sale.
me:Even for bitcoin sent from coinbase?
him:Yes, but that only using BTTF.
me:Thanks for answering I know you must be really busy today
I then relayed the above messages to Jon and then began to think. Why would they direct you to buy bitcoin anywhere but from a foolproof seller? Why have "Bitcoin purchases here" if it's a booby trap? When clearly from his message today, you can send the Bitcoin from anywhere when buying from Bnk to the Future and still get your AMPS?
Clearly there's a problem. Why wasn't the disclaimer about the Omni Wallet only, in BOLD RED print at the very top?
Jon's out a Bitcoin it seems and I feel like I didn't warn him enough. How do you think Synereo feels with that free Bitcoin? I know, out of 2.5 million dollars of purchases in the first 6 hours, that Jon wasn't the only one. I seriously wonder just how many people got burned?
