You may have heard about virtual currencies like Bitcoin, XRP, and Dogecoin. But what are virtual currencies? What’s this “to the moon!” business on the internet about? And, as a consumer, what risks should you be aware of?
While virtual currencies offer the potential for innovation, a lot of big issues have yet to be resolved – some of which are critical, including:
- Virtual currencies are targets for hackers who have been able to breach sophisticated security systems in order to steal funds
- Virtual currencies can cost consumers more to use than credit cards or even regular cash once you take exchange rate issues into consideration
- Fraudsters are taking advantage of the hype surrounding virtual currencies to cheat people with fake opportunities
- If you trust a company to hold your virtual currencies and something goes wrong, that company may not offer you the kind of help you expect from your bank or debit or credit card provider
Check out our consumer advisory for more things that you should think about if you’re considering using virtual currencies and links to other useful resources.
Submit a complaint
You can also submit a complaint if you have a problem with a virtual currency product or service. We’ll forward the complaint, along with any documents you provide, to the relevant company and work to get a response from them.
Complaint data helps us understand what business practices may pose risks to consumers. We’ll use the information to enforce federal consumer financial laws and, if appropriate, take policy steps.
