In March 2013, FinCEN issued guidance for virtual currency businesses - giving the industry some degree of clarity about how to be compliant on the federal level.
With Bitcoin, every transaction is publicly verified, so many risks are eliminated, including chargeback fraud or 'friendly fraud.' This is when a customer purchases something online with a credit card; waits to receive the goods or service, then requests a chargeback refund. The bank then forcibly takes the funds out of the merchant's account.
The law provides a remedy, charging those who threaten a victim's data for the purpose of extortion. Extending criminal liability to innocent third-party digital currency exchangers, or any other third-party financial institution, would be an utterly unwarranted and unjust misinterpretation both of law and policy.
An unsolicited sales pitch may be part of a fraudulent investment scheme. Exercise extreme caution if you receive an unsolicited communication - meaning you didn't ask for it and don't know the sender - about an investment opportunity.
The blockchain industry generally agrees that some kind of a national license or charter is the best way to go, similar to the United Kingdom, where there is only one central regulator.
A new product, technology, or innovation - such as Bitcoin - has the potential to give rise both to frauds and high-risk investment opportunities. Potential investors can be easily enticed with the promise of high returns in a new investment space and also may be less skeptical when assessing something novel, new, and cutting-edge.
