Bitcoin has been in the news a lot recently and most of the news has been bad, including news of the bankruptcy of Mt. Gox, formerly one of the world’s largest Bitcoin exchanges. Most recently, on May 7, 2014, the SEC issued an Investor Alert to make investors aware of the potential risks of investments involving Bitcoin and other forms of virtual currency.

According to the Investor Alert, Bitcoin has been described as a decentralized, peer-to-peer virtual currency that can be exchanged for traditional currencies, or used to purchase goods or services, usually online. What most distinguishes Bitcoin and similar virtual currencies from more traditional currencies is the fact that they are not backed by any government and operate without any central authority or oversight.

In its release, the SEC discusses:

• The heightened risk of fraud that investments involving Bitcoin may have, noting that “innovations and new technologies are often used by fraudsters to perpetrate fraudulent investment schemes.”
• Potential warning signs of investment fraud, including “guaranteed” high investment returns, unsolicited sales pitches, unlicensed sellers, no net worth or income requirements for investors, and pressure to buy immediately.
• Limited recovery options if fraud or theft results in the loss of Bitcoin.
• Certain unique risks of investments involving Bitcoin, including lack of insurance usually held by banks and brokerage firms, historic Bitcoin exchange rate volatility, potential governmental restrictions, and the potential that Bitcoin exchanges may stop operating due to fraud, technical difficulties, hackers or malware.

If the SEC’s recent guidance is not enough to make you pause and think before investing in anything relating to Bitcoin, you may want to review the SEC’s July 2013 Investor Alert about the use of Bitcoin in Ponzi schemes, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s recent Investor Alert cautioning investors about the risks of buying and using digital currency such as Bitcoin and the North American Securities Administrators Association listing of digital currency on its list of the top 10 threats to investors for 2013. In addition, the IRS has issued guidance stating that the IRS will treat virtual currencies, such a Bitcoin, as property, which has the potential to make transactions in Bitcoin far more complex than transactions in traditional currencies.