I like wesellcrypto.com because you don't need to keep a wallet. One less thing to get hacked

It would depend on your preferences, I'd recommend looking for local events or meetups near your location for face-to-face transactions (trading with cash or other assets, those are great places for ATMs). You can also try well known sites but keep in mind that most of them require submitting your personal information (AML/KYC purposes) you can start by linking your creditcard, bank account, facebook profile, passport, ID, telephone, etc.. like:

Code:

https://www.bitstamp.net/
https://www.coinbase.com/
https://www.btcc.com/
https://cex.io/
https://poloniex.com/
https://gatecoin.com/
https://www.kraken.com/
https://bter.com/
https://btcdirect.eu/
https://www.huobi.com/?lang=en
https://www.luno.com/
https://www.gdax.com/
https://bitinka.pe/
https://satoshitango.com/

But there are also many anonymous & reliable alternatives like:

Code:

https://bitcoin-otc.com/
https://shapeshift.io/
https://bitsquare.io/

Regarding keeping your Bitcoins safe, consider buying a cold storage device (hardware wallet) for something about $100 like: Trezor, keepkey, ledgerwallet, etc.. here:

Code:

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Hardware_wallet

I used https://localbitcoins.com/. It's quite easy to sign up. Just follow the site instructions. Most sellers though (except the really expensive ones) will require a verified account. This means you need to verify your phone number and download an ID with picture.
I used this site, because you can pay with Paypal. I advise you to use a double-verified account. The site will propose you to print a paper with verify codes. This way without this paper you can't enter the account, which makes your wallet way safer.
First time I used the site, I hadn't paid attention to the fact that every seller can enter a different price for you to buy one bitcoin. I would thus advise you guys to always verify the rate before buying (https://gobitcoin.io). As I didn't do this I lost around 20 euros on my first buy.....
Anyway, but this is just my opinion, I still find it really expensive to buy bitcoins....whatever you do, you keep loosing more money than you're spending.....

localbitcoins.com is handy if somebody can't use an alternative but they have high fee in most cases!

Not sure if somebody else mentioned it, but some lucky guys can buy BTC with cash if they have a Bitcoin ATM near them. For more info check this out:

Code:

https://coinatmradar.com/

Got into Bitcoins many years ago when they were nice and cheap. Had a very strong password on my email account and BitCoin account but still got hacked and lost the lot. Now that we see governments are hacking other countries it's clear to me nobody is secure so I won't touch them again.

Originally Posted by Desiack

Got into Bitcoins many years ago when they were nice and cheap. Had a very strong password on my email account and BitCoin account but still got hacked and lost the lot. Now that we see governments are hacking other countries it's clear to me nobody is secure so I won't touch them again.

I suppose you had a wallet on a company and they hacked this company!

That's why it's always recommended to have a wallet on your PC, since it's way more difficult to get hacked...

Originally Posted by TheTrader

I suppose you had a wallet on a company and they hacked this company!

That's why it's always recommended to have a wallet on your PC, since it's way more difficult to get hacked...

It was 4/5 years ago and back then the recommendation was to store them on a USB stick and use a portable OS like Ubuntu. I did set it up but at the last minute decided to leave them where they were (as you say, in a wallet with an online trading company) and cash out in a few weeks as the price was rising daily. You only have to visit the wrong website or download the wrong file and your computer will be compromised and if Government agencies and large corporations can't keep hackers out with their resources, my little laptop will be easy meat.

If you only use them for nights out and can afford to lose them, go for it but after 25 years of hassle free Bank transfers and 6 months of Bitcoin heartache, I'll take the safer route if it's all the same. Once bitten... as they say.

Originally Posted by Desiack

It was 4/5 years ago and back then the recommendation was to store them on a USB stick and use a portable OS like Ubuntu. I did set it up but at the last minute decided to leave them where they were (as you say, in a wallet with an online trading company) and cash out in a few weeks as the price was rising daily. You only have to visit the wrong website or download the wrong file and your computer will be compromised and if Government agencies and large corporations can't keep hackers out with their resources, my little laptop will be easy meat.

If you only use them for nights out and can afford to lose them, go for it but after 25 years of hassle free Bank transfers and 6 months of Bitcoin heartache, I'll take the safer route if it's all the same. Once bitten... as they say.

Nothing is safe nowadays and everything can be hacked...

Just keep in mind that nobody would waste his time with an individual like you and your PC (unless he was sure your PC can make him rich). Even in this case it's up to you never to open any dodgy links/emails/sites and stay safe...

Hackers are mostly trying to hack big companies and steal thousands of wallets, that's why it's not recommended to keep your BTC on those companies.

Anyway... Shit happens... I am really sorry for your loss

Originally Posted by TheTrader

Nothing is safe nowadays and everything can be hacked...

Just keep in mind that nobody would waste his time with an individual like you and your PC (unless he was sure your PC can make him rich). Even in this case it's up to you never to open any dodgy links/emails/sites and stay safe...

Hackers are mostly trying to hack big companies and steal thousands of wallets, that's why it's not recommended to keep your BTC on those companies.

Anyway... Shit happens... I am really sorry for your loss

Someone did waste their time to hack my PC so they could access my email account to confirm the BitCoin sales but I know what you mean. They must have hacked the company first to see I had something worth stealing so blanket hacking everyone in the hope of capturing a few wallets is unlikely... for now. With ransomware on the rise we are all vulnerable and I'm always careful about dodgy links/emails/sites but it only needs one and as you say, everything and anyone can be hacked. Occasionally I glance at stories about improved security for Bitcoin as I'm still a fan of the concept but I'd rather not risk losing any more of my hard earned cash to organized Russian cyber-criminals. Shit happens indeed and just imagine what I could do with those 267 coins today!

We live and learn.

Originally Posted by Desiack

Someone did waste their time to hack my PC so they could access my email account to confirm the BitCoin sales but I know what you mean. They must have hacked the company first to see I had something worth stealing so blanket hacking everyone in the hope of capturing a few wallets is unlikely... for now. With ransomware on the rise we are all vulnerable and I'm always careful about dodgy links/emails/sites but it only needs one and as you say, everything and anyone can be hacked. Occasionally I glance at stories about improved security for Bitcoin as I'm still a fan of the concept but I'd rather not risk losing any more of my hard earned cash to organized Russian cyber-criminals. Shit happens indeed and just imagine what I could do with those 267 coins today!

We live and learn.

267. Holy fuck

Just keep in mind something else... The hackers probably disabled the email confirmation option after they hacked the BTC exchange site and then they just transferred the coins to their wallets... I don't think they hacked the BTC exchange site and then also hacked thousands of emails to do their "job". Makes no sense!