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Crypto tutorials, written for a first-timer

This office takes cryptocurrency only, so learning it is not optional. These sixteen short guides take you from having never bought any to sending a bond payment safely — including the timing, delay, wrong-address and refund questions that arrive after the send button.

Watch the debit-card video Show the whole payment

Read this before tutorial one

Three things are true of every legitimate cryptocurrency payment, everywhere, without exception. Nobody legitimate asks for your seed phrase or private key. Nobody legitimate needs you to set up a second wallet to receive a refund. And no address that arrives by message counts until you have read it back to the business on a number you already trusted. If a tutorial here contradicts anything you were told, believe the tutorial.

Video · Exodus + MoonPay

Buy crypto in Exodus with a debit card.

A 34-second walkthrough for the card route: install Exodus, choose MoonPay, pick the asset, finish the card and identity steps, then send the crypto to the invoice on the matching network.

  1. Create the Exodus wallet and write the recovery phrase on paper.
  2. Tap Buy and choose MoonPay — not a bank transfer.
  3. Select BTC, ETH, LTC or SOL, enter the amount, and choose Debit Card.
  4. Finish MoonPay's identity check if it asks.
  5. Send from Exodus to the invoice address, then wait for the invoice to confirm.

Exodus and MoonPay are independent companies, not affiliated with this office. Screens in the video are illustrative; card fees are quoted by MoonPay and are separate from the bond premium.

34-second walkthrough · Exodus + MoonPay · debit card · screens are illustrative
Sixteen tutorials Jump to a guide
01

What cryptocurrency actually is

Understand what you are buying, in about three minutes, without any prior knowledge.

  1. Think of it as a public ledger, not a file
    There is no coin file sitting on a computer. There is a public list of every transaction ever made, copied onto thousands of computers worldwide. Your "money" is an entry in that list, and the entry is yours because you hold the key that can move it.
  2. Your wallet does not hold coins — it holds keys
    A wallet is software that stores a private key. That key proves an entry on the ledger is yours to spend. Whoever has the key controls the entry. There is no bank to call and no password reset.
  3. The seed phrase is the master key
    When you set up a wallet it shows you 12 or 24 random words. Those words can regenerate every key in that wallet. Anyone who has them controls everything in it, on every device, forever. Write them on paper and keep them where you keep your passport.
  4. Transactions are irreversible by design
    There is no chargeback and no recall. That property is what makes it useful for payments that cannot be clawed back, and it is also the reason a mistake is permanent. Everything else in these tutorials exists to prevent that mistake.
  5. Bitcoin is one of these. Ether, Litecoin and Solana are others
    Each has its own price, block time and address format. All four use the same idea — a ledger and a key — but the asset named on the invoice is the only one that pays it.
Four linked blocks forming a public ledger, with one entry highlighted as controlled by a single key Every computer running the software holds the same copy of this list. BLOCK 0001 0000a3f9c1d4 prev genesis BLOCK 0002 00007b2e8810 prev 0000a3f9 BLOCK 0003 0000c47a0e92 prev 00007b2e BLOCK 0004 00001de6b337 prev 0000c47a YOUR ENTRY moved only by your key
A wallet does not contain coins. It contains the key that can move one entry in this list — which is why losing the key loses the money, and why nobody can reverse a transaction for you.
02

Choosing somewhere to buy it

Pick a place to buy that will not lose your money before you have even bought anything.

  1. Start with a large, long-established exchange
    In the United States, the exchanges most commonly used are Coinbase, Kraken, and Gemini. They are regulated, they require identity verification, and they have been operating for years. There are cheaper options; for a first purchase, reliability matters more than a fraction of a percent.
  2. Know the difference between an exchange and a wallet
    Money on an exchange is held by the exchange, not by you. That is fine for the twenty minutes it takes to buy and withdraw, and it is not where cryptocurrency should live. You do not hold the key there, so it is not really yours yet.
  3. Expect to verify your identity
    A regulated exchange will ask for a government photo ID, and usually a photograph of you holding it, plus proof of address. This is normal and it is the reason the exchange is allowed to operate. It takes ten minutes to a day.
  4. Set up two-factor authentication immediately
    Use an authenticator app rather than text messages. Text-message codes can be intercepted by someone who takes over your phone number — this is a common attack, and an authenticator app is not vulnerable to it.
  5. Fund it the ordinary way
    Link a bank account, a debit card, or send a wire. Buying cryptocurrency with a bank transfer is what this office's payment policy is about after the fact — the policy governs how this office is paid, not how you buy. Expect a card purchase to cost more in fees and to take effect faster than a bank transfer.
  6. Do not buy from a person, a social-media seller, or a "guaranteed profit" service
    Every one of those is a scam pattern. If a private individual offers to sell you Bitcoin at a good price and help you send it to a bondsman, that person is going to send it somewhere else.
Comparison: funds held on an exchange where the exchange holds the key, against a wallet where you hold the key AN EXCHANGE They hold the key
Your funds sit on their books. If the account is frozen, limited, or the exchange fails, you have no key and no way to move anything.
YOUR OWN WALLET YOU You hold the key
The key is generated and stored on your device. Nobody can freeze it, and nobody can restore it for you either. That is the trade.
BUY ON THE EXCHANGE, THEN WITHDRAW TO A WALLET YOU CONTROL
Buying is a twenty-minute errand. Holding is a decision. Move the funds out of the exchange before you rely on them for anything — including a bond payment.
03

Setting up a wallet and keeping it safe

Have somewhere of your own to hold the funds, with the security part done properly.

  1. Use a wallet you install, not a website
    BlueWallet, Electrum, Trust Wallet, and MetaMask are the common choices. On a phone, a self-custody app wallet is the simplest start. The distinction that matters is this: the wallet generates the keys on your device and shows them to you, rather than holding them for you.
  2. Write the seed phrase on paper, by hand
    Never photograph it. Never put it in a note app, an email, a cloud drive, or a password manager that syncs. A photograph in your camera roll or a note in your cloud account is the single most common way a wallet is drained.
  3. Store the paper offline and consider a second copy
    A fireproof safe, a safety-deposit box, or a second copy kept somewhere else entirely. If the words are lost, the funds are lost. There is no recovery process and no support line that can restore them.
  4. Set a device passcode and lock the wallet app
    Most wallet apps have their own PIN or biometric lock on top of the phone's. Turn it on. It protects against a stolen unlocked phone, which is a more realistic threat than a sophisticated attacker.
  5. Buy a spare wallet before you need it, not after
    If you plan to receive a refund or hold funds for a while, test the wallet first with a small amount. A wallet you have never used successfully is a wallet you cannot rely on in a hurry.
  6. Understand what nobody legitimate will ever ask for
    No exchange, no wallet provider, no support agent, and no bail bond office will ever need your seed phrase or private key. There is no exception to this. A support agent asking for it is an attacker, whether they arrived by phone, chat, email, or a pop-up.
A recovery phrase written on a paper card beside four storage methods that must never be used RECOVERY PHRASE WRITTEN BY HAND · KEPT OFFLINE NEVER STORED HERE A photograph in the camera roll A note in a notes app Anything that syncs to a cloud drive An email, even to yourself
Twelve or twenty-four words, on paper, by hand, stored where you keep a passport. A photograph in the camera roll or a note that syncs to a cloud account is the most common way a wallet is emptied — and it needs no attacker to reach you at all, just one breach of an account you already have.
04

Sending Bitcoin to a verified address

Pay a bond invoice without sending funds into a hole. This is the tutorial that matters most.

  1. Get the address from the invoice on the business's own website
    Open the invoice page yourself. Do not use an address from an email, a text message, a chat, or a document somebody sent you. The only address that counts is the one you can see on the site while you are looking at it.
  2. Read the amount, the asset and the network out loud
    An invoice for a bond will state an amount in Bitcoin and name the network — for Bitcoin that is the Bitcoin network, usually labelled "Bitcoin mainnet". Read all three: amount, asset, network. If a confirmation screen cannot show you all three, it is the wrong screen.
  3. Copy the address, then check the first and last five characters
    Malware can silently replace a copied address with one belonging to an attacker. This is a real attack, not a hypothetical. Compare the first and last few characters of what you pasted against what the invoice shows. If they differ at all, stop.
  4. Send a test amount if the sum is large
    For a large premium, send a small amount first, wait for it to appear on the invoice as a partial payment, then send the remainder. It costs an extra network fee and it eliminates the entire class of mistake where the whole sum goes to the wrong place.
  5. Check the network fee before confirming
    The fee goes to the network, not to the business, and it is not refundable. A normal Bitcoin fee is small; a wallet proposing an enormous fee is either misconfigured or malicious. If the fee looks wrong, cancel and set it manually.
  6. Wait for the confirmations on the invoice, not in your wallet
    Your wallet will say "sent" immediately. That is not the same as received. The invoice page shows the real state: awaiting, confirming, then confirmed at the confirmation count it prints. A bond is not posted against a pending transaction.
Three sources for a payment address, of which only the invoice on the site is trustworthy, followed by a character comparison THE INVOICE ON THE BUSINESS'S OWN SITE bc1q9h4t2mzp8d3k6vw7syfx5n0jercea5v8t A TEXT MESSAGE, AN EMAIL, OR A CHAT bc1q9h4t2mzp8d3k6vw7syfx5n0jerce9x2kt CHECK THE FIRST FIVE AND THE LAST FIVE, IN THAT ORDER bc1q9 FIRST FIVE …jerce MIDDLE — DO NOT READ THIS a5v8t LAST FIVE
Malware that rewrites copied addresses works in the middle of a string, where nobody looks. A replacement address is a working address — it simply belongs to somebody else. Comparing the ends takes four seconds and defeats the whole attack.
05

The four assets this office accepts

Know exactly which coin to buy and which network to select.

  1. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Solana — nothing else
    These are the only four assets this office accepts. A transfer in USDT, USDC, BNB, Tron or any other coin is not a payment under this policy, even if it reaches an address. Do not send it.
  2. Buy the exact asset the invoice names
    If the invoice is for ETH, buy ETH. If it is for SOL, buy SOL. Buying a different coin does not pay the invoice, and this office cannot convert it after the fact.
  3. Each asset has one main network here
    Bitcoin mainnet, Ethereum mainnet, Litecoin mainnet and Solana mainnet. There is no second network to choose for these four. If a wallet offers a different network for the same ticker, stop and check the invoice.
  4. The address format is the tell
    Bitcoin starts with bc1, 1 or 3. Ethereum starts with 0x. Litecoin starts with ltc1, L or M. Solana is base58 and never starts with 0x. A mismatch is a stop sign, not a warning to click through.
  5. Network fees are paid in the same asset
    A Bitcoin transaction needs BTC for its fee, an Ethereum transaction needs ETH, Litecoin needs LTC, and Solana needs SOL. If the wallet has no coin for the fee, the send cannot happen.
  6. If the invoice does not name your asset, do not send
    The invoice is the authority. If a coin is not printed on the invoice, it is not accepted — even if it appears somewhere else on this site or in a wallet.
The same stablecoin issued on three different networks, with only the network named on the invoice being usable One asset, three networks, three completely separate balances. THE INVOICE SAYS USDT · Tron · TRC-20 TRON  TRC-20 TJ9kPm4vQ2x…7c address starts with T MATCHES ETHEREUM  ERC-20 0x9f4aBc2d…81 address starts with 0x WRONG NETWORK SOLANA  SPL 7xkQ4mVp2…Bz an entirely different chain WRONG NETWORK
USDT on Tron and USDT on Ethereum have identical names and identical prices and cannot be sent to each other. Funds sent to an address of the right shape on the wrong chain exist on a ledger nobody involved is watching.
06

Spotting a fraudulent payment request

recognize a fake payment request in seconds, including ones that know a lot about your situation.

  1. Understand that detail is not proof
    Someone contacting you may know the name of the person in custody, the jail, the charge, and even a bail amount. None of that proves they are the bondsman. That information is available to anyone who looks for it, and it is exactly what makes this scam work.
  2. Verify the address on the number you already have
    Not the number in the message. The number on this site, or the one you have called before. Read the address back to the person who answers and ask them to confirm it. This one habit defeats almost every version of this scam.
  3. Treat urgency as a warning sign, not a reason
    "Send in the next ten minutes or the bond falls through" is pressure, and pressure is the tool. A real deadline in a bail matter is never a reason to skip verifying an address. The call takes two minutes.
  4. Refuse anything involving a "verification wallet"
    An instruction to set up a second wallet, import your existing one into a new app, or share a screen while a wallet is open is a theft in progress. No bail bond transaction has ever required any of that.
  5. Never enter a seed phrase into a website, a form, or a pop-up
    Not in the site, not in a chat window, not in a wallet "restore" page reached from a link. The only place a seed phrase is ever typed is into the wallet app you installed yourself, on a device you control, and only when restoring that same wallet.
  6. Know how to report it afterwards
    If funds were sent, there is no recall. Report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and to the Texas Attorney General's consumer protection division, and tell this office so it can confirm whether the request came from us. Both agencies build a record that helps later cases, even though neither can reverse a transaction.
An urgent payment message containing an address, refuted by a phone call to the number already known to be genuine INCOMING MESSAGE
Marcus is in Lew Sterrett. Bail is $25,000, premium $2,500. Send in the next 20 minutes or the bond falls through. Use this address — the invoice link is down. bc1q9h4t2mzp8d3k6vw7syfx5n0jerce9x2kt
Every detail here could be true. None of it is proof. THE ONE ACTION
Call the number you already have. Read the address back. Two minutes.
Urgency is the tool. A real deadline never requires you to skip verifying an address.
An impersonation attempt usually knows more about the case than a stranger should, because arrest records and jail rosters are public. That is why detail is not proof, and why the callback is the check that works.
07

How long a payment actually takes

Know what the clock on the invoice means, and when waiting is normal rather than a problem.

  1. A send is instant; a settlement is not
    Your wallet broadcasts a transaction in seconds. That only means the network has heard about it. It becomes final when a block includes it and enough later blocks are stacked on top. The invoice measures those later blocks, not the send button.
  2. Each network has its own rhythm
    Bitcoin targets a block about every ten minutes and this office asks for 2 confirmations. Litecoin targets about two and a half minutes and asks for 3. Ethereum blocks are about twelve seconds and this office asks for 12. Solana finalizes in seconds and this office requires a finalized transfer. These are targets, not timetables.
  3. The invoice confirmation count is a risk decision
    A small confirmation count is faster and accepts a slightly higher chance of a chain reorganisation. A larger count is slower and safer. The number is printed on the invoice before you send, and it does not change while the invoice is open.
  4. The invoice timer is not the same as the confirmation timer
    The invoice expires if it is not paid within its window. Once a payment is seen on the chain, the invoice records it and the confirmation count continues even if the original window has passed. Do not send a second payment because the clock looks low — check the status first.
  5. Exchange withdrawals add their own delay
    A withdrawal from an exchange is not a wallet send. The exchange batches withdrawals, may require a manual review, and may hold the first withdrawal to a new address for a day. That delay happens before the transaction exists on the chain, so the invoice cannot show it yet.
  6. What to do while it confirms
    Leave the invoice page open, or reopen the link from your records page. Do not send again to a different address. If the count has not moved after twice the expected time, call with the transaction ID and the office can read the chain directly.
The full payment sequence as six numbered stops, from invoice to bond posted at the desk 01
Invoice issued
One address, one asset, one network, a timer
02
Buy the asset
On an exchange, with identity verified
03
Withdraw to your wallet
So you can verify before committing
04
Send to the invoice
Check first five and last five first
05
Confirming, then confirmed
The server reads the chain itself
06
Bond posted at the desk
Then the jail's release queue
STEPS 1–5 ARE YOURS. STEP 6 IS THE JAIL'S, AND NOBODY CAN QUOTE ITS LENGTH IN ADVANCE.
The whole sequence, once. If a step you are being walked through does not appear here — a second wallet, a screen share, a seed phrase entry — it is not part of paying a bail bond.
08

When the payment is late or stuck

Tell the difference between a slow network, an underpaid fee, and a payment that never left.

  1. Check whether the transaction exists at all
    Open your wallet and copy the transaction ID. A transaction that exists has an ID and can be looked up on a block explorer for that network. If there is no ID, nothing was broadcast — the send failed before it reached the network, and the funds are still in your wallet.
  2. Look at the mempool, not at the wallet's label
    A wallet that says pending is repeating what it last knew. A block explorer shows whether the transaction is unconfirmed, included in a block, or absent. For Bitcoin, mempool.space shows the fee level needed for the next block; for Ethereum and Solana, the explorer shows the same.
  3. A low fee can leave a transaction waiting for hours
    Bitcoin miners choose transactions by fee. If the fee was set below the current market, the transaction can sit in the mempool until the market falls or it is replaced. Some wallets support Replace-by-Fee, which lets the sender rebroadcast the same payment with a higher fee; others do not.
  4. Never send a second payment to a new address to 'speed it up'
    If the first transaction is still valid, the second payment is a second payment. The invoice may show both, and the office now has to reconcile an overpayment. If the first is genuinely stuck, the fix is a fee bump on the same transaction, not a fresh send.
  5. An expired invoice is not a lost payment
    If the invoice window closes before the transaction confirms, the payment is still recorded when it lands. The office can see it and apply it to the invoice. Call with the transaction ID rather than assuming the money is gone.
  6. The one case where the money did not move
    If the explorer cannot find the transaction ID, the send did not reach the network. The funds are still in the sending wallet, minus nothing. Re-check the address and network before trying again, and do not pay a third party to 'release' a transaction that was never broadcast.
Three sources for a payment address, of which only the invoice on the site is trustworthy, followed by a character comparison THE INVOICE ON THE BUSINESS'S OWN SITE bc1q9h4t2mzp8d3k6vw7syfx5n0jercea5v8t A TEXT MESSAGE, AN EMAIL, OR A CHAT bc1q9h4t2mzp8d3k6vw7syfx5n0jerce9x2kt CHECK THE FIRST FIVE AND THE LAST FIVE, IN THAT ORDER bc1q9 FIRST FIVE …jerce MIDDLE — DO NOT READ THIS a5v8t LAST FIVE
Malware that rewrites copied addresses works in the middle of a string, where nobody looks. A replacement address is a working address — it simply belongs to somebody else. Comparing the ends takes four seconds and defeats the whole attack.
09

Wrong address, wrong network

Understand what can be recovered, what cannot, and the exact first hour after a mistake.

  1. Stop sending the moment anything looks wrong
    If the address format changed, the network selector moved, or the wallet warned you, stop before the confirmation screen. A transaction that has not been broadcast can be cancelled with no loss. Almost every recovery story starts with someone noticing before pressing send.
  2. Match the address format to the network
    Bitcoin addresses begin with bc1, 1, or 3. Litecoin addresses begin with ltc1, L, or M. Ethereum addresses begin with 0x and are forty hexadecimal characters. Solana addresses are base58 and do not begin with 0x. A mismatch is not a warning to click through; it is a stop sign.
  3. A wrong network is not always a total loss
    If the receiving address belongs to an exchange or a wallet the recipient controls on both chains, that recipient may be able to recover the funds. If it belongs to nobody on the network you used, the funds are unspendable. There is no coordinator to appeal to and no reversal.
  4. If the address is this office's, call with the transaction ID
    Do not send a second payment. Call the number on this site, give the transaction ID and the network you used, and let the office check whether the address is one it controls. Do not send the transaction ID to a social-media account that claims to be the office.
  5. If the address belongs to an exchange, open a support ticket
    Exchanges can sometimes credit a deposit sent on the wrong network if the receiving address is theirs, but they are not obliged to and many charge a recovery fee. Open the ticket yourself from the exchange's own app or website, never from a link in a message.
  6. Report impersonation, do not pay for recovery
    If someone gave you the address and claimed to be this office, report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and the Texas Attorney General's consumer protection division. A paid recovery service is a second scam; no one can reverse a confirmed transaction.
Three sources for a payment address, of which only the invoice on the site is trustworthy, followed by a character comparison THE INVOICE ON THE BUSINESS'S OWN SITE bc1q9h4t2mzp8d3k6vw7syfx5n0jercea5v8t A TEXT MESSAGE, AN EMAIL, OR A CHAT bc1q9h4t2mzp8d3k6vw7syfx5n0jerce9x2kt CHECK THE FIRST FIVE AND THE LAST FIVE, IN THAT ORDER bc1q9 FIRST FIVE …jerce MIDDLE — DO NOT READ THIS a5v8t LAST FIVE
Malware that rewrites copied addresses works in the middle of a string, where nobody looks. A replacement address is a working address — it simply belongs to somebody else. Comparing the ends takes four seconds and defeats the whole attack.
10

Irreversibility, overpayments, and refunds

Know what the premium buys, what can come back, and why a card-style chargeback does not exist here.

  1. There is no chargeback on a crypto payment
    A card payment can be disputed and pulled back through the card network. A confirmed cryptocurrency transfer cannot. That is a property of the settlement layer, not a policy this office can waive. It is also why every invoice asks you to read the asset, network, address, and amount before sending.
  2. The premium is earned when the bond is posted
    The premium is the fee for writing the bond, not a deposit held against the case. Under the refund policy it is earned in full when the bond is posted and is not returned because charges are dropped, the case is dismissed, the defendant is found not guilty, or the bond is discharged early. The refund page states the full policy.
  3. An overpayment is a reconciliation, not a refund by default
    If you send more than the invoice total, or send twice, the extra is recorded against the invoice. Call the office with both transaction IDs. Whether the difference can be returned depends on the bond's status, the surety's rules, and the refund policy; it is not automatic and it is not instant.
  4. A refund, when one is due, is paid in crypto
    This office does not send cash, checks, cards, or bank transfers. A refund is sent to an address you provide and control. The office will never ask for a seed phrase or private key to send a refund, and it will never ask you to install a special wallet.
  5. The network fee is not refundable
    The fee that got the payment mined was paid to the network, not to this office. It is not returned with a refund. The same applies to the fee on the refund transaction itself, which is deducted from the amount returned or paid by the office as stated on the receipt.
  6. Keep the receipt and the transaction ID
    The receipt page is generated from the chain reading, not from a manual note. Save the PDF or print the page. If a question about a payment comes up months later, the transaction ID and the receipt are what lets the office answer it without guessing.
Four linked blocks forming a public ledger, with one entry highlighted as controlled by a single key Every computer running the software holds the same copy of this list. BLOCK 0001 0000a3f9c1d4 prev genesis BLOCK 0002 00007b2e8810 prev 0000a3f9 BLOCK 0003 0000c47a0e92 prev 00007b2e BLOCK 0004 00001de6b337 prev 0000c47a YOUR ENTRY moved only by your key
A wallet does not contain coins. It contains the key that can move one entry in this list — which is why losing the key loses the money, and why nobody can reverse a transaction for you.
11

Cash App, step by step

Buy Bitcoin in Cash App and send it to the invoice address without using the wrong network.

  1. Open Cash App and finish identity verification
    Tap Bitcoin on the home screen. Cash App will ask for your legal name, date of birth, and usually a photo ID before it lets you buy or send. That is normal for a regulated on-ramp; it is not this office asking.
  2. Buy Bitcoin, not a stock or another coin
    Tap Buy, enter the dollar amount, and confirm. Cash App shows the Bitcoin quantity and its spread before you confirm. Buy enough to cover the invoice amount plus the network fee; the invoice is denominated in BTC, not dollars.
  3. Open Bitcoin and tap Send
    Choose the on-chain Bitcoin route. If Cash App offers a different network or a Lightning route, stop — this invoice is on Bitcoin mainnet. A send on the wrong route is not the payment the invoice is watching for.
  4. Paste the address from the invoice page
    Copy the address from the invoice, paste it into Cash App, and compare the first and last four characters on both screens. Never use an address from a text, a social post, or a video. Enter the exact BTC amount shown on the invoice.
  5. Confirm, then return to the invoice
    Cash App will show a confirmation screen and a network fee. Confirm once. A broadcast transaction cannot be recalled. Return to the invoice page and wait for the confirmation count; do not send a second payment because the screen looks stuck.
The full payment sequence as six numbered stops, from invoice to bond posted at the desk 01
Invoice issued
One address, one asset, one network, a timer
02
Buy the asset
On an exchange, with identity verified
03
Withdraw to your wallet
So you can verify before committing
04
Send to the invoice
Check first five and last five first
05
Confirming, then confirmed
The server reads the chain itself
06
Bond posted at the desk
Then the jail's release queue
STEPS 1–5 ARE YOURS. STEP 6 IS THE JAIL'S, AND NOBODY CAN QUOTE ITS LENGTH IN ADVANCE.
The whole sequence, once. If a step you are being walked through does not appear here — a second wallet, a screen share, a seed phrase entry — it is not part of paying a bail bond.
12

Coinbase, step by step

Use a full exchange when Cash App is not available, and withdraw to a wallet you control before paying.

  1. Buy on Coinbase, then withdraw to your own wallet
    A balance inside Coinbase is held by Coinbase, not by you. For a bond payment, withdraw the Bitcoin, ETH, LTC or SOL to a wallet you control first. That extra step lets you verify the invoice address before the money leaves a custodial account.
  2. Choose the asset and the network on the withdraw screen
    Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Solana each have one main network in this office's configuration. The invoice names the asset and the network. Select exactly that one, and make sure the address format matches.
  3. Paste the invoice address and check it twice
    Copy the address from the invoice page, paste it into Coinbase, and compare the first and last characters. If Coinbase warns that the address is new or unusual, read the warning instead of dismissing it.
  4. Expect a first-withdrawal hold
    Coinbase may hold a first withdrawal to a new address for a day, or ask for a second verification. That delay happens before a transaction exists, so the invoice cannot show it yet. Do not create a second withdrawal while the first is under review.
  5. Save the transaction ID
    After the withdrawal broadcasts, copy the transaction ID and keep it with the invoice number. If the payment is late, that ID is what lets the office and the exchange find it. The invoice is still the authority on whether it arrived.
Comparison: funds held on an exchange where the exchange holds the key, against a wallet where you hold the key AN EXCHANGE They hold the key
Your funds sit on their books. If the account is frozen, limited, or the exchange fails, you have no key and no way to move anything.
YOUR OWN WALLET YOU You hold the key
The key is generated and stored on your device. Nobody can freeze it, and nobody can restore it for you either. That is the trade.
BUY ON THE EXCHANGE, THEN WITHDRAW TO A WALLET YOU CONTROL
Buying is a twenty-minute errand. Holding is a decision. Move the funds out of the exchange before you rely on them for anything — including a bond payment.
13

MoonPay and card on-ramps

Understand what a card on-ramp buys, where the funds land, and why the invoice address still matters.

  1. A card on-ramp is a purchase, not a payment to this office
    MoonPay and similar services sell cryptocurrency to your wallet. They are independent companies, not affiliated with this office. The bond invoice is paid only when the asset reaches the invoice address on the correct network.
  2. You need a wallet you control first
    MoonPay can deliver to a self-custody wallet address. Use a wallet you installed and whose seed phrase you wrote down. Do not deliver to an exchange deposit address unless you understand how that exchange credits the asset.
  3. Buy the exact asset the invoice names
    If the invoice is for ETH, buy ETH. If it is for SOL, buy SOL. Buying a different coin does not pay the invoice, even if it costs the same. The purchase screen and the invoice screen must agree.
  4. Expect card fees and a spread
    A card purchase usually costs more than a bank transfer, and the quoted fee is separate from the network fee and from the invoice. The invoice amount does not change because the on-ramp charged a fee.
  5. Send from your wallet, then watch the invoice
    Once the asset is in your wallet, send it to the invoice address using the network named on the invoice. Confirm the first and last characters. Wait for the invoice's confirmation count — not the on-ramp's success screen.
Comparison: funds held on an exchange where the exchange holds the key, against a wallet where you hold the key AN EXCHANGE They hold the key
Your funds sit on their books. If the account is frozen, limited, or the exchange fails, you have no key and no way to move anything.
YOUR OWN WALLET YOU You hold the key
The key is generated and stored on your device. Nobody can freeze it, and nobody can restore it for you either. That is the trade.
BUY ON THE EXCHANGE, THEN WITHDRAW TO A WALLET YOU CONTROL
Buying is a twenty-minute errand. Holding is a decision. Move the funds out of the exchange before you rely on them for anything — including a bond payment.
14

Reading a block explorer

Check a transaction yourself instead of trusting a screenshot or a status word.

  1. Match the explorer to the network
    A Bitcoin transaction belongs on a Bitcoin explorer, an Ethereum transaction on an Ethereum explorer, Litecoin on a Litecoin explorer, and Solana on a Solana explorer. Pasting a transaction ID into the wrong explorer returns nothing — that does not mean the payment failed.
  2. Search the transaction ID, not the address, when checking a payment
    An address shows every payment it has ever received. A transaction ID shows the one payment you care about. The invoice's transaction ID is the one to check.
  3. Read the recipient and the amount
    The explorer shows the outputs or token transfers. Confirm that the recipient matches the invoice address and the amount matches the asset on the invoice. A transaction that pays a different address is not this invoice's payment.
  4. Read confirmations as a count, not a promise
    One confirmation means one block has included the transaction. More blocks make a reorg less likely, not impossible. The invoice's required count is the office's risk decision; it does not make the transfer reversible.
  5. If the explorer shows nothing, do not send again
    A missing transaction may be unbroadcast, delayed, or on a different network. Call the office with the wallet's transaction ID and the network you selected. A second send is a second payment, not a repair.
Four linked blocks forming a public ledger, with one entry highlighted as controlled by a single key Every computer running the software holds the same copy of this list. BLOCK 0001 0000a3f9c1d4 prev genesis BLOCK 0002 00007b2e8810 prev 0000a3f9 BLOCK 0003 0000c47a0e92 prev 00007b2e BLOCK 0004 00001de6b337 prev 0000c47a YOUR ENTRY moved only by your key
A wallet does not contain coins. It contains the key that can move one entry in this list — which is why losing the key loses the money, and why nobody can reverse a transaction for you.
15

If your phone or wallet is lost

Know what to do before a lost device becomes a lost payment or a drained wallet.

  1. A wallet can be restored from the seed phrase, a phone cannot
    If the phone is gone but the paper seed phrase is safe, install the same wallet on another device and restore from the words. Never type the words into a website, a chat, or a wallet app reached from a link.
  2. If the seed phrase is also gone, treat the wallet as compromised
    Anyone who finds the phone and can unlock the wallet may be able to spend. Move any remaining funds to a new wallet immediately, if the old wallet still opens. Do not reuse the lost wallet's addresses for a refund.
  3. Tell the office before a refund address is needed
    A refund is sent only to a verified return address you control. If the old address is no longer safe, say so before the refund is prepared. The office will not send funds to a wallet you cannot access.
  4. Do not pay a recovery service
    No legitimate service can recover a seed phrase or reverse a transaction. A company that asks for a fee and your seed phrase is collecting the wallet, not recovering it.
  5. Keep the invoice and transaction ID separate from the device
    A printed receipt or a note with the invoice number and transaction ID lets you reconstruct the payment without the lost phone. The seed phrase and the invoice record should not be stored in the same place.
A recovery phrase written on a paper card beside four storage methods that must never be used RECOVERY PHRASE WRITTEN BY HAND · KEPT OFFLINE NEVER STORED HERE A photograph in the camera roll A note in a notes app Anything that syncs to a cloud drive An email, even to yourself
Twelve or twenty-four words, on paper, by hand, stored where you keep a passport. A photograph in the camera roll or a note that syncs to a cloud account is the most common way a wallet is emptied — and it needs no attacker to reach you at all, just one breach of an account you already have.
16

A whole payment, start to finish

See the entire sequence once, so nothing on the payment page is a surprise.

  1. The bond is priced and an invoice is issued
    The premium is calculated and shown itemized before anything exists to pay. Court and jail fees are listed separately. When you are ready, an invoice is issued against that exact amount.
  2. The invoice shows one address, one asset, one network, and a timer
    It also shows the amount in the chosen asset, the confirmation count required, and a QR code. Read all of it. The QR code contains the same address and amount as the text.
  3. You buy the asset and get it into your own wallet
    Buy on the exchange, then withdraw to the wallet you control. Withdrawing to your own wallet rather than sending straight from the exchange is slower by minutes and safer by a great deal, because you can verify the address before committing.
  4. You send, using the invoice address
    Scan the QR or copy the address, check the first and last five characters against the invoice, confirm the asset and network, and send. Save the transaction ID if your wallet shows it.
  5. The invoice moves to confirming, then confirmed
    This is the server reading the chain, not the browser guessing. When it reaches the confirmation count it becomes confirmed and a receipt is issued.
  6. The bond is posted at the bond desk
    Once the payment is confirmed and the agreement is signed, the bond goes to the Lew Sterrett Justice Center bond desk. After that, the release queue belongs to the jail, and the office will tell you where it actually stands rather than guessing.
The full payment sequence as six numbered stops, from invoice to bond posted at the desk 01
Invoice issued
One address, one asset, one network, a timer
02
Buy the asset
On an exchange, with identity verified
03
Withdraw to your wallet
So you can verify before committing
04
Send to the invoice
Check first five and last five first
05
Confirming, then confirmed
The server reads the chain itself
06
Bond posted at the desk
Then the jail's release queue
STEPS 1–5 ARE YOURS. STEP 6 IS THE JAIL'S, AND NOBODY CAN QUOTE ITS LENGTH IN ADVANCE.
The whole sequence, once. If a step you are being walked through does not appear here — a second wallet, a screen share, a seed phrase entry — it is not part of paying a bail bond.
If it has all gone wrong

What to do when funds went somewhere unexpected

There is no recall mechanism on any blockchain. What follows cannot recover funds. It exists because the alternatives — waiting, or paying someone who claims they can reverse it — make things worse.

  • 01

    Sent to the wrong address entirely

    If the address does not exist on the network, the transaction will usually fail and the funds stay in your wallet minus a fee. If it exists but is not yours, the funds are controlled by whoever holds that key, and there is nothing to appeal to.

  • 02

    Sent on the wrong network

    Recovery is sometimes possible, and it requires whoever controls the receiving address to act. Where the address belongs to this office, call immediately with the transaction ID. Where it does not, there is almost never a path.

  • 03

    Address replaced by malware

    Report it and check the machine before using it for anything financial again. Address-swapping malware stays installed and will do it a second time.

  • 04

    Paid someone impersonating this office

    Call this office on the number printed on this site so the office can confirm whether the request was genuine. Then report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and the Texas Attorney General's consumer protection division.

Nobody can reverse it — including paid \"recovery\" services

A service that offers to recover sent cryptocurrency for an upfront fee is a second scam aimed at the same victim. There is no technical route to reverse a confirmed transaction. Anyone who says otherwise is charging you for something that does not exist.

Would rather not do this alone?

Call and the office will stay on the line while you work through it — buying, setting up a wallet, and sending to the invoice address. There is no charge for that and no reason to figure it out at 3 a.m. by yourself.

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