Goatpig,
Thanks for introducing me to testnet coins. I didn't know valueless Bitcoins existed for the purpose of testing. My question to you or anyone in this forum is whether or not it is possible to be scammed with testnet coins. Lets say I purchase 20 bitcoins from some fellow living in Alaska and I live in New York. Is there any way possible the fellow in Alaska can scam me by sending me 20 testnet bitcoins and not real Bitcoins? I'm asking this because I am a newbie and I would like to learn how to tell the difference from Testnet coins and Bitcoins and avoid possibly getting scammed. Any comments welcome.
Testnet and mainnet are 2 independent networks with separate magic words and chains. Testnet addresses are not valid on mainnet and vice versa. The addresses don't even starts with the same prefix (1 for mainnet, n and m for testnet)
Also, to receive payments, you have to provide the payer with an address first. Unless you give them a testnet address and expect testnet coins, you won't be getting any testnet coins.