I'm not sure it CAN be centralized at all, but it might or it probably will be regulated since it may be beneficial for all the participants of the cryptomarket. What I fear is the scenario when a government (US, for example) will issue its own crypto-reserve-currency which will be a hybrid of BTC and USD and the BTC might lose its position up to its extinction...

When the price of a commodity drop with no reason, you should know that it is being manipulated. The reasons for this is quite simple, because a lot of people know this is a fake crash and they are going to make millions, when other people start to panic and start selling their coins at these low prices.

The secret to maximize your profits in this game is to buy coins at the lowest price possible and then again to sell at the highest price possible.

What do you do if people are hoarding their coins and refuse to sell? You simulate a fake crash by stockpiling your coins over a long period and then dumping those coins at once to trigger a small crash. You then buy back these coins at a lower price than what you bought them and wait for the market to recover.

This is what is happening now, because there is NO reason for this sudden drop in the price? Hold onto those coins as long as you can, because these greedy bastards will manipulate the markets to cause chaos and panic.

Is there any evidence that these mysterious 'whales' really control the bitcoin market, or is this a myth generated as people try to understand why bitcoin prices go up and down?

The only ones that are affected by the false information the media is giving to the people are the ones who aren't in the business yet. The ones that are in here know well that those are nothing but lies and are well-aware that media spreads FUD every single day because that's what gives them the most traffic. They aren't going to feature the people that have made fortune from crypto, but rather, they are going to feature the newbies that were once a victim of HYIP or a ponzi scheme or cloud mining and then claim that it was bitcoin that scammed them. It's impossible that the understandings of the people behind the news is that shallow since all the information about bitcoin is out there and it has a logical explanation why bitcoin has reached that price.



They really have no reputation to keep so they can do this all the time. They spread fake news just every now and then but not most of the time, so they are still going to appear credible to the people. Getting bashed on social media and having viral posts about them spreading misinformation is even what they like more because their name appears on people's timeline. They don't care about reputation because they know that people are still going to trust them even after reading that they have been spreading wrong information.

From your statement above, I can see you have not educated yourself first. Investing is a plan you developed not a get rich quick scheme.
You have to spend time more on understanding what cryptocurrency are before you think about investing your money. Take time to study the tech behind any project you feel is an alternative or got suggested to you via comments as you don't want to invest in bitcoin because you feel it's too costly don't forget there are only 21million available.

A cryptocurrency as influential as Bitcoin just can't remain in the shadow or go unnoticed. Neither can it remain outside government control or regulation, so I believe going under regulation is just a matter of time and readiness of the respective governments, IMHO.

As interest in digital currencies increases such as Bitcoin, more and more Bitcoin scams promise high returns. Unrealistic lure is clearly a mere cover, and usually ends with the loss of clients' funds. Fraud often spreads in social circles based on trusted relationships. Therefore, we must be aware that there are cunning fraudsters who can actively seek ways to deceive with absurd tricks and offers.

How to avoid bitcoin scams :

1. Know What You Are Facing

You don't need to rush to decide whether an investment product is a scam or not. All you need to do is, take a moment to find complete information about the project. The easiest way to do this is to find information in the form of company details or Whitepaper (if ICO), and other things related to the investment product. Learn all the details carefully and do some research on testimonials, comments, and so on. Another way is to join a Bitcoin forum like Bitcointalk, and immediately ask for credibility of an investment product or company to other members.

2. Avoid Unrealistic Offerings

Usually, crypto currency fraud can disguise its identity by using a social media account or advertising banner that looks professional. Mark Steward, director of FCA law enforcement, explained that when people become more skeptical of the real world regarding investment and consumer habits have changed, investment fraud has moved into the realm of Online and social media.

How to avoid this Bitcoin Scam is, you are better selective about all investment offerings from the Online platform that you did not ask for, whether through social media, email, or even by telephone. Even if it looks official, pay attention to how it is offered. Con artists usually dare to promise high profits to lure victims. So if you feel the promise of profits is unrealistic, immediately ignore the proposed offer.

3. Beware of Phising Web Pages

Increased interest in crypto currencies makes many new investors enter the market. Lots of land in a fake landing page that claims to be a popular digital currency exchange platform. One example is the one that uses the Punycode technique. Through this method, the fake domain 'xn - inance-hrb [dot] com' can be displayed as 'ƅinance [dot] com'. This technique is usually able to deceive consumers, because web pages can look really like the original. You can overcome this by being aware of vulnerabilities that exist in internet browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, and Opera,

4. Beware of Fake Digital Wallets

Fake virtual wallets often appear online or at the mobile app store. In the example of a fake Wallet fraud that happened, more than $ 3.3 million was stolen from users who want to claim their Bitcoin Gold. To anticipate similar events, many Bitcoin Wallet providers caution clients to be aware of the cloning of scammers who want to steal victim funds by imitating their appearance.

MyEtherWallet for example, warns customers about fake MyEtherWallet in December. In addition, before choosing a digital wallet provider, do research first. Please share opinions on leading crypto forums, both local and foreign. In essence, only use the Wallet provider with a good track record.

5. Beware of Bitcoin Thief Malware

Malware is something that concerns computer owners. But now, a new category of malware capable of stealing Bitcoin-related data has appeared. Malware authorized by the computer owner is able to record typing or search for a file with the keyword "Account", "Password", "Bitcoin", "Wallet", or other keywords specified by the author, then upload the file to an anonymous server automatically.

In addition, there is also a malware that seeks to absorb the computing power of computer users to mine crypto. Anticipating this, YouTube is trying to deactivate ads that take computing power to mine crypto currencies. It is believed, after users see the related ad videos, the computer becomes slow and there will be warnings from anti-virus programs. Malware like this can steal up to 100% of computing power to mine crypto currencies (generally Monero). The solution that can be applied here is to install strong anti-virus protection and active Firewall to protect the computer.