Nigeria may be forced to adopt bitcoin

[billyjoeallen]

After getting my Nth Nigerian scam email, it occurred to me that nobody sane would be willing to do business with anyone in Nigeria using PayPal, eChecks or even Mastercard. Nigerians may be forced to use Bitcoin because it's the only form of payment anyone can trust!

I certainly know it's the only way I would sell anything to a Nigerian.

[1.21gigawatts]

title of thread is misleading

[ampkZjWDQcqT]

Please note not all nigerians are criminals. Some people from Nigeria are, that's true for any country or social group.

There is a related essay in http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/my_doom.html.

[PCRon]

After getting my Nth Nigerian scam email, it occurred to me that nobody sane would be willing to do business with anyone in Nigeria using PayPal, eChecks or even Mastercard. Nigerians may be forced to use Bitcoin because it's the only form of payment anyone can trust!

I certainly know it's the only way I would sell anything to a Nigerian.

Wait, are you saying the Nigerian Prince has Bitcoin he wants me to redeem for him?

[airdata]

i've requested payment via paypal to the last few scam emails I've gotten.

Still waiting for a serious response.

[static]

dumb thread

[billyjoeallen]

i've requested payment via paypal to the last few scam emails I've gotten.

Still waiting for a serious response.

I've gotten fake emails from someone claiming to be Paypal that stated the payment was received! I logged into my real Paypal account and the balance was zero. Of course I never shipped the product, but it was an impressive 2 part scam.

[billyjoeallen]

title of thread is misleading

Should I have written "forced by economic necessity"? That would have been too verbose.

I'm not saying there are no honest people in Nigeria. I am saying there is no easy way to distinguish them from the crooks. Bitcoin allows us to do business with any Nigerian without the risk of a fraudulent chargeback, reversed payment from a stolen credit card, forged check, counterfeit bills, etc.

[Steve]

This is a very good point...it is hard to sell using traditional payment methods to people in some countries due to the level of fraud.

[foggyb]

Please note not all nigerians are criminals. Some people from Nigeria are, that's true for any country or social group.

There is a related essay in http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/my_doom.html.

I have 2nd hand knowledge about life in Nigeria. Its full of scammers, thieves, and corruption. You can't drive 30 miles without running into a roadblock manned by thugs, government or otherwise, who will let you live if you pay the toll. Heaven help you if you actually need something from the government. They will delay delay delay until you flash some American dollar.

That said, bitcoin in Africa? Not bloody likely. They are lucky when the power stays on long enough to cook supper.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

After getting my Nth Nigerian scam email, it occurred to me that nobody sane would be willing to do business with anyone in Nigeria using PayPal, eChecks or even Mastercard. Nigerians may be forced to use Bitcoin because it's the only form of payment anyone can trust!

I certainly know it's the only way I would sell anything to a Nigerian.

Wait, are you saying the Nigerian Prince has Bitcoin he wants me to redeem for him?

...I am a civil adviser currently working with the monitoring committee overseeing the winding up of the petroleum trust fund (PTF). Myself and my close and trusted colleagues need your assistance in the transfer of 25,000,000 BTC into any reliable Account you may nominate overseas. This fund was generated from...

[ampkZjWDQcqT]

Please note not all nigerians are criminals. Some people from Nigeria are, that's true for any country or social group.

There is a related essay in http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/my_doom.html.

I have 2nd hand knowledge about life in Nigeria. Its full of scammers, thieves, and corruption. You can't drive 30 miles without running into a roadblock manned by thugs, government or otherwise, who will let you live if you pay the toll. Heaven help you if you actually need something from the government. They will delay delay delay until you flash some American dollar.

That said, bitcoin in Africa? Not bloody likely. They are lucky when the power stays on long enough to cook supper.

I don't know how Nigeria is. The point isn't whether Nigeria is peaceful or hostile, rather than we shouldn't assume everybody will share the same features (Being a criminal in this case) even when most people do.

[Jack of Diamonds]

Please note not all nigerians are criminals. Some people from Nigeria are, that's true for any country or social group.

There is a related essay in http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/my_doom.html.

No, they aren't. You're right.
But certain countries have an unacceptable history of internet fraud (statistically).  So most online retailers block them from purchasing anything

(Romania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Ukraine, Bangladesh)

If any of these countries started using bitcoins for their online purchases, everyone would ship there. Since bitcoins can't be reversed in any possible way, the seller is 100% protected against fraud,
and scammers are unlikely to purchase anything because they realize they can't cheat the seller.

[blogospheroid]

After getting my Nth Nigerian scam email, it occurred to me that nobody sane would be willing to do business with anyone in Nigeria using PayPal, eChecks or even Mastercard. Nigerians may be forced to use Bitcoin because it's the only form of payment anyone can trust!

I certainly know it's the only way I would sell anything to a Nigerian.

No, they aren't. You're right.
But certain countries have an unacceptable history of internet fraud (statistically).  So most online retailers block them from purchasing anything
(Romania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Ukraine, Bangladesh)
If any of these countries started using bitcoins for their online purchases, everyone would ship there. Since bitcoins can't be reversed in any possible way, the seller is 100% protected against fraud,
and scammers are unlikely to purchase anything because they realize they can't cheat the seller.

Amazing food for thought, Billyjoeallen and Jack. This was a truly new idea/thought for the day relating to bitcoin. This coin HAS LEGS. It will last, in niches unimagined by us now. As hardy as the bloody cockroach! As long as power supply and network protocols exist, this coin will last.

[Sandoz]

Please note not all nigerians are criminals. Some people from Nigeria are, that's true for any country or social group.

There is a related essay in http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/my_doom.html.

No, they aren't. You're right.
But certain countries have an unacceptable history of internet fraud (statistically).  So most online retailers block them from purchasing anything

(Romania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Ukraine, Bangladesh)

If any of these countries started using bitcoins for their online purchases, everyone would ship there. Since bitcoins can't be reversed in any possible way, the seller is 100% protected against fraud,
and scammers are unlikely to purchase anything because they realize they can't cheat the seller.

The sad thing is that everyone would scam them.. They pay, you don't send them anything..

[Jack of Diamonds]

The sad thing is that everyone would scam them.. They pay, you don't send them anything..

Reputation systems eliminate this risk even on anonymous sites like Silkroad, let alone 'legit' sites on the real internet.

Only buy from people who are proven to send merchandise. Always make a small first purchase then gradually move upwards.

[ampkZjWDQcqT]

Hmm, real internet? I wasn't aware of the existence of a fake one.

[NO_SLAVE]

dumb thread

yep^^^

[Tasty Champa]

[Eri]

cool topic. haters will hate.