Advice for Scam Prevention - Pick up the phone!

[the joint]

You know, with all the scams and accusations on these forums, one thing truly boggles my mind -- the infrequent use of a simple phone call(s) to establish rapport between a buyer and seller, especially when they are both located in the same country.

Look, Bitcoin isn't anonymous, and while pseudo-anonymity is great and all, there's no real need for anonymity unless 1)  you're a scammer, or 2)  there's a risk of identity theft or unwarranted/un-welcomed surveillance.

So?  Pick up the phone!  Talk with each other.  Let tone of voice fill in the gaps that text simply cannot.  Best of all, hashing out the details of a transaction through a series of phone conversations would likely put to rest most doubts shared between genuinely honest sellers (e.g. "I'm not really comfortable showing an ID..."), thereby reducing the overall number of accusations or potential "scammer alerts" that appear on this forum.  Yes, I know that there are ways to avoid being traced through a phone call, but at least it's a more personable medium of communication, and I think that things like tone of voice can be much better indicators of a person's true intentions.

I think the way business is typically conducted on this forum is a case-in-point example of the drawbacks of digital communication, and many have paid for it.

[rjk]

The newdude scammer actually talked to someone on the phone at least once, but he was just as much of an asshole on the phone as he was on the forum. lol

[the joint]

The newdude scammer actually talked to someone on the phone at least once, but he was just as much of an asshole on the phone as he was on the forum. lol

   What was the result of that transaction?

[teflone]

You know what..


This is a great point.. 


Tone and inflection are extremely valuable tools in scam detection...

Excellent post..

[rjk]

The newdude scammer actually talked to someone on the phone at least once, but he was just as much of an asshole on the phone as he was on the forum. lol

   What was the result of that transaction?

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=74747.msg838965#msg838965

[imsaguy]

You know what..


This is a great point.. 


Tone and inflection are extremely valuable tools in scam detection...

Excellent post..

I agree.  I've talked to my largest investors on the phone.  They know I'm just a phone call away if they need to get a hold of me.

[the joint]

The newdude scammer actually talked to someone on the phone at least once, but he was just as much of an asshole on the phone as he was on the forum. lol

   What was the result of that transaction?

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=74747.msg838965#msg838965

Seems like the phone call was useful in that particular instance.

[LoupGaroux]

TJ makes an excellent point in this thread. Basic communication can go to great distances, and provides at least a real life connection to the other side of your transaction.

Well said.

[the joint]

TJ makes an excellent point in this thread. Basic communication can go to great distances, and provides at least a real life connection to the other side of your transaction.

Well said.

   You're my favorite now.

[ludo0777]

Its a good point, most scammers won't give you their phone number but the problem is, if you are in different countries it might be quite expensive, unless you use skype!

[LoupGaroux]

When you look at the folks that have lost tens of thousands of dollars on a regular basis here, spending even fifty dollars on long distance phone calls doesn't seem like a bad investment.

[the joint]

I bet even international Gmail calls are rather inexpensive.