My experience with self-moderated thread is very normal like any other thread. The only one that got remove or delete is usually off-topic or spam without any contribution to the thread. Most bounty thread today are just filled with weekly report posts so even if they are self-moderated, no one seriously uses it for any discussion.
Yes, I also agree with your words. Usually there are no extraneous conversations in the bounty thread, except for reporting. All questions about the bounty are resolved in telegram groups. Therefore, I also don't see anything criminal in these threads. But this is just my experience.
Totally agree. I don't think self-moderating thread is scam proof. Self-moderation is not only about removing unflattering posts but keeping the thread tidy (in theory). In addition, there are many ways to report a scam, for example in a specially created section or giving a negative trust OP, which are definitely better than entering an accusation in the post in the middle of a several-dozen-page thread that will be lost under hundreds of bounty hunters reports ... what's more, bounty hunters rarely they read the content of the thread, only enter their reports (and it is not surprising because there is nothing interesting to read there) ..