Quote from: LoyceV on Today at 08:26:18 AM

Quote from: actmyname on August 15, 2021, 10:56:14 PM

How many people do you think wander into large forums with the expectation, "I need to be on my guard or else I will be scammed, because the forum allows scammers to stay here."

It's one of the things that makes Bitcointalk so unique. If I have a problem with my computer, I go to Stackexchange, copy/paste some code, and it works again. The same for car related problems on specialized forums: I follow the instructions, and it solves my problem. But if you do the same on Bitcointalk, you lose your money:

Honestly, it's not that cut and dry. The internet is full of misinformation, and most of us have learned to be skeptical when researching solutions to our problems. I don't blindly copy and paste code from stackexchange without researching the commands, nor do I assume that the youtube videos about misfiring Fords are going to address my specific mechanical issues.

Quote from: LoyceV on Today at 08:26:18 AM

Quote from: DireWolfM14 on Today at 04:19:12 AM

Maybe big red warning on every trading board post started by a newbie; something simple like "Scammers flourish in a free marketplace, WATCH YOUR ASS!" That might get the job done, but then again it could get ignored just like all the other giant red warning signs.

This is theymos' view:

Quote from: theymos on February 20, 2019, 11:06:13 PM

Honestly, I think that someone that naïve can't be protected. Even if every inch of the page had been full of warnings, he still might've fallen for it, since he wasn't even thinking about the possibility of being given evil instructions. The scammer was a Jr Member, not some Legendary.

People like him (ie. the majority of the world population) are why we'll someday want an optional sidechain or something on top of Bitcoin which has reversible transactions (via some sort of automatic 2-of-3 escrow which expires after a while, maybe).

I tend to agree with theymos, which is the point I was trying to make to actmyname. We can't protect everyone, nor can we prevent all scams. I'm in no way suggesting that we stop trying, but we're going to have to accept some risk. A quote that's often attributed to Benjamin Franklin goes something like this: "Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."