Totally talking to Bitcoin Babe....
It has come to my attention that a certain unscrupulous group of people have been making the rounds pretending to be "Bitcoin Babe". While this is nothing short of pathetic, it is unfortunately something that has been happening for quite some time, and will more than likely continue for some time.
What do these Impersonators do?
In more recent times, these impersonators will often contact newer traders who have listed on LocalBitcoins, asking if they can "Buy" or "Loan" some Bitcoin from you, at a very generous rate for a"high roller" buyer that they have. They will often cite excuses like "My usual supplier is unreachable" or "My money is stuck pending on an exchange" and that is why they need to buy or loan the Bitcoin from you.
How do I know that I'm NOT talking to the real Bitcoin Babe?
In most cases, these impersonators will use an overseas number as they are based overseas, or are using an internet number service. This should be the first drop dead give away - I'm in Australia, I have no need for an overseas number. It should also be noted that I DO NOT use a mobile service to contact anyone, whether it be text message, phone call or otherwise.
They also wont speak to you over the phone and give excuses like "I'm busy right now" or "I'm out of range" to defer the chat... But don't take this as gospel - I had a case a few years ago now, where the scammer was a female and was putting on a really bad Australian accent, So, if you need to make a voice comparison, you can check out my many of radio, television, or podcast interviews!
Another thing to note, is that a lot of the time they will contact you via messaging apps like Wickr, Telegram, Signal, Kik, WhatsApp and whatever else they can get their hands on. BITCOIN BABE DOES NOT HAVE ANY ACCOUNTS WITH THESE SERVICES. I will never contact you via one of these means for any reason.
If you do happen to get as far as "asking for proof" they will often show an edited screenshot of my LocalBitcoins profile showing me "logged in to my dashboard" or "showing my LocalBitcoins profile with me logged in". This screenshots can be very easily edited in Microsoft paint and other types of software. This is generally as far as they will go when showing proof.
Sometimes they can really sassy...
So how do I know that I AM talking to the real Bitcoin Babe?
First of all, reaching out to traders to buy or loan bitcoin from them is something I NEVER do - I have my own Bitcoin, why would I need yours? That should be the first give away.
But if the impersonator is convincing, you can ask the person you are talking to verify that they are indeed "Bitcoin Babe" by sending a signed or encrypted message using the Bitcoin Babe PGP key. My public key is displayed on my website here: http://www.bitcoin-babe.com/pgp-key
If PGP confirmations aren't really your thing, you can always contact me via LocalBitcoins to confirm the communication. But if you prefer a quicker response, you can just contact me via one of the OFFICIAL Bitcoin Babe mediums listed below:
BB Website (email): https://www.bitcoin-babe.com/contact
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bitcoinbabeau/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BitcoinBabeAU
Snapchat: bitcoin.babe
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/bitcoinbabeau
Instagram (not checked regularly): https://www.instagram.com/bitcoin.babe/
Google+ (not checked regularly): https://plus.google.com/u/0/114905228627968022732
What should I do if one of these Bitcoin Babe impersonators contact me?
For the mature of us out there, its very simple - just block and delete. But if you like having a little bit fun, I highly recommend trolling the shit out of them. Not only is it fun, but you can also take pride in knowing that by wasting their time, they will become distracted from trying to target other people who may fall for the scam. I also get a great kick out of reading the conversations (there's something really amusing about reading the dialogue of what someone thinks you converse like) so be sure to send those screenshots of your shenanigans via one of the contact methods above!
But please, troll responsibly.
Happy Bitcoining!
BB
xoxo