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A comment on Could Bitcoin ease the pain of Africa's migrant workforce?. Parent comment

Re:Could Bitcoin ease the pain of Africa's migrant workforce? by sanswork on Tuesday March 10, 2015 @05:54AM (#9176854)
Are they working legally? If so why don't they just carry the money home with them. As long as they declare it if it's over the threshold($10,000 in the US) and they have proof of work which they should have if it was legal work they will almost certainly have no problems.
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Re:Could Bitcoin ease the pain of Africa's migrant workforce? by dagw on Tuesday March 10, 2015 @06:01AM (#9176877)
almost certainly have no problems.

would you trust your life's savings to a bored and underpaid customs official in a poor country not 'fining' you for not having the correct paper work, or even just accusing you of forging the paperwork and confiscating the cash?

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Re:Could Bitcoin ease the pain of Africa's migrant workforce? by sanswork on Tuesday March 10, 2015 @06:06AM (#9176893)
More than I'd trust some random person promising to give me cash for my bitcoin.
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Re:Could Bitcoin ease the pain of Africa's migrant workforce? by DickingAround on Tuesday March 10, 2015 @11:53AM (#9178385)
No way. You'd really trust you luck with crooked cops on both sides of the border (look up civil forfeiture)? Even if it took a sec to find a bitcoin broker, it's far harder to steal so you'll eventually get your fiat money even if you have to look around for a buyer.
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Re:Could Bitcoin ease the pain of Africa's migrant workforce? by camperman on Tuesday March 10, 2015 @07:57AM (#9177208)
In the First World, yes. Easy cross-border is an exception on this continent though. To give you an example, I traveled from South Africa to Zimbabwe via the Beitbridge border post last year and it was an absolute nightmare, taking nearly 8 hours just to get through the Zimbabwe side. Our party was flush with US dollars (they don't take anything else), had all the paperwork and an infinite supply of patience. We could at least afford to pay the ridiculous "fees" and "levies" to get in. My workers? Not so much.

You are at the mercy of the staff at an African border post. And boy do they know it.

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Re:Could Bitcoin ease the pain of Africa's migrant workforce? by glomph on Tuesday March 10, 2015 @06:38AM (#9176975)
Are you serious?
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