Because you can create fake email accounts that are hard to trace, while it's significantly harder to have a phone # that is fake/untraceable (doable but orders of magnitude less so)
DVK
2010-03-23 00:55:24
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Hmm... interesting. But, essentially the verification is combat the wrong owner taking ownership of a business page, correct? The phone call back wouldn't prevent that any more than an e-mail verification. Though I understand what you're saying, I don't see it making it anymore "safe".
Chad
2010-03-23 01:15:55
It doesn't necessarily prevent up-front fraud technically, but it makes it MUCH simpler/more reliable to trace afterwards and as such, both prevents fraud up-front (i'll go scam someone who's less likely to catch me and requires less efforts) AND increases the post-factum verification
DVK
2010-03-23 01:24:18
ok, I buy it. It is definitely more difficult to fake a phone number than an e-mail address. Do you think it's necessary to be able to trace back to the person impersonating the owner? Or simply be able to remove what the impersonator did, and put the owner in control?
Chad
2010-03-23 01:49:13
I'll take an easy out and say "both" :)
DVK
2010-03-23 01:51:49
Touché! :D Let's say the only trace back you can offer is to the e-mail, info that was entered... and then offer to remove it all immediately and give the real owner full control. Do you believe there's major issues with that?
Chad
2010-03-23 02:09:02
That depends on the amount of damage it can cause real owner, and how good the real owner's lawyers are :)
DVK
2010-03-23 02:21:15
Do you think the terms in the site's terms of use can protect a website that only offers e-mail verification as described above? :D
Chad
2010-03-23 02:55:40
IANAL. 'nuff said.
DVK
2010-03-23 02:58:54
true enough... this isn't the forum for these questions anyway. Appreciate your time.
Chad
2010-03-23 03:05:52
A:
I know I'm a bit late to the game I think the key point is Yelp calls the phone number they already have for the business.
So in order to get around that, you'd either need to have access to that businesses telephone at the time of the validation call, or, edit the phone number with your own, get it approved somehow then go through the validation check.
I've always wondered what a business owner does if the phone number listed isn't correct.
Jim
2010-04-06 17:07:03