ozstamps makes an excellent point, which I've fortunately never had an occasion to think about until now. It suggests that first contact via FT PM is a good idea, even though it's a bit more cumbersome than regular e-mail. When you get a PM, and log into FT to read it, you have some assurance that it's from the FTer you think it is. First contact via e-mail has to be a tad more suspect.