Frequently Asked Questions

Created in 2012 by René Ronse, SOR (Scam Or Reliable) is an independent media outlet specializing in scam prevention, consumer protection and online risk analysis.

The site publishes anti-fraud alerts, prevention articles, features on cybercrime, practical advice, consumer testimonials and analyses of products, websites, services or offers that require in-depth verification.

Our goal is to help internet users better understand how fraud works, spot warning signs, verify the credibility of information or an offer, and adopt the right reflexes before clicking, paying, replying or sharing personal data.

For more information about our working method, see our review guidelines.

SOR’s headquarters are located in Templeuve, Belgium. For more information, see our legal notice

Yes, our website is also available in German, English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese.

You can select the language of your choice by clicking on one of the flags below:

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The best way to contact our team is to use our online contact form.

We are also present on social media.

All messages sent through our contact form are read. When a message requires a reply, we do our best to respond quickly.

If you have not received a reply, it is possible that a filter placed our response in your “Junk”, “Spam” or trash folder.

It also happens that some email providers block legitimate messages as part of their fight against spam. This may concern services such as “Free”, “Orange”, “Hotmail” or other similar mail services.

Our publications follow a verification protocol adapted to their nature: anti-fraud alert, prevention article, feature on cybercrime, product analysis, service review or verification of an online offer.

Our approach is based on cross-checking the available information, identifying warning signs, analyzing commercial practices, taking useful testimonials into account and distinguishing between verified facts, concerning signs and recommendations for caution.

For more information, see our review and verification guide.

Our AI-assisted verification service makes it possible to quickly obtain analytical insights about a product, brand, shop, offer or service.

The tool cross-checks public data and feedback available online in order to produce a structured summary of the signals observed. It does not replace a human investigation, an official authority or professional advice, but it can provide a useful first level of information when there is doubt.

The interactive guide for fraud victims helps internet users identify the first actions to take after a scam or attempted fraud.

It provides quick guidance according to the situation encountered: payment made, data shared, compromised account, identity theft, threat, fake support, phishing or another fraudulent scenario.

The fraud reporting assistant helps users better understand where and how to report fraud depending on the type of problem encountered.

It can direct users toward useful steps, suitable platforms or the competent organizations depending on the situation: fraudulent email, suspicious SMS, fake website, scam on social media, financial fraud, identity theft or another online risk.

The interactive scam simulator makes it possible to test your reflexes in different situations inspired by common scams.

Its purpose is educational: to help internet users recognize warning signs, understand the manipulation methods used by fraudsters and learn to react more cautiously when faced with online traps.

To make reading easier, some articles use a color code to highlight important elements: reassuring points, warning signs, testimonials, useful information or recommendations for caution.

The Green Color Code

This section highlights elements that are generally reassuring or favorable.

The Yellow Color Code

This section draws attention to a point that requires caution or further verification.

The Red Color Code

This section signals a significant risk, a problematic practice or a situation that is not recommended.

The Blue Color Code

This section highlights a quotation, a testimonial or a piece of feedback.

The Burgundy Color Code

This section highlights useful information for consumers.

We do everything we can to publish clear, useful and verified content. However, no source of information is infallible and some situations can change quickly: website closure, change of conditions, new testimonials, reaction from a company, official warning or regulatory update.

It is therefore important to keep a critical mind, cross-check information when the stakes are significant and consult the competent authorities or professionals when the situation requires it.

If the topic you are looking for has not yet been covered on Scam Or Reliable, several solutions are available to you:

1. Use our AI-assisted verification service to obtain an initial summary based on public data and feedback available online.
2. Use our support tools if you think you are dealing with fraud, especially the guide for victims or the reporting assistant.
3. Contact us through the contact page to suggest a verification, an alert or an additional analysis.

These approaches are complementary and are intended to provide you with a first level of reliable information while waiting for a possible dedicated publication.

Scam Or Reliable relies on an editorial team and, when useful, on independent consultants able to provide an additional perspective on certain subjects.

These contributions may concern consumer protection, commercial practices, digital security, online shopping, finance, health, well-being, animals, technology or other fields when they are linked to a risk of abuse, misleading promises or scams.

Yes. Comments are moderated in order to preserve a space that is useful, readable and respectful.

We may reject, edit or delete a comment if it contains defamatory, insulting, hateful, promotional, clearly false, incomprehensible or off-topic content, or if it is written in an unsuitable format.

For more details, see the section Comment Review Guidelines.

There may be several reasons why a comment is not published or is removed:

• the comment contains rude or inappropriate words;
• it contains defamatory or accusatory statements without sufficient supporting elements;
• it is written entirely or mostly in capital letters;
• it does not provide useful information to the discussion thread;
• it is posted in the wrong section;
• it appears promotional, automated or artificial;
• it is considered a fake testimonial;
• it has been the subject of a justified complaint.

For more information, see our comment review policy.

Comments can be useful for understanding a situation, spotting trends or comparing several experiences. However, a testimonial remains an individual experience and should not be considered absolute proof.

We apply strict moderation and may request additional elements when necessary, but we always recommend cross-checking information before drawing a final conclusion.

Yes. If you would like to request the deletion of a testimonial, use the SOR contact form.

To make your request easier to process, please provide as much information as possible: the title of the article, the name used to publish the comment, the approximate publication date and the content concerned.

Some questions posted in the comments may not receive a reply. This can happen when we do not have an adequate answer, when the situation requires the intervention of an external organization or when the comment concerns a personal request that we cannot handle publicly.

It is possible to receive new comments on the articles that interest you by email. To do this, simply post a new comment and tick the box “Notify me of future comments by email!”.

You will then receive the new comments related to the relevant article in your email inbox.

SOR’s newsletter is completely free. Subscribers receive a summary message of new publications, alerts or useful content published on the site.

You remain in control of this subscription at all times thanks to the management link at the bottom of each message received.

You can sign up through the Scam Or Reliable subscription form.

Reading Scam Or Reliable is free for readers. However, information research, writing, verification, moderation, technical maintenance and website hosting all represent a real cost.

To cover these costs, SOR relies mainly on two sources of revenue: affiliate partnerships and advertising.

1. Affiliate partnerships

In some content, we may provide affiliate links to products, services or resources. If you make a purchase via one of these links, we may receive a commission.

This relationship is indicated for the sake of transparency. It does not influence our conclusions, does not allow a brand to buy a positive recommendation and does not change the final price paid by the user.

We have established partnerships with several affiliate platforms, the list of which may change over time: 1TPE, Amazon, Block Five, Fanfuel, …

2. Advertising

Some discreet, appropriate and non-intrusive advertisements may be present on our site. We take care to preserve a pleasant browsing experience, with no disguised advertising or intrusive pop-up windows on Scam Or Reliable.

No. We never accept money, gifts, services or advantages in exchange for a favorable conclusion, a positive recommendation or a change to an analysis.

Our goal is to provide useful, independent and honest information. Accepting payment to influence a conclusion would go against our consumer protection mission.

No. No sponsored articles, paid-for content or paid publications are accepted on Scam Or Reliable.

Yes. You can consult part of our older articles, listings, comparisons, analyses and alerts in our archive section available via this link: Historical archives.

Scam Or Reliable’s main purpose is not to publish simple product reviews. Our objective is broader: to help internet users spot scams, understand deceptive practices, verify dubious offers and adopt better online protection reflexes.

When we analyze a product, service or website, we do not base ourselves on a personal opinion. We examine the available information, terms of sale, transparency signals, commercial practices, consumer testimonials and risk indicators in order to offer a reading that is as useful and balanced as possible.

The subjects covered may come from several sources: reader reports, observed trends, emerging scams, dubious commercial practices, requests for verification, recurring testimonials or significant risks for consumers.

A company may suggest the analysis of a product or service, but no sum of money is accepted to guarantee a publication, influence a conclusion or obtain a favorable recommendation.

Your personal information is handled confidentially. It is not published in the comments and is not shared with third parties outside the cases provided for by our privacy policy or by law.

In public comments, only the name or pseudonym used when publishing may appear.

To learn more about our privacy policy, terms of use or legal notice, see these pages:

• Privacy policy
• SOR Terms of Use
• Legal notice

Yes. The information published on Scam Or Reliable is intended for information, prevention and educational purposes. It does not replace the opinion of an official authority, a qualified professional, a legal adviser, a doctor, a financial organization or any other competent expert when the situation requires it.

Read the full disclaimer.

If you would like to report an error, suggest a correction, propose an update or send us useful information, use our online contact form.

If you notice that your rights or those of another person have been violated, please contact us through our online contact form. We will take the necessary steps to review the situation and resolve the issue as quickly as possible.