Content, UGC & Blacklist Policy

Last updated: 1 October 2026

This policy explains how VillaVerify decides what to publish about specific listings, websites, operators, and individuals, and how we handle content submitted by other people (guest posts, reports, and reader stories).

1. Automated risk levels vs. "Confirmed scam"

Most checker results are automated and risk-phrased (for example "High risk") based on public register data and observable signals about a listing or website. An automated result is a statement of risk, not an accusation of wrongdoing, and always carries a disclaimer that it can be wrong (see our Disclaimer).

"Confirmed scam" is different. It is never assigned automatically. It is a manual, evidence-based label, applied only through the process below.

2. Evidence standard for a "Confirmed scam" label

We will only label a domain or listing "Confirmed scam" where, at minimum:

• there are at least two independent, documented sources supporting the finding (for example press coverage, official/police/consumer-authority reports, or forum reports we can archive), or our own multi-signal determination based on documented evidence we hold;
• we have made a right-of-reply attempt (trying to contact the operator or site for their side) and given a response window of 5 days;
• the supporting evidence is archived internally; and
• a human reviewer manually approves the label before it is published.

Every "Confirmed scam" page states the date of the finding, references the sourced evidence where it can be shown, and carries a visible appeal route (see §3).

3. Right of reply and appeal

Anyone named on a "Confirmed scam" page can contact us at hello@villaverify.com to dispute the label, submit evidence, or request correction or removal. We review appeals in good faith and update or remove a label where the evidence warrants it.

4. Extra caution when naming individuals

Wherever possible, we describe a scam by its domain and modus operandi, not by naming an individual person. Where a specific person or company is named:

• we rely only on evidence that is already publicly documented (for example already-published official or press sources), rather than being the first to make the accusation ourselves; and
• any page naming an individual is reviewed by counsel before publication, given Spain's protections around personal honour and privacy and the potential for exposure under defamation-adjacent offences (injurias/calumnias).

We will never publish an unproven accusation against a named individual.

5. Notice-and-takedown

If you believe something we've published about you or your business is inaccurate, out of date, or was published without following the process above, contact us at hello@villaverify.com with the URL and a description of the issue. We will investigate and respond, and will correct or remove content found to be wrong or improperly sourced.

6. Guest posts and reader stories

We may publish reader-submitted stories (for example "I got scammed" accounts) as blog content. Before publishing, we require:

• the contributor's consent to publish, edited or unedited, under our editorial control;
• a warranty from the contributor that their account is true to the best of their knowledge;
• editorial moderation: we may edit, decline, or request changes to any submission; and
• no naming of unproven third parties: the same standard as §4 applies to any name mentioned in a guest post.

Guest posts are covered by the notice-and-takedown process in §5.

7. Reviews and feedback per operator: not offered yet

VillaVerify does not currently allow guests to leave public reviews or ratings of individual operators; only aggregate, metadata-only Google review counts/ratings appear on operator profiles (never review text; see our Privacy Policy). A guest-review feature is planned for the future and will launch only with its own dedicated legal terms (moderation, identity checks, operator right-of-reply, and defamation safeguards).

8. Changes and contact

We may update this policy from time to time. Questions, reports, or appeals: hello@villaverify.com.