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Spot the scam

Safety guide · Updated 28 Oct 2026

Fake vouches and vouch farming

Vouches should show that real people had real trades. Fake, bought and swapped vouches try to borrow trust that has not been earned.

A high count on its own tells you very little. Look at what the vouches say, who gave them and what else you can find.

Warning signs of fake vouches

  • Lots of vouches arriving in a short time.
  • Vague praise with no detail, such as "great trader, A+".
  • Vouches from brand-new or empty accounts, or accounts that vouch for each other.
  • A seller who shows screenshots of vouches instead of a live profile you can open.
  • Offers of paid vouches or "vouch for vouch" swaps.

Do and don't

The short version. Skim this first.

Do

  • Open the profile yourself in the lookup. Read the comments, not just the count, and the net score (vouches minus devouches).
  • Look for specifics: what was traded, in which game, and how it went.
  • Check the people who vouched. Do they look like real, established accounts with their own history?
  • Weigh vouches together with any record, linked accounts and how long the person has been around.
  • Only vouch after a real trade you took part in. One per person, never yourself.
  • Report suspected fakes with the exact IDs involved.
  • Use a devouch honestly, to say what went wrong in a real trade.

Don't

  • Don't buy, sell, swap or trade vouches. Fake, bought or traded vouches are removed, and can get the account that gave them limited or listed.
  • Don't use alt accounts to vouch for yourself or friends.
  • Don't trade just because of a high vouch count.
  • Don't accept a screenshot as proof of vouches.
  • Don't vouch for someone as a favour when you have not traded with them.
  • Don't pressure or threaten anyone over a vouch or devouch.

If it already happened (fake vouches fooled you, or affected you)

  1. If you traded because of fake vouches and lost out, save the evidence and report the deal as usual.
  2. Report the fake vouches. Every vouch on a profile has a Report action, or you can report a fake vouch with the profile's ID and why the vouch looks fake.
  3. If you gave a vouch you should not have, you can remove a vouch you gave at any time from your account.
  4. If a genuine vouch on your profile was removed, appeal the removal and say which vouch it was and who gave it, if you know.
  5. Don't answer a fake vouch with fake devouches of your own.

Where to go next

The right page on TrustDB for the next step.

Questions

  • Vouches count only from genuine accounts with a genuine deal. Alt accounts, vouch-for-vouch trades and fake, bought or traded vouches are removed. The net score is vouches minus devouches, and only active vouches count, so a removed vouch stops counting.
  • Vouches are public and show the Discord username of the person who gave them. A devouch is different: the person who left it stays hidden from the public, and only staff can see who it was.
  • No payment proof is needed to give one. That is one more reason not to read a vouch as proof that money changed hands.

More answers in the FAQ.

General safety information, not legal or financial advice. TrustDB isn't a party to your deals. We don't hold funds, act as a middleman or get refunds for you.

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