Evaluation Methodology
How ScamWatch evaluates suspicious links, numbers, and messages to protect communities in Florida.
1. What “Verified” Means
An alert or campaign is marked as Verified only when it meets strict credibility thresholds:
- Official Confirmation: The scam signature has been documented in official law enforcement alerts, federal advisories (such as the FTC or FCC), or state Attorney General bulletins.
- Infrastructure Matching: The URLs, phone numbers, or text messages have been confirmed as malicious infrastructure through verified abuse databases.
- High Community Consensus: Multiple independent community reports are logged matching the exact message template and target entity.
2. Risk Levels Explained
⚪ Unknown Risk
Insufficient signals to classify threat. Treat with caution and verify independently.
🟢 Low Risk
No active campaigns or threat indicators matching this signature have been identified. Exercise normal vigilance.
🟡 Medium Risk
Potential threat indicators matching this signature have been identified, requiring cautious independent verification.
🔴 High Risk
Active impersonation campaigns identified with verified warnings from utilities or official registries. Extreme caution advised.
🚨 Critical Risk
Widespread active campaigns targeting critical infrastructure, financial access, or state portals with severe risks of immediate loss.
3. How Confidence is Calculated
Confidence scores reflect the strength of evidence. We look at matching text patterns, domain registration ages, known brand-impersonation indicators, and the volume of independent reports. We do not use arbitrary predictions.
4. Official Sources vs. Community Reports
Official Alerts are official warnings published by government agencies (FTC, FCC, Attorney General) or utilities (like Duke Energy or SunPass). Community Reports are submissions from everyday citizens who receive suspicious text messages or phone calls. Combining both allows us to warn you about new scams before official alerts are published.
5. Human Review & Moderation
To prevent abuse, harassment, or error, every campaign published to the public Florida Alerts Feed is reviewed by a human moderator. Moderators confirm that the report contains a verified scam signature and that all personal information is removed.
6. Data Removal & Dispute Policy
If you represent a legitimate company whose domain, phone number, or brand has been flagged in error, please contact us at abuse@scamwatch.org. We review disputes within 24 hours and immediately white-list verified legitimate entities.
7. What ScamWatch Can and Cannot Do
What ScamWatch Can Do
- Flag common scam indicators inside links, phone numbers, and messages.
- Explain why something looks suspicious using matched fraud templates.
- Suggest safer next steps if you have been targeted.
- Point users to official federal and state reporting channels.
- Help users pause and verify before clicking or paying.
What ScamWatch Cannot Do
- Guarantee that any message, website, or phone number is 100% safe.
- Recover stolen money or reverse fraudulent card charges.
- Replace your bank, police department, lawyer, or government agencies.
- Verify every global phone number or domain in real time.
- Provide official legal, financial, or law-enforcement advice.
8. Privacy & Sensitive Information Guidelines
What we DO NOT collect: ScamWatch does not use tracking cookies or sell your activity data. We do not store original screenshot metadata (EXIF/GPS) or personal identifiers in raw narrative text.
❌ What users should NEVER submit:
- Your personal bank PINs, CVV codes, or active passwords.
- Your full Social Security Number (SSN) or account balances.
- Credit card scans showing your full name and security code.
Disclaimer: ScamWatch is not affiliated with SunPass, Duke Energy, FTC, FBI, IC3, the Florida Attorney General, UPS, FedEx, USPS, or any government agency or utility company mentioned above. Always verify through official websites or phone numbers from your bill, card, statement, or agency website.