How does VouchedFor verify reviews are genuine?
Ensuring the reviews on our public website are legitimate, genuine reviews is of utmost importance to us.
We have a range of robust measures in place to ensure reviews are genuine, including:
- Reviewers must confirm they have been a client in the last 5 years (or have met the adviser as a prospective client, for First Impression reviews) before leaving any feedback
- Reviewers are also asked to consent to us asking for evidence of the professional relationship if required (a review cannot be left without this consent)
- Advisers must verify anyone who leaves feedback without being invited directly by the adviser or their firm to do so. If this is not verified by the adviser, our automated process kicks in to contact the client and ask for evidence they are a client
- We have an automated algorithm that runs continuously, scanning for signs that may indicate a fraudulent review
- We conduct rigorous spot checks which involve asking the adviser to provide evidence of the client relationship. In 2023, 496 advisers (13% of the advisers using our public feedback service) were asked for this evidence
Action we may take in the case of any reviews breaching our terms:
Any advisers who are found to have breached our terms by fraudulently inviting or leaving reviews, can have their membership terminated under the terms of our services.
If any issues are found after requesting or receiving this evidence, we may take any of the following actions in line with our verification policy:
- Removing any reviews that cannot be verified to our satisfaction
- Removing the adviser’s VouchedFor profile entirely
- In serious cases where there may be detrimental impact on consumers, we may notify the relevant firm’s compliance function or other relevant body.
