How are listings screened for scams?

A listings platform that only cares about volume becomes a magnet for low-effort scams, so screening exists as a first line of defence before a listing is treated as trustworthy content rather than as a step that guarantees anything about it.

What the screening step actually checks

An automated pass looks at each listing for patterns associated with scams and implausible claims: things like inconsistent or unrealistic figures, descriptions that do not match the stated industry, or other plausibility signals that experience shows are common in fraudulent postings. It runs before a listing reaches buyers, as an additional check rather than the only one.

Why flags stay private to operators

When the automated check raises a concern, the flag goes to Deavo’s own human operators for review, not to the public and not as a public label on the seller. This protects legitimate sellers from being wrongly stigmatized by an automated false positive while still giving a human the chance to catch something genuinely wrong before it reaches buyers.

What screening does not do

Passing the screening step is not a certification that a listing is accurate, that the business exists exactly as described, or that its financials are correct. It filters out obvious and common patterns of fraud; it cannot verify every fact in a listing the way a buyer’s own due diligence eventually will, once real financial and legal records are on the table.

What a buyer should still do

Treat any listing, screened or not, as a starting point rather than a verified fact set. Ask direct questions, request real documentation once a non-disclosure agreement is in place, and bring in an accountant and a lawyer before relying on anything financially or legally significant. Screening lowers the odds of an obvious scam; it does not replace verifying the specific business.