ABOUT
About The Verification Desk
The Verification Desk is an independent, informal scam and fraud awareness publication. We explain warning signs, show how suspicious claims can be checked against reliable evidence, and set out practical next steps when something does not look right.
CLAIM → EVIDENCE → TEST → VERDICT → ACTION
The objective is not to produce dramatic conclusions. It is to establish what the available evidence actually supports, and to say inconclusive when it does not support a reliable answer.
What you will find here
Plain-English explainers, evidence-led checks and practical guides covering areas such as:
- Impersonation scams and voice cloning
- Synthetic media and deepfakes
- Suspicious investment and financial websites
- Payment scams and changed bank details
- Fake documents, messages and online evidence
- Scam warning signs and practical checklists
- What AI detection tools can and cannot tell you
Where useful, we turn research into practical checklists, warning-sign guides and simple verification routines readers can use themselves.
Who it is for
The Verification Desk is for anyone trying to understand a suspicious message, payment request, investment offer, call, website or piece of online content. It may also be useful to professionals, but we do not currently provide paid verification, investigation, consultancy or advisory services.
Our evidence scale
We grade conclusions by evidential strength, not by tone or certainty. We show our reasoning, identify uncertainty and distinguish evidence from interpretation.
Unverified: a claim or lead without adequate supporting evidence.
Indicated: some credible evidence exists, but important gaps remain.
Corroborated: evidence from more than one credible source supports the core claim.
Strongly Verified: strong authoritative or independently testable evidence supports the claim, with any remaining limitations stated.
Verified: the claim is established to TVD’s highest evidential standard from authoritative evidence.
Our standard
Show the evidence. Explain the test. State the uncertainty. Make the conclusion reproducible.
Evidence before certainty.
The Verification Desk distinguishes verified fact, evidence-led inference and unresolved uncertainty. Findings are based on the evidence available at the date of publication and may be updated if material new evidence emerges. Nothing published should be taken as legal, financial or regulatory advice.
