Method and Limits

The project’s credibility also depends on what it refuses to promise. This page sets out the important limits.

Information updated : 2026-09-21

Editorial Trust

Last update
2026-09-21
Sources checked
2026-09-17
Content status
information published with visible sources and clear limits
Official sources cited
5
Editorial responsibility
StopArnaques

StopArnaques is an independent Belgian service. It is not a public authority and does not speak on behalf of the organisations cited.

Report a correction

Useful strengths

  • Fast detection of recurring Belgian scam patterns.
  • Immediate advice suitable for everyday use by citizens.

Limits to accept

  • A page or a message can change after it has been published.
  • The site does not replace official support, your bank, the police or a legal professional.

Calibration method

  • The rules are tested against fraudulent and legitimate cases to measure false positives, false negatives and consistency across SMS, email, calls and URLs.
  • A new case does not become a general rule based on a single example. It is added as a regression when it reveals a defensible and repeatable mechanism.

Known limits

  • Very short content, a purely spoken conversation or a relationship scam with no link may provide few technical clues. The quality of the result depends on the elements actually described.
  • The engine does not access private accounts, does not see bank transactions and cannot confirm the civil identity of a contact.

What to do now

  • If you have not acted, do not click further and open the named service's official channel yourself.
  • If you clicked, close the page, enter nothing else and note what information was shown or requested.
  • If you shared a code, card, password or payment, contact your bank or the relevant official service immediately.
  • Keep the message, time, link used and any useful screenshots. Share them only with an official reporting channel or a trusted helper.

Limits of this page

  • This page does not prove that a message is safe and does not replace your bank, the police, Safeonweb, a platform or a public service.
  • A scam may be new, very well written or described with too little context. Use the result as decision support, not as absolute certainty.
  • Before taking a final action, checking through the official channel matters more than the appearance of the received message.

Check through an official channel

  • Type the service address yourself or open the official app. Do not use a phone number, link or QR code from the suspicious message to verify the situation.
  • When money, card details, a code or account access are involved, the safety action comes first. The analysis can then help organise the evidence.

How to read the result

  • A low number of signals does not mean that everything is safe. It only means that this page or analysis did not find decisive evidence with the information available.
  • Focus on the requested action: paying, sharing a code, installing an app, approving a bank action or leaving an official platform. That action matters more than a logo, sender name or polished wording.
  • If the situation feels urgent, step away from the received message first. Then check calmly through a channel you already trusted before the message arrived.

Belgian reading of this situation

  • For this this method and limits situation situation, focus on the relevant Belgian next step: open the official channel yourself, contact the bank, use Safeonweb or preserve evidence.
  • The right decision for this this method and limits situation situation depends on what has already happened. Reading a message is not the same as clicking, paying, sharing a code or granting remote access.

How to use this page

  • Use this page about this method and limits situation to understand what StopArnaques can show, what still needs verification and which information is still missing before a public launch.
  • This is not marketing proof. It helps assess trust, method, data protection and contact options honestly.

What to do with this page

  • If you have a suspicious message, use the detector or a practical fraud page. If you want to assess the project, focus here on method, limits and correction channels.
  • When legal or organisational information is missing, that gap remains visible instead of being hidden.

Evidence still needed

  • A nationally credible project page shows sources, corrections, responsible parties, data use and limits without promising more than the system can actually prove.
  • Missing legal, organisational or operational details remain visible as open points until they are completed by a real decision.

Limits of this project page

  • This page does not replace a legal notice, privacy audit, official recognition or partnership. It only explains how the project works and where users should remain cautious.
  • If someone already shared money, codes, card data or account access, they should not stay on this project page: use the action guides and contact the relevant service.

What the reader can verify

  • Check whether the page clearly states who is speaking, which sources are used, what data may be processed and which promise is not being made.
  • A public project page is strong only when a non-technical reader understands how an error can be reported, how information is updated and why the analysis remains cautious.

Frequently asked questions

Can StopArnaques confirm that a message is safe?

No. StopArnaques helps organise signals and choose actions, but it does not provide absolute certainty. Always verify sensitive actions through the official channel of the service concerned.

What if I already paid or shared a code?

Do not wait for a perfect analysis. Contact your bank or the relevant official service immediately, preserve evidence and then use the page to structure your case.

Why is the wording cautious?

Fraud changes quickly and legitimate situations can look similar. Careful wording prevents users from being reassured too strongly.

Useful official sources

See current alerts