Scams are detrimental to a business’s reputation. Unfortunately, even the legitimate companies out there get affected due to fake scam reports. Watch out for these, and if you come across a report that claims your business is scamming people, use this informational guide to take the right steps toward the removal of the post online.
What is ReportScam.com?
ReportScam.com is exactly what you would think it is – a scam reporting site. Scams happen in businesses, are the crown jewel of online retailers, and even happen with professional individuals. ReportScam.com is where you can go to report them and provide other consumers with details on how they took advantage of you. Posted scam information helps keep other people from falling for the same trap and can save someone a lot of stress.
The only problem with a website like ReportScam.com is that anyone can post and say anything they feel. Most posts do help the people who read them, but if a scam report is fake, there is no saying how much it could affect the reputation of the business. The last thing readers think when they see a scam report is that it is fake – that is why it is vital that you quickly get the post taken down or deleted.
What is Online Defamation / Cyber Libel?
When reputations get hurt by misleading scam reports and other bad reviews, there are some cases where it can count as online defamation. Also called cyber libel, online defamation is the harmful act of posting false statements with the intention of bad results.
One bad review may not bring down an entire company. Still, when an individual targets a business with multiple fake scam reports that make claims of illegal practices within that targeted business, it can have serious consequences. You can prove the act of online defamation with proof of a ruined reputation and the help of a lawyer. Most experienced reputation management companies can help.
Why is it Difficult to Remove Content from ReportScam.com?
Proving your claim behind a fake scam report is what is difficult with removing content from ReportScam.com. With online defamation, it often takes a whole court case to decide if that was the intention of the person who made the report.
The way you remove the content depends on whether you are doing so based on copyright infringement or online defamation since those require two different processes.
However, no matter what reason you have for wanting to remove a report from ReportScam.com, keep in mind that two things could stand in your way – section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) and Fair Use.
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act
All websites fall under the protection of section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Because of it, there is strong legal protection and immunity for website hosts and internet providers. This section of the CDA lets websites go about their business and not be affected by content that is posted by its users. So, in a situation where someone is posting fake scam reports about you or your business, you cannot place blame on the website itself because of the CDA.
Even though the website is not responsible, you can still force their hand in removing the post for good.
Fair Use
Fair Use deals with copyright. Someone may try to use a picture or part of your copyrighted content from your company web page, but what you do not realize is that they may try to claim Fair Use for the content after using it. If they succeed, this will mean you are less than likely to get the post taken down.
Fair Use allows a person to use copyright content without permission from the owner. There are regulations in how they can use the content, but that may not keep them from stealing it all together and try to post it as their own.
Fair Use does not apply in every legal copyright battle. In some cases, a person’s use of content is clearly not for good intentions, and they use it recklessly, so it does not successfully qualify as Fair Use.
How to Use DMCA to Remove Copyright Content from ReportScam.com
A DMCA notice, when put together correctly, can make a website such as ReportScam.com remove a post that has copyright infringement in its content. Copyright infringement is a serious offense, so the DMCA is very effective, and the website is obligated to follow the notice for removal.
DMCA notices include your contact information, details on the copyrighted material, and the content infringing on that material, an electronic or written signature, and two statements. One statement should say that you have “good faith belief” that the offender did not have the authorization to use your copyrighted content, and the other states that the information in the DMCA is accurate.
Make sure to include all the required points in the written notice, then find out what designated DMCA agent the website uses and send them the DMCA. To find out the information for submitting a DMCA to ReportScam.com, use the contact information on their Contact Us page. Unfortunately, they do not tell much regarding dealing with a DMCA notice on their website, so contacting them is the best way to figure things out.
Your DMCA notice, once received by the website, should result in the automatic removal of the content. If you are claiming a DMCA on just an image, they can decide to leave the post up, only without the picture. If you want to remove the entire post, you will have to use other methods.
How to Remove a Post on ReportScam.com
ReportScam.com is not perfect, and they have the same problems with fake users as any other reporting or review site. It is not uncommon to come in contact with this issue, so be aware that the website has likely dealt with a similar situation before. To remove a post, make sure to stay on top of communication and do not let something slide because it seems like they are cooperating.
Reputation Rhino can help remove a post on ReportScam.com. The primary goal of the company is to help improve the reputation of a person or business. However, in contacting Reputation Rhino, you will receive help in every aspect of removing bad reviews. The team are experts at getting rid of fake content, getting rid of copyright-infringing posts, and then every step of optimization that needs to happen afterward to fix your reputation.
There is no shame in asking for help, and it would be in your best interest. When scam reports lead to legal problems, it makes it extremely hard to succeed by yourself. There IS a way to succeed at taking down a bad post, but it takes a little work sometimes.
The level of difficulty you encounter while trying to take down that content will greatly depend on the circumstances of the situation, of course. Any other obstacles are from the CDA, Fair Use, and requirements put in place by the website itself, which they sometimes do.