How our online seller research works
AdUncovered’s online seller research looks at the seller and the offer behind an advert, shop, listing or account, before you buy or after you’ve paid. Every finding links to its source, and each report says what couldn’t be confirmed. Below you’ll find what can go wrong, what we check, what you receive and how quickly reports arrive: most are ready within minutes.
THE REAL COST OF GETTING IT WRONG
The deal might be tempting.
The consequences might not be.
Most online offers are designed to make buying feel easy. But when something goes wrong, the consequences can last much longer than the excitement of the bargain.
Your money
Paying for something that never arrives, isn’t as described or proves difficult to refund.
Your personal details
Sharing sensitive information with a seller whose identity you haven’t established.
Your time
Chasing unanswered messages, missing deliveries, complaints and refund requests.
Your trust
The frustration of finding out too late that important warning signs were available.
Before buying, question the offer. After paying, examine the available Search Results.
BEFORE YOU BELIEVE THE ADVERT
Would you still buy it if you knew the whole story?
A convincing advert can make an unfamiliar business look trustworthy. An investigation may reveal important details that the advert never mentions.
WHAT THE ADVERT CLAIMS
“Luxury quality at 70% off”
“Thousands of satisfied customers”
“Established trusted seller”
“Full money-back guarantee”
WHAT INVESTIGATION MIGHT REVEAL
“The details don’t match”
The advertised savings cannot be established
Independent reviews cannot be verified
The online trading history appears recent
Published refund conditions contradict the advert
Illustrative scenario showing possible discrepancies, not Search Results about a real seller.
The difference could change your decision.
AdUncovered researches the claims and seller, presenting relevant Search Results before you commit your money or when a purchase leaves you with concerns.
NOT JUST ANOTHER WEBSITE CHECKER
A website can look legitimate.
What do public sources say about the offer?
Free online seller checks and website reputation tools can be useful starting points. Some also examine reviews, warnings and business information. A website score alone may not answer your questions about a particular offer or purchase.
| What is checked? | Typical URL checker | AdUncovered |
|---|---|---|
| Website and reputation indicators | Often | Within report scope |
| Seller identity and public presence | Varies | Within report scope |
| Your advert versus the published offer | Depends on the service | Within report scope |
| Prices, promises and important terms | Depends on the service | Within report scope |
| Relevant complaints and warnings | Varies | Within report scope |
| Search Results with source references | Varies | Included |
| Relevant transaction and refund information you provide | Depends on the service | Comprehensive Report |
Services differ: some free tools provide detailed information and some providers offer paid expert reviews. This comparison is a guide to scope, not a claim that all checkers work alike. AdUncovered’s Search Results depend on the report selected and accessible public sources; some questions may remain unanswered.
A link can pass a technical check while the advertising claims still deserve investigation.
LOOK BEYOND THE ADVERT
We investigate what the seller wants you to believe.
AdUncovered researches the available public information behind an unfamiliar offer and brings relevant Search Results together in one report.
Small purchase or major commitment. Before or after you pay.
From everyday online purchases to high-value offers, we investigate the available public information behind the seller and the offer, within the scope of your chosen report.
The seller
Who is behind the offer? Does the business identity and public trading information match its claims?
The offer
Do the advertised price, product, conditions and promotional promises align with the published details?
The experiences
Are there relevant customer complaints, warnings, disputes or other independent information?
Search Results
What do the sources say about the claims, where do they differ and what information is unavailable?
You receive organised Search Results, relevant source references and an explanation of what remains uncertain.
The Search Results are organised. The decision remains yours.
INSIDE YOUR INVESTIGATION
Search Results you can examine.
Sources you can check.
Your seller investigation report brings submitted claims, Search Results, sources and limitations into an organised record. Before buying, use it to examine the offer. After paying, the Comprehensive Report can also examine relevant transaction and refund information you provide.
FICTIONAL COMPREHENSIVE REPORT · The seller, offer, Search Results and source addresses in these extracts are illustrative. Actual content and length depend on the report selected and accessible public sources.
Search Results for your questions
See how the report presents Search Results relevant to the customer’s question, records differing source statements and explains what information remains unavailable.
Search Results and source references
Examine related Search Results and follow the source references to review the published information yourself.
Coverage and limitations
See what was checked, when the research was completed and which important questions remain unanswered.
View Search Results for the sample question · View the source-linked Search Results · View the research coverage
THREE SIMPLE STEPS
Tell us what you’re considering—or what happened.
We do the research.
01
Tell us about it
Choose a report. Provide seller details, promises and your concerns. Include the detail that makes the seller searchable: a link, @handle, phone number or email address. Already paid? Choose Comprehensive and describe the purchase, what happened and any relevant transaction or refund information.
02
We investigate
Once payment is confirmed, we research the offer and available public information. Reports may require human review when automated checks cannot determine a safe summary or relevant source link.
03
Get your Search Results
We email you if your report needs human review, and send a private download link when your source-linked PDF is ready.
You review your form details and full price before payment. Checkout is securely processed through PayFast. Most reports are ready within minutes: the Quick Report usually in 2–5 minutes and the Comprehensive Report usually in 5–10 minutes. If a report needs human review, it usually arrives within 8 business hours, or up to 24 at busy times (Monday to Friday, excluding South African public holidays). We will notify you by email if additional review is required.
BEFORE YOU START
Have these details ready.
The report can only search what you give us. Include every detail you have and say what you are unsure about. Separate what the seller promised from what you experienced.
For every request
- Your delivery email address and country of residence.
- The seller or business name, account or handle, and where you encountered the offer.
- What was offered, in a few sentences: every company, programme, product or person named, the price, what was promised and how you were asked to pay.
- Your main concern, the question you want answered and how far you have proceeded.
- The detail that makes the seller searchable, shown below.
The minimum we need, depending on where you saw the offer. Without it we can’t take your order, because a search would find nothing useful:
- Website: the website address.
- Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Pinterest: the exact @handle or the profile link.
- WhatsApp: the sender’s phone number with country code, for example +27 82 123 4567.
- Email: the sender’s email address, not only the display name.
- Telegram: the @username, t.me link or phone number.
- Anywhere else: at least one link, phone number, email address or @handle.
If you have already paid
Choose Comprehensive for research into your transaction or refund concerns. Include relevant details you have:
- When you bought or paid, the amount and currency, payment method and recipient name.
- What you expected, the promised delivery date and what actually happened.
- Dates of contact attempts, refund requests and the seller’s responses.
- The relevant wording from the advert, order confirmation, receipt or messages.
Text only. No uploads.
Type or paste the relevant details from receipts, screenshots, order confirmations and messages into the form’s description or additional-information fields. Quote important wording accurately and include dates where available. This version of the service does not accept files, screenshots or email attachments.
We cannot see private chats, WhatsApp messages, emails, closed groups or anything behind a login. We search public sources using the details you give us.
Do not include passwords, full payment-card or bank-account numbers, identity-document numbers, or unnecessary private information about other people. Information you provide is treated as a research lead, not independently verified proof.
A QUESTION YOU SHOULD ASK
Why should you trust AdUncovered?
You shouldn’t trust us blindly either.
We’re asking you to question unfamiliar sellers and examine their claims. You should be able to examine our source references too.
That’s why our reports attribute Search Results to their sources, distinguish customer-supplied information and explain conflicting statements and research limitations.
Traceable sources
References show where the Search Results came from, so you can examine the published information yourself.
View refund and support Search Results
Excerpt from a factual report.
Search Results, not accusations
Source statements, customer allegations and conflicting information are distinguished. They are not presented as AdUncovered’s opinion or verdict.
View product and service Search Results
Excerpt from a factual report.
Clear limitations
The report explains what was checked, what could not be verified and what remains unknown.
Excerpt from a factual report.
View sample Comprehensive Report (PDF)
Fictional sample demonstrating the report format, not an investigation of a real seller. Actual content depends on the report selected and accessible public sources.
Why a fictional sample?
Real reports can contain private customer details and sensitive case information. The fictional sample lets you examine the report format without exposing a customer’s case. The excerpts shown above come from actual reports; the downloadable sample illustrates the report structure, source references and limitations.
AdUncovered provides source-linked Search Results, not a verdict, opinion, recommendation or trust score. It does not guarantee safety or promise recovery of lost money. We provide these Search Results so you can review the sources and decide for yourself whether the offer is right for you.
NEW HERE?
We’re new. Check us the way we’d check a seller.
AdUncovered is a new service, built ahead of the Black Friday and festive shopping season to help people check before they pay. A recently registered website is one of the signals our reports point out, so here are the facts you can check about us.
Who operates AdUncovered
Sweet Muse (Pty) Ltd, company registration number 2025/325070/07, registered on 16 April 2025. You can confirm the registration through the CIPC’s BizPortal (a free account is required to search).
The website’s age
The domain aduncovered.com was registered on 21 September 2026. Automated trust tools usually rate websites this new with caution. That reflects the site’s age, which we would point out about any seller too.
Payment and refunds
Payments are processed by PayFast, so we never see your card details. Research starts as soon as payment is confirmed. Once the research has been carried out, a refund isn’t available for a change of mind or because a report has few or no findings. See the Refund Policy for the cases where a refund does apply, such as duplicate charges.
See before you buy
Try a Free Quick Check, look at the report excerpts above or open the full fictional sample report (PDF). Questions: support@aduncovered.com.
Check us independently
- ICANN domain registration lookup for aduncovered.com
- Google Safe Browsing site status
- ScamAdviser’s automated rating (expect caution for a new site)
- Our public accounts: Facebook · Instagram · TikTok · YouTube · Pinterest
WHY ADUNCOVERED EXISTS
Because unanswered questions matter before and after you pay.
AdUncovered grew out of personal experiences of being scammed and a simple question: why is it so difficult for ordinary people to check the story behind an online offer—or locate relevant public information after something goes wrong?
The service was created to research those questions and organise relevant Search Results with source references and limitations.
The purpose is simple: help people make buying decisions with more information, and examine purchase concerns through a clearer, source-linked research record.
AdUncovered is an independent research service. It is not a government regulator, consumer court or law-enforcement organisation. For official consumer information in South Africa, visit the National Consumer Commission. AdUncovered is not affiliated with the Commission.
BEFORE BUYING · AFTER PAYING
Considering a purchase?
Concerned about one you’ve made?
Get a clearer picture.
A professional advert is not proof. A website score is not the whole story. Get source-linked Search Results about the seller and the promises made, within the scope of your chosen report.
Before you buy or after you’ve paid, examine the Search Results.
View a sample report (PDF). Already paid and concerned? Choose the Comprehensive Report. If you suspect a scam, read our immediate guidance first; a paid report is not a prerequisite for seeking help.
