VAKA is a rental marketplace between neighbors. Our priority is that every neighbor who rents or lists an item knows what to expect and what to do if something goes wrong. This policy explains how we prevent fraud, how we verify accounts, and what happens when someone tries to abuse the platform.

1. Most common types of fraud in rentals between individuals

Knowing how fraud operates is the first defense. These are the most frequent patterns in marketplaces like VAKA:

• Identity impersonation: someone uses stolen documents or photos of another person to create an account and rent items without any intention of returning them.
• Stolen cards: the rental is paid with a card whose legitimate holder later requests a chargeback. The neighbor who listed the item ends up without the item and without payment.
• Return fraud: the neighbor who rented returns an item different from the one they received (a cheaper, broken, or incomplete equivalent).
• Fake listings: items that don't exist, photos taken from the internet, or equipment that doesn't work as advertised.
• Off-platform: an attempt to close the deal outside VAKA (direct WhatsApp, bank transfer) to evade the deposit, the evidence, and the claims process. It is one of the highest risks for both parties: outside the platform there is no protection at all.
• Coordination between accounts: two or more accounts controlled by the same person rent items to each other to inflate reviews or test the system with stolen cards.

2. How VAKA detects and prevents fraud

We use several layers of prevention. No system is infallible, but the combination makes abusing VAKA difficult and unprofitable.

2.1 Identity verification

Exploring VAKA is free, but each important action requires an additional identity step: confirming your phone to interact, uploading your document to list, and having your identity approved (official document plus selfie, with manual review by our team) to rent or accept rentals. The details are in the Identity Verification Policy.

2.2 Automatic risk signals

Each rental request goes through an automatic evaluation of risk signals: account age, devices shared with suspended accounts, unusual booking speed, failed payment attempts, links or contact details in messages, copied message patterns, among others. When the signals add up, the request is blocked or sent for review by our team. We don't publish the exact thresholds, precisely so they can't be evaded.

2.3 Limits for new accounts

History on VAKA is earned by renting well. New accounts start with the highest deposit and, for higher-value items, are asked for a Neighbor Backer or a higher deposit. With completed rentals and no claims, the conditions improve.

2.4 Real security deposit

The deposit is not a promise: it is charged at the item's handover and returned when the 48-hour claims window closes without reports. Depending on the renting neighbor's history, it is 50% of the item's value (Verified Neighbor), 30% (Trusted Neighbor, with 3 or more clean rentals) or 15% (Top Neighbor or with an active Neighbor Backer), always with a minimum of USD 25. When a claim is approved, the deposit responds first. The detail is in the Payments Policy.

2.5 Manual review of high-value bookings

Bookings for high-value items (above USD 2,500) go through manual review by our team before being confirmed. They are never approved automatically.

2.6 Chat with contact-data blocking

VAKA's chat automatically blocks messages that try to share phones, emails, social media, or external links, including attempts to disguise them. Each attempt is logged. Keeping the conversation within VAKA protects the evidence and the claims process for both neighbors.

3. If an item comes back damaged, incomplete, or doesn't come back

The complete claims process, with its deadlines and amounts, is in the Claims Policy. In summary:

1. Report within 48 hours after the return, from your booking, with photos of the damage and a description of what happened. Once that window passes, the deposit is returned and the claim no longer applies.
2. The neighbor who rented has 72 hours to respond with their version and their own evidence. If they don't respond in time, the claim is resolved in favor of whoever reported it.
3. Our team reviews both parties' evidence: the handover and return photos, the listing, and the chat conversation.
4. If the claim is approved, the amount is deducted first from the security deposit. If the deposit isn't enough and the neighbor who rented has a Neighbor Backer, they cover the difference up to the amount they consented to.

The VAKA team's decision closes the internal process. Disputes that fall outside it are governed by the Terms of Service.

3.1 What does not count as a claim

• Normal wear and tear from use (light scratches, dust, a battery that loses capacity over the years).
• Damage that already existed and was documented in the listing or handover photos.
• Rentals closed outside VAKA, without a booking or payment on the platform.

4. How to report fraud

If you suspect you're facing fraud, or if a listing or account seems fake to you, report it immediately:

• Suspicious listings: "Report this item" button on the listing page.
• Suspicious accounts: "Report profile" button on the neighbor's public profile.
• Messages attempting payment outside VAKA: report the message directly from the chat.
• Problems with a rental in progress: "Report problem" button on your booking, or the Report a problem.
• Any other case: write to soporte@vakaland.com with all the details.
• Emergency or crime in progress: first call your country's emergency number and follow the steps in Emergency support.

5. Penalties and consequences of fraud

VAKA has zero tolerance for fraud. The consequences for whoever commits or attempts it:

• Immediate account suspension. The associated devices are flagged to prevent the creation of new accounts.
• Withholding of funds from the suspended account for up to 30 days, while pending claims are resolved.
• Report to authorities when the case involves a crime (impersonation, theft, scam).
• Legal action for damages when the amount and evidence justify it.

Any suspension can be appealed within the following 7 days, from the account itself. A team member reviews each appeal.

6. Our commitments to you

• Full transparency on costs: the deposit, the fees, and the total are shown before paying, not after.
• The right to review the information VAKA has about you — see the Privacy Policy.
• The right to appeal a suspension within the 7 days following the decision.
• Claims-process deadlines published and applied equally for all neighbors.