Fraud prevention and fair use

Pratoroo protects customers, businesses and couriers from fraud and fake orders. Our main rule: we never stop an honest person from ordering. When something looks wrong, at most we ask you to pay in a different way, and a person from our team can always review the decision.

What we check

To recognise misuse, we use the information that comes with every order and help request: your account, email and phone, the internet address and device you use (a security cookie, see the Cookie Policy), and a scrambled number of the card, PayPal account or MB WAY phone used. We never see or keep your card number. We keep this information for 12 months and then delete it (see the Privacy Statement).

We also check:

• Email addresses against public lists of spam and throwaway addresses. This never stops you from signing up or ordering.
• New passwords against known data leaks. If yours appeared in a leak, we ask you to choose another one.
• Card payments: the payment company may ask for your bank's confirmation (3D Secure).
• Cash orders: the business calls you and confirms the order before cooking. If you share your phone's location for a delivery, we only check whether it is within 200 m of the address and keep just the distance, never where you are; being further away means nothing bad, the business just confirms the address on the call.

What can happen

Situation	What happens	For how long
Several failed card attempts, many different cards, or a card refused for fraud	Card payment is paused; you can still pay with MB WAY, Multibanco or cash	From minutes to a day
Cash orders that are confirmed but not collected or received	Cash is paused; you can still order and pay online	Temporarily, or permanently on a device after repeated cases
A business reports fake orders	That business may no longer be shown to you; every other shop stays available	Until our team reviews it
Serious fraud, after a review by an administrator	Orders may be blocked	Decided case by case

Reviews

Reviews must come from real customers about their own orders. Reviews written by a business about itself, or by accounts linked to it, are held for checking and may be removed. Businesses cannot change or delete customers' reviews.

Refunds

Refund requests are checked by our team; some need a second person's approval. Repeated or suspicious requests may be refused. Approved refunds go back to the original payment method or, if you choose, to your Pratoroo wallet.

Why we do it (legal basis)

These checks are based on the legitimate interest of GINGER DIALOGUE - UNIPESSOAL LDA, of businesses, couriers and honest customers in preventing fraud (GDPR article 6(1)(f) and recital 47) and on platforms' duty to protect their users against misuse (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, the "Digital Services Act", article 23). Measures are always proportionate: we start with the least severe one, and only a person on our team can fully block an account.

Misuse of the Platform

Misuse includes, among other things: orders you do not intend to receive or pay for; false refund requests or photos that do not match the order; bank chargebacks for orders received; using other people's cards, accounts or details; creating several accounts to get around a measure; fake or bought reviews; threatening or harassing couriers, businesses or the team; and frequently submitting manifestly unfounded reports. In these cases we may, after a warning where appropriate, suspend the account for a reasonable period or close it, and refuse further refund requests (Digital Services Act, article 23).

We always explain why

When a measure affects you (for example pausing a payment method, hiding a business, removing a review, suspending or closing the account), we tell you, unless the law or safety prevents it: what was decided and for how long; the facts and circumstances; whether the decision was taken or detected automatically; the rule of these terms or of the law it is based on; and how you can challenge it (Digital Services Act, article 17).

Your rights and how to appeal

Automatic measures are short or affect only one way of paying, and a person from our team can always review them. If you think a measure is a mistake, write to us through Help in your account or at [email protected], within 6 months of the decision, explaining why. A person who did not take the original decision reviews the case objectively and, as a rule, replies within 10 working days; if you are right, we reverse the measure at once (Digital Services Act, article 20).

You also have the rights described in our Privacy Statement, including the right to human review of an automated decision (GDPR article 22), and you can turn to a certified out-of-court dispute settlement body (Digital Services Act, article 21), to the bodies listed on the Complaints book page or to the courts.

The exact thresholds of each check are not published, so as not to help people trying to commit fraud; our team will always explain what applied in your case.

Responsible: GINGER DIALOGUE - UNIPESSOAL LDA (NIPC 519653955).