Protection from view fraud and fake submissions

The calculation is automatic: the platform's own counter reads the public view counter at your link and works out the sum; nobody types figures in by hand, neither the buyer nor you. The work is tied to the contest by the URL you submitted, and the checks on top of that are moderation and a hold, a real safeguard for everyone who plays fair.

Here is exactly what DareBay does.

Where the view figure comes from ​

The platform's independent counter reads the published view counter on the site the video was posted on, using the link you submitted. Both sides look at the same public number and neither types it in by hand.

What that gives you:

• A public figure. It is checkable on the site itself and out of reach of both the buyer and the participant.
• No hidden adjustment. The platform does not swap the counter for an estimate of "real" views of its own: whatever the site counts is what enters the calculation once the threshold is cleared.

Screenshots prove nothing here, and neither does anybody's word. Only the counter on the published video is read.

What a flag and a hold actually do ​

A submission whose view dynamics look suspicious gets flagged and goes on hold. Accrual on it pauses until it has been looked at. That is a pause, not a verdict, and there are three ways out:

1. It clears. The counter goes into the calculation under the normal rules.
2. It stays on hold. Accrual is suspended pending review, and once the review window has run out a payout on it is still possible.
3. Moderation rejects it. It takes no part in the budget split and earns nothing.

So buying views is a losing bet: you pay for the views up front, out of your own pocket, and the payout on that submission is guaranteed by nothing and can sit frozen until it has been reviewed.

Swapping the link does not help either. A submission belongs to the contest through the URL you sent, and that is the video that gets read.

What else gets a submission rejected ​

• Somebody else's work. Re-uploads, lightly edited copies and content whose stated authorship does not hold up go to review.
• Wrong format for the task. A contest that asks for original authored footage can reject generated content on those terms.
• Fresh account patterns. Accounts created minutes ago entering every contest at once are an ordinary moderation signal.
• The video is gone. Deleted, hidden or blocked before the contest is finalized means there is no counter left to read, so nothing can be confirmed - whatever caused the takedown.

The organizer can report ​

Spotted something the checks did not catch? A report is settled before the winner is confirmed, which means before any money moves. Filing reports against everybody on principle damages the organizer rating, so it is not a free move.

A result already recorded stays recorded: it is not reopened and rewritten on request. Reports are read and answered by a person, and the answer is not decided in advance.

Why cheating is a poor trade ​

The people who lose most to faked entries are the other honest participants, and the rules are written in their favour. A participant caught at it loses the submission, loses access to the prize even after "winning", and takes a visible hit to their participant rating - the one thing on the profile that every future organizer reads. A second violation costs the account.

For anyone building that rating honestly, no single contest is worth burning it.

Make a view-fraud report checkable ​

Include the contest, work link and a specific observation, such as a counter change between two times. Add observation times and available public evidence. A sudden increase alone does not prove purchased views; distinguish observation from inference.

Do not publish the creator's private details or organize mass reports. If your work is under review, keep its post accessible and respond to questions about that work. Focus on its status and data rather than speculation about another person's earnings.

→ See also: how winners are chosen, prohibited content, submit your work.