DEV Community

Waqar Ahmed
Waqar Ahmed

Posted on

Scamadviser Says My Site Is a Scam — Here's Why That's Misleading#webdev #privacy #security #opensource

I built UniRecorder — a free browser-based screen recorder. Someone ran it through Scamadviser. Result: 34/100. "May be a scam."

I dug into why. Here's what I found.

What Scamadviser Actually Checks

Their algorithm flags:

  • New domain (under 12 months)
  • Low traffic
  • No Trustpilot reviews
  • WHOIS privacy

Then it gives a low score.

But here's what Scamadviser's own documentation says:

"None of these automatically mean the site is a scam."

So the score isn't proof. It's a statistical guess based on age and popularity.

Why UniRecorder Is Actually Safe

UniRecorder has:

  • No server — nothing to hack
  • No login — nothing to steal
  • No database — no data stored
  • No payment — nothing to charge

Everything runs in your browser using:

  • MediaRecorder API (screen capture)
  • Canvas API (images)
  • IndexedDB (local storage only)

My privacy policy says: "All processing happens locally. We never upload your videos."

That's not marketing. It's architecturally impossible for me to see your data. There's no backend to send it to.

What UniRecorder Actually Does

If you're curious what I built:

🎥 4K Screen Recorder — with webcam overlay, system audio + mic, no watermark
📄 Image to PDF — convert JPG/PNG to PDF
📑 PDF Merger — combine multiple PDFs
🗜️ Image Compressor — reduce image size up to 90%
🔢 Word Counter — count words, characters, sentences
🧮 20+ Calculators — age, BMI, GPA, loan, percentage
🔄 Unit Converters — currency, length, weight, temperature
🔐 Password Generator — strong random passwords

All 40+ tools are:

  • ✅ 100% free
  • ✅ No signup
  • ✅ No watermark
  • ✅ 100% private (runs locally)

The Irony

Scamadviser's results page shows affiliate links for VPNs. Low scores sell VPN subscriptions. High scores don't.

I'm not calling them a scam. I'm saying their business model incentivizes fear.

What Developers Should Know

If you're building something new and get a low Scamadviser score — don't panic.

Check:

  1. Does the site have a server? (UniRecorder doesn't)
  2. Does it ask for personal info? (UniRecorder doesn't)
  3. Can it access your data? (UniRecorder can't)

Security isn't about age. It's about architecture.


Try UniRecorder free: unirecorder.online

No signup. No watermark. No server. Just tools that work.

Built solo from Pakistan 🇵🇰

Top comments (0)