How Listings Are Verified

This page describes the checks Monerica runs on listings and reviews today. It does not describe plans. See also the FAQ, the incidents page and all reviews.

How a listing is added

• Anyone can submit a business. Monero (XMR) acceptance must be visible on the business's own site: on its main page, or on a proof page on its own domain or .onion address. Blockchain explorer links, transaction links and screenshots hosted elsewhere are not accepted as proof.
• New submissions and edits first go through an automated check. It opens the submitted site and proof page, looks for Monero (XMR) on pages that can be seen without an account, compares the category, description and KYC policy with what the site says, and writes notes for the moderator. The automated check never approves anything.
• A person reads each submission and those notes, then approves, corrects or rejects it. No new listing and no edit goes live automatically.
• Public edits cannot change a listing's status, and cannot replace or remove its PGP key. Edits that change a listing's link, email address or PGP key are not approved in one click; a moderator opens the full review page for them.

What the statuses mean

• Admitted: added to the directory but not yet tested by the community.
• ✅ Verified: confirmed to accept Monero (XMR) in a real transaction, either tested by Monerica or shown by a review whose order proof was checked.
• ❓ Questionable: there is uncertainty about the listing's claims or reliability, but no confirmed reports of theft.
• ❌Scam: there is credible evidence that the service took users' funds without delivering what it promised. Its name is crossed out and its links are marked nofollow.
• Removed: no longer listed. Its page is taken down and it does not appear in lists.

Statuses are set by a moderator, and the reason is usually written in the listing's note. Marking a listing Questionable or Scam opens an issue: the listing is shown on the incidents page with the date and the reason until it is returned to its normal status, which closes the issue.

Getting Verified

An Admitted listing's page has a Request verification button. Anyone can use it to explain why the listing should be checked and add a link that shows someone used the service, such as a public review or a transaction. A request goes to a moderator; it does not change the status by itself. The request flow offers an optional donation, which is not required.

KYC policy

The KYC policy on a listing is based on what the site itself publishes. A plain statement on the site's own pages, such as "No KYC" or "we never ask for ID", counts. A submitter's claim alone does not. When the site says nothing about identity checks, the listing shows Not Stated. The FAQ explains each policy.

Weekly site check

• Every Tuesday an automated job checks that each listing's website and Tor address still respond.
• It never removes a listing by itself. When a site looks offline, it creates a proposed edit that a moderator reviews.
• A website is flagged only after a second, outside service also cannot reach it. A Tor address that does not answer is flagged only after three failed weekly checks in a row, because Tor connections often fail for a short time.
• It also reports expired or otherwise invalid HTTPS certificates after two failed weekly checks in a row.

Hosting providers

In November 2026 we checked the networks used by the web hosting providers in the directory against the Spamhaus DROP and ASN-DROP lists. Providers running on a listed network were removed, and resellers on such a network were marked Questionable.

Reviews

• Every reviewer proves they control a PGP key by decrypting a one-time code with it. There are no accounts or passwords, and a reviewer is shown only by a short form of their key's fingerprint.
• Reviews that include an order link are always checked by a moderator before they appear. A review also waits for a moderator when it includes a tag the reviewer picked, a link in the text or a blocked word, and always on listings that require verification details. Other reviews are published right away, and moderators can remove a published review.
• Order proof is checked by hand. When a reviewer gives an order link, order ID or screenshot, a moderator checks it before the review gets the Valid Order tag.
• Order links and the verification details reviewers give are used for checking only and are not shown on public pages. Official reviews written by Monerica show their own verification details.
• Problem tags such as Funds held, KYC Issue and Misleading fees are picked by the reviewer and checked by a moderator before the review is published. Reviews with these tags are listed on the incidents page.
• A business that has added its PGP key to its listing can reply with that key. Its replies are marked as coming from the listing owner and are published right away.
• Replies made with the directory's own PGP key are marked Moderator.
• A review its author takes back is shown crossed out instead of being deleted.

Problem reports

Every listing page has a Report a problem button for wrong information, dead links or scams. Reports go to a moderator queue and are not published.

Sponsors and featured listings

• Sponsors are paid placements and are labeled Sponsored. Only Verified listings that have been in the directory for at least 180 days can buy a sponsorship.
• Paying for a sponsorship does not change a listing's status or its reviews.
• Featured listings are unpaid picks by the editors and are labeled Featured.

What you can check yourself

• Every listing page links to its full change history, with the date of each change.
• The incidents page lists open issues (listings currently marked Questionable or Scam) and, separately, recent reviews with problem tags.
• The reviews page lists every published review, newest first.
• Listings added in the last 90 days are labeled New.

Privacy

We do not log or store visitors' IP addresses. Browsing the directory needs no account.