The Fortuna Trust System

Trust Points that
actually mean something

Every review on Fortuna is weighted by real FUT spent. No anonymous clicks. No incentivised five-stars. Just verified transactions, rated by both sides.

A real example

The Shed at Dulwich

"

London, 2017

Journalist Oobah Butler listed his garden shed as a London restaurant on TripAdvisor. Starting at number 18,149, he used staged food photographs, fabricated reviews, and a policy of being "always fully booked" to manufacture the appearance of exclusivity and demand.

Within months, The Shed at Dulwich climbed to number one on TripAdvisor — the highest-rated restaurant in London. It had never served a single meal. When Butler opened it for one night, guests were served supermarket ready meals on a garden shed floor.

The platform's entire ranking system had been gamed without a single real transaction. That is the fake review problem — and it is not limited to restaurants.

Source: Forbes·The Washington Post·London Evening Standard

Anonymous reviews

Anyone can leave a review on most platforms — whether they used the service or not. There's no verification, no skin in the game.

Review farms

Businesses pay for fake five-stars. Competitors pay for fake one-stars. The entire system is gameable with a credit card.

No accountability

The reviewer faces zero consequences for a dishonest review. The business has no recourse. Trust is destroyed for everyone.

The Fortuna answer

On Fortuna, you can only leave a review if you completed a transaction — and paid in FUT. Your review is weighted by how much FUT you spent. A 500 FUT transaction carries 10× the weight of a 50 FUT transaction.

The business also rates you. Both scores are permanent, public, and tied to your member identity. There are no anonymous reviews. There are no review farms. There is no way to game it without spending real FUT — which means real money, real accountability.

The Shed at Dulwich reached number one on TripAdvisor without serving a single meal. On Fortuna, that is structurally impossible — because no transaction means no review.

The formula

FUT × Score = Trust Points

Every review converts to a trust point delta using the FUT amount as the weight. A neutral score (5) earns zero points — neither positive nor negative. Scores above 5 earn points. Scores below 5 deduct them.

FUT Spent

500

×

Score 8 multiplier

+60%

=

Trust Points

+300 pts

Example: 500 FUT transaction rated 8/10 (Excellent) → +300 Business Trust Points to the vendor

ScoreMultiplierLabelEffect
10+100%ExceptionalEarns points
9+80%OutstandingEarns points
8+60%ExcellentEarns points
7+40%Very GoodEarns points
6+20%GoodEarns points
50%NeutralNo change
4-20%Below AverageDeducts points
3-40%PoorDeducts points
2-60%Very PoorDeducts points
1-80%UnacceptableDeducts points
0-100%FraudulentDeducts points

Two-way accountability

The business rates you too

Every transaction generates two reviews. The client rates the vendor. The vendor rates the client. Both scores are permanent and public. This creates genuine accountability on both sides.

Client rates Vendor

Affects Business Trust Points

Your rating of the service goes directly to the vendor's Business Trust Points. A score of 8+ earns them significant points. A score below 5 deducts points and opens a dispute window.

Score 9 on 1,000 FUT → vendor earns +800 Biz pts

Vendor rates Client

Affects Personal Trust Points

The business rates you as a client — were you respectful, did you show up, did you honour the terms? Your Personal Trust Points reflect your reputation as a traveller and customer.

Score 8 on 1,000 FUT → you earn +600 Personal pts

Why this eliminates fake reviews

You can only review a transaction you completed — no transaction, no review.

Your review weight is proportional to your FUT spend — small amounts carry small weight.

Your identity is tied to your review — no anonymous attacks, no fake five-stars.

The vendor rates you back — bad-faith reviewers accumulate a poor personal score.

All reviews are permanent — there's no deleting a bad review after the fact.

The make-it-right window

7 days to fix it

When a client gives a negative score (below 5), the vendor has 7 days to contact the client and resolve the issue. This isn't about suppressing bad reviews — it's about giving legitimate businesses a fair chance to make things right before the score is permanent.

Negative review submitted

Day 0

Client gives a score below 5. The negative trust point delta is calculated and a dispute window opens immediately.

Vendor contacts client

Days 1–7

The vendor reaches out directly to understand the issue and offer a resolution — a refund, a redo, or a genuine apology.

Dispute resolved

Within 7 days

If the vendor submits a resolution, the negative delta is softened by 50%. The review remains — but the vendor's effort is recognised.

Window expires

Day 7+

If no resolution is submitted within 7 days, the full negative delta stands permanently. No exceptions.

Why not just let vendors delete bad reviews? Because that defeats the purpose. The dispute window isn't about suppression — it's about resolution. A vendor who genuinely fixes the problem deserves partial credit. A vendor who ignores it doesn't. The review always stays. The score reflects the outcome.

Member levels

From Gold to Board

Both your Personal and Business Trust Points follow the same six-level progression. Levels are earned — not bought. The only way to advance is through genuine, FUT-verified transactions.

🥇

Gold

Level 1

0 – 499 pts

💎

Platinum

Level 2

500 – 1,499 pts

💠

Diamond

Level 3

1,500 – 3,499 pts

👑

VIP

Level 4

3,500 – 6,999 pts

🔴

Elite

Level 5

7,000 – 14,999 pts

🎖️

Board

Level 6

15,000+ pts

Favourite Places — automatically curated

When you give a score of 8 or above on a transaction, that place is automatically added to your Favourite Places — a public list of your highest-rated experiences. It's not a wishlist. It's a verified record of places you've actually been to and genuinely loved. The higher your FUT spend, the more weight your recommendation carries.

System features

Everything in one system

FUT-gated reviews

Only members who completed a FUT transaction can leave a review. No transaction, no voice.

Weighted scoring

Your FUT spend determines the weight of your review. 1,000 FUT carries 10× the impact of 100 FUT.

Bilateral ratings

Every transaction is rated by both parties. Clients rate vendors. Vendors rate clients. Both scores are public.

7-day dispute window

Negative scores open a 7-day window for the vendor to contact the client and resolve the issue.

Dispute resolution credit

Vendors who resolve disputes within 7 days have their negative delta softened by 50%.

Favourite Places

Scores of 8+ automatically add the venue to your public Favourite Places — a verified travel record.

Six member levels

Gold → Platinum → Diamond → VIP → Elite → Board. Earned through genuine transactions, not purchases.

Badges & milestones

Unlock achievement badges as your trust points grow. Each badge is tied to a verified threshold.

Permanent record

Reviews cannot be deleted. The dispute window allows resolution — not erasure. Accountability is permanent.

Build your Trust Score

Every FUT transaction you complete adds to your Trust Score. The more you transact, the more your reputation grows — and the more the community trusts your recommendations.