What to Ask When Contacting a Platform’s Trust & Safety Team: Template Questions That Get Answers

Don’t settle for a boilerplate reply: get the facts you need from a platform’s Trust & Safety team

When a platform’s Trust & Safety (T&S) team replies with a vague “we’ve reviewed your report” it feels like hitting a wall. You’re trying to recover money, stop abuse, or get a scam listing removed — not collect platitudes. In 2026, with widespread password-reset attacks, AI deepfake harms and heavier regulation, precision matters more than ever. This guide gives a targeted checklist of the exact questions to ask so responses are useful, verifiable and actionable.

Why asking the right questions matters in 2026

Late 2025 and early 2026 saw a surge in account-takeover attacks and AI-enabled manipulation (deepfakes, image swaps). Platforms are under new pressure from the Digital Services Act (EU), the UK Online Safety Act and privacy regulators to increase transparency. But operational teams still face heavy inbox volumes and can default to canned responses. You shift the balance by asking focused questions that force verifiable answers, create an audit trail and unlock escalation paths to regulators, law enforcement or small claims actions if needed.

What this checklist does for you

• Turns vague replies into evidence-rich responses;
• Preserves timelines and case IDs you can use with regulators;
• Speeds up resolution by highlighting missing documentation;
• Gives sample wording you can copy-paste into messages;
• Shows how and when to escalate.

Before you contact Trust & Safety: evidence checklist (do this first)

Trust & Safety teams act on evidence. Collecting the right material upfront reduces back-and-forth and increases the chance of decisive action.

• URLs and IDs: Direct links to offending content, user IDs, post/message IDs, listing IDs and order numbers.
• Screenshots & screen recordings: Include timestamps and device used. Record the UI showing usernames and dates.
• Transaction evidence: Payment receipts, bank card or transaction IDs, order confirmation and delivery tracking.
• Communication logs: Full email threads, DM transcripts, phone call notes. Export if possible.
• Technical headers: Email headers, message IDs, IP and device details if available (helpful for account-takeover cases).
• Police or fraud reports: If filed, include crime reference numbers.
• Policy breaches: Quote the platform policy paragraph you believe was violated (screenshot the policy at the time).

General script: how to open your message

Start concise and factual. Below is a reusable opening you can paste into a platform form or email.

Subject: Request for action and record — Trust & Safety case (include key words like “account takeover”, “scam”, “deepfake”)

Hello Trust & Safety — I am reporting [short description: e.g., account takeover/scam listing/defamation]. Below are the key facts and evidence. Please assign a case ID and respond to the numbered questions within 5 working days. I will escalate to the regulator and police if I do not receive a clear, evidence-based reply.

Core questions you should always ask

These are the foundational, cross-scenario items that turn a reply into a usable record.

1. Case reference: "Please confirm the internal case ID/reference for this report and provide a direct link to the case (if available)."
2. Time-stamped actions: "What actions have you taken so far? Please provide timestamps (UTC) for each action and the account IDs involved."
3. Policy citation: "Which specific policy/policies does this incident relate to? Please quote the exact section names/paragraphs used to reach the decision."
4. Evidence used: "Please list the exact pieces of evidence the team used to evaluate my report (include message IDs, URLs, screenshots)."
5. Preservation: "Will the platform preserve the content and metadata for at least 90 days pending regulator or police review?"
6. Appeal route: "If I disagree with the outcome, what is the step-by-step appeals process and expected timeline?"
7. Escalation contact: "If unsatisfied, who is the internal escalation contact or team (e.g., Trust & Safety senior reviewer) and how do I reach them?"
8. Third-party sharing: "Has any content been shared outside the platform, and will you share evidence with police/regulators upon request?"
9. Outcome detail: "If action was taken, describe it precisely (account suspension, warning, listing removed), the duration, and whether similar accounts were acted against."
10. Data access/GDPR: "Please advise how I can request data related to this decision under data protection laws (subject access request/GDPR)."

Scenario-specific questions

Tailor the questions below to your situation. Paste the relevant block into your message.

1) Account takeover / unauthorised access

• "Provide the last login timestamps, IP addresses and device types used to access the account prior to the reported takeover."
• "List any account recovery/reset events (password reset, MFA changes) with timestamps and originating IPs."
• "Has the account been frozen/preserved? If not, will you freeze it to preserve evidence?"
• "If you require a police report, confirm preferred police contact details and format of evidence required."

2) Scams, counterfeit goods, or payment fraud on marketplace platforms

• "Provide the listing ID and confirm whether the seller has been verified/ID-checked previously."
• "Have any refunds or chargebacks been issued? If not, what steps will you take to block further transactions from this seller?"
• "Please confirm whether the seller’s funds are being held pending investigation and for how long."
• "Will you share full correspondence between buyer and seller with my consent, or with law enforcement?"

3) Harassment, doxxing or defamation

• "State which content was removed or restricted and provide the removal notice wording sent to the account holder."
• "Has the content been preserved to provide to my lawyer/police? If yes, how long and how can I request it?"
• "If the account remains active, what conditions or penalties were applied and why?"

4) AI-generated deepfakes, sexual imagery or non-consensual synthesized content

• "Which policy was used to assess the content (e.g., sexual content/consent/bio data misuse)?"
• "Was the content generated on-platform or uploaded? If generated, what moderation logs show prompts or model outputs?"
• "Will you provide the model provenance details you used to trace the content (timestamps, generation IDs)?"

Sample message templates (copy-paste)

Short: urgent account takeover

Hello T&S — my account (username: jane_doe, email: jane@example.com) was taken over on 15 Jan 2026. I have attached screenshots and a police crime reference: CR-2026-123456. Please issue a case ID and answer Q1–Q5 below within 48 hours.

Q1: Case ID. Q2: Last 3 login IPs and timestamps. Q3: Password reset and MFA change timestamps. Q4: Is the account preserved? Q5: Internal escalation contact. Thank you.

Long: complex marketplace fraud

To Trust & Safety — I purchased item ID 987654 on 02 Dec 2025 (order #A12345). The seller sent a counterfeit item and has blocked me. Evidence attached: photos, transaction details, and the seller’s messages. Please provide the case reference and answers to the numbered items. I request funds be held pending investigation and confirm whether you will share evidence with the police. I will escalate to Citizen’s Advice/Trading Standards if unresolved within 14 days.

How to interpret replies and next steps

Not all replies are equal. Use this quick triage.

• Good response: Case ID provided, timestamps and specific actions listed, evidence referenced, clear appeal path and timeline.
• Weak response: Vague language, no timestamps, no case ID. Reply again using the same message and mark as "escalation required".
• No reply: If you receive no response within the promised timeframe, escalate to the platform’s designated escalation contact and copy in regulators (Ofcom in the UK for safety issues, ICO for data issues, Citizens Advice for consumer matters) — include your original message and evidence.

When to involve regulators or police

Not every issue needs a regulator, but if you encounter any of the following, you should act quickly:

• Financial loss where the platform refuses to freeze funds or share seller data.
• Serious privacy breaches, doxxing, or non-consensual sexual images (file a police report and ask the platform to preserve data).
• Clear evidence of systematic policy failure (repeat offenders or mass scams) — consider reporting to Ofcom, ICO or the CMA for consumer protection problems.

Regulatory trends to mention in your message (2025–26)

Mentioning the regulatory context can nudge platforms to act faster. Use short, factual references:

• "Under the Online Safety Act (UK) platforms have duties to take proportionate action on harmful content and preserve evidence for enforcement."
• "The Digital Services Act (EU) has increased obligations on very large platforms for transparency and complaint handling — please provide your review record and timestamped actions."
• "Data relating to this incident is subject to a subject access request under data protection law; please advise the SAR contact process."

Case study: how focused questions resolved an account takeover

In January 2026 a consumer reported an account takeover after a platform-wide password-reset attack. The initial reply was a one-liner. The consumer replied with 6 targeted questions from this checklist (case ID, last logins, reset timestamps, freeze request, evidence used and preservation). The platform returned a case ID, froze the account, provided login IPs and a confirmation that funds for pending sales were held. With the case ID and IPs the consumer provided evidence to police; the seller’s account was suspended and chargebacks returned. This quick pivot from emotion to precise questions saved time and recovered funds.

Advanced strategies: getting beyond the inbox

• Escalation chain: Always ask for the internal escalation contact and the timeframe for escalation (e.g., 5 business days). Copy that contact on follow-ups if given.
• Public transparency nudges: If you still get nowhere, summarise the incident publicly (without defamation) tagging the platform and referencing your case ID — platforms often act faster to avoid public scrutiny.
• Regulator submission: When filing with Ofcom/ICO/Citizens Advice, include the platform’s case ID and their specific responses — regulators prioritise clear audit trails.

What to expect in 2026 and beyond

Expect platforms to keep improving tooling for evidence preservation and automated responses, but also expect more sophisticated harms (AI misuse, coordinated abuse). That makes precise questioning more valuable: it forces the company to link actions to specific evidence and policy. Regulators are also pushing for better complaint handling and transparency reports; your case ID and evidence make your complaint visible in that ecosystem.

Final checklist: copy this into your message

1. Short incident summary (1–2 lines)
2. Evidence list attached (URLs, screenshots, receipts)
3. Request: case ID within 48–72 hours
4. Questions: Q1–Q5 core questions (case ID; timestamps; policy citations; evidence used; preservation)
5. Escalation: ask for escalation contact and appeal route
6. Regulatory note: mention Online Safety Act / DSA / SAR where relevant

Takeaways: never accept a vague reply

When you contact a platform’s Trust & Safety team, you’re not asking for sympathy — you’re asking for verifiable action. Use the checklist and templates in this guide to demand case IDs, timestamps, policy citations and preservation of evidence. That transforms an email into actionable evidence you can use with police, regulators, banks or courts. In 2026, precise questions win.

Call to action

If you’d like ready-made templates tailored to your situation (account takeovers, marketplace fraud, deepfake abuse), download our free pack and a one-page escalation dossier template that lists regulator contacts and exact wording for police reports. Click the link below to get the templates and a guided checklist so your next message gets a real, useful reply.

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