About this policy
This policy explains how ScamWise Seniors handles personal information. It covers everything you can do on this website — checking a website, asking us to double-check one, reporting a scam, leaving a review, contacting us, and signing up for scam alerts.
We have written it in plain language on purpose. If anything is still unclear, please ask us — our Contact page is always open.
Information you give us
Scam reports:
when you report a website, we collect the website address, a category, and anything you choose to tell us. Reports are anonymous — we never ask for your name.
Reviews:
when you leave a review of a website, we collect your star rating and what you write. Like reports, reviews are anonymous — we never ask for your name.
Verification requests:
if you ask us to double-check a website, you can choose to leave your email address so we can tell you the outcome. This is optional — leave it blank and your request stays anonymous.
Contact messages:
if you contact us, we collect the name and email address you give, and your message, so we can reply.
Newsletter:
if you sign up for scam alerts, we collect your email address. We use a "double opt-in", which means we email you to confirm before adding you.
Information collected automatically
Anti-spam protection:
to prevent spam and abuse, we record a one-way "hashed" version of your computer’s internet address (IP address). We never store your raw IP address, and these hashes are deleted regularly — by default, after 30 days.
Website checks:
when you check a website, we look it up in our own database. We do not keep a personal history of the websites you check — your searches are never tied to you.
Essential cookies:
the site sets only the small cookies WordPress needs to work — see the Cookies section below.
How we use your information
To build and improve our scam database so other people get accurate results.
To reply to your messages.
To send you the scam alerts you asked for — and only those.
To confirm your newsletter sign-up and give you an easy way to unsubscribe.
To keep the website safe from spam and abuse.
Our lawful reasons
Privacy laws such as the GDPR ask us to name our lawful reasons for using your information. Ours are simple:
Your consent:
for the scam alerts newsletter — you choose to sign up, you confirm by email, and you can withdraw at any time.
Replying to you:
when you contact us, we use the details you give because you have asked us to respond.
Legitimate interest:
we have a genuine interest in keeping the site safe from spam and abuse, and in running a scam database that protects the public.
Who can see your information
Scam reports and reviews are read by our small moderation team before anything is published. Because they are anonymous, they contain no name or email address.
Contact messages go only to our own team inbox so we can reply. We never publish them.
Published reports and reviews are visible to everyone — but they never include your name or email address, because we never collect them for submissions.
Who we share your information with
In short: nobody. We do not sell, rent, trade, or share your personal information with advertisers, data brokers, or other companies.
There are only two exceptions. First, your choice: if you tick the "Share my report with the authorities" box when reporting a scam, we may pass that report to the police and crime-fighting agencies — and because reports are anonymous, it carries no name or email address.
Second, the law: we may disclose information if we are legally required to — for example, by a valid request from the police or a court.
What we never do
We never sell or rent your information to anyone.
We never use advertising networks, or analytics services that track you across other websites.
We never ask for passwords, PINs, or payment details.
We never send you emails you did not ask for — scam alerts are opt-in, and every scam-alert email has an unsubscribe link.
Cookies
We use only the essential cookies needed to keep the site working and secure. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.
Because we do not use tracking cookies, there is no cookie pop-up here — there is simply nothing to opt out of.
Web fonts and outside services
The typefaces on this site are served from our own website. Unlike many websites, we do not load fonts from Google or any other outside company — so simply viewing our pages does not share your information with anyone else.
Our scam checks work the same way: they run against our own database, on our own server. Checking a website here does not send your information to any outside company.
How we protect your information
We collect as little as possible in the first place — the best-protected information is information we never had.
Internet addresses are scrambled ("hashed") before they are stored, so they cannot be read back.
The website uses modern security protections, and we review them regularly.
Access to submissions and messages is limited to our small, trusted team.
How long we keep your information
Anti-spam IP hashes:
deleted regularly (by default, after 30 days).
Newsletter email addresses:
unsubscribing stops all emails immediately; after that we keep your address only as a record of your choice not to hear from us. You can ask us to delete it completely at any time.
Verification-request emails:
kept so we can tell you the outcome — deleted as soon as we have emailed you, and otherwise within about a month. You can ask us to delete yours sooner at any time.
Contact messages:
kept only for as long as we need them to help you, then deleted.
Scam reports and reviews:
kept as part of our database so results stay accurate.
A note about anonymous reports
Because scam reports and reviews are anonymous, we usually cannot tell which submission came from you. That is good for your privacy — but it also means that if you ask us to delete "your report", we may not be able to find it unless you can tell us the website it was about and roughly when you sent it.
The scam alerts newsletter
Double opt-in:
we only add you to the list after you click the confirmation link we email you — nobody can sign you up behind your back.
Unsubscribe any time:
every scam-alert email we send includes an unsubscribe link. One click and you are off the list.
No tricks:
our emails contain no tracking, and we never give your address to anyone else.
Your rights
You are always in control of the personal information we hold about you. To make any of these requests, please use our Contact page.
See it:
you can ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Correct it:
you can ask us to fix anything that is wrong.
Delete it:
you can ask us to delete your personal information — for example, your newsletter address or an old contact message.
Unsubscribe:
you can stop scam alert emails at any time using the link included in every scam-alert email.
Complain:
if you are unhappy with how we handle your information, you can complain to your local data-protection authority.
Children
ScamWise Seniors is written for adults, especially older adults. We do not aim the site at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has given us their information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time — for example, if we add a new feature. When we do, we will change the date at the top of this page.