SCARS ScamsNOW.com Site Privacy Policy
Welcome to ScamsNOW.com, published by the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. (SCARS). This page describes the privacy policy that applies to your use of SCARS products and services through ScamsNOW.com and its mobile applications (the “Sites”). SCARS is referred to herein as “we,” “us,” or “our.”
Effective Date Revised: May 25, 2024
This Privacy Policy Describes
- the information that we receive from you when you interact with us,
- our practices for processing and protecting the information that we receive, and
- your choices regarding the collection and processing of your personal information.
Please review this Privacy Policy carefully. By visiting our Site and by submitting information to us, you consent to the collection and processing of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.
We reserve the right to modify or amend the terms of our Privacy Policy from time to time without notice. The amended Privacy Policy will be posted on this page. Your continued use of our Site following the posting of changes to our Privacy Policy will mean you accept those changes.
Information We Collect
When you visit our Site, we collect personal information that you provide to us as well as information we obtain from your use of our Site.
“Personal Information” is information associated with you or that which can be used to identify or contact you. This includes contact data such as name, address, and email address.
“Usage Data” is information about your online activity that, by itself, does not identify you, such as
- technical information, including browser type, service provider, IP addresses, operating system, and site webpages visited;
- information about what you have searched for, looked at, and clicked on while using our Site;
- traffic data such as time and date of access, software crash reports, and session identification number;
- purchase behavior on partner sites should you leave our Site via an affiliate or partner link; and
- information collected about the location of your mobile device or computer for cybersecurity purposes
WE DO NOT SELL ANY DATA COLLECTED ON THIS WEBSITE
How We Collect Personal Information
You may browse our Site without submitting Personal Information to us. However, in order to access some features of the Site, you may need to provide us with Personal Information.
Personal Information is collected when you
- apply to become a member,
- apply for a fellowship or employment,
- subscribe to one of SCARS’s newsletters or press list,
- register to attend a SCARS event, or
- make an online donation to SCARS.
Some of this Personal Information is collected by our service providers and then shared with us, such as when you make a online donation to SCARS.
Cookies and Similar Tracking Technologies
We use cookies (and similar technologies) and analytics tools to collect Usage Data. A cookie is a small file which is placed on your hard drive when you visit the Site. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you may modify your browser settings to disable or reject cookies. If you set your web browser to decline cookies or if you delete your cookies, some features of the Site may not work or may not work as designed.
These technologies track your use of our Site to enable us to
- identify returning users,
- remember your preferences,
- determine your registration or subscription rights to specific content,
- serve relevant advertisements for our products and assess the efficacy of those advertisements,
- track your use of our Site to better develop our features, and
- monitor the traffic and performance of our Site.
We use Google Analytics, and other cookies to understand the performance of our Site and content, including but not limited to
- the number of visits to and average time spent on either a single page or the entire Site;
- the number of pages viewed per session, or the sequence of pages visited; and
- behavior on a single page or the entire Site, including scrolling and clicking on links or buttons.
We use session recording and other services offered to collect information regarding your behavior on our Site to improve user experience. For session recordings, we have disabled collection of user input in all fields on the Site. For more information, you can review Browser’s privacy policy, terms and conditions, and GDPR compliance. You can also enable your browser’s “Do Not Track” setting to block Browsee services.
We do not allow advertising on our Site.
Finally, we also have an “affiliate” relationship with third party retailers such as Shopify for our SCARS Book Shop shop.AgainstScams.org. Links from our Site to third party retailers provides us with sales data that is not personally identifiable. Additionally, we may receive a commission from items purchased through links to affiliated retailers.
How We Use Personal Information and Usage Data
We use the Personal Information and Usage Data collected when you use the Site in the following ways:
- To provide our services: The information permits us to provide you with the content and services that you request, such as newsletters, and/or invitations to our events.
- To communicate with you: We use the information to communicate with you about your membership, fellowship or employment application, event registrations, and donations. We may also send you announcements about our products or features.
- To improve our Site: We use the information we collect from you to help improve your experience on our Site, to enhance the features of our Site, and to perform statistical and demographic analyses of users of our Site.
- To comply with legal requirements: In some cases, we may use or disclose your Personal Information to a third party if we are required to do so by law, to prevent misuse of the Site, or to protect our personal safety or that of others.
No Sharing of Your Personal Information
We will not disclose or otherwise share your Personal Information with anyone outside SCARS, except as described in this Privacy Policy.
Third-Party Sites and Services
We have third party agents that perform functions on our behalf, including but not limited to hosting, content management, social media integration, and credit card processing. These entities may have access to Personal Information if needed to perform their functions. If such access is required, the third parties will be obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of that Personal Information. They are restricted from using, distributing, or altering this data in any way other than to provide the requested services to the Site.
Our Site interacts with social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and others. You should review their privacy policies if you choose to post information from our Site to these platforms. SCARS is not responsible for the privacy practices of these social media sites or other sites linked to our Site.
Access to Your Personal Information and Your Rights
It is important to us that you be able to access and review the Personal Information we have about you. You may, at any time, request to access, verify, correct, delete, and/or transfer your Personal Information. You may also object to the use of your Personal Information or request that its use be limited. To do so, simply send us an email at privacy@againstscams.org or contact us by mail at the address below. If you restrict the use of your information, your access to all SCARS sites may be restricted at our discretion. Additional feature-specific terms may apply.
If at any time, you no longer want to receive electronic newsletters and/or other emails, you may opt out of receiving them by following the “unsubscribe” instructions included in each email.
How We Store and Protect Your Information
We retain information as long as it is necessary to perform our services in accordance with legal requirements and accounting rules. After it is no longer necessary to retain information, we dispose of it in a secure manner.
Your Personal Information is stored on our in-house servers and on cloud-based servers hosted by our vendors. We employ industry-standard security measures designed to protect the security of all information submitted. We take reasonable security measures to protect your information, including the use of physical, technical, and administrative controls. We update and test our security technology on an ongoing basis. When stored, passwords are encrypted and are not recoverable. We use SSL when we transmit Personal Information, and such information is encrypted in transit. While we use our best efforts to safeguard your Personal Information once we receive it, any transmission of data over the internet or any other public network carries certain risk.
Governing Law and Notice to Non-U.S. Users
The Site is published in the United States and complies with all applicable laws of our jurisdictions. If you are located outside the United States, you should be aware that any Personal Information that you provide will be transferred to and stored in the United States. Regardless of where you are, we apply the same protections as described in this Privacy Policy. By using our Site, you consent to such transmission and use of your Personal Information in the United States in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Children Under the Age of Thirteen
Our Site is not intended for children under the age of thirteen and we do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under thirteen years of age. If you are under thirteen years of age, do not provide Personal Information to us without providing us with personal consent from your parents. If we become aware that a child under the age of thirteen has provided us with Personal Information and we do not have parental consent, we will immediately delete that child’s information from the Site. If you believe that we have been provided with the Personal Information of a child under the age of thirteen without parental consent, please notify us immediately at privacy@againstscams.org.
Terms of Use
Please visit our Terms of Use to learn about the terms and conditions that apply to your use of SCARS services through our Site.
Questions?
If you have questions about our Privacy Policy, you may contact us at
privacy@againstscams.org
Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. [dba SCARS / Scam Survivors United]
9561 Fontainebleau Bl., Suite 602, Miami, Florida 33172 U.S.A.
contact@AgainstScams.org • www.AgainstScams.org
A Note About Labeling!
We often use the term ‘scam victim’ in our articles, but this is a convenience to help those searching for information in search engines like Google. It is just a convenience and has no deeper meaning. If you have come through such an experience, YOU are a Survivor! It was not your fault. You are not alone! Axios!
Statement About Victim Blaming
Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and to not blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and to help victims avoid scams in the future. At times this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims, we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.
These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.
Articles like these help victims and others understand these processes and how to help prevent them from being exploited again or to help them recover more easily by understanding their post-scam behaviors. Learn more about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org
Psychology Disclaimer:
All articles about psychology and the human brain on this website are for information & education only
The information provided in this and other SCARS articles are intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.
Note about Mindfulness: Mindfulness practices have the potential to create psychological distress for some individuals. Please consult a mental health professional or experienced meditation instructor for guidance should you encounter difficulties.
While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.
Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.
If you are experiencing significant distress or emotional difficulties related to a scam or other traumatic event, please consult your doctor or mental health provider for appropriate care and support.
Also read our SCARS Institute Statement about Professional Care for Scam Victims – click here
If you are in crisis, feeling desperate, or in despair please call 988 or your local crisis hotline.
SCARS LINKS: AgainstScams.org RomanceScamsNOW.com ContraEstafas.org ScammerPhotos.com Anyscam.com ScamsNOW.com
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