Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of avasc.org and the AVASC Service (the “Service”) provided by the Association of Victims Against Cyber-Scams (“AVASC,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). By using the Service you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

AVASC is a California nonprofit organization (501(c)(3) status pending) that collects scam reports, identifies patterns, publishes anonymized public resources, and supports victims with guidance and referrals.

AVASC is not:

• A law firm or legal service.
• A licensed investigator or private detective.
• A government agency.
• A recovery or fund-retrieval service.

Using the Service does not create an attorney-client or investigator-client relationship. We cannot guarantee recovery of lost funds and will never ask for an upfront fee to “recover” your money. If someone claiming to be from AVASC ever does, it's a scam — report them to security@avasc.org.

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or submit a report. If you are a parent or guardian of a minor who was scammed, you may submit a report on their behalf.

You agree not to:

• Submit reports you know to be false, misleading, or retaliatory.
• Submit passwords, full card numbers, government-ID numbers, or other sensitive credentials in public report fields.
• Impersonate another person or misrepresent your affiliation.
• Use the Service to harass, defame, or target anyone who is not actually suspected of a scam.
• Scrape, bulk-download, or redistribute published scam data beyond fair-use journalistic or research excerpts with attribution.
• Attempt to probe or circumvent the Service's security.

We may suspend or remove accounts, reports, or stories for violations.

When you submit a scam report:

• You retain ownership of the information you provide.
• You grant AVASC a worldwide, royalty-free license to review, anonymize, categorize, and publish the report as part of public scam-pattern data.
• AVASC moderators review each report before public publication and edit for accuracy, privacy, and safety. We reserve the right not to publish.
• You can withdraw or amend your report at any time by emailing privacy@avasc.org. Anonymized patterns already incorporated into public data may remain after individual-report withdrawal.
• You represent that the factual content of your report is accurate to the best of your knowledge.

[REQUIRES LEGAL REVIEW] Defamation posture: user-submitted reports accusing named individuals/businesses of fraud carry defamation exposure even after moderation. Counsel should confirm the moderation SOP and any Section 230 reliance.

• AVASC accepts donations through third-party processors (Stripe, PayPal). Those processors have their own terms and privacy policies.
• Donations are currently not tax-deductible because AVASC's IRS 501(c)(3) determination is pending. We'll update this when status changes. See the donation page FAQ for details.
• Recurring donations can be cancelled any time from your processor account or by emailing give@avasc.org.
• Donations are non-refundable except where required by law.

Portions of the Service use AI to summarize reports, suggest tags, or generate safety guidance. AI output is informational and may contain errors. It is not legal, financial, or investigative advice. Verify anything important with a qualified professional or an authoritative source (the FTC, FBI IC3, IdentityTheft.gov).

The Service, including the AVASC name, logo, site design, software, and non-user-contributed content, is owned by AVASC or our licensors. Using the Service does not transfer those rights. Attribution-based journalistic or academic use of published anonymized data is welcome; contact us first for commercial use.

The Service is provided “as is” without warranties of any kind. AVASC does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, free of errors, or that any report or alert will lead to a particular outcome.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, AVASC's aggregate liability for any claim arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service will not exceed one hundred U.S. dollars ($100).

In no event will AVASC be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages arising from your use of the Service.

[REQUIRES LEGAL REVIEW] A victim-support nonprofit should think carefully about carve-outs here — especially for gross negligence or willful misconduct. Counsel should confirm.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be notified via email or a prominent notice in the Service at least 30 days before they take effect.

[REQUIRES LEGAL REVIEW] These Terms are governed by the laws of California, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Los Angeles County, California, except where prohibited by law.

Questions about these Terms can be directed to legal@avasc.org.

Association of Victims Against Cyber-Scams · Los Angeles, California · 501(c)(3) Pending