Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Senior Scam Center is a free educational service that helps older adults and their families recognize and avoid scams. In this policy, "we," "us," and "our" mean Senior Scam Center. This policy applies to seniorscamcenter.com and the free tools offered on it.

2. Information we collect

Information you choose to give us. We only receive what you submit:

• Scam reports — the phone number, email, website, or description you report, so our team can review it and warn others.
• Contact messages — your name, email address, and message when you write to us.
• Ask Scam Guard — the questions you type into our AI helper so it can answer you.

Information collected automatically. Like virtually every website, our hosting provider keeps short-lived technical logs (such as your IP address and browser type) to keep the site secure and working. We do not use advertising cookies or cross-site trackers, and we never build a marketing profile of you or sell your data. We do use Google Analytics to understand, in aggregate, how the site is used so we can improve it — this does not identify you personally.

3. How we use your information

• To check phone numbers, emails, and websites for signs of fraud and explain the results to you.
• To review and act on scam reports, and to answer your messages.
• To keep the site safe, prevent abuse, and improve our tools.

We never use your information to advertise to you, and we don't make automated decisions that have legal effects on you.

4. How we protect your information (encryption)

• In transit: the entire site is served over HTTPS with SSL/TLS encryption, so information moving between your device and us is scrambled and cannot be read in transit. We use HSTS to require encrypted connections.
• At rest: the limited data we store (reports and messages) is held by reputable providers that encrypt data at rest, and access is restricted to people who need it.
• We collect the minimum we need and don't ask for sensitive details like Social Security numbers, passwords, or full account numbers — please never send those to us.

5. When we share information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share data only with trusted service providers ("processors") who help us run the site, and only as needed:

• Hosting & database — to serve the site and store reports/messages securely.
• Fraud-intelligence services — when you check a number, email, or website, that item may be sent to security partners to score its risk.
• AI assistant — when you use Ask Scam Guard, your question is sent to our AI provider to generate an answer.
• Website analytics — we use Google Analytics to measure aggregate, anonymous usage (such as pages viewed, general region, and device type). Google processes this on our behalf; we do not use it for advertising and do not sell it.
• Legal — if required by law, or to protect people from harm or fraud.

These providers are bound to use your information only to provide their service to us.

6. Cookies & tracking

We use essential cookies needed for the site to function and to remember basic preferences (like your chosen text size). We also use Google Analytics, which sets cookies to measure anonymous, aggregate usage so we can improve the site — never for advertising, and never sold. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. We honor the Global Privacy Control signal for the sale or sharing of personal information (we do neither). We apply consent rules based on your region. If you are in the EU, EEA, or UK, analytics stays off until you give permission (opt-in) — the first-visit notice offers Accept or Decline, and nothing is measured unless you Accept. For visitors elsewhere, anonymous analytics is on by default and you can opt out at any time. Region is inferred only from your browser’s time zone (no location lookup); if it cannot be determined, we default to asking permission. Either way, you can change your choice — and opt back in or out — at any time using the “Privacy Choices” link in the footer (which shows whether analytics is on or off and lets you switch), the “Do Not Sell or Share My Info” link in the footer, or by blocking cookies in your browser. Your choice is remembered on your device.

7. How long we keep information

We keep scam reports and messages only as long as needed for the purpose above, then delete or anonymize them. You can ask us to delete your information sooner (see your rights below).

8. Your privacy rights

If you are in the EU/UK (GDPR), you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to our use of your information, to data portability, and to withdraw consent at any time. Our legal bases are your consent and our legitimate interest in protecting people from fraud. You may also complain to your local data-protection authority.

If you are a California resident (CCPA/CPRA), you have the right to know what we collect, to delete it, to correct it, and to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information. We do not sell or share your personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of — but you may still contact us to exercise any right. We will never discriminate against you for using your privacy rights.

To exercise any right, contact us using the details below. We'll respond within the time the law requires (generally 30–45 days) and may need to verify your identity first.

9. Children

This site is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 16. If you believe a child has sent us information, contact us and we'll remove it.

10. International visitors

We operate in the United States. If you visit from another country, your information will be processed in the U.S. and other countries where our providers operate, with appropriate safeguards in place.

11. Changes to this policy

If we update this policy, we'll change the "Last updated" date above and, for significant changes, post a notice on the site.

12. Contact us

Questions or requests about your privacy? Reach us through our contact page. For urgent fraud help, call the Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311.