Terms of use
The conditions for using this educational website, its guide, and the message checker.
Legal text last updated: November 15, 2025
ProtectYourParents.org is a personal, non-commercial project created to help families talk about online and phone scams. By using this website, you agree to these Terms of Use. If you do not agree with these terms, please do not use the site.
1. Not legal, financial, or professional advice
The information on this site, including the scam tip sheet and the "Is This a Scam?" checker, is provided for educational and awareness purposes only. It is not legal, financial, security, or professional advice, and it should not be treated as a substitute for advice from a qualified professional, your bank, your lawyer, or law enforcement.
2. No guarantees
Scammers change their tactics constantly. While this site highlights patterns that are commonly seen in scam messages, there is no guarantee that it will detect every scam or that a message flagged as risky is truly fraudulent. Likewise, a message that is not flagged may still be dangerous.
The site and its tools are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without any warranties of any kind, express or implied.
3. Your responsibility
You are fully responsible for any actions you choose to take based on information from this site. This includes decisions about sending money, sharing personal information, installing software, or responding to messages or phone calls.
When in doubt, you should pause, contact your bank or service provider using a phone number from their official website or the back of your card, and/or talk to a trusted family member or professional. Do not rely solely on this site to decide whether something is safe.
4. Use of the scam checker tool
The "Is This a Scam?" checker looks for keywords and patterns that often appear in scam messages. It does not read images, open links, or access your accounts. It cannot confirm whether any specific message, phone call, or email is legitimate.
By using the checker, you understand and agree that:
- The results are a rough guide only, not a verdict.
- The tool may miss scams or flag messages that are actually legitimate.
- You remain responsible for your own decisions and safety.
5. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the creator of ProtectYourParents.org is not liable for any loss, damage, or harm of any kind arising out of or in connection with your use of this site, the scam checker, the PDF tip sheet, or any other content. This includes, without limitation, financial loss, data loss, identity theft, or emotional distress.
6. External links
This site may link to external websites (such as news articles, official agencies, or tools). These links are provided for convenience and context only. There is no guarantee about the accuracy, security, or content of those external sites, and they may have their own terms and privacy policies. You visit them at your own risk.
7. Personal, non-commercial use
The content on this site — including the PDF tip sheet — may be freely used, shared, and printed for personal, educational, and non-commercial purposes. You may not use it for commercial purposes without permission.
8. Changes to these terms
These terms may be updated from time to time. The date at the top of this page reflects when they were last changed. Continued use of the site after changes are posted means you accept the updated terms.