Verify & Expose Fraud
Terms & Conditions
Platform User Agreement — Reporters & Visitors
www.trusttrace.co.za | legal@trusttrace.co.za
1. Introduction & Acceptance
These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User", "Reporter", or "Visitor") and TrustTrace (Pty) Ltd ("TrustTrace", "we", "us", or "our"), governing your access to and use of the TrustTrace platform at www.trusttrace.co.za (the "Platform").
By registering an account, submitting a report, or accessing any part of the Platform, you unconditionally accept these Terms. If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform.
2. Definitions
3. Eligibility & Account Registration
3.1 Who May Register
You must be 18 years of age or older.
You must be a natural person or authorised representative of a legal entity.
You must have a valid South African identity number, passport, or business registration number (required for verification purposes and held securely under our Privacy Policy).
You must not have been previously suspended or banned from the Platform.
3.2 Account Obligations
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials.
You must not share, transfer, or sell your account.
You must provide accurate information during registration. Providing false identity information during registration is a criminal offence under section 26 of ECTA.
TrustTrace reserves the right to verify your identity at any time and to suspend accounts where identity cannot be confirmed.
4. The Reporting Process
4.1 Mandatory Evidence Requirements
No Report will be considered for publication unless it includes at least one of the following forms of primary evidence:
A valid SAPS case reference number relating to the alleged fraud;
A formal reference number from the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), or another recognised regulatory body;
A sworn affidavit attesting to the alleged conduct; or
A combination of secondary evidence (screenshots, chat logs, bank statements, identity documents) of sufficient weight to permit independent verification.
4.2 Verification Process
All Reports undergo a multi-stage verification process before publication:
Automated screening for completeness and basic plausibility.
AI-assisted review for consistency, patterns consistent with known fraud types, and signs of false or malicious reporting.
Manual verification, which may include contacting SAPS or relevant authorities to confirm case reference numbers, cross-referencing with public databases, and reviewing attached evidence.
Publication decision: Reports are published only where verification is successful. TrustTrace reserves absolute discretion over publication.
4.3 What is Published Upon Verification
TrustTrace follows a tiered publication framework designed to balance public interest against privacy rights under POPIA:
5. Reporter Warranties & Legal Liability
5.1 Reporter Warranties
By submitting a Report, you warrant and represent that:
All information contained in the Report is true, accurate, and complete to the best of your knowledge and belief;
You have personal knowledge of the alleged conduct or have conducted reasonable due diligence to verify the facts;
You have not submitted this Report with the intention of harassing, defaming, or causing harm to an innocent person;
The Evidence you attach is genuine and has not been altered, fabricated, or taken out of context;
You are not acting on behalf of a competitor or adversary of the Subject for commercial or personal advantage;
You consent to TrustTrace contacting SAPS, the FSCA, or other authorities to verify the information you have provided.
5.2 Your Personal Legal Liability
TrustTrace is not the author of your Report. You remain the author and are solely liable for its contents. In particular:
Publishing a false statement about a person that damages their reputation constitutes defamation under South African common law. You may be sued for damages.
Providing false information to the police (including fabricating a SAPS case number) is a criminal offence under section 27 of the SAPS Act.
Submitting materially false information to TrustTrace for the purpose of harming another person may constitute crimen injuria or intimidation.
TrustTrace reserves the right to disclose your identity to law enforcement or a court if compelled to do so or if we determine you have submitted a false Report.
5.3 Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold TrustTrace, its directors, employees, and agents harmless from any claim, loss, damage, liability, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your Report; (b) your breach of these Terms; (c) your violation of any law or third-party rights.
6. TrustTrace's Platform Liability
6.1 Safe Harbour — ECTA Section 78
TrustTrace operates as a hosting intermediary under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002. We are not liable for unlawful content posted by users where we: (a) did not originate or modify the content; (b) did not have actual knowledge of its unlawfulness; and (c) upon gaining knowledge, acted expeditiously to remove or disable access to the content.
6.2 Editorial Verification Disclaimer
Where TrustTrace actively verifies content before publication, this reflects our commitment to accuracy and does not make us the author or publisher of that content for defamation purposes. Our verification reduces but does not eliminate the risk that published information may be inaccurate. We exercise reasonable care but cannot guarantee absolute accuracy.
6.3 No Legal Advice
Nothing on the Platform constitutes legal, financial, or investigative advice. Reports should not be used as the sole basis for legal action.
7. Dispute & Takedown Process
7.1 Right to Dispute
Any person who believes a Report about them is false, inaccurate, or unlawfully published may submit a formal dispute to legal@trusttrace.co.za with:
Proof of identity;
The specific Report they are disputing;
A clear statement of why the Report is incorrect; and
Supporting evidence (where applicable).
7.2 TrustTrace Response Timeline
Acknowledgement of dispute: within 48 hours of receipt.
Initial assessment: within 7 business days.
If the dispute has merit: the Report will be marked "Under Review" immediately pending re-verification.
Final decision: within 21 business days. The Report will be amended, removed, or maintained with a note.
7.3 Right of Correction — POPIA Section 24
Subjects have the right under POPIA to request correction or deletion of their personal information where it is inaccurate, misleading, or obtained unlawfully. TrustTrace will give effect to this right within the timelines above.
8. Data Retention
Verified Reports are retained for a maximum of 5 years from publication, after which they are archived in a non-publicly accessible form.
Reports that fail verification are deleted within 30 days.
Disputed Reports that are found to be false are deleted immediately upon that finding.
Reporter account data is retained for the duration of the account and for 2 years thereafter for audit purposes.
9. Prohibited Conduct
Users must not:
Submit Reports they know or reasonably ought to know to be false;
Submit Reports for the purpose of commercial advantage, harassment, or revenge;
Attempt to identify or "dox" any Subject beyond what is necessary for the fraud allegation;
Use the Platform to circumvent a legal process, court order, or settlement agreement;
Attempt to manipulate the Platform's verification or community voting systems;
Impersonate SAPS, the FSCA, or any other authority.
10. Amendments & Governing Law
TrustTrace may amend these Terms at any time. Continued use of the Platform after notice of amendment constitutes acceptance.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the South African courts.
If any provision is found to be unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.