Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account or using Scratch ("the Service"), operated by Nemomakes, a California corporation doing business as Scratch ("we," "our," or "us"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

2. Description of Service

Scratch is a mutual aid platform that enables community members to request financial help and donate to others. We facilitate connections and payment processing but do not guarantee that any request will be funded or that any specific outcome will occur.

3. Eligibility

• You must be at least 18 years old to use the Service
• You must provide accurate and complete information when creating an account
• You must be a legal resident of the United States to receive payouts
• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials

4. Requests for Help

• Requests must be truthful and for genuine needs
• You may have only one active request at a time
• Request amounts are subject to limits based on your Reciprocity Score level
• A cooldown period applies between requests (7 days for donors, 14 days for non-donors)
• Maximum of 3 requests per rolling 30-day period
• We reserve the right to review, approve, or reject any request

5. Donations

• Donations are voluntary and made at your own discretion
• Donations are not tax-deductible — Scratch is not a registered charity
• Payment processing is handled by Stripe and subject to Stripe's terms of service
• Refunds are available for cancelled requests within the cancellation policy window

6. Payouts

• To receive payouts, you must complete identity verification and link a bank account through Stripe
• Identity verification requires your legal name, date of birth, and the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number
• Stripe may require additional verification information
• Payouts are processed through Stripe Connect and subject to Stripe's processing times
• You are responsible for reporting payout income on your tax returns. Stripe handles 1099 reporting as required by law.

7. Reciprocity Score

Your Reciprocity Score reflects your participation in the Scratch community. It is calculated based on your donation history, donation-to-withdrawal ratio, referrals, and other community engagement factors. Your score determines your request limits and feed visibility. We reserve the right to modify the scoring system at any time.

8. Cancellation Policy

• Requests cancelled within 24 hours receive full automatic refunds to donors
• Requests cancelled between 24-48 hours may be subject to abuse tracking
• Requests older than 48 hours cannot be cancelled — only paused or closed with withdrawal of raised funds

9. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Create fraudulent or misleading requests
• Use the Service for money laundering or illegal activity
• Create multiple accounts to circumvent request limits
• Harass, abuse, or threaten other users
• Attempt to manipulate your Reciprocity Score through deceptive means
• Use automated systems or bots to interact with the Service
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of the Service

See Sections 13 and 14 for our disclaimer of responsibility when other users violate this section.

10. Account Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at our discretion if we believe you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent activity, or pose a risk to other users or the platform. You may delete your account at any time through the app settings.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE," without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, or non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free; that requests will be funded; that funds received through the Service will be used for any stated purpose; or that any specific outcome will be achieved through your use of the Service.

12. User-to-User Interactions; No Vetting

Scratch is a platform that connects community members. We do not vet, screen, background-check, endorse, or verify the identity, age, citizenship, residency, financial circumstances, stated needs, statements, or intentions of any user, nor do we verify that funds raised through a request will be used for the purpose stated by the requester. We are not a party to any transaction, communication, agreement, or relationship between users. Any interaction you have with another user — whether through a request, a donation, a message, a circle, a referral, or otherwise — is solely between you and that user. You are solely responsible for your own due diligence before donating to, communicating with, sending money to, meeting, or otherwise relying on any other user.

13. No Responsibility for Scams, Fraud, or Misconduct Between Users

You understand and acknowledge that other users may, despite our policies, misrepresent who they are, why they are requesting help, how they intend to use donated funds, or what they are willing to provide in return. Common patterns include but are not limited to: fabricated emergencies, fake identities, romance scams, advance-fee scams, requests for off-platform payment, solicitations to move conversations off Scratch, impersonation, and requests for personal information.

Your sole recourse in such circumstances is against the user who caused the harm.

14. Off-Platform Interactions

Scratch can only see what happens on Scratch. If you communicate with another user, send money to another user, agree to provide goods or services to another user, or meet another user through any channel outside the Service — including iMessage, SMS, email, social media, other payment apps (such as Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, PayPal, or wire transfer), or in person — those interactions take place entirely outside the Service. Scratch has no visibility into, control over, or responsibility for off-platform interactions. Any agreement, transaction, payment, or relationship formed off-platform is solely between the users involved, and Scratch disclaims all liability for any loss or harm arising from such off-platform conduct.

15. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event will Nemomakes (operating as Scratch), its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, or licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, punitive, or exemplary damages — including loss of funds, donations, profits, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses — arising out of or relating to your use of the Service, the acts or omissions of any other user, or any off-platform interaction, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event will our total aggregate liability to you for all claims arising out of or relating to the Service exceed the greater of (a) the total fees you have paid Scratch in the six (6) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred U.S. dollars (US$100). Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitation of certain damages, so portions of this section may not apply to you.

16. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Nemomakes (operating as Scratch) and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of or conduct on the Service; (b) any request you create or donation you make; (c) your interactions or transactions with any other user, whether on or off the Service; (d) your violation of these Terms or any applicable law; or (e) any misrepresentation by you of your identity, circumstances, or stated need.

17. User Conduct, Safety, and Reporting

You are responsible for your own safety on Scratch. To reduce your risk, we recommend that you: (a) keep all communications and payments related to a request on the Service; (b) never share your address, phone number, government identification, banking information, or other personal information with another user; (c) decline any request to move a conversation, payment, or transaction off the Service; (d) never accept payment outside Scratch in lieu of, or in addition to, a donation made on Scratch; and (e) report any suspicious user, request, or message to info@scratchapp.us. These are safety practices, not guarantees. Following them does not create any obligation on Scratch's part to prevent, detect, investigate, or remedy any conduct by another user.

18. No Recovery Guarantee

If you believe you have been the victim of fraud, a scam, or other misconduct by another user, we encourage you to report it to info@scratchapp.us and to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. Scratch may, at our sole discretion, suspend or terminate the offending user's account, cooperate with law enforcement, or take other steps we deem appropriate. However, Scratch makes no representation, warranty, or guarantee that we will recover any funds, refund any donation, reimburse any loss, or take any specific enforcement action beyond what is required of us under applicable law and our payment processor's policies. Refund eligibility is governed by Section 8 (Cancellation Policy) and by Stripe's processing rules; no other refund right is created by these Terms.

19. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes via in-app notification or email. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

20. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles. You agree that any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in California, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

21. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at:

Nemomakes, operating as Scratch
info@scratchapp.us