Acceptable Use, Safety, Fraud Prevention and Compliance Policy

1. Purpose of this Policy

1.1 This Acceptable Use, Safety, Fraud Prevention and Compliance Policy ("AUP") forms part of the Terms and Conditions governing the use of the Perfect Mate website and matchmaking services ("Perfect Mate", "we", "us" or "our").

1.2 By registering with, accessing or using Perfect Mate, each member agrees to comply with this AUP as well as the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

1.3 The purpose of this AUP is to:

• a.protect members, staff and third parties;
• b.maintain the integrity and reputation of Perfect Mate;
• c.prevent fraud, deception, abuse, harassment and unlawful activity;
• d.establish clear standards of conduct;
• e.protect payment systems and financial partners, including Stripe;
• f.comply with applicable UK law and regulatory requirements; and
• g.provide a clear framework for investigation, suspension, termination, reporting and disclosure to law-enforcement or regulatory authorities where appropriate.

2. Nature of Perfect Mate's Services

2.1 Perfect Mate is a matchmaking and relationship-introduction service.

2.2 Perfect Mate does not provide banking, investment, lending, insurance, financial advice, payment-account, money-transfer, remittance, currency-exchange, cryptocurrency, escrow or other regulated financial services.

2.3 Members must not use Perfect Mate to provide, advertise, solicit, arrange or facilitate financial services or financial transactions between members.

2.4 Payments made through Perfect Mate are payments for Perfect Mate's own services, events or other services expressly identified on the website. They must not be used to transfer money between members.

2.5 Perfect Mate does not hold member funds on behalf of another member, operate a wallet or payment account for members, or act as an intermediary for transfers of money between members.

3. Accurate Identity and Registration Information

3.1 Members must provide accurate, complete and current information when registering and throughout their membership.

3.2 A member must not:

• a.impersonate another person;
• b.use a false identity;
• c.provide false age, marital, immigration, employment, financial or family information;
• d.upload photographs or videos belonging to another person without lawful authority;
• e.operate an account for another person without Perfect Mate's written authorisation;
• f.create multiple accounts for the purpose of evading restrictions or misleading other members; or
• g.deliberately conceal material information where that information has been expressly requested for the matchmaking process.

3.3 Perfect Mate may request reasonable evidence of identity or other information where necessary for safeguarding, fraud prevention, regulatory compliance, payment verification or the integrity of the matchmaking service.

4. Prohibited Uses

Members must not use Perfect Mate to:

• a.commit, facilitate or encourage any criminal offence;
• b.threaten, intimidate, stalk, harass or abuse another person;
• c.engage in fraud, deception or identity theft;
• d.solicit money from another member;
• e.request loans, investments, cryptocurrency transfers or financial assistance from another member;
• f.operate or promote an investment opportunity, trading scheme or financial product;
• g.arrange money transmission, remittance or currency exchange;
• h.operate an escrow arrangement;
• i.facilitate payments on behalf of another person or business;
• j.promote pyramid schemes, Ponzi schemes, fraudulent investments or "get rich quick" schemes;
• k.request bank-account credentials, passwords, PINs, one-time authentication codes or payment-card security information;
• l.use Perfect Mate to circumvent sanctions, anti-money-laundering requirements or payment-provider controls;
• m.engage in prostitution, escorting, sexually explicit commercial services or other prohibited adult services;
• n.distribute pornography or sexually explicit material;
• o.send unsolicited commercial communications or spam;
• p.distribute malware, malicious software or harmful links;
• q.attempt to obtain unauthorised access to another member's account or Perfect Mate's systems;
• r.scrape, copy, harvest or commercially exploit member profiles or personal information without authorisation;
• s.publish another person's private information without lawful authority;
• t.upload non-consensual intimate images;
• u.blackmail, extort or threaten another member;
• v.discriminate unlawfully or promote hatred or violence;
• w.use Perfect Mate to recruit members into unlawful organisations or activities; or
• x.use Perfect Mate for any purpose which is unlawful or which could reasonably expose Perfect Mate, its members, payment providers or business partners to material legal, regulatory, fraud or reputational risk.

5. Financial and Payment Abuse

5.1 Perfect Mate uses third-party payment providers where applicable. Members must comply with the relevant payment-provider requirements.

5.2 A member must not use Perfect Mate to:

• a.test stolen or compromised payment cards;
• b.use another person's payment instrument without authority;
• c.undertake chargeback fraud;
• d.make payments using unlawfully obtained funds;
• e.seek a refund while simultaneously attempting to recover the same transaction through a card issuer or bank;
• f.transfer money to another member;
• g.use Perfect Mate as a payment intermediary;
• h.disguise the true purpose of a transaction; or
• i.circumvent Stripe, card-network, banking or other payment controls.

5.3 Perfect Mate may suspend or restrict an account or transaction where there are reasonable grounds to suspect fraud, payment abuse, unauthorised use, money laundering, sanctions concerns or other unlawful activity.

5.4 Perfect Mate may provide information to its payment provider or relevant authorities where legally permitted or required.

6. Safeguarding and Personal Safety

6.1 Members are responsible for exercising reasonable caution when communicating with or meeting another member.

6.2 Members should not disclose passwords, banking information, payment credentials, copies of identity documents or other sensitive information to another member unless there is a legitimate and secure reason to do so.

6.3 Members should consider meeting initially in a safe public place and should inform a trusted person where appropriate.

6.4 Perfect Mate may investigate reports of threats, harassment, stalking, fraud, coercion, abuse, exploitation or other safeguarding concerns.

6.5 Where there is an immediate risk of serious harm, Perfect Mate may contact the police or emergency services and may disclose relevant information where lawful and appropriate.

7. Communications Between Members

7.1 Members must communicate respectfully.

7.2 A member must not send:

• a.threatening messages;
• b.abusive or discriminatory communications;
• c.repeated unwanted communications;
• d.sexually explicit communications where they are unwanted;
• e.fraudulent or deceptive communications;
• f.requests for money or financial assistance;
• g.malicious links or files; or
• h.communications intended to intimidate, manipulate, blackmail or coerce.

7.3 A member who receives unwanted or concerning communications should report them to Perfect Mate using the designated reporting mechanism.

8. False or Misleading Information

8.1 Where Perfect Mate receives an allegation that a member has supplied false or misleading information, it may investigate the allegation.

8.2 The member may be asked to provide clarification or supporting documentation.

8.3 Depending upon the seriousness of the matter, Perfect Mate may:

• a.issue a warning;
• b.restrict the member's account;
• c.suspend the account;
• d.cancel the membership;
• e.prevent re-registration;
• f.remove relevant content;
• g.cancel or decline a proposed introduction or meeting;
• h.report suspected criminal conduct to the police or other competent authority; or
• i.take civil or other lawful action.

8.4 Perfect Mate will seek to act proportionately and will not publish a member's personal information merely as a punishment.

9. Fraud, Scam and Financial-Exploitation Prevention

9.1 Perfect Mate may use reasonable measures to identify suspicious behaviour, including unusual account activity, repeated profiles, inconsistent identity information, suspicious payment activity, requests for money and reports from other members.

9.2 Perfect Mate does not guarantee that every fraudulent or deceptive member will be identified.

9.3 Members must immediately report suspected romance fraud, financial exploitation, identity fraud, blackmail or other criminal conduct.

9.4 Perfect Mate may preserve relevant information and provide it to law-enforcement authorities where appropriate and lawful.

10. Content and Profile Moderation

10.1 Perfect Mate may review, restrict, remove or decline profile information, photographs, videos, messages or other content where reasonably necessary to:

• a.comply with law;
• b.protect members;
• c.investigate suspected fraud or abuse;
• d.enforce this AUP;
• e.comply with payment-provider requirements;
• f.protect Perfect Mate's systems; or
• g.respond to a lawful request from a competent authority.

10.2 Perfect Mate will seek to apply its moderation rules consistently and proportionately.

10.3 Nothing in this AUP prevents a member from exercising a statutory legal right.

11. Reporting Mechanism

11.1 Members and affected persons may report suspected:

• a.fraud;
• b.impersonation;
• c.harassment;
• d.stalking;
• e.threats;
• f.abuse;
• g.financial exploitation;
• h.non-consensual intimate imagery;
• i.unlawful content;
• j.payment fraud; or
• k.other breaches of this AUP.

11.2 Reports should contain sufficient information to allow Perfect Mate to investigate, including the relevant profile, username, messages, dates and supporting evidence where available.

11.3 Reports will be treated confidentially so far as reasonably possible and subject to legal and safeguarding requirements.

12. Investigations

12.1 Perfect Mate may investigate a suspected breach of this AUP.

12.2 During an investigation Perfect Mate may temporarily restrict an account where reasonably necessary to protect members, preserve evidence or prevent further harm.

12.3 Perfect Mate may request information or documents reasonably necessary to establish identity or investigate suspected misconduct.

12.4 Members must not obstruct a lawful investigation.

13. Suspension and Termination

13.1 Perfect Mate may suspend or terminate membership where it reasonably considers that:

• a.this AUP has been materially breached;
• b.false or misleading information has been supplied;
• c.the member presents a material safeguarding or fraud risk;
• d.payment fraud is suspected;
• e.continued access creates legal or regulatory risk; or
• f.suspension or termination is necessary to protect another member, Perfect Mate or a third party.

13.2 Where appropriate, Perfect Mate will notify the member of the reason for suspension or termination, subject to circumstances where disclosure would itself create legal, safeguarding, fraud-prevention or investigative risk.

14. Law Enforcement and Regulatory Cooperation

14.1 Perfect Mate may disclose personal information where disclosure is:

• a.required by law;
• b.required by a court order or other lawful authority;
• c.necessary to comply with a statutory obligation;
• d.necessary for the prevention or detection of crime where a lawful basis exists;
• e.necessary to protect a person from serious harm;
• f.necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights; or
• g.otherwise permitted by applicable data-protection law.

14.2 Perfect Mate will consider applicable data-protection requirements before making disclosures.

14.3 Further provisions are contained in the Perfect Mate Law Enforcement and Regulatory Disclosure Protocol.

15. Data Protection

15.1 Perfect Mate processes personal data in accordance with its Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection law.

15.2 Members acknowledge that information concerning sexual orientation or sex life may constitute special category personal data and will be handled accordingly.

15.3 Personal data will not be disclosed merely because another member requests it.

15.4 Perfect Mate will disclose personal data only where there is an appropriate lawful basis and, where applicable, an additional condition for processing special category data.

16. Stripe and Payment-Provider Compliance

16.1 Perfect Mate acknowledges that online dating and matchmaking services are subject to Stripe's restricted-business review and that Stripe may require additional information or approval before processing payments.

16.2 Perfect Mate will accurately describe its business and services to Stripe and will not misrepresent its activities.

16.3 Perfect Mate will not use Stripe or another payment processor to facilitate prohibited financial services, money transmission, escrow, investment, lending, cryptocurrency transactions, payment facilitation between members or other restricted activities.

16.4 Perfect Mate may suspend a transaction or service where necessary to comply with its payment provider's requirements.

16.5 Nothing in this AUP constitutes a representation that Perfect Mate itself is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to conduct regulated financial activities.

17. Changes to this AUP

17.1 Perfect Mate may update this AUP where reasonably necessary to reflect changes in law, regulation, payment-provider requirements, technology, safeguarding requirements or the operation of the service.

17.2 Material changes will be communicated to members through the website or other appropriate means.

18. Contact

Reports and compliance enquiries should be sent to:

Email: compliance@perfectmate.uk

Postal address: 7 Richmond Terrace, Blackburn BB1 7BD, Lancashire, England

This AUP should be read together with the Perfect Mate Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.