The Root Access Network — UbuntuScamBank
Terms and Conditions
Last updated: July 2026
About these terms
These terms govern your use of UbuntuScamBank at scambank.ubuntubridgeinitiatives.org, operated by The Root Access Network (“TRAN”, “we”, “us”). By creating an account or using the platform, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform.
These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
Who can use UbuntuScamBank
You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. By registering, you confirm that you are 16 or older.
What UbuntuScamBank is
UbuntuScamBank is a community-powered threat intelligence platform. Its purpose is to allow members of the public to submit scam reports, and to make that threat data available to security researchers, NGOs, journalists, and the general public.
The platform is operated on a not-for-profit basis under the Ubuntu Bridge Initiative, a programme of The Root Access Network.
Your account
You are responsible for keeping your account credentials secure. You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.
You may not create accounts for the purpose of manipulation, spam, or abuse. You may not impersonate another person or organisation.
Submitting reports
When you submit a scam report, you confirm that:
- The content describes a real scam or fraud attempt that you or someone you know has encountered
- You are not submitting false, fabricated, or misleading reports
- You have removed or not included unnecessary personal information about yourself or others in the submission
- You understand that submitted reports may be published publicly on the platform and made available to researchers via the API
We use AI to analyse and summarise submitted reports before publication. Automated systems are not perfect — if you believe a published report about content you submitted is inaccurate, contact us and we will review it.
We reserve the right to reject, remove, or modify any submitted report that violates these terms, contains harmful content, or is otherwise inappropriate.
Points and badges
The points and badge system is designed to recognise community contribution. Points are awarded for submitting reports, receiving community confirmations, and other qualifying actions.
Points and badges have no monetary value and cannot be exchanged for cash or transferred between accounts. We reserve the right to adjust the points system, badge thresholds, or rewards structure at any time.
Contributor rewards, where offered, are at the sole discretion of The Root Access Network. No specific reward is guaranteed by participation in the platform.
Community voting
Registered users with a Guardian badge or above may confirm or dispute published reports. Voting is intended to reflect genuine community assessment of whether a report represents a real scam. Voting to manipulate point totals, gaming the confirmation system, or coordinated voting to promote or suppress specific reports is prohibited.
Researcher API access
API access is granted at our discretion following an application review. Approved researchers receive a personal API key and agree to:
- Use the API only for legitimate security research, academic, journalistic, or public interest purposes
- Not redistribute raw API data commercially without prior written consent from TRAN
- Not use the API to build systems that profile or target individuals
- Comply with applicable data protection law in their jurisdiction
We reserve the right to revoke API access at any time without notice if these conditions are violated.
Prohibited conduct
You may not use UbuntuScamBank to:
- Submit false, fabricated, or malicious reports intended to harm individuals or organisations
- Harass, threaten, or abuse other users
- Attempt to gain unauthorised access to the platform, other accounts, or our infrastructure
- Scrape or systematically harvest data from the platform outside of the authorised researcher API
- Use the platform for any unlawful purpose
Violations may result in account suspension or permanent removal.
Content you submit
By submitting a report or other content to UbuntuScamBank, you grant The Root Access Network a worldwide, royalty-free licence to store, process, display, and distribute that content as part of the platform‘s threat intelligence mission. This includes making the content available via the public feed, the researcher API, and future TRAN publications or research outputs.
You retain ownership of content you submit. We do not claim ownership of your submissions.
Our content
The platform, its design, code, and original content are owned by The Root Access Network. You may not reproduce, redistribute, or create derivative works from the platform without our written permission.
Published scam reports are made available under an open data ethos for public interest use. Researchers and journalists may reference and cite report content with attribution to UbuntuScamBank and The Root Access Network.
Limitation of liability
UbuntuScamBank is provided as-is. We do not guarantee that the platform will be available at all times, that reports will be accurate, or that the threat intelligence provided will prevent harm.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, The Root Access Network shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, or consequential loss arising from your use of the platform or reliance on its content.
Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud.
Moderation and account termination
We reserve the right to suspend or permanently remove accounts that violate these terms, submit abusive content, or otherwise harm the platform or its community. Where possible, we will notify you of moderation actions and the reason for them.
You may delete your account at any time from your profile page or by contacting us.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
Contact
The Root Access Network