Privacy Policy

Last updated: 7 September 2026

1. Who we are

Be Scam Aware is a trading name of Not Another Idea Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 17426437.

Our registered office is:

71–75 Shelton Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2H 9JQ
United Kingdom

For the purposes of UK data protection law, Not Another Idea Ltd is the data controller responsible for personal information processed through Be Scam Aware.

Privacy enquiries: privacy@notanotheridea.com
General enquiries: hello@bescamaware.org

Not Another Idea Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

2. What this policy covers

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information when you:

• visit Be Scam Aware;
• contact us;
• subscribe to updates or newsletters;
• submit a scam-related enquiry or report;
• interact with our website or social media; or
• otherwise communicate with us.

This policy applies to Be Scam Aware. Other products and services operated by Not Another Idea Ltd may have their own privacy notices.

3. Personal information we may collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with Be Scam Aware.

Information you provide directly

We may collect:

• your name;
• email address;
• organisation name, where relevant;
• information contained in messages or enquiries;
• information you provide when submitting scam-related information;
• communication preferences; and
• newsletter or mailing-list subscription information.

Information relating to scam reports or enquiries

Where you contact us about a suspected scam, we may receive information about:

• the type of scam or fraud;
• messages, emails or communications you received;
• names or identifiers used by suspected scammers;
• websites, phone numbers, email addresses or social media accounts involved;
• relevant dates and circumstances; and
• other information you choose to provide.

Please avoid sending unnecessary sensitive information.

In particular, you should not send us:

• passwords;
• banking login credentials;
• authentication codes;
• full card numbers;
• PINs;
• private cryptographic keys; or
• other information that could allow someone to access your financial or online accounts.

Technical and usage information

When you use the website, we may collect:

• IP address;
• browser type;
• device and operating-system information;
• pages viewed;
• referral source;
• date and time of access;
• interactions with the website; and
• analytics information where consent has been provided.

4. Sensitive information

We do not intentionally seek to collect special-category personal data through Be Scam Aware.

However, information submitted in a scam-related enquiry may sometimes contain sensitive information.

Where this occurs, we will only process that information where there is an appropriate lawful basis and where it is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was supplied.

5. How we use your information

We may use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries;
• provide scam-awareness information;
• review information submitted about suspected scams;
• identify common scam techniques and patterns;
• create or improve educational resources;
• communicate with you about your enquiry;
• send updates or newsletters where you have requested them;
• operate and improve the website;
• monitor website performance;
• maintain website and system security;
• prevent misuse or malicious submissions;
• maintain appropriate business records;
• comply with legal obligations; and
• establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary.

Where we use information from reports to create awareness material, we aim to remove or minimise personal information unless there is a lawful and justified reason to include it.

6. Lawful bases for processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on:

Legitimate interests

We may rely on legitimate interests to:

• respond to enquiries;
• operate and improve Be Scam Aware;
• research scam trends;
• maintain appropriate records;
• protect our systems and users;
• prevent misuse; and
• develop educational and awareness resources.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether our interests are proportionate and whether your rights and interests override them.

Consent

We may rely on consent for:

• optional analytics cookies;
• newsletter subscriptions; and
• certain marketing communications.

You may withdraw consent at any time.

Legal obligation

We may process information where necessary to comply with legal or regulatory requirements.

Vital interests

In exceptional circumstances, we may process or disclose information where this is necessary to protect someone’s life or physical safety.

7. Scam reports and disclosure to others

Submitting information to Be Scam Aware does not mean that we will investigate the matter or report it to authorities.

However, we may disclose relevant information where:

• you ask us to do so;
• disclosure is necessary to respond to your enquiry;
• we reasonably believe there is a serious risk of harm;
• we are legally required to disclose it;
• a court, regulator or law-enforcement authority lawfully requests it; or
• disclosure is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.

We will aim to disclose only information that is reasonably necessary.

8. Mailing lists and communications

We may use services such as Brevo to manage mailing lists and email communications.

If you subscribe to Be Scam Aware communications, we may process:

• your email address;
• your name, if provided;
• subscription status;
• communication preferences; and
• information about delivery or engagement where enabled.

You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link in an email or by contacting us.

9. Analytics and cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the website and, where you consent, understand how it is used.

We may use Google Analytics to collect aggregated information about website usage.

Analytics may include information such as:

• pages viewed;
• browser and device type;
• approximate location;
• referral source; and
• interactions with the website.

Non-essential analytics cookies are only enabled where the required consent has been provided.

Further information is available in our Cookie Policy.

10. Third-party service providers

We use third-party providers to help operate Be Scam Aware.

These may include:

• website hosting providers;
• WordPress and associated plugins;
• email and mailing-list providers such as Brevo;
• Google Analytics;
• Google Search Console;
• cloud and infrastructure providers;
• security tools; and
• social media platforms.

We aim to provide service providers only with the information reasonably necessary for the service they provide.

Some providers act as processors on our behalf. Others may act as independent controllers for aspects of their own services.

We do not sell personal information.

11. Social media

Be Scam Aware may maintain profiles or pages on platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook or other social networks.

If you interact with us through a social network, that platform may process your information independently under its own privacy terms.

We do not control how social media platforms process information outside our own accounts and pages.

12. Third-party websites

Our website contains links to third-party websites, including regulators, government bodies, banks, charities and other resources.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites.

You should review the privacy policy of any external website before providing personal information.

13. International transfers

Some of our service providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take appropriate steps to ensure the transfer is lawful.

Depending on the provider and destination, this may include relying on:

• UK adequacy regulations;
• approved contractual safeguards; or
• another lawful transfer mechanism recognised under UK data protection law.

You can contact privacy@notanotheridea.com if you would like more information about international transfer safeguards relevant to your information.

14. How long we keep information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

Retention periods vary depending on the information involved.

For example:

• general enquiries may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to respond and maintain appropriate records;
• scam reports may be retained where they remain useful for awareness, research or evidence purposes;
• mailing-list information is retained until you unsubscribe or it is no longer appropriate to retain it;
• analytics information is retained according to the settings of the relevant analytics service;
• records required for legal or regulatory reasons may be retained for longer.

Where personal information is no longer required, we aim to delete or anonymise it securely.

15. How we protect information

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information.

These may include:

• secure hosting;
• encrypted communications;
• authentication and access controls;
• limiting administrative access;
• software updates and maintenance;
• backups;
• logging and monitoring; and
• restricting access to those who need it.

No internet-connected system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

16. Children

Be Scam Aware is intended primarily for adults and general public-awareness purposes.

We do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children.

If we become aware that we have received personal information relating to a child unnecessarily, we will take reasonable steps to handle or remove it appropriately.

17. Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

• request access to personal information we hold about you;
• request correction of inaccurate information;
• request deletion of information where applicable;
• request restriction of processing;
• object to certain processing;
• request data portability in certain circumstances;
• withdraw consent where processing relies on consent; and
• complain about how your information has been handled.

Some rights are subject to legal conditions and exemptions.

To exercise your rights, contact:

privacy@notanotheridea.com

We may need to verify your identity before responding.

18. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

19. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect:

• changes to the website;
• changes to the services we use;
• changes in our processing activities; or
• changes to legal or regulatory requirements.

The date at the top of this page shows when this policy was last updated.

20. Contact

For privacy and data-protection enquiries:

Be Scam Aware
a trading name of Not Another Idea Ltd

71–75 Shelton Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2H 9JQ
United Kingdom

Website: https://bescamaware.org
General enquiries: info@bescamaware.org
Privacy: privacy@notanotheridea.com