Terms of service

These terms are an agreement between you and Dreamachine (Pty) Ltd (registration number 2022/834710/07), which runs IsThisSafe. By using IsThisSafe you agree to them. Earlier versions are listed at the end.

What IsThisSafe does, and what it doesn't

IsThisSafe looks for signs that a message, link or screenshot is a scam and gives you a risk level with reasons. It is a second opinion, not a guarantee. A low result means we found no strong scam indicators; it does not mean something is genuine. Always verify payment requests, password or OTP requests and changes of bank details directly with the organisation, using contact details you already trust. We never open the links you send.

How results are made

Each check uses automated rules and AI. Fixed rules, threat lists and official guidance from South African organisations decide the risk level. AI (Claude, made by Anthropic) reads the message for signs of a scam and helps write the explanation, but it never decides the risk level. You can ask for a person to look at a result by emailing info@dreamachine.co.za with the result link.

Who can use IsThisSafe

• You must be 18 or older to buy a plan or to own a Family plan.
• If you're under 18, you may use IsThisSafe only with your parent's or legal guardian's permission, for example as a member of their Family plan.
• When a Family plan owner invites someone, the owner confirms that, if that person is under 18, the owner is their parent or legal guardian and consents to them using IsThisSafe. The owner can remove them at any time.

We don't ask for dates of birth or ID numbers. We rely on these confirmations and keep a record of them.

Free checks

You can make 1 free check without an account. Creating a free account gives you 2 more (3 free checks in total). After that you need a paid plan or a top-up.

Plans and fair use

Individual (R29 a month, 1 person, 10 checks a month) and Family (R65 a month, up to 4 people including the plan owner, 40 checks a month shared). Prices are in rand. Dreamachine (Pty) Ltd is not VAT-registered, so no VAT is charged. Plans are for personal use; the check limits are there to keep the service fair and affordable. Unused monthly checks don't roll over. The Family+ plan is no longer sold.

Top-ups

• A top-up is a once-off payment of R29 for 10 extra checks. It is not a subscription and never renews. Any signed-in account can buy one, with or without a plan.
• Top-up checks are used only after the current month's plan checks are used up (on a free account, after the free checks).
• On a family plan, any member can buy a top-up and the checks go to the family's shared checks, for everyone on the plan to use. They stay with the household if the family plan ends, for the plan owner to use.
• Unused top-up checks don't expire while your account exists. If you delete your account, they are lost and aren't refunded; if a family plan owner deletes their account, the family's shared top-up checks are lost too.
• Top-ups are added as soon as PayFast confirms the payment, normally within a few minutes.

Delivery of the service

• IsThisSafe is a digital service delivered online. No physical goods are shipped.
• A paid plan is activated as soon as payment is confirmed, normally within a few minutes, and you get a confirmation email. Top-up checks are added as soon as payment is confirmed.
• Check results are shown on screen, usually within a minute.
• If we cannot deliver the service, the refund terms below apply.

Subscriptions and renewal

• Paid plans renew automatically every month on the same date until you cancel.
• PayFast (Payfast by Network) takes payment by card as a separate payment provider, under its own terms. We never see your card details.
• If a payment fails, we'll email you and try again. Your plan stays active for a 3-day grace period. If payment still fails, the plan ends.
• We will give you at least 30 days' notice by email of any price change.
• Upgrading to a bigger plan takes effect straight away: you pay the full difference between the two monthly prices at once, and the new price from your next billing date. Checks you've already used that month count towards the new plan's monthly limit.
• Moving to a smaller plan takes effect on your next billing date. You keep your current plan until then, and there is no refund for the rest of that month. If you move from a Family plan to Individual, your family members lose access on that date.

Cancellation

You can cancel at any time from your account. Your plan stays active until the end of the month you've paid for, and it won't renew.

Refunds

Cooling-off period. Under section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, you may cancel a new subscription within 7 days of buying it, without giving a reason and without penalty. We will refund what you paid within 30 days. Email info@dreamachine.co.za or cancel from your account and ask for the refund.

Top-ups. You may cancel a top-up within 7 days of buying it for a full refund if you haven't used any of its checks. Email info@dreamachine.co.za to ask; we remove the unused checks and refund you within 30 days.

After the cooling-off period, payments for a month that has started, and top-ups, are not refundable, except where the law requires it or where we failed to provide the service; then we refund the unused part.

Families

A Family plan is for up to 4 people, including the plan owner. The plan owner pays and can invite and remove members; invites waiting to be accepted count towards the 4. Everyone in the household shares the monthly checks and any top-up checks. Each member can see only their own checks. A person can belong to only one paying household.

Using IsThisSafe fairly

• Don't upload nude, sexual or intimate images of anyone. If a screenshot you send contains such an image, we delete it as soon as it's detected. Nobody at IsThisSafe ever looks at it, and we show you advice on what to do if someone is threatening you.
• Submit only messages you have received or are entitled to share.
• Don't use IsThisSafe to break the law, harass anyone, or test or build scams.
• Don't overload, copy or automate the service, or try to get around the check limits.

If we believe an account breaks these rules, we may suspend it. Unless it's urgent (for example to stop fraud or abuse that is happening), we'll email you first to explain why and give you 5 business days to respond. You can challenge a suspension at any time by emailing info@dreamachine.co.za; a person will review it. If a suspension was a mistake, we'll restore your account and extend a paid plan by the time lost.

Intellectual property

Dreamachine (Pty) Ltd owns IsThisSafe, including its software, design, text and the way results are produced. You may use it for your own personal, non-commercial purposes under these terms.

You keep all your rights in what you submit. You give us a limited licence to process it only to provide the service to you: to check it, show you the result, and keep the records described in our privacy policy. We don't use it for anything else and we don't sell it.

Our responsibility

• We work hard to give accurate results, but scams change quickly and no checker catches everything. A result is a second opinion about a message. It is not financial, legal or banking advice.
• To the extent the law allows, we are not responsible for losses that result from relying on a result instead of verifying with the organisation concerned, or for indirect or consequential losses (such as lost profits or opportunities).
• To the extent the law allows, our total liability to you for any claim is limited to the fees you paid us in the 3 months before the claim arose.
• None of these limits applies to loss caused by our gross negligence or deliberate wrongdoing, or to anything else the law doesn't allow us to limit.
• Nothing in these terms limits your rights under the Consumer Protection Act.

Complaints and disputes

1. Email info@dreamachine.co.za. We'll acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and aim to resolve it within 20 business days.
2. If you're not satisfied, you can go to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO), and then the National Consumer Commission.
3. Complaints about how we handle personal information can go to the Information Regulator.

Your business was flagged by mistake? Results describe a message, for example “claims to be from your business but links elsewhere”. They never say a named business or person is a criminal. If you believe a result or our records wrongly connect your business, website or number to a scam, email info@dreamachine.co.za with the details. We review it within 5 business days and correct or remove the record if it's wrong.

Privacy

Our privacy policy explains how we handle your information.

Notices, law and other terms

• Notices to us: by email to info@dreamachine.co.za. Our address for service of legal documents is available on request by email (see also Company information).
• Notices to you: by email to the address on your account, or on the website.
• Changes: we may update these terms. We'll tell account holders by email before material changes take effect, and ask you to agree to the new version.
• Law and courts: South African law applies, and the courts of South Africa have jurisdiction.
• Severability: if any part of these terms can't be enforced, the rest still applies.

Earlier versions

• Version 2, last updated 2 October 2026
• Version 1, last updated 1 October 2026