Trust & safety
Most crowdfunding fraud is caught after the money is gone. We would rather make it visible while it is still ours to stop.
What our badges actually mean
Every tier below is named for what was genuinely checked. We will not put a reassuring badge on a campaign because someone confirmed an email address.
Account created
Someone signed up with an email address. Nothing has been checked.
Email confirmed
They clicked a link we sent. It proves they can read that inbox, and nothing more.
ID verified
We have checked a government-issued ID document against the name on the account.
ID and bank account verified
As above, plus we have confirmed the payout bank account is held in that same person’s name. Money cannot be routed to a stranger.
A campaign’s tier is shown on its own page. If it says “Account created”, that is exactly what you are trusting.
The spend ledger is the real protection
Verification tells you who someone is. It cannot tell you what they did with the money — and that is the question donors actually have.
Every campaign publishes an itemised, receipted record of what it spent, readable by anyone without an account. A campaign that has taken money and published nothing is visible as exactly that.
Money we still hold is refundable in full
Campaigns using staged release keep their remaining funds with us until each stage is evidenced. If such a campaign is found to be fraudulent, everything still held is refunded in full.
There is no cap on that. A guarantee that stops at a fixed amount protects small donors and abandons large ones; ours is bounded only by what has actually been released against proof.
What we cannot promise
Honesty about our limits is part of the point, so plainly:
- We cannot guarantee any campaign is genuine. We can tell you exactly what has been verified and exactly what has been receipted, and let you judge.
- Money already released to an organiser who then lies about it is not automatically recoverable. That is why staged release exists, and why we recommend it for larger goals.
- We are not a regulator or a law enforcement body. Serious fraud should be reported to the police as well as to us.
- A donation through ThusaFund is not automatically tax deductible. That depends on the recipient’s own registration status, not on us.
If a campaign looks wrong
Every campaign page has a Report this campaign link. You do not need an account, and the organiser is never told who reported them.
While we investigate we can hold a payout. Any hold names its reason, states what the organiser must do, and carries a date it clears — we will not freeze someone indefinitely on an unproven accusation.
Protecting your own privacy as an organiser
Receipts you upload become public. Black out ID numbers, account numbers, diagnoses and anything else you would not want a stranger reading.
If a receipt does expose something personal, tell us and we will withhold the image. The ledger line stays public — the amount and description never disappear, only the document does.