Fraud, Scam and Integrity Policy
Rules to protect customers, referrers, ambassadors, service partners, partners and Your IT & Tech Mates from scams, payment bypassing, referral manipulation, false claims and unsafe conduct.
Important terms for current services
These terms apply to the current Your IT & Tech Mates and TheFixers.APP service features, including QuoteMe, Quick Help, customer support, referrals, student helper proof, service partner pathways, partner pathways, uploaded media, reviews, ratings and business/software/AI callback requests.
- Requests are reviewed before work starts where a review is needed.
- No payment, booking, referral reward, service partner approval, student approval, public profile or public proof is automatic.
- Private customer details must not be published in reviews, MateCard, Live Resume, referral messages or public examples without permission.
- Users must not send passwords, PINs, banking codes, MFA codes or card details through public forms.
Updated for the latest customer, student, helper, referral and local group features. These words are written for website visitors and service participants.
Media, images, reviews and public proof
Uploaded images, screenshots, videos, profile photos, reviews and proof records must be safe, accurate and respectful.
- Do not upload, create, request, share or threaten to share intimate, sexual, humiliating, abusive, altered, deepfake or private images of another person without clear permission.
- Do not publish faces, names, addresses, school details, device serial numbers, messages, login screens, private job notes or customer details without permission.
- We may remove content, pause access, preserve evidence, contact affected people, or direct people to eSafety, police or another support service where appropriate.
- Public customer stories, reviews, profile details, MateCard proof or Live Resume content are not automatic and may be reviewed, corrected, hidden or removed.
Updated for the latest customer, student, helper, referral and local group features. These words are written for website visitors and service participants.
Extra care for vulnerable people and urgent safety concerns
When a request involves a child, older person, person with disability, scam concern, safety risk, family member, support worker, carer or urgent device access issue, extra care may be needed.
- We may ask for a suitable contact, authority, consent or support person before continuing.
- We do not ask for passwords, PINs, banking codes, MFA codes or card details through public forms.
- Scam, abuse, coercion, image-based abuse, threats or immediate danger may need police, eSafety, bank, school, support service or emergency help.
Updated for the latest customer, student, helper, referral and local group features. These words are written for website visitors and service participants.
Media, images, reviews and public proof
Uploaded images, screenshots, videos, profile photos, reviews and proof records must be safe, accurate and respectful.
- Do not upload, create, request, share or threaten to share intimate, sexual, humiliating, abusive, altered, deepfake or private images of another person without clear permission.
- Do not publish faces, names, addresses, school details, device serial numbers, messages, login screens, private job notes or customer details without permission.
- We may remove content, pause access, preserve evidence, contact affected people, or direct people to eSafety, police or another support service where appropriate.
- Public customer stories, reviews, profile details, MateCard proof or Live Resume content are not automatic and may be reviewed, corrected, hidden or removed.
Updated for the latest customer, student, helper, referral and local group features. These words are written for website visitors and service participants.
Extra care for vulnerable people and urgent safety concerns
When a request involves a child, older person, person with disability, scam concern, safety risk, family member, support worker, carer or urgent device access issue, extra care may be needed.
- We may ask for a suitable contact, authority, consent or support person before continuing.
- We do not ask for passwords, PINs, banking codes, MFA codes or card details through public forms.
- Scam, abuse, coercion, image-based abuse, threats or immediate danger may need police, eSafety, bank, school, support service or emergency help.
Updated for the latest customer, student, helper, referral and local group features. These words are written for website visitors and service participants.
1. Purpose and related terms
This policy forms part of the Your IT & Tech Mates terms and must be read with our Service Terms, Terms and Conditions, Payment and Warranty Terms, Referral Terms, Referral Policy, Ambassador Network Terms, Service Partner Terms, service partner Device Pickup Terms, Quick Help Terms, Privacy Policy, Electronic Consent Policy, Booking and No-show Policy, Dispute and Evidence Policy, Safeguarding Policy and any applicable quote, invoice, service form or written approval.
Where a more specific term applies to a subject matter, that more specific term applies. Nothing in this policy excludes, restricts or modifies rights that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law.
2. Zero-tolerance principle
We may investigate and take action where we reasonably suspect fraud, scam activity, dishonest conduct, payment bypassing, record manipulation, financial exploitation, fake referrals, fake bookings, false reviews, fake documents, unauthorised brand use, unsafe conduct, or attempts to gain a financial, reputational or competitive advantage through improper conduct.
3. Cash payments, off-service payments and referral reward integrity
Jobs, leads, referrals, service partner work, partner work, ambassador activity and customer opportunities connected with Your IT & Tech Mates must be recorded, invoiced and paid by online payment through an approved Your IT & Tech Mates service payment process to qualify for referral rewards, ambassador rewards, partner referral rewards, service partner referral rewards, lead fees or incentives.
Cash payments, direct payments to technicians or service partners, private bank transfers, private PayID transfers, cheques, card payments taken outside our service, personal payment links, side deals, unrecorded payments, payment splitting, payment redirection and off-service arrangements do not qualify for referral rewards, ambassador rewards, partner referral rewards, service partner referral rewards, lead fees or incentives.
We may withhold, cancel, reverse, reduce, offset or refuse any referral reward, reward, referral payment, partner payment or incentive connected with off-service payments, unpaid jobs, refunded jobs, chargebacks, disputes, duplicate claims, fake referrals, misleading referrals, customer bypassing, service partner bypassing, payment manipulation or policy breaches.
4. Prohibited conduct
The following conduct is prohibited:
- self-referrals, related-party referrals or referral manipulation schemes;
- fake leads, fake bookings, duplicate claims, circular activity or misuse of referral rewards;
- artificially splitting, bundling or structuring jobs to increase referral reward, avoid limits or hide the true job value;
- using bots, scraping tools, automated or AI-assisted tools to manipulate bookings, reviews, referrals, support processes, search visibility or payment outcomes;
- attempting to bypass payment controls, fraud checks, payment and dispute processes, quote approvals, invoice records or reward payment controls;
- exploiting technical vulnerabilities, unauthorised access, unauthorised data harvesting, attempts to copy protected service processes or interfere with service security or security weaknesses;
- false, purchased, coercive, retaliatory, defamatory, misleading or collusive reviews;
- fake documents, misleading qualification claims, false insurance claims, false licence claims, false identity claims or false government affiliation;
- harassment, threats, intimidation, discrimination, abuse, spam, unrelated advertising or pressure tactics;
- sharing personal contact details or payment details for side deals, misleading payment requests or reward misuse;
- bad-faith disputes, false refund claims, friendly fraud, dishonest chargebacks or evidence tampering.
5. Vulnerable persons, safety and anti-exploitation
Customers, service partners, partners, ambassadors and referrers must treat seniors, NDIS participants, students, minors, carers, families, support workers, aged-care residents, customers with disability, customers with limited English, and other vulnerable or potentially vulnerable persons with heightened care and respect.
Financial exploitation, coercion, manipulation, pressure selling, personal financial arrangements, requests for gifts, loans, cash withdrawals, banking access, recovery phrases, MFA codes or unnecessary passwords are prohibited. Concerns involving immediate danger should be reported to emergency services on 000 in Australia.
6. Evidence, investigations and records
We may use available records to assess fraud, scams, disputes, chargebacks, warranty claims, referral reward claims, payment issues and policy breaches, including booking records, quote records, invoice records, payment records, referral records, customer messages, technician notes, support notes, call logs, emails, SMS records, photos, videos, timestamps, device information, pickup records, delivery records, IP, device and browser information, review records and other available evidence.
We may request further information, pause referral rewards, hold rewards, restrict services, withhold payments, refuse withdrawals, preserve records, cancel rewards, reverse entries, suspend participants, remove access or report serious conduct to authorities where lawful and appropriate.
7. Communication standards
All communications must be respectful, truthful, relevant to legitimate service coordination and consistent with customer privacy. Users must not use Your IT & Tech Mates channels, referral tools, customer details or service records for spam, harassment, misleading advertising, unauthorised marketing, off-service payment arrangements or improper personal contact.
8. Authority and representation
No referrer, ambassador, service partner, partner or technician may claim authority to bind Your IT & Tech Mates, approve discounts, approve warranties, collect money, promise outcomes, make legal guarantees, access accounts, request sensitive information, or represent themselves as an employee, authorised agent, government representative or official partner unless that authority has been expressly given in writing.
9. Enforcement
Depending on the circumstances and subject to applicable law, breaches may result in warning, investigation, service refusal, booking cancellation, account restriction, removal from programs, referral reward reversal, reward cancellation, payment hold, reward payment refusal, warranty refusal for off-service work, dispute escalation, legal action or referral to authorities.
Nothing in this policy limits any rights or remedies that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law.
Your IT & Tech Mates referral reward and referral model
Total service referral reward: The standard total service referral reward is 13.5% of the eligible paid job value, unless a different written program rule is approved by Your IT & Tech Mates.
Referral reward: The standard referral reward is 5% of the eligible paid job value. It is calculated as a percentage of the eligible completed and paid job value, not as a fixed dollar reward table.
Included inside the service referral reward: The 5% referral reward is included inside the 13.5% total service referral reward. It is not added on top of the customer price, and it does not create a separate extra charge unless a separate written written public offer says otherwise.
Referral rewards, ambassador rewards, partner referral rewards, service partner referral rewards, lead fees and incentives are not automatic and subject to eligibility checks. Payment is normally after a minimum 14-day hold after customer payment is confirmed, subject to anti-scam, anti-cheating, duplicate, self-referral, refund, payment-clearance, chargeback, dispute, attribution, customer-consent and team checks.
Referral rewards are not lifetime rewards, recurring rewards, ongoing referral rewards, employment wages, partnership profits, franchise payments or automatic entitlements. Each job is reviewed separately and must meet the applicable Your IT & Tech Mates terms.
Minimum withdrawal balance: Approved referral, ambassador, partner or referral reward payments are processed after review and generally require a minimum approved balance of $50 before withdrawal can be requested, unless Your IT & Tech Mates approves otherwise in writing.
Online service payment required: A referral, ambassador, partner, service partner, lead or referral reward payment only qualifies where the related job is properly recorded, approved, invoiced and paid by online payment through an approved Your IT & Tech Mates service payment process. Cash payments, direct technician payments, direct service partner payments, private bank transfers, PayID transfers made outside our service, cheques, cash-in-hand payments, personal payment links, side deals, split payments, payment redirection, off-service work and unrecorded payments do not qualify for referral reward, referral rewards, ambassador rewards, partner fees, lead fees or incentives.
This clause must be read with the Payment and referral reward Integrity Policy, Referral Terms, Referral Policy, Ambassador Network Terms, Service Partner Terms and Fraud, Scam and Integrity Policy.
Ambassador Network, share codes and local introductions
Our Ambassador Network may include local Ambassadors, Campus Ambassadors, Zone Leaders, Trusted helper Ambassadors, Building Captains, Street Captains, Suburb Leads, community referrers and approved local campaign participants.
Ambassadors may use approved share codes, QR codes, local campaign links, profile badges or public listing tags to help people find Your IT & Tech Mates. A code, badge, listing, zone or public tag does not make a person our employee, agent, franchisee, approved technician or authorised representative unless we separately confirm that in writing.
Zones, waitlists, profile visibility, service partner or business introductions, customer referral attribution and reward eligibility are reviewed by the Your IT & Tech Mates team. Zone recognition is not permanent ownership of a suburb, street, building, campus or customer group.
Customer referral reward reviews, service partner introduction reward reviews, campaign rewards and ambassador rewards are not automatic. Any approved reward is subject to eligibility, activity, attribution, fraud, refund, dispute, chargeback, customer consent and payment-clearance checks.
Ambassadors and referrers must not promise guaranteed work, guaranteed repairs, guaranteed discounts, guaranteed rewards, automatic reward payments, official endorsement, service partner approval, customer priority or exclusive access to a local area.
Online service payment required
This policy explains that referral rewards, ambassador rewards, partner referral rewards, service partner referral rewards, lead fees, incentives and similar payments are only available where the job is properly recorded, approved, invoiced and paid by online payment through an approved Your IT & Tech Mates service payment process.
Offline payments and external payment methods do not qualify. This includes cash payments, direct technician or service partner payments, private bank transfers, private PayID transfers, cheques, card payments taken outside our service, personal payment links, side deals, split payments, payment redirection, off-service work and unrecorded payments.
We may refuse, hold, cancel, reverse or recover any reward, referral reward, fee or incentive connected with an offline, external, redirected, side-deal or unrecorded payment arrangement.
Scam Shield and referral integrity
Scam Shield, scam check lifeline and similar referral cards are designed to help people seek practical technology support. They are not emergency, police, legal, financial, banking, insurance or crisis services.
- If there is immediate danger, suspected crime, bank loss, identity theft, coercion or urgent safety risk, the person should contact the relevant emergency service, bank, service, regulator or professional adviser.
- Referral tools must not be used to impersonate us, impersonate another person, mislead a recipient, harvest contacts, create fake referrals or manipulate reward eligibility.
- We may hold, decline, reverse or investigate referrals where there are signs of fraud, spam, coercion, fake bookings, self-referral abuse, reward manipulation or unsafe conduct.
Current feature safety update
These terms are updated for current Your IT & Tech Mates and TheFixers.APP features, including QuoteMe, Quick Help, customer rooms, student proof, campus help, skill profiles, Live Resume, referrals, provider help, organisation handovers, uploaded media, reviews, ratings and business/software/AI callback requests.
- Requests, quotes, referrals, student proof, skill labels, reviews, sign-offs and provider actions are reviewed where needed before work or public sharing continues.
- No payment, booking, referral reward, provider approval, student approval, public profile or public proof is automatic.
- Private customer details must not be published in reviews, MateCard, Live Resume, referral messages, task proof, screenshots or public examples without permission.
- Users must not send passwords, PINs, MFA codes, banking codes, card details or private login information through public forms, messages or uploads.
- Users must keep accounts and MFA codes private and must not try to bypass private dashboards, redirects or access controls.
Student Business Advice Mission, Engagement and Evidence Terms
Effective update: 3 July 2026.
1. Definitions
- Advice Mission means a learning, review, checklist, suggestion, report or feedback activity completed by a student or student participant for resume proof, skill development, portfolio evidence or general business improvement suggestions.
- Student means a person using the platform to complete learning, proof, advice, community help, guidance, student ambassador, campus helper, Live Resume or related activities.
- Business means any business, organisation, partner, referrer, service partner, provider, campus partner, local group or other requester that asks for, receives, reviews or acts on an Advice Mission.
- Engagement Decision means the recorded choice made after an Advice Mission, including feedback only, paid task offer, TheFixers-managed quote, interview or role pathway, concern report, no response closure, or any other written outcome approved by the platform.
- Evidence Record means the records available to assess a mission, decision, payment, quote, safety issue, dispute or closure outcome, including mission ID, request details, messages, timestamps, submitted proof, file permissions, scope notes, payment or quote status, feedback, safety flags and review notes.
2. Advice Missions are not internships, employment or free labour
Advice Missions are designed for learning proof, feedback, portfolio development and general suggestions. They are not described or treated as internships. They are not employment, casual work, work experience, vocational placement, traineeship, apprenticeship, contractor engagement, labour hire, agency work or staff replacement unless there is a separate written arrangement that expressly says so and complies with applicable law.
A Business must not use an Advice Mission to obtain unpaid implementation, ordinary business operations, rostered work, customer handling, private system administration, ongoing duties, staff cover, direct management of the Student as a worker, or any work that should properly be paid or formally engaged.
3. Business engagement choices after advice
| Choice | Permitted use | Record required |
|---|---|---|
| Feedback only | The Business gives feedback, permission decisions and review comments. No extra work is requested. | Feedback, proof permission, outcome status and close reason. |
| Paid task offer | The Business wants the Student to perform a defined paid task or deliverable. | Task title, deliverable, exclusions, price or payment path, deadline, revision limit, acceptance, completion and close status. |
| TheFixers-managed quote | The requested work involves higher risk, systems, data, security, customer information, websites, accounts, payments, remote access, repair work or quality control. | Quote request, risk note, responsible provider or review owner, scope, approval and handover outcome. |
| Interview or role pathway | The Business wants ongoing, rostered, supervised, staff-like or recurring work. | Role or interview invitation, hiring notes and acknowledgement that the arrangement is outside the Advice Mission. |
| Concern report | A party reports unsafe conduct, free-work pressure, privacy concerns, payment confusion, poor quality, harassment, fraud or policy breach. | Concern type, message trail, evidence, review owner, safety action and closure outcome. |
| No response closure | The Business does not respond within the review window or the platform closes the mission for non-response. | Reminder record, non-response status and proof outcome for the Student. |
4. Paid task pre-start conditions
No paid task should start until the platform or relevant parties have recorded the task title, deliverable, exclusions, price or quote path, deadline, revision limit, acceptance, communication expectations, payment or approval status, safety rules and completion process.
Extra work, additional revisions, expanded scope, urgent work, off-platform work, private access, system access or ongoing support require a new written approval or separate task record.
5. Student obligations and safety rules
- Students must give honest, skill-appropriate advice and must not claim qualifications, licences, experience, insurance, employment status or authority they do not have.
- Students must not request, receive, store or use passwords, PINs, MFA codes, banking codes, payment card details, identity documents or unnecessary private customer, client, employee or business information.
- Students must not access business systems, email accounts, cloud accounts, websites, advertising accounts, social media accounts, payment systems, customer databases or devices unless a separate approved paid task, managed quote or authorised service arrangement exists.
- Students may decline or stop a task where the request becomes unsafe, unpaid implementation, unclear, unlawful, harassing, outside skill level, outside scope or inconsistent with these terms.
- Students must keep any Live Resume, MateCard, portfolio, public proof, screenshot, case study or profile summary business-safe and must remove or avoid confidential, private, identifying or commercially sensitive information unless written permission allows disclosure.
6. Business obligations and prohibited conduct
- A Business must not pressure a Student to perform free work, work outside scope, communicate off-platform to avoid records, bypass approved payment or quote controls, or provide services before a decision and scope are recorded.
- A Business must not provide unnecessary passwords, access codes, MFA codes, payment details, customer records, private data or unsafe system access to a Student.
- A Business must not represent that a Student is its employee, contractor, agent, intern, representative, authorised technician, professional adviser or service provider unless a separate written and lawful arrangement exists.
- If a Business directly hires, employs, engages, contracts with or otherwise controls a Student outside the platform, the Business is responsible for all employment, contractor, tax, superannuation, insurance, workplace safety, award, minimum wage, child safety, working with children, visa, confidentiality, privacy, intellectual property and other obligations that apply.
- A Business must verify Student advice before implementing it and must obtain qualified professional advice where the matter involves legal, accounting, tax, financial, medical, engineering, cyber security, privacy, employment, safety, regulated, high-risk or business-critical decisions.
7. Platform role
The platform may provide request intake, routing, message tools, proof records, decision prompts, referral tracking, status records, dispute review tools, evidence records, quote handover options, safety controls and review processes. Unless a separate written managed-service agreement says otherwise, the platform is not the employer of a Student, not the employer of a Business, not a labour hire provider, not a registered training organisation, not an education provider, not a migration agent, not a legal adviser, not a financial adviser and not a guarantor of business outcomes.
8. Evidence, dispute and closure records
For disputes, payment issues, reward claims, referral claims, safety reports, proof disputes, quality concerns, no-response closures or scope disputes, the platform may rely on the Evidence Record. The Evidence Record may include who was involved, what was requested, when events occurred, why a decision was made, what evidence was submitted, safety flags, message records, proof records, quote notes, payment or approval status, closure status and review notes.
Parties must not delete, manipulate, falsify, backdate, fabricate or interfere with records, screenshots, referral codes, proof records, messages, timestamps, feedback, payment records, reviews or evidence. The platform may suspend access, decline rewards, decline proof publication, block public profiles, close a mission or report serious misuse where records appear unreliable or unsafe.
9. Privacy, confidentiality and proof use
The platform may collect, use, store and disclose personal information, business information, profile information, proof records, messages, files and evidence to operate the service, verify accounts, assess eligibility, route requests, process payments or rewards, create proof records, prevent fraud, protect vulnerable persons, manage disputes, comply with law and improve safety. Privacy handling is subject to the Privacy Policy and any applicable privacy law.
Students may use sanitised, non-confidential and permission-safe summaries of Advice Missions for Proof Builder, SkillStack, MateCard, Live Resume or portfolio purposes. Private customer information, client details, business secrets, system information, passwords, financial details, health information, identifying images, private documents and confidential material must not be published without permission and must be removed if the platform reasonably requires it.
10. Intellectual property and mission outputs
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, Student advice, templates, summaries, checklists, reflections and proof notes remain subject to the platform proof and profile policies. A Business may use the advice it receives for internal review and decision-making, but may not falsely attribute, sell, publish, modify or commercially exploit a Student profile, Live Resume item, MateCard, testimonial, proof record or name without permission. Where a paid task or managed quote is accepted, intellectual property terms should be recorded in the task scope or quote.
11. Consumer guarantees, non-excludable rights and Australian law
Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee, statutory guarantee, employment right, privacy right, workplace right, refund right or other right that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or modified under the Australian Consumer Law, the Fair Work Act, privacy laws, workplace laws or other applicable laws.
Subject to those non-excludable rights, Student advice is general in nature and is not guaranteed to be complete, suitable, professional, error-free or appropriate for every business use. A Business is responsible for deciding whether to implement advice and for obtaining appropriate professional, technical, legal, financial, employment, privacy or safety advice where needed.
12. Suspension, refusal and platform action
The platform may refuse, pause, remove, close, hide, downgrade, suspend, investigate or require changes to an Advice Mission, paid task, proof item, Live Resume summary, referral record, business decision, quote request, review, media item, message, public profile or account where there is suspected fraud, unsafe conduct, pressure for unpaid work, privacy risk, payment bypassing, harassment, misleading conduct, unlawful conduct, poor evidence, identity concerns, repeated non-response or breach of these terms.
13. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia and applicable Commonwealth laws. Courts and tribunals with jurisdiction in Victoria and Australia may deal with disputes, subject to any mandatory consumer, workplace, privacy or small-claims rights that apply.
Free tools, checkers and guides
We provide some free online tools, checkers, calculators, guides, examples and templates to help customers understand common technology, repair, scam-safety and service questions.
These free resources are general information only. They are provided to help you think through an issue, not to make a final decision for you.
We take reasonable care when preparing and improving these tools, but we do not promise that every result is accurate, complete, current, suitable for your situation, safe to rely on, or free from errors. A tool may miss a risk, flag something incorrectly, estimate a price differently from a real quote, or give a result that does not fit your circumstances.
You are responsible for checking any result before relying on it. Important, urgent, high-risk or business-critical decisions should be confirmed with a suitably qualified professional.
Free tools and guides are not legal, financial, tax, medical, insurance, migration, employment, education, cyber incident response, forensic, safety, engineering or other professional advice. They are not a substitute for a proper assessment by a qualified adviser, technician, provider, regulator, bank, insurer or emergency service.
You use free tools and guides at your own risk. To the maximum extent allowed by law, we are not responsible for loss, delay, missed warnings, incorrect assumptions, business interruption, lost data, account compromise, financial loss or other damage arising from your use of, or reliance on, a free tool or guide.
Do not enter passwords, passcodes, one-time codes, banking details, card numbers, Medicare numbers, licence details, identity documents, private keys, recovery phrases, confidential business records or other sensitive personal information into any free tool or public form.
If you have paid money to a suspected scammer, shared banking details, entered a password, installed remote access software, lost access to an account, or believe a device or account is compromised, treat it as urgent and contact your bank, relevant provider, official authorities or a suitably qualified professional.
AI scam explanations
An AI explanation may identify warning signs but cannot prove that a message, caller, payment request, website or account is safe or fraudulent. Users must verify independently through official channels and must not click, reply, pay, install remote-access software or share a code because an AI answer appears reassuring. Urgent loss, account compromise or threats should be escalated to the relevant bank, provider, ReportCyber, police or emergency services. See the AI Use and Safety Policy.