Trust & Safety
What we check, and what we don’t
Giving should feel safe. Here is what Swipe a Need is designed to review, what each check means, and where its limits are.
Swipe a Need is not open to the public yet. The app isn’t in the app stores, no requests are live, and payments and payouts are not enabled. This page describes how the service is designed to work. Where a safeguard depends on a provider or approval we don’t have yet, we say so.
Two different kinds of checks
Identity verification
Confirms that the recipient is a real person who is who they say they are. This is planned to be done through a third-party identity provider and reviewed by our team. It isn’t available yet.
It does not confirm the details of any bill or need.
Expense documentation
Concerns the bill or need itself. A recipient may provide a document, such as a bill statement. Documents are planned to be scanned for malware before anyone opens them, and may be reviewed by our team.
A provided document is not the same as a document our team has reviewed, and neither is a guarantee that the amount is still owed.
Documented bills and self-reported everyday needs
A documented bill is a request with a supporting document, such as a utility or medical bill statement.
Some everyday needs, such as groceries, fuel, baby supplies or household items, often don’t come with a bill. These are planned to be shown without supporting documents, as self-reported needs: described in the recipient’s own words and not independently verified. Please give with that in mind. This isn’t switched on yet: for now, every request needs a supporting document.
Before a request is published
Requests will be reviewed by our team before they appear in the app. We will be able to decline a request, ask for more information, or take a published request down.
Before any money is paid out
Recipients can create and submit a request before their identity is verified. No payout will be made until the required identity, compliance and payout checks are complete, and each payout will need approval from two members of our team.
Payouts are planned to go to the recipient’s verified bank account. Payments are not enabled yet; see How money moves.
Reporting a concern
If something doesn’t look right, tell us. In the app, open the request and choose Report this request (you need to be signed in). You can also email support@swipeaneed.com with a description of the request and what concerns you.
Our team will review reports and will be able to remove requests and suspend accounts.
Privacy
- Recipients’ legal names, addresses and documents are never shown on public pages.
- Donors are anonymous to recipients by default.
- Public profiles, rankings, amounts and social links are off until you choose to turn them on.
Limits you should know about
- Gifts are discretionary. Nothing is delivered in return, and gifts are not tax-deductible.
- Under Keep What You Raise, what is raised goes to the request even if the goal isn’t reached. Gifts are not automatically refunded when a goal is not met, and are never redirected to another request.
- Reviews reduce risk but can’t remove it. We can’t guarantee that every statement in a request is accurate.
Where each safeguard stands
| Safeguard | Status |
|---|---|
| Team review before a request is published | Built, in testing |
| Reporting a request (signed-in users) | Built, in testing |
| Removing requests and suspending accounts | Built, in testing |
| Two-person approval of every payout | Built, in testing |
| Refund and dispute controls | Built, in testing |
| Malware scanning of uploaded documents | Planned |
| Identity verification through a third-party provider | Planned |
| Card payments and bank payouts | Planned |
| Showing everyday needs without a supporting document | Planned |
| Paying a bill provider directly | Not available |
Built, in testing: exists in the app and is tested, but isn’t running with real users. Planned: not in place yet, or waiting on a provider or approval. Not available: switched off.
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