Background Check & Identity Verification Terms

These Background Check & Identity Verification Terms (the “BGC Terms”) supplement and form part of the ZMetcha Terms of Service. By electing to use the optional identity verification or background check features made available through the ZMetcha platform (the “Verification Services”), you (“User” or “you”) agree to these BGC Terms. If you do not agree, do not initiate or complete a Verification Service.

1. About the Verification Services

ZMETCHA partners with Charisma Check, LLC (“Charisma”), a third-party background check and identity verification platform, to make optional identity verification and background screening (“Reports”) available to ZMetcha users. Identity verification components may also be performed through Stripe Identity or other third-party providers used by Charisma. Use of the Verification Services is voluntary and is not required to create or maintain a ZMetcha account.

2. Consent and Authorization

By initiating a Verification Service, you expressly consent and authorize the following:

• ZMetcha may share information you provide (including name, date of birth, government-issued ID, photographs, and other identifying information) with Charisma and its third-party data and verification providers (including, where applicable, Stripe) for the purpose of performing identity verification and background screening.
• Charisma and its providers may collect, process, store, and verify your information in accordance with their respective privacy policies and terms of service, which are incorporated by reference.
• Reports may include information drawn from public records, government databases, sex offender registries, criminal records sources, and other third-party data providers.
• You authorize Charisma to generate a Report and deliver it to you through the ZMetcha platform.

You represent that all information you submit is accurate, that the identification documents you provide belong to you, and that you are not impersonating any other person.

3. Permitted Use; FCRA Restrictions

Reports made available through the Verification Services are for personal, informational use only in connection with social and dating interactions on the ZMetcha platform. Reports are NOT “consumer reports” as defined under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.) (“FCRA”), and you agree that you will not use any Report, in whole or in part:

• To determine eligibility for, or to deny or condition, consumer credit or insurance;
• For employment purposes, including hiring, promotion, retention, or reassignment decisions;
• To evaluate eligibility for housing, government benefits, or licensing;
• For any other purpose described in Section 604 of the FCRA (15 U.S.C. § 1681b); or
• In any manner that would cause the Report to be deemed a “consumer report” or that would subject ZMETCHA, Charisma, or any data provider to FCRA obligations.

You further agree not to resell, redistribute, publish, or share any Report (or the contents of any Report) with any third party other than the User to whom the Report pertains, except as required by law.

4. No Guarantee of Accuracy or Safety

THE VERIFICATION SERVICES AND ALL REPORTS ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS-IS” AND “AS-AVAILABLE” BASIS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. NEITHER ZMETCHA NOR CHARISMA WARRANTS, GUARANTEES, OR REPRESENTS THAT ANY REPORT IS ACCURATE, COMPLETE, CURRENT, OR FREE FROM ERROR.

Background check data is sourced from public records and third-party providers that may contain incomplete, outdated, or inaccurate information. Identity verification confirms the apparent authenticity of identification documents and may not detect all forms of fraud or impersonation.

A “verified” badge or completed Report is not a guarantee of any User's identity, character, intentions, criminal history, or fitness for any social or romantic interaction. You remain solely responsible for your own decisions, interactions, and personal safety, both online and offline. ZMetcha strongly encourages all users to exercise independent judgment, take customary safety precautions when meeting other users in person, and not rely on any badge, Report, or verification status as a substitute for personal due diligence.

ZMETCHA AND CHARISMA EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.

5. Display of Reports; Privacy Choices

Once a Report is generated, you may choose:

• To display verification results on your ZMetcha profile, in which case a Charisma verification badge may be shown to other users; or
• To keep your Report private, in which case no Charisma badge will be displayed.

You may change this preference at any time through your ZMetcha account settings, subject to any limits on how frequently this setting may be modified.

6. Internal Visibility of Verification Status

You acknowledge and agree that, regardless of whether you elect to display your Report publicly, ZMetcha maintains an internal record of whether you have completed a Verification Service. This record is visible to authorized ZMetcha personnel for purposes including, without limitation:

• Trust and safety reviews;
• Investigation of user reports, complaints, or suspected violations of the ZMetcha Terms of Service;
• Account integrity, fraud prevention, and platform security; and
• Compliance with legal obligations and lawful requests.

If you complete a Verification Service but elect not to display the results publicly, ZMetcha staff may still see, during account reviews, that a Report was completed and may consider that fact (and, where appropriate, the contents of the Report) in connection with any review, investigation, or enforcement action. ZMetcha will treat such information as confidential and will access it only on a need-to-know basis consistent with this Section.

7. User Conduct Related to Verification

You agree that you will not:

• Submit forged, altered, stolen, or otherwise fraudulent identification documents;
• Submit identification or information belonging to any other person;
• Attempt to manipulate, circumvent, or otherwise interfere with the Verification Services or any badge or status displayed on the platform;
• Misrepresent your verification status to other users or third parties;
• Use any information learned through a Report to harass, stalk, threaten, defame, blackmail, or harm any person; or
• Scrape, copy, store, or compile Reports or any data contained in Reports outside of ordinary use of the platform.

Violation of this Section is a material breach of the ZMetcha Terms of Service.

8. Termination and Enforcement

ZMetcha reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend, restrict, or terminate your account, remove any badge or verification status, or take any other action it deems appropriate (including reporting to law enforcement) if ZMetcha reasonably believes you have:

• Violated these BGC Terms or the ZMetcha Terms of Service;
• Misused any Report or any information learned through a Report;
• Submitted false, misleading, or fraudulent verification information; or
• Engaged in conduct that poses a risk to the safety, integrity, or trust of the ZMetcha community.

9. Fees

Verification Services are offered for a fee disclosed at the point of purchase. All fees are non-refundable except as required by applicable law. ZMetcha may change pricing for the Verification Services at any time, with changes effective for purchases made after the change is posted.

10. Data Retention and Privacy

Your information collected in connection with the Verification Services is handled in accordance with the ZMetcha Privacy Policy and the privacy policies of Charisma and any applicable third-party providers. Reports and related data may be retained as needed to provide the Verification Services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, and support trust and safety operations.

11. Disclaimer of Reliance and Limitation of Liability

YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT ZMETCHA IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONDUCT OF ANY USER, WHETHER VERIFIED OR UNVERIFIED, AND THAT NO REPORT OR VERIFICATION BADGE GUARANTEES THE SAFETY OR TRUSTWORTHINESS OF ANY PERSON.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ZMETCHA, ITS AFFILIATES, AND ITS LICENSORS (INCLUDING CHARISMA) WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE VERIFICATION SERVICES, ANY REPORT, OR YOUR USE OR RELIANCE ON ANY REPORT, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, STATUTE, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, EVEN IF ZMETCHA HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

IN NO EVENT WILL ZMETCHA'S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE VERIFICATION SERVICES EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO ZMETCHA FOR THE SPECIFIC VERIFICATION SERVICE GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO LIABILITY.

12. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless ZMetcha, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, and licensors (including Charisma) from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or in any way connected with: (a) your use or misuse of any Report or the Verification Services; (b) your violation of these BGC Terms; or (c) your violation of any law or the rights of any third party in connection with the Verification Services.

13. Dispute Resolution

Any dispute arising out of or relating to these BGC Terms or the Verification Services will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution provisions (including any arbitration and class action waiver) set forth in the ZMetcha Terms of Service, which are incorporated herein by reference.

14. Changes to These Terms

ZMetcha may update these BGC Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated through the ZMetcha platform or by other reasonable means. Your continued use of the Verification Services after the effective date of any change constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

15. Contact

Questions regarding these BGC Terms may be sent to [email protected] (or such other contact address as ZMetcha may designate).