Privacy Policy
Plain and simple:
References-etc. is committed to protecting your privacy. We will never sell, trade, or share any information about you other then that which is necessary to provide the reports and services ordered through our Website and in compliance with our terms of service. Please note that our privacy statement does not apply to any sites that may be linked to us or any sites that we may be linked to. Please refer to these sites individually for more information about their privacy policies.
Email addresses, phone numbers, and payment information are used strictly for in-house business purposes and are never sold, shared, or distributed in any way for any reason, ever.
For more specific information about our policies and the information we collect, refer to the links below.
Opting Out of Disclosing Information About You To Third Parties
Our Commitment to Data Security And Accountability
Notice of The Way We Use Information
REFERENCES-ETC. Privacy Policy
To Whom We May Disclose The Information We Collect
Our Commitment to Children's Privacy
How You Can Access or Correct Your Information
Keeping Our Privacy Policy Up-To-Date
Individual privacy is important to us. To better protect privacy we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the way we use the information that we collect. To make this notice easy to find, we make it available on our homepage and at every point where personally identifiable information may be requested. Please note that our privacy statement does not apply to any sites that may be linked to us or any sites that we may be linked to. Please refer to these sites individually for more information about their privacy policies.
We give you, as a visitor to our web site, clear notice when we are requesting information from you, the types of information we request from you, the general purposes for which that information will be used or disclosed and the categories of users to whom we provide the information. We maintain accurate records, provide you access to the personally identifiable information that is retrievable online and we use safe and secure systems, physical and electronic, to safeguard the information we collect. We will never sell, trade, or share any information we collect other than that which is necessary to provide the reports and services ordered through our Website and in compliance with our terms of service. Email addresses, phone numbers, and payment information are used strictly for in-house business purposes and are never sold, shared, or distributed in any way for any reason, ever.
This notice applies to all information collected or submitted on the REFERENCES-ETC. Website. On some pages you can order products, make requests, and register to receive information. The types of personal information collected at these pages are:
- Name
- Address
- Email address
- Phone number
- Credit/Debit Card Information
- Driver's License number
- Social Security Number
- Date of Birth
- (etc.)
On some pages, you can submit information about other people. For example, if you order an employee driving record you will need to submit the employee's information. In this case, the type of personal information that may be collected includes:
- Name
- Address
- Driver's License number
- State of issue
- Social Security Number
- Date of Birth
- (etc.)
Information Collected From You
The REFERENCES-ETC. online privacy policy applies to all information we receive online from you and about you in connection with an online request for information. You may also order some of our products by mail or telephone as described on the References-Etc Website. The decision to order our products online or by mail or telephone is completely up to you. We do collect information from you or about you when you: 1) access the REFERENCES-ETC. Website; or 2) order products from REFERENCES-ETC. online; or 3) initiate online requests for information; or 4) register at the REFERENCES-ETC. web site. In these situations we collect certain information from and about you to process your request and to verify your identity to be sure that we are providing the products or services to the proper individual. This is for your protection and to help eliminate identity fraud and fraudulent orders. We also receive information from you on-line when you send us E-mail, applications and other forms, request information, or register at our web sites.
The specific PII we collect from you online for processing your requests may include:
- First and last name (middle initial and suffix, as applicable);
- Social Security number;
- Date of birth;
- Gender;
- Home telephone number;
- E-mail address;
- Current and former mailing address;
- Credit card number and expiration date;
- Checking account numbers and
- Drivers license number, state of issue, and address on license
Information Collected From Others
We may also collect information about your transactions with us, our affiliates, or others, such as the products and services you ordered. In connection with requests for our products, we may access your credit file, driving records, employment information or other public or private information. We may also collect from outside sources personally identifiable information about you, such as name, address, driver's license information and E-mail addresses.
Notice Of The Way We Use Information
We use the information you provide about yourself when placing an order only to complete that order. Likewise, we use the information you provide about someone else when placing an order only to complete that order. Information we collect for your online investigation requests is used only to handle those requests. We also use this information for various internal business purposes, such as billing, customer service, fraud prevention, and broadening and improving the Products and services we offer. Additionally, at your request, we may use the information, including postal address and/or E-mail address, to send you promotions for our Products and services. (Of course, this is strictly at your option and you may be removed at any time.) We do not use or share this information with outside parties except to the extent necessary to complete that order. We do not use or share the personally identifiable information provided to us online in ways unrelated to the ones described herein.
We use return E-mail addresses to answer the E-mail we receive. Such addresses are not used for any other purpose and are not shared with outside parties.
You can register with our Website if you would like to establish an account for our services. Information you submit on our Website will not be used for this purpose unless you fill out the registration form.
We use non-identifying and aggregate information collected through cookie technology to better design our Website and to track who visits our Website for advertising purposes. For example, we know that X number of individuals visited a certain area on our Website, or that Y number of men and Z number of women filled out our registration form, but we do not disclose anything that could be used to identify those individuals.
Information collected when you register at web sites other than in connection with your REFERENCES-ETC. request is used for the purposes identified on those web site registration forms and is not covered by this privacy policy.
To Whom We May Disclose The Information We Collect
Depending upon the nature of the request, we may disclose any of the information we collect from or about you or others, as described above, to affiliates or other unaffiliated third parties (companies that are not owned or controlled by us) for various business purposes and as necessary to complete the online request including but not limited to:
- Financial services providers, such as banks;
- Potential employers;
- Local and State government agencies; and
- Others, as permitted by law.
We do not disclose (sell, rent or provide) the personally identifiable information you provide to us online at our Website to any third party for any marketing purposes. Information that we collect pursuant to online requests may be disclosed to non-affiliated third parties only as required to handle the online request.
When PII is collected at the REFERENCES-ETC. web site other than as described above, the information will be disclosed, if at all, only with your permission.
Opting Out of Disclosing Information About You To Third Parties
If you prefer that we not disclose to third parties any PII that we collect about you in connection with any online request for information about you, you may choose to opt out of such disclosures; that is, you may direct us not to make these disclosures. You understand, however, that this may affect the ability of REFERENCES-ETC. to complete your order and REFERENCES-ETC. reserves the right to cancel your order.
Opting Out at Our REFERENCES-ETC. Web Page
If you have registered or filled out forms at the REFERENCES-ETC. web page, you may exercise your right to opt out of our disclosing information to unaffiliated third parties by calling 1-207-807-8864.
Opting In To Our Mailing List
As stated in the "Notice" section of this privacy policy, REFERENCES-ETC. may send informational or advertising materials by E-mail You may opt in to be on this mailing list by checking "Yes" in the appropriate box on the order form. You may also exercise your rights to unsubscribe at any time by logging into the Customer Center using your username and password and un-checking the optin box.
Our Commitment To Data Security And Accountability
REFERENCES-ETC. recognizes the importance of secure online transactions, and we safeguard the privacy of information you provide us through online forms. The security measures practiced by REFERENCES-ETC. comply with the Safeguard Rule implemented by the Federal Trade Commission. This Rule requires financial institutions under FTC jurisdiction to secure confidential customer records and information. Not only do we maintain accurate records and copies of all written authorizations for a period no less than 3 years, but we also we maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to guard the personal information you provide to us online when you register for and order our Products or services. For your product orders submitted to us online, we use programs that encrypt the information you provide on the order form before transmission to REFERENCES-ETC.. Your information is transmitted to us through a secured socket layer (SSL) transmission. The information is decrypted only upon receipt by REFERENCES-ETC.. Except as set forth in the "To Whom We Disclose The Information We Collect" section above, we restrict access to private information that is collected from you or about you to only those who have a need to know that information in connection with the purposes for which it is collected and used. The VeriSign Secure Site Seal assures our customers that our Web site is authentic and that all transactions are secured by SSL encryption.
In order to ensure maximum security and confidentiality, however, you should guard your password and not permit unauthorized use of your account.
"Accountability" is generally recognized as an important component of "Fair Information Practices" and refers to the process that a company has in place to be sure it adheres to its privacy policy. It also means that a redress process exists to address privacy policy compliance questions. We take reasonable precautions to be sure that unaffiliated third parties or affiliates, to whom information is disclosed, as described above, are aware of our privacy policy and fair information principles and that they will treat the personally identifiable information in a similarly responsible manner. Our contracts and written agreements with unaffiliated third parties that receive information from us about consumers who have not opted out of this disclosure are designed to prevent further transfer of the information. REFERENCES-ETC. is not, however, responsible for the privacy practices or content of link sites listed on our web pages. The owners of these link sites are responsible for them.
REFERENCES-ETC. and our Privacy Policy
REFERENCES-ETC. is committed to abide by our posted online privacy policy and fair information principles. We assure you that we:
- Follow ethical practices in the treatment of your personally identifiable information,
- Demonstrate that we care about the ethical use of personal information, fair treatment of customers, and
- Help increase your confidence that the Web as a safe place to conduct your business.
Our Commitment To Children's Privacy
Protecting the privacy of the very young is especially important. For that reason, we never collect or maintain information at our Website from those we actually know are under 13, and no part of our Website is structured to attract anyone under 13. The REFERENCES-ETC. Website where we collect PII in conjunction with a transaction involving ordering products, initiating online requests and registering are intended for use only by adults. We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and do not knowingly solicit or collect information from children.
REFERENCES-ETC. uses non-identifying and aggregate information collected through cookie technology to track who visits our Website for advertising purposes. We use these cookies for several purposes; for example, a cookie creates a tracking identification number each time you sign on to the web site. This tracking number makes your registration information accessible for each transaction you make during that visit. This permits you to order more than once during a visit without your having to re-enter your information each time you place an order. You can avoid cookies being stored on your computer by adjusting your browser settings.
REFERENCES-ETC. uses non-identifying and aggregate information collected through cookie technology to track who visits our website for advertising purposes. We use these cookies for several purposes; for example, a cookie creates a tracking identification number each time you sign on to the web site. This tracking number makes your registration information accessible for each transaction you make during that visit. This permits you to order more than once during a visit without your having to re-enter your information each time you place an order. You can avoid cookies being stored on your computer by adjusting your browser settings.
Keeping Our Privacy Policy Up-To-Date
We want you to be fully informed about how we will protect your privacy. We may change our privacy policy in the future, but we will not change our practices until they have been posted at this website. If changes occur, we will also show the date of revision. You agree that we may notify you of changes in our policy through this web site.
How You Can Access Or Correct Your Information
You can access your personally identifiable information that we collect online and maintain through your account page. Information provided in relation to an order, however, cannot be changed without notifying REFERENCES-ETC.. To protect your privacy and security, we will also take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections. We use this procedure to better safeguard the information that we maintain about individuals.
You can correct factual errors in your personally identifiable information maintained by REFERENCES-ETC. by sending us a written request that credibly shows error. Also, since most of the information reported by REFERENCES-ETC. is collected and maintained by third-parties, REFERENCES-ETC. has no control over the accuracy of that information. In that case, you must contact the third party provider to have any inaccurate information corrected.
If you have questions about our Online Privacy Promise or Terms of Service, please contact us.
References-etc.com
21 New Portland Rd
Gorham, ME 04038
Office: (207) 807-8864
Fax: (603) 297-1476
Please direct all inquires to -
support (@) references-etc.com