Terms and Conditions

Effective Date: September 1, 2026

1. Acceptance of these terms

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) are a binding agreement between you and Clandestine Investigations and Protection LLC (“CIP”, “we”, “us”) governing your access to and use of the CIP portal, websites, APIs, documents, and related services (collectively, the “Service”). By creating an account, accessing the Service, or using any report obtained through the Service, you accept these Terms. These Terms are separate from, and in addition to, the End User Service Agreement that each account signs before ordering consumer reports. The End User Service Agreement governs your ordering, use, and handling of consumer reports and your obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act; where these Terms and the End User Service Agreement conflict on that subject, the End User Service Agreement controls.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into contracts to use the Service. The Service is offered only to users located in the United States, and access may be blocked or restricted based on the geographic location of your connection. If you use the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to bind that organization to these Terms. Business accounts must complete CIP's credentialing and verification process before any consumer report is furnished. CIP may decline, delay, suspend, or revoke credentialing at its discretion.

3. Accounts and security

You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide, for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials, and for all activity that occurs under your account. You will not share logins, create accounts on behalf of another person without authority, or permit access by anyone who has not agreed to these Terms and the End User Service Agreement. Sessions may be terminated automatically after a period of inactivity or when your browser session ends. You will notify CIP promptly of any suspected unauthorized access. CIP may log account activity, including IP address and device information, for security, audit, and compliance purposes.

4. Credits, plans, fees and taxes

Access to reports is purchased as credits, either included with a subscription plan or bought separately. One background check request consumes one credit at the time it is submitted. Prices, plan inclusions, and credit amounts are those displayed in the portal at the time of purchase. Subscription plans renew automatically for successive periods until cancelled, and plan credits reset at each renewal. Credits purchased separately do not expire while your account remains in good standing. Fees are stated exclusive of taxes; you are responsible for any applicable sales, use, or similar taxes. You authorize CIP and its payment processor to charge your payment method for all amounts due. Failed or disputed payments may result in suspension of the Service.

5. Cancellation and refunds

You may cancel a subscription at any time from your billing page; access and remaining plan credits continue until the end of the current paid period, and no further charges are made. Fees already paid are non-refundable except where required by law. Credits consumed by a submitted request are not refundable once a search has been performed. If a pending request is cancelled before searching begins, the credit is returned to the account automatically.

6. Acceptable use and FCRA Compliance

You will not: use the Service for any unlawful purpose; request a report without a permissible purpose under the FCRA; resell, sublicense, scrape, or redistribute the Service or its content except as expressly permitted; interfere with or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service or its infrastructure; upload malicious code; misrepresent your identity or authority; or use the Service to harass, stalk, discriminate against, or unlawfully profile any person.End-User Obligations: If you are using reports for employment purposes, you certify that you will comply with all FCRA requirements, including but not limited to: (a) providing a clear, standalone written disclosure to the consumer before requesting a report, (b) obtaining the consumer's written authorization, and (c) strictly following the Pre-Adverse and Final Adverse Action notification processes. CIP may investigate suspected violations and may suspend or terminate access immediately, with or without notice, where it believes a violation has occurred or is likely to occur.Notice of Penalty under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”): THE FCRA PROVIDES THAT ANY PERSON WHO KNOWINGLY AND WILLFULLY OBTAINS INFORMATION ON A CONSUMER FROM A CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY UNDER FALSE PRETENSES SHALL BE FINED UNDER TITLE 18 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE OR IMPRISONED NOT MORE THAN TWO YEARS, OR BOTH.

7. Intellectual property and license

The Service, including its software, design, text, templates, and trademarks, is owned by CIP or its licensors. CIP grants you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the Service, and to download and use the compliance templates provided in the portal, solely for your own internal, lawful use. You may not remove proprietary notices, use CIP's marks without written permission, or create derivative works from the Service other than by filling in the provided templates for your own use.

8. Templates are not legal advice & No Employment Decisions

Any templates, sample notices, checklists, or informational materials made available through the Service are provided for informational and educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. CIP does not send adverse action notices for you, does not manage adverse action timelines, does not make employment, housing, or credit decisions on your behalf, and takes no part in your decision-making process. You acknowledge your legal obligation to provide consumers with the Summary of Your Rights Under the FCRA (available at https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf) before taking adverse action. You are solely responsible for your compliance with federal, state, and local law, and you should consult your own legal counsel before using any template or taking any action based on a consumer report.

9. Third-party data sources and availability

Report content is compiled from third-party and public-record sources whose coverage, timeliness, and accuracy vary and are outside CIP's control. CIP does not warrant that reports are complete, current, or error-free, and results should not be the sole basis for a decision without appropriate independent verification. The Service is provided on an “as available” basis. CIP may modify, suspend, or discontinue features, and may perform maintenance that temporarily interrupts access.

10. Disclaimer of warranties

Except as expressly stated in these Terms, the Service and all content are provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement. Nothing in this section limits any right you may have under the FCRA.

11. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, CIP will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, lost data, or business interruption, arising out of or relating to the Service, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. To the maximum extent permitted by law, CIP's total aggregate liability arising out of or relating to the Service will not exceed the greater of (a) the fees you paid to CIP in the three months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred U.S. dollars. This limitation does not apply to liability that cannot be limited under applicable law, including under the FCRA.

12. Indemnification

You will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless CIP and its officers, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, penalties, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of your use of the Service, your use or disclosure of any report, your breach of these Terms or the End User Service Agreement, or your violation of any law, including the FCRA and applicable anti-discrimination laws.

13. Term, suspension and termination

These Terms apply for as long as you use the Service. Either party may terminate at any time. Upon termination, your right to access the Service ends immediately, though CIP may retain records as required by law and for audit purposes. Sections concerning fees owed, acceptable use, intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, and dispute resolution survive termination.

14. Arbitration Agreement and Class Action Waiver

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY — IT AFFECTS YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND GOVERNS HOW YOU AND CIP CAN BRING CLAIMS AGAINST EACH OTHER. THIS SECTION WILL, WITH LIMITED EXCEPTION, REQUIRE YOU AND CIP TO SUBMIT CLAIMS AGAINST EACH OTHER TO BINDING AND FINAL ARBITRATION ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY CLASS, GROUP, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION IN COURT.A. Agreement to Arbitrate: You and CIP agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating in any way to these Terms, the Service, or any reports generated (hereinafter, “Claims”), shall be resolved by final and binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) pursuant to its Commercial Arbitration Rules. This arbitration agreement is governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), 9 U.S.C. § 1, et seq.B. Class Action Waiver: You and CIP agree to bring and resolve any Claims only on an individual basis and not as a named-plaintiff or class member in any class, mass, or representative proceeding. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one party’s claims and may not preside over any class, consolidated, or representative proceeding.C. Governing Law: This arbitration agreement is made pursuant to a transaction involving interstate commerce and shall be governed strictly by the FAA. State laws of Texas shall govern the substantive interpretation of these Terms without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any arbitration hearings will take place in Collin County, Texas, or at another mutually agreed location.

15. Consent to Receive Notices Electronically

You consent to receive any agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications (collectively, “Notices”) to which these Terms refer electronically, including by e-mail or by posting notices on the Service. You agree that all Notices we provide to you electronically satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing.

16. Changes to these terms

CIP may update these Terms from time to time. The version stamp on this page identifies the current version. Material changes will be communicated through the portal or by email, and continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance. Changes to the End User Service Agreement are handled separately: a new version is published and re-signed rather than amended in place.

17. Miscellaneous and contact

These Terms, together with the End User Service Agreement, are the entire agreement between the parties regarding the Service. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remainder stays in effect. CIP's failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without CIP's written consent.

Clandestine Investigations and Protection LLC

1410 Vineyard Dr, Allen, TX 75002

Phone: (469) 908-7233

Consumer disputes and general inquiries: disputes@cipprotect.com