Frequently Asked Questions

We accept all major credit and debit cards through our secure payment processor, Stripe:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- American Express
- Discover

All payments are processed securely and we never store your card details on our servers.

Yes, you can cancel your subscription at any time with no cancellation fees.

To cancel:
1. Go to your profile settings
2. Select "Membership & Billing"
3. Click "Cancel Subscription"

You'll retain access to premium features until the end of your current billing period.

If you've forgotten your password:
1. Go to the login page
2. Click "Forgot Password?"
3. Enter your email address
4. Check your email for a password reset link
5. Click the link and create a new password

If you don't receive the email within 5 minutes, check your spam folder or contact support.

**Free Tier:**
- Create and manage cases
- Basic search functionality
- Forum access
- Public case viewing

**Basic Tier:**
- All Free features
- Team collaboration
- External search integration
- Advanced reporting

**Premium Tier:**
- All Basic features
- AI-powered analysis
- Tipline creation and management
- Priority support
- Advanced face recognition
- Unlimited external searches

To create a new case:
1. Click "New Case" in the navigation bar or dashboard
2. Fill in the case details (title, description, date, location)
3. Add victim information if applicable
4. Upload any evidence or photos
5. Click "Save Case"

You can always edit case details later by clicking "Edit" on the case page.

A Tipline is a dedicated channel for receiving anonymous tips about a specific case.

**Premium Feature Only**

To create a Tipline:
1. Open the case you want to create a tipline for
2. Click "Create Tipline" button
3. Configure your tipline settings
4. Share the tipline URL with the public

Tips are submitted anonymously and you'll receive notifications when new tips arrive.

To add team members (Basic and Premium tiers):
1. Go to the "Teams" page from the navigation
2. Click "Create Team" or select an existing team
3. Click "Invite Members"
4. Enter email addresses of people you want to invite
5. Choose their permission level
6. Click "Send Invitations"

Team members will receive an email invitation to join.

We take data security seriously:
- All data is encrypted in transit (SSL/TLS)
- Database encryption at rest
- Regular security audits
- SOC 2 compliant infrastructure
- Multi-factor authentication available
- Regular automated backups
- Role-based access control

We never sell your data to third parties.

Case visibility depends on your privacy settings:

**Private Cases (default):**
- Only visible to you and team members you've invited
- Not searchable by other users

**Public Cases:**
- Listed in the public cases database
- Searchable by all users
- You control what information is visible
- Can be moderated by our team

You can change case visibility settings at any time.

Yes! You have full control over your data:

1. Go to Settings > Data & Privacy
2. Click "Export My Data"
3. Choose what data to export (cases, evidence, messages, etc.)
4. Click "Generate Export"
5. You'll receive an email when your export is ready to download

Exports include all case data, evidence files, and metadata in standard formats (JSON, CSV, PDF).

CaseConnect works best on modern browsers:

**Fully Supported:**
- Google Chrome (latest version)
- Mozilla Firefox (latest version)
- Safari 14+
- Microsoft Edge (latest version)

**Mobile:**
- iOS Safari 14+
- Chrome for Android

For the best experience, please keep your browser up to date.

Supported file types for evidence:

**Images:**
- JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF
- Maximum 25MB per file

**Documents:**
- PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT
- Maximum 25MB per file

**Video:**
- MP4, MOV, AVI, WebM
- Maximum 100MB per file

**Audio:**
- MP3, WAV, M4A
- Maximum 50MB per file

If you need to upload larger files, please contact support.

Common reasons for upload failures:

1. **File too large** - Check size limits for your file type
2. **Unsupported format** - Use supported file types
3. **Network issue** - Check your internet connection
4. **Browser cache** - Clear cache and try again
5. **Storage limit** - Premium users have higher limits

If problems persist, try:
- Using a different browser
- Compressing large files
- Uploading files one at a time
- Contacting support for assistance

Welcome to CaseConnect! Here's a quick start guide:

1. **Complete your profile** - Add your information and photo
2. **Explore the dashboard** - Familiarize yourself with the interface
3. **Create your first case** - Click "New Case" to get started
4. **Browse public cases** - See how others use the platform
5. **Join the forum** - Connect with the community
6. **Check out the Knowledge Base** - Learn advanced features

Need help? Use the Support link in the navigation to access guides and submit questions.

We're here to help! You can reach support through:

1. **Support Tickets** - Click Support > Create Ticket (fastest response)
2. **Knowledge Base** - Browse self-service articles
3. **FAQs** - Quick answers to common questions
4. **Forum** - Community support and discussions

**Premium Members** receive priority support with faster response times.

**Response Times:**
- Premium: Within 4 hours (business hours)
- Basic: Within 24 hours
- Free: Within 48 hours

Case discovery allows you to search and import cases from external law enforcement databases like FBI ViCAP, NamUs, and GBI.

To use case discovery:
1. Navigate to External Search in the menu
2. Select a source (FBI ViCAP, NamUs, or GBI)
3. Click "Case Selection"
4. Choose "Discover 50 Cases" (quick) or "Discover 200 Cases" (comprehensive)
5. Review discovered cases
6. Select cases you want to import
7. Click "Import Selected Cases"

Discovered cases are automatically organized into the correct database (Public Cases or Unidentified Remains).

This feature is available to all membership tiers.

A tipline is a public-facing page where community members can submit anonymous tips about your cases. They're useful for cold cases, missing persons, and cases needing public assistance.

Creating tiplines requires a Premium membership. Here's how:

1. Open the case you want to create a tipline for
2. Click the "Create Tipline" button in the Actions section
3. Fill in the title, description, and contact instructions
4. Configure settings (anonymous submissions, email requirements)
5. Click "Publish Tipline"

Your tipline will be publicly accessible and you'll receive notifications when tips are submitted.

If you created tiplines before and downgrade, you can still manage existing tiplines - you just can't create new ones.

Yes! Team collaboration is available with Basic and Premium memberships.

Basic tier allows:
- Creating unlimited teams
- Up to 5 team members per team
- Sharing cases with teams
- Collaborative evidence and notes

Premium tier includes everything in Basic plus:
- Unlimited team members
- Priority support

To create a team:
1. Click your profile dropdown
2. Select "Teams" or "Manage Teams"
3. Click "Create New Team"
4. Invite members by email
5. Share cases with your team

Free tier users can be invited to teams and view shared cases, but cannot create their own teams.

When you downgrade to a lower membership tier, your existing data remains intact:

**Cases:** You keep all cases you've created. You just can't create new ones if you exceed your tier's limit.

**Teams:** Existing teams remain active. You can still participate in teams others created. You just can't create new teams (if downgrading to Free).

**Tiplines:** Existing tiplines continue working and accepting tips. You just can't create new tiplines (if downgrading from Premium).

**Reports:** Previously exported reports remain accessible. You won't be able to export new reports (if downgrading to Free).

**Evidence:** All uploaded evidence files remain. You can't upload new files if you exceed your storage limit.

**Team Access:** If you're a team member, you retain access to shared cases regardless of your tier.

The only restriction is on creating NEW content that exceeds your tier's limits. Nothing is deleted during a downgrade.

Report export is available to Basic and Premium members.

To export a case report:
1. Open the case you want to export
2. Click "Export Report" or "Generate Report"
3. Choose your format (PDF, CSV, or full report)
4. Select which sections to include:
- Case details
- Evidence list
- Notes and comments
- Timeline
- Team activity
5. Click "Generate" or "Export"
6. Download the report file

Exported reports can be shared with law enforcement, courts, or other authorized parties.

If you're on the Free tier, you'll see a locked export button. Click it to learn about upgrading to Basic or Premium.

CaseConnect integrates with three major law enforcement databases:

**FBI ViCAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension Program):**
- Nationwide violent crime cases
- Homicides
- Sexual assaults
- Missing persons (suspected foul play)
- Unidentified human remains

**NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System):**
- Missing persons cases
- Unidentified remains
- Unclaimed persons

**GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation):**
- Georgia state cold cases
- Missing persons
- Unidentified remains
- Violent crimes

You can discover new cases, import them into your workspace, and manage them just like your own cases.

All tiers (Free, Basic, Premium) have access to external search functionality.

The AI Assistant is a Premium-only feature that provides intelligent analysis of your cases.

**Capabilities:**
- Analyze case patterns and connections
- Suggest investigative leads
- Identify missing information
- Highlight potential evidence
- Generate investigation timelines
- Recommend next steps

**How to Access:**
1. Upgrade to Premium membership
2. Navigate to "AI Assistant" in the main menu
3. Select a case to analyze
4. Choose analysis type
5. Review AI-generated insights

The AI Assistant uses advanced machine learning to identify patterns that might not be immediately obvious to human investigators.

If you're on Free or Basic tier, you'll see a locked AI Assistant menu item. Click it to learn about upgrading to Premium.

Yes, if configured for anonymous submissions, tiplines protect tipster identity:

**What We Collect:**
- Tip content (the information provided)
- IP address (for abuse prevention only)
- Submission timestamp
- Optional: Email address (only if tipster provides it)

**What We Don't Collect:**
- Names (unless tipster includes in message)
- Phone numbers (unless provided in message)
- Location data beyond IP
- Device information

**Privacy Protections:**
- IP addresses are only used to block spam/abuse
- Email addresses (if collected) are encrypted
- Tipster information is never shared publicly
- Tips are stored securely in our database

**Anonymous vs. Identified Submissions:**
You can configure your tipline to:
- Allow fully anonymous tips (no contact info required)
- Request optional email for follow-up
- Require email for verification

We recommend allowing anonymous submissions to maximize tip volume, as many people are reluctant to provide identifying information.

Yes, your credit card information is very safe. CaseConnect does NOT store your actual credit card numbers. We use Stripe, a PCI Level 1 certified payment processor (the highest security level).

Here's how it works:
- Your card details are entered through Stripe's secure form
- Card data goes directly to Stripe's encrypted vault (never touches our servers)
- We only store a safe "token" (like a reference ID) and the last 4 digits
- Full card numbers are encrypted in Stripe's bank-level security systems

We are PCI SAQ A compliant, which means we don't handle or store sensitive card data. Even if our database were compromised, your actual card numbers would not be exposed.

Learn more: Read our "How We Protect Your Payment Information" article in the Knowledge Base.

CaseConnect stores only minimal, non-sensitive payment information:

**What we STORE:**
- Payment token (e.g., "pm_abc123") - a safe reference ID
- Last 4 digits of your card (e.g., "4242")
- Card brand (Visa, Mastercard, etc.)
- Expiration month and year

**What we DON'T STORE:**
- Full credit card numbers
- CVV/CVC security codes
- Complete cardholder names (for payment processing)

The full credit card number is encrypted and stored only in Stripe's PCI Level 1 certified vault. We never have access to your complete card information.

No. CaseConnect staff cannot see your full credit card number because we don't store it.

Our staff can only see the same information you see in your account:
- Card brand (Visa, Mastercard, etc.)
- Last 4 digits (•••• 4242)
- Expiration date

Your full card number is encrypted and stored only in Stripe's secure vault. Even Stripe's support staff have extremely limited access to full card numbers and only under strict security protocols.

This is by design to protect your financial information and maintain PCI compliance.

To update your payment method:

1. Log into your CaseConnect account
2. Click your profile dropdown in the top right
3. Select "Account Settings" or "Payment Settings"
4. Go to the "Payment Methods" section
5. Click "Add Payment Method"
6. Enter your new card details securely
7. Click "Save" or "Set as Default"

You can also remove old payment methods:
- Find the card you want to remove
- Click the "Remove" or trash icon
- Confirm deletion

Your payment information is processed securely through Stripe's encrypted form. We never see or store your full card number.

**Important:** If you're updating because your card expired, make sure to do this before your next billing date to avoid service interruption.

If you cancel your subscription:

**Your saved payment method:**
- Remains in your account (in case you want to resubscribe)
- Can be removed manually at any time in Account Settings
- Won't be charged again unless you reactivate your subscription

**To remove your payment method:**
1. Go to Account Settings → Payment Methods
2. Click "Remove" on the saved card
3. The payment token is immediately deleted from our system
4. The payment method is detached from Stripe

**If you delete your entire account:**
- All payment methods are automatically removed
- Payment tokens are revoked and become invalid
- Transaction history is retained for legal/tax purposes (7 years)
- Personal information is removed from payment records within 30 days

You maintain full control over your payment information at all times.

If you see a charge for your CaseConnect subscription, this is likely your regular recurring billing.

**Common reasons for charges:**
- Monthly or annual subscription renewal
- Upgrade to a higher membership tier
- Trial period ended and subscription began

**To check your charges:**
1. Go to Account Settings → Payment History
2. View all past charges with dates and amounts
3. Click on any charge to see invoice details
4. Download receipts for your records

**Billing cycle information:**
- Free tier: Never charged
- Basic tier: Billed monthly or annually (based on your choice)
- Premium tier: Billed monthly or annually

**If you see an unexpected charge:**
- Check if your free trial expired
- Verify your subscription tier and billing frequency
- Review any recent tier upgrades
- Contact support@caseconnect.co if you believe the charge is in error

All charges are processed securely through Stripe, and you'll receive an email receipt for every transaction.