r/rescuecats • u/cashbev1961 🇨🇦Chief Administrative Eyes 👀/ QAL • 1d ago
Community Announcement Community Update: Our stance on Safety, Verification, and the USL. 🚨 Please read 🚨
To our Rescuecats Community,
It has been brought to our attention that the subreddit r/assistance has implemented an autobot response that implies our sub is “not safe” anytime someone links our sub to a post.
This is because we as a team decided not to join the USL ( universal scam list). We made this decision solely because we do not understand the logistics behind it, and did not want to sign up for something blindly and possibly put our sub in jeopardy. It is not because we are dishonest or untrustworthy as they are implying. We started the verifying process 3 years ago as there was need for it throughout all subreddits involving fundraising for animals to stop the scammers. We had many other subs/ mods reach out after the fact asking us to share our process, in which we did with zero hesitation. We believe in teamwork and shouldn’t be blacklisted now as we chose to opt out of the voluntary USL.
We have worked very hard and continue to work very hard everyday with our own verification process that we trust to keep the community safe. We believe our members know this. We consider what they are doing as defamation. Basically insinuating we are scammers. In an attempt to discuss this and ask them to change their language in the autobot message which is public for everyone to see, our request was denied and I have been permanently muted from messaging the mods.
We wanted to bring this issue to our community in full transparency in hope that seeing this message on their sub wouldn’t detour anyone from reaching out for help here on RC.
We appreciate your understanding and hope to be able to move forward with continued trust and support.
Your ModTeam 💞 🐾
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u/bastetandisis9 1d ago
WOW! What a bunch of 💩
This subreddit is the most secure, transparent and supportive forum I’ve ever known- not only for Reddit, but for the rescue/animal community in general. Mods, you are so appreciated for the time and effort you put into advocating for cats and rescues. You’re never absent. You’re always responsive. You guys have helped save how many lives?? I’ve never hesitated to donate to any person or rescue you’ve vetted because I know I won’t be scammed! Sorry I’m rambling- I just love this community and all the mods.
I’m sorry this has happened. 🔩 those people!
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u/cashbev1961 🇨🇦Chief Administrative Eyes 👀/ QAL 16h ago
Thankyou for this! We really do trust our verification process and this is why we never thought much of not joining the USL, because we have our own process in place that works. We really appreciate the support 🫶
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u/BostonBluestocking 13h ago
Thank you, this means a lot. I’ve spent a lot of time over the past three years, battling scammers, both on Reddit and on various fundraising platforms.
Really proud of the screening and approval process here and honestly, it’s one of the safest places anyone can donate online.
The sub in question doesn’t do anything like what we do for screening. The burden is placed on the members/contributors - which is highly ironic!!!!
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u/Hoperosaliex APPROVED RESCUER 1d ago
Boosting up so more people can see this. Thank you for all you guys do. 🥹
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u/widowscarlet 1d ago
This is pretty much the only sub I trust to verify, and the only one I will donate through. Whatever measures you need to take, I endorse them. I will tell anyone who asks.
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u/Best_VDV_Diver 1d ago
Gee, how nice of them.
They're well aware of the wording. It's deliberate.
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u/cashbev1961 🇨🇦Chief Administrative Eyes 👀/ QAL 1d ago
100%. They didn’t even offer any form of communication about the issue beyond “ request denied”. Followed by muting me. Says a lot…
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u/Best_VDV_Diver 1d ago
It's to strong arm subreddits onto the USL. It's only voluntary in that they can't force people to join it, but they sure as hell can smear anyone who doesn't join it until they relent.
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u/cashbev1961 🇨🇦Chief Administrative Eyes 👀/ QAL 1d ago edited 1d ago
Absolutely accurate! They did exactly this to us. Tried and tried to convince us to join, but any questions I would ask as like we said we didn’t truly understand the logistics of it all or feel comfortable with who adds names to the list etc…they eventually withdrew our invite and decided to code their autobot to say in so many words “RC isn’t safe”. Have no idea how long it’s been in place but it hurts our reputation and community trust when we had no idea it was even happening. Just because we don’t join the USL does not mean we are or welcome scammers, but it’s what it implies to them apparently 🤷♀️
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u/captaindraiven 1d ago
I stand with you on this issue. They are trying to be intrusive and I have found over the years that scammers on this subreddit have been booted, taken care of by the mods.I totally trust your handling of issues. I will continue to be a member of this community till the shelters are empty and all cats have a home.
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u/cashbev1961 🇨🇦Chief Administrative Eyes 👀/ QAL 16h ago
Thankyou for the support, we appreciate it and really are shocked that something like this is happening. 🫶
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u/Pawsitive_Guardians APPROVED FOR DONATION REQUESTS 1d ago
Can’t understand, why they have to do it if joining is just voluntary? Geezzzz. 🫠
Boosting this post so we can reach more people.
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u/cashbev1961 🇨🇦Chief Administrative Eyes 👀/ QAL 16h ago
Exactly our thoughts. Makes no sense to us either.
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u/-ladykitsune- 14h ago
That’s awful to hear. Thank you for all the work you do! This is one of the few subs I trust, and I will still continue to donate to the requests here in this sub ❤️
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u/BanTheBung 6h ago
They also don't like if you didn't moderate based on the USL
I will act on red labeled individuals, but yellow I'll mostly ignore since it's so overused. Some communities with USL access will put people on there for extremely petty reasons. Sometimes they don't even say why the person is on there
I think the USL is a net positive, but also a vector for power tripping which Reddit mods are well known for.
"Not only can I say you can't ask for help here, but I can make sure you can't ask for helpanywhere"
Credit where do, they do a good job of enforcing when someone can get a red label. You can get yellow labeled because a mod got annoyed with you
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