This is a recreational games web site, and the shop-window of a commercial word-game and puzzle company, not a front for any form of mailing service.

We are as concerned as you are about the security aspects of running a commercial website.

For this reason, we make the following statements and commitments:

1. For any commercial transactions we may perform online, your credit card details are not processed by us, but directly by WorldPay™  one of the world's leading and most respected e-payment sites.  Your financial details are not stored on our web system.

2. Your credit card number is NOT stored upon our web site, nor do we ever receive it.

3. Financial and related information sent during registration is protected during transmission by the SSL encryptions available for the purpose [hover the mouse over the little padlock that appears at the bottom of the payments window to confirm this].

4. We do keep certain personal information in order to allow us to identify and track which users are registered for access to which parts of the paid service.  This information is limited to: 

   Your crosswords site user name (your email address)

   Your actual name.

   Your home address.  (optional)

   Your age.  (optional)

   Information needed to allow us to verify your site password when you enter it, (not the actual password itself)

   The list of subscriptions, for example the list of which weekly collections to which you have purchased access

   Your site balance

5. We will at all times take all practical steps to ensure that this information is adequately protected, and will respond promptly to any reported breaches or suspected breaches of confidentiality.

6. The information about you that we do hold will not be disclosed to any commercial mailing list source or similar organization.

7. Information about you that we hold MAY be released to the prize sponsor of any prize competition that you enter from this site - such sponsors will be clearly identified on or near the appropriate competition pages.

8. Statistical information with personal information removed may be produced and provided to our commercial sponsors and other organisations.
9. If challenged on the fairness or similar issues of prize competitions, we reserve the right to publish the full names and addresses of prize winners inside the Subscribers area.
10. We will release information we hold to the proper authorities, in the (unlikely) event that we are presented with suitable legal instruction to do so.
11. We do reserve the right to amend this policy, but will give clear advance warning of at least one month, on the site, before doing so.

Questions and answers:

Q) WHY MUST I SUPPLY MY EMAIL ADDRESS AS WELL AS A SITE ID?

A) Since your email address is pre-registered with us, if you forget your password, we can safely create you a new one, and email it to you - since your email address is pre-recorded, we can be sure that we are sending it to the right place.

 

Q) WHY DO I HAVE TO PROVIDE MY HOME ADDRESS?

A) If you are fortunate (or skillful) enough to win one of the prize puzzles, the prize will automatically be sent to your registered home address.   If you do not wish to provide your home address, do not do so.

 

Q) WHY AM I ASKED TO PROVIDE MY AGE?

A) Certain contests, with higher-value prizes, may only be open to adult Subscribers (age 18 or over).  Such conditions may be imposed by the bodies donating prizes.  You need not provide this information, but if you do not, you will not be eligible to enter competitions that have a minimum age requirement.  It is also useful to us to have some understanding of the age profile of our clients, so that we may make sure that we are correctly targeting your needs and interests.

 

Q) WHY DOES THIS SITE REQUIRE JAVA?

A) The game playing tools provided on this site are all written in Java.

 

Q) WHY DOES THIS SITE REQUIRE JAVASCRIPT?

A) Several aspects of the game playing tools use Javascript (for example, the facility that allows you to click on a crossword clue number in the clues to select the related answer space in the crossword grid) must be written in Javascript.

 

Q) WHY DOES THIS SITE USE COOKIES?

A) We use cookies for several purposes.

 

Q) I HAVE HEARD THAT COOKIES REPRESENT A SECURITY RISK TO MY COMPUTER - IS THIS TRUE?

A) In a word, NO.  Cookies generally represent no security risk to your computer, personal information, or the information or files held on your computer.  If you want the details, please follow this link.