1.Who We are and How to Reach Us

Africlinks Money Transfer is a money remittance service provided by Mat & Sam Afric Links Ltd. For privacy purposes we are the controller of your personal data when you use our services at branches or agents and when you engage with us online through our website or mobile channels. You can contact us at any time about this policy or your rights using [email protected] or the postal address above. We do not sell personal data and we handle your information in accordance with UK data protection law, including UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2.What this Policy Covers

This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, the lawful bases we rely on, who we share it with, where it is stored, how long we keep it, your rights, and how to complain. It applies to senders who place transfers with us, to beneficiaries whose details are provided by senders, to individuals who contact us for support or complaints, and to visitors to our website. If you provide us with information about someone else (for example, a beneficiary), you must ensure they are aware that you have shared their details and direct them to this policy.

3.The Information We Collect

When you create a profile, visit a branch or agent, place a transfer, use our website or contact us, we will typically collect your name, date of birth, nationality, contact details and identity document details; where online onboarding is used we may also collect a selfie or liveness check to help confirm your identity. We record transaction information, such as amounts, currencies, corridors, exchange rates, reasons for payment, and beneficiary details you provide. For compliance, we may collect information about your occupation, the source of funds used, and any documentation you supply to evidence this. When you interact with our website, we receive technical information such as IP address, device identifiers and usage data; cookies are explained in our separate Cookies Policy. If you contact support or make a complaint, we will keep a record of the correspondence and any call recordings necessary to investigate and resolve the matter.

4.Where We Obtain Data From

Most information comes directly from you when you place a transfer or contact us. We also receive data from our agents who operate Africlink services on our behalf, from payout partners and banks that complete transfers in destination countries, and from identity verification and sanctions-screening providers who help us meet our legal obligations. We may consult public sources such as company registers, electoral rolls where lawfully available, or widely accessible adverse-media databases in order to assess financial crime risk. Where you are a beneficiary, the sender provides your details to us so we can process the payment.

5.How We Use Your Information and on What Legal Bases

We use your information to operate our remittance service, to communicate with you about your transfers, to keep our systems secure, and to comply with laws that apply to an SPI. The principal legal bases are: contract, to process your orders and provide customer service; legal obligation, to meet anti-money-laundering (AML), counter-terrorist-financing (CTF) and sanctions requirements, to carry out identity checks, to keep appropriate records, and to assist law-enforcement when we are required to; and legitimate interests, to protect our platform and customers from fraud, to ensure network and information security, to improve our services, and to manage our business efficiently. Where we rely on consent (for example, for certain marketing communications or optional analytics cookies), you can withdraw it at any time by contacting us using the details above or by using any unsubscribe function we make available.

6.AML/CTF, Sanctions Screening and Risk Assessment

Because we are a money service, the law requires us to verify our customers and to monitor transactions. We therefore check customer and transaction details against sanctions and watchlists, may screen for politically exposed persons, and may review adverse media. We also use automated tools to help detect unusual or high-risk activity. These systems may produce risk scores or alerts that lead to requests for more information or, in some situations, to declining a transaction. Where a decision with legal or similarly significant effects is taken purely by automated means, you can ask for a human review, express your point of view and contest the decision.

7.Who We Share Data with

To process transfers and run our business we share information with carefully selected third parties. These include: our UK agents who accept orders on our behalf; payout partners and banking partners overseas who deliver funds to beneficiaries; identity-verification and sanctions-screening providers; payment processors and card acquirers; cloud hosting, IT support and cybersecurity vendors; professional advisers such as auditors and lawyers; and regulators and law-enforcement authorities when we are legally obliged to. We require our providers to safeguard your information and use it only for the services they deliver to us.

8.International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred outside the UK when we instruct a payout partner or service provider located abroad. When we can, we put in place appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, along with technical and organisational measures. In some corridors these safeguards are not available or not suitable; in those cases we may rely on the UK GDPR Article 49(1)(b) derogation because the transfer is necessary for the performance of a contract between you and us (for example, to pay your chosen beneficiary in a country without an approved data-protection regime). Regardless of location, we share only the data needed to complete the service and we require partners to protect it.

9.How long We Keep Information

We keep identity and transaction records for at least five years after the end of the relationship in order to comply with AML regulations and other legal duties. Complaint files are generally retained for up to six years from closure to help us respond to regulatory queries and legal claims. Device logs and website analytics are kept for shorter periods consistent with our security and product-improvement needs, and marketing contact preferences are kept until you opt out or we determine they are no longer needed. When retention periods expire, we securely delete or anonymise the data.

10.Security and Confidentiality

We protect your data using a combination of technical and organisational measures. These include access controls and authentication, encryption in transit, network monitoring and vulnerability management, supplier due-diligence, and staff training in data protection and financial-crime prevention. While no system can guarantee absolute security, we regularly review our controls and aim to keep them in line with industry practice for a firm of our size and risk profile.

11.Children and Vulnerable Customers

Our service is intended for adults and we do not knowingly provide services to anyone under 18. If we learn that a child’s information has been provided to us, we will delete it where lawful and appropriate. We encourage vulnerable customers or their carers to contact us so we can make reasonable adjustments to how we communicate and verify identity.

12.Your Privacy Rights

You have the right to access the personal data we hold about you; to rectify inaccurate or incomplete data; to erase data where it is no longer needed; to restrict or object to certain processing; and to port data you gave us in a structured, commonly used format. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Some rights may be limited by our legal obligations—for example, we cannot erase or restrict information we must keep to comply with AML laws. We will respond to your request within one month (or within the extended timeframe permitted by law for complex requests). To exercise your rights, contact [email protected].

13.Marketing and your Choices

We do not send marketing without a legal basis. If we rely on your consent, we will obtain it clearly and you may opt out at any point by following the instructions in our messages or by emailing [email protected]. Opting out of marketing will not affect service communications such as receipts, alerts about verification, or updates about a specific transfer.

14.Website Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies for basic functionality, security, performance measurement and (where you agree) marketing. Details about the types of cookies we use, how long they last and how to manage your settings are set out in our Cookies & Similar Technologies Policy. You can change your choices at any time via your browser or any on-site preference tool we provide.

15.Complaints About Data Protection

If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, please contact us first at [email protected] and we will try to resolve the issue promptly. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection. See www.ico.org.uk or call 0303 123 1113. We would appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO, but you do not need to contact us first to exercise your right to complain.

16.Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulation, technology, or how we operate. The version and effective date appear at the top. If we make material changes, we will take reasonable steps to bring them to your attention, for example by email or on our website. Your continued use of Africlink services after an update takes effect means you acknowledge the revised policy.