Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Betafin ("Betafin", "we", "us", "our") is a credit repair business based in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa, operated by Altitude Digitals. We help clients review their credit reports and dispute inaccurate, outdated, or unfair listings with South Africa's major credit bureaus.

Betafin was founded as a nonprofit organisation in 2020 and converted to a registered business in 2026. For the purposes of POPIA, Betafin is the responsible party for the personal information described in this policy.

2. Information Officer

POPIA requires every organisation processing personal information to have a designated Information Officer, responsible for ensuring our compliance with the Act and for handling requests and complaints from data subjects.

Every responsible party in South Africa is required to register its Information Officer with the Information Regulator. If this hasn't been done yet, it should be completed before this policy is published.

3. Information We Collect

The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us — whether you're booking a free Credit Profile Assessment, becoming a client, or simply contacting us with a question.

Identity and contact information

• Full name, South African ID number or passport number
• Phone number, WhatsApp number, and email address
• Physical or postal address

Credit and financial information

• Your credit report(s) obtained from TransUnion, Experian, Compuscan, and/or XDS
• Details of listings, judgments, defaults, and arrears on your profile
• Where relevant, confirmation of debt review status and clearance certificates issued by your registered debt counsellor
• Banking details, where required for invoicing or payment of our fees

Communications and account information

• Records of calls, WhatsApp messages, and emails between you and Betafin
• Booking and scheduling information via our online booking system
• Case notes and progress updates related to your dispute(s)

Technical information

• IP address, browser type, and device information when you visit our website
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 13)

We do not knowingly collect special personal information (such as health or biometric data) unless you volunteer it as part of explaining your situation, and only where relevant to your case.

4. How We Collect It

• Directly from you, when you book a Credit Profile Assessment, complete an intake form, or contact us by phone, WhatsApp, or email
• From credit bureaus, once you've authorised us to pull and review your credit report on your behalf
• From a registered debt counsellor, where you've asked us to coordinate with them regarding a clearance certificate
• From a referral partner (such as a dealership), where you've been referred to us and have consented to that referral
• Automatically, through cookies and analytics when you use our website

5. Why We Collect It

We process your personal information to:

• Review your credit report and identify inaccurate, outdated, or unfair listings
• Prepare, lodge, and track disputes with the relevant credit bureau(s) on your behalf
• Communicate with you about the progress of your case
• Verify your identity before acting on your behalf with a credit bureau
• Invoice you and process payment for our services
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, including under the National Credit Act
• Improve our services and website
• Send you service-related communications and, where you've consented, marketing communications

We do not use your information to negotiate settlements, restructure debt, or provide debt counselling — Betafin is not a registered debt counsellor. Where that kind of help is needed, we refer you to a registered debt counselling partner.

6. Our Lawful Basis for Processing

Under POPIA, we only process your personal information where at least one of the following applies:

• Consent — you've given us permission, such as authorising us to pull your credit report or opting in to marketing communications
• Contract — processing is necessary to deliver the service you've engaged us for
• Legal obligation — we're required to process or retain certain information by law
• Legitimate interest — processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests (such as fraud prevention) and doesn't override your rights

7. Who We Share It With

We only share your personal information where necessary to deliver our service, and never sell it. This includes:

Where a service provider processes personal information on our behalf, we require them to protect it to the same standard as we do, under a written agreement.

8. Cross-Border Transfers

We do not store or process personal data on servers located outside South Africa. All information is managed and retained within South Africa in accordance with POPIA.

9. How Long We Keep It

We keep your personal information for as long as we need to assist the client and an additional 1 year. Financial and invoicing records may also be retained for any additional period required by South African tax and financial record-keeping laws.

10. How We Protect It

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure, including:

• Restricting access to client information to staff who need it to do their jobs
• Using secure, password-protected systems for storing case and client data
• Requiring service providers who handle your data to maintain appropriate security standards

No system is completely secure, and we can't guarantee absolute security of information transmitted to us — but we take this responsibility seriously given the sensitivity of financial and identity data we handle.

11. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of information that is inaccurate, outdated, incomplete, or misleading
• Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal obligation to retain certain records
• Object to the processing of your personal information, on reasonable grounds
• Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent (this won't affect processing already carried out)
• Object to direct marketing at any time (see Section 12)
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe we've mishandled your information (see Section 16)

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Information Officer using the details in Section 17. We'll respond within a reasonable time and in line with POPIA's requirements.

12. Direct Marketing

We'll only send you direct marketing communications (such as newsletters or promotional content) if you've opted in, or where permitted by law as an existing client for similar services. You can opt out at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" in any marketing email, or by contacting us directly. Opting out of marketing won't affect service-related communications about your active case.

13. Cookies & Website Tracking

We only use Google analytics and tracking tools on our website to understand visitor interactions and improve your experience. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings, though some parts of our website may not function correctly if you do.

14. Children's Information

Our services are intended for individuals who are 18 years or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or the law. We'll post the updated version on this page with a revised "last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

16. Lodging a Complaint

If you're unhappy with how we've handled your personal information, we'd appreciate the chance to resolve it directly first — contact our Information Officer using the details below. You also have the right to lodge a complaint directly with South Africa's Information Regulator:

17. Contact Us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, reach out to our Information Officer: