Privacy Policy

Introduction

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy outlines how Compliance Officers Forum of GIABA member States (COFGMS) (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards your data when you visit our membership website (the “cofgms.com”). By using our Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect or receive personal information for a number of purposes connected with our business operations, which may include the following:

Contact through webform: For this purpose, we use the following data: First and last name, email address, and telephone number.

Registering an account: For this purpose, we use the following data: First and last name, account name or alias, home or other physical address, including street name and name of a city or town, email address, telephone number, date of birth, sex, photo, education information, professional or employment-related information.

Payments: We collect data such as your first and last name and email address to process membership fees. Billing information, including credit card numbers, is collected by our third-party payment processor, Paystack, which handles all payment transactions.

Newsletters: For this purpose, we use the following data: Email address and first and last name.

Usage Data: We collect information automatically when you use our Site, such as IP addresses, browser type, pages visited, and other analytics data.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To present our Websites and their contents to you.
• To facilitate your membership, including providing access to member-only content and resources.
• To manage your account and provide you with notices regarding the Services, including expiration and renewal notices.
• To manage billing and financial information related to membership dues or event registrations.
• For customer service and customer support purposes.
• To provide, personalise, measure, and improve your experience with our websites and deliver content, products and services.
• To communicate with you about COFGMS products, services, promotions, events, news, updates, and membership opportunities.
• To administer promotional activities, such as surveys, sweepstakes, contests, and referrals.
• To help maintain and improve the safety, security, and integrity of our Websites and Services.
• For testing, research, analysis, and product development, such as developing and improving our Websites, Services, databases, other technology assets, and other offerings.
• To support our general business operations.
• To notify you about changes to our Websites or Services.
• For other purposes, for which we provide specific notices at the time of collection.
• To fulfil any other purpose for which you provide it.
• To ensure compliance with our policies and applicable laws.

3. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

Service Providers: We may share your data with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in maintaining our Site and delivering our services.

Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information to comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal proceedings if necessary.

Association Members: Certain information, such as your name, professional title, and contact details, may be made available to other members for networking purposes, subject to your preferences.

4. Data Security and Retention

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, use, or disclosure. We employ industry-standard security measures, including encryption, firewalls and secure servers, to safeguard your data.

Additionally, we train our colleagues who will have access to your personal information and legally protected data about the importance of confidentiality and maintaining the privacy and security of your personal information.

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, including for the purpose of complying with any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Specifically, we retain this data upon termination of the service for 24 months.

5. Your Data Rights

You have the right to access, correct, update, or delete your personal information at any time. You may do so by contacting us at contact@cofgms.com. You also have the right to object to or restrict the processing of your data under certain circumstances.

6. Cookies

Our Site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience. You may adjust your browser settings to refuse cookies; however, this may impact your ability to access certain features of the Site. For detailed information on the cookies and how we use them, please see our Cookie Notice.

7. Third-Party Websites

This privacy statement does not apply to third-party websites connected by links on our website. We cannot guarantee that these third parties handle your personal data in a reliable or secure manner. We recommend you read the privacy statements of these websites prior to making use of these websites.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last Modified” date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our practices, please contact us at contact@cofgms.com.