SHARKY LOANS PRIVACY POLICY
1. INTRODUCTION
Sharky Loans Pty Ltd ACN 686 777 195 and Unregulated Sharky Loans Pty Ltd ACN 689 471 949, including any successors and assigns ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) ("the Privacy Act").
2. SCOPE
This Privacy Policy applies to all personal information collected by Sharky Loans, including information collected through our website: www.sharkyloans.com.au, loan applications, and other interactions. This Privacy Policy forms part of our Terms and Conditions.
3. DEFINITIONS
§ “Personal information” means information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether the information is true or not and whether recorded in a material form or not.
§ “Sensitive information” includes information about an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, criminal record, health information, and membership of professional or trade associations.
§ “Credit reporting body” means an organisation that collects, holds, uses or discloses personal credit information for the purpose of providing credit reports to credit providers.
4. COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
4.1. What Personal Information We Collect:
§ Identification Information: Name, address, date of birth, contact details (phone number, email address), driver's license number, passport details.
§ Financial Information: Bank account details, income, assets, expenses, credit history, employment details.
§ Loan Application Information: Details of the loan you are applying for, the purpose of the loan, and supporting documentation.
§ Website Usage Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring website, pages visited, and other usage data.
4.2. How We Collect Personal Information:
§ Directly from You: When you complete a loan application, provide information through our website, or communicate with us directly.
§ From Third Parties: Credit reporting agencies, banks, employers, referees, and other sources, with your consent where required.
5. PURPOSES FOR COLLECTING PERSONAL INFORMATION
5.1. We collect your personal information for the following purposes:
§ To assess your loan application and determine your eligibility for a loan.
§ To verify your identity and prevent fraud.
§ To comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF) laws and other legal obligations.
§ To manage and administer your loan account, including processing payments, sending statements, and providing customer support.
§ To communicate with you about your loan application, account updates, and other relevant information.
§ To improve our products and services and conduct market research.
§ To send you marketing communications about our products and services, where you have consented to receive such communications.
6. USE AND DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We will only use your personal information for the purpose for which it was collected, or a directly related purpose. We will only collect sensitive information (such as health, ethnicity, political opinions, or criminal history) with your explicit consent, unless otherwise required or authorised by law.
We may disclose your personal information to the following parties:
§ Credit Reporting Agencies: To obtain your credit report and assess your creditworthiness.
§ Service Providers: IT providers, debt collection agencies, legal advisors, and other service providers who assist us in providing our services.
§ Regulatory Authorities: Government agencies, law enforcement bodies, and other regulatory authorities, as required by law.
§ Potential Guarantors: With your consent, we may disclose your information to potential guarantors of your loan.
§ Debt Buyers: If your loan falls into default, we may choose to sell your debt to a debt buyer.
§ Direct Marketing: We will only send you direct marketing communications if you have consented to receive them. You can opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe link in our emails.
7. DATA SECURITY
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure.
Our security measures include:
§ Encryption of sensitive data.
§ Firewalls and intrusion detection systems.
§ Access controls and password protection.
§ Regular security assessments and audits.
§ Staff training on privacy and data security.
In the event of a data breach involving personal information, we will take steps to contain and rectify the breach, assess whether it is likely to result in serious harm, and notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme under the Privacy Act.
8. ACCESS AND CORRECTION
We try to ensure that all personal information we collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete and up-to-date. You may request access to personal information (including personal credit information) we hold about you at any time. If you believe the information is incomplete, inaccurate or out of date, you may request that we correct, amend or update it. We will endeavour to respond within 20 working days. If there is a delay, we will notify you as soon as possible.
We do not charge a fee for access requests, but we may charge the reasonable cost of processing your request.
It is your responsibility to inform us if your personal information needs to be corrected or updated.
To make a request, please contact our Privacy Officer via email at privacy@sharkyloans.com.au or by postal mail at the address listed below. We will respond within 30 business days.
9. DATA RETENTION AND DISPOSAL
We will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or for a period of up to seven (7) years after your loan account is closed, unless a longer retention period is required by law.
10. OVERSEAS DISCLOSURE
We may disclose your personal information to overseas recipients in countries including but not limited to the United States, Singapore, and the Philippines. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that overseas recipients comply with the Australian Privacy Principles or are subject to a comparable privacy regime. We ensure that overseas recipients are contractually bound to comply with privacy obligations equivalent to those under the APPs.
11. MARKETING AND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE
We may contact you to offer products and services that may be of interest to you. You may opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in our emails or by contacting us at privacy@sharkyloans.com.au (please include your full name, business email address, and account number).
You may also opt out of sharing personal information you have provided for public display on our Website, such as blog posts, forums, or testimonials, by contacting us using the same email address.
12. WEBSITE PRIVACY
Cookies: Our website uses cookies, beacons, tags, and scripts to improve your browsing experience and collect usage data. These technologies may be used by us and our partners (e.g., marketing, analytics, live chat, survey tools) to analyse trends and track user movements.
Analytics: We use Google Analytics and other tools to track traffic and usage patterns. IP addresses may be anonymised. You can manage cookie preferences in your browser settings.
Behavioural Advertising: We may partner with third parties to display advertising based on your browsing activity. You may opt out of interest-based ads by clicking [here]. Note: this does not opt you out of generic ads.
Links to Other Sites: Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices.
13. COMPLAINTS PROCESS
If you have a complaint about our handling of your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer (details below).
We will investigate your complaint and respond to you within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints.
14. CONTACT INFORMATION
Privacy Officer
Sharky Loans Pty Ltd
Suite 3, 47 Bowral Street Bowral NSW 2576
info@sharkyloans.com.au
02 3805 9169
15. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post any changes on our website.
