Commitment to Privacy and Security
Merchant services are provided through the operating entity LawCharge, Inc. (“LawCharge”) is committed to safeguarding the privacy and security of the personal information it collects. This Privacy Policy explains LawCharge’s policies and practices with respect to the handling of personal information. This Privacy Policy shall be read and is provided in addition to other privacy policies or statements you receive or encounter from the LawCharge family of payment processing companies; please know that this policy controls for purposes of your accounts or relationships with LawCharge, Inc.
Circumstances Where We Collect Information
LawCharge customers are businesses and other legal entities desiring to accept credit or debit cards or other payment methods, as payment for goods or services or as donations (“Merchants”). LawCharge does not provide services for consumer, personal, family or household purposes and generally does not have direct relationships with, or collect information directly from, individual consumers. The personal information we receive and collect, as described below, relates to our Merchants (and their owners and operators), the payment transactions we help Merchants execute, and representatives of prospective or potential business customers interested in learning more about our services.
Circumstances where LawCharge collects information, including personal information, include the following:
- Browsing our Websites. When you browse our websites, we collect information as described in the online privacy policy or statement applicable to that website.
- Your Inquiries. When you complete and submit a form or otherwise provide us with personal information about you on our websites, or contact us by e-mail, fax, or telephone, LawCharge stores the inquiries and their contents. Lawcharge, pursuant to applicable law, may record or monitor telephone calls for business purposes, including quality assurance, training, and record keeping.
- Opening an Account or Using Our Services. When you submit an application to become a Merchant, you will be required to provide us with certain information about your business, and its owners and officers, which also act as guarantors of the Merchant’s obligations. Personal information we collect about owners, officers and guarantors includes name and personal contact information, date of birth, tax identification number and ownership information. When you open an account or submit an application, LawCharge also obtains and stores credit, financial and other personal information about your business, and its officers, owners and guarantors from consumer reporting agencies, credit bureaus, relevant financial institutions, and other entities.
- LawCharge also obtains and stores credit, financial and other personal information about your business, and its officers, owners and guarantors from consumer reporting agencies, credit bureaus, relevant financial institutions, and other entities.
- From Customers of Our Merchants. If a consumer purchases a product or service from a Merchant using a credit or debit card, or any other method of payment for which we provide the Merchant with transaction processing services, the consumer will likely provide that Merchant with certain personal information including, for example, the consumer’s name, credit card number and transaction information. Our Merchants transmit some of this information (“Order Information”) to us in connection with processing the transaction.
- From Our Partners. If an online platform provides LawCharge integrated with the platform’s own services, the platform provides us with information about our shared users, such as length of the relationship and purpose of the payments.
Use and Disclosure of Information
LawCharge uses, retains and discloses personal information to (i) comply with any applicable legislation requiring LawCharge to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each entity with which it establishes a Merchant relationship; (ii) evaluate your eligibility for a Merchant account, which involves disclosure to consumer reporting agencies, commercial credit bureaus, and relevant financial institutions; and (iii) as required or permitted by law. LawCharge also uses your information to contact you about other LawCharge offerings and services, as well as offerings and services of our affiliates. If you are, or become a Merchant, LawCharge discloses your information, and information about your officers, directors and guarantors during the course of providing such services to card associations, banks and other financial institutions involved in the course of processing or screening the transaction, and to third parties that have contracted with LawCharge to perform certain functions of our services on our behalf. LawCharge uses or discloses your personal information for the additional purposes of facilitating and completing merchant-initiated or authorized transactions; complying with local laws, including credit reporting laws and card association rules; assisting in preventing fraud; informing you about general company news, product updates and developments, card association rules, and industry trends; offering you products and services of interest to you; or as otherwise permitted by your agreements with us, your consent, or as required by applicable law.
Examples where we use and disclose information include:
- Service Providers. LawCharge provides personal information to outside organizations as necessary to provide requested services. Our contracts with such third parties require that any information that we provide to them is kept confidential and used solely for the purposes of providing the services that they have been contracted with to provide.
- Government Inquiries. We share information with regulatory authorities and law enforcement officials when we believe such disclosure is necessary to comply with legal requirements. We share information with third parties where appropriate to protect against fraud or verify or enforce our terms of use, our other rights, or other applicable policies.
- Referral Programs. Where a Merchant is referred to LawCharge by a referral partner, LawCharge shares Merchant information, including name, location, Merchant ID, transaction volume, card summary and Merchant status, with the referral partner as necessary to administer the referral arrangement, including to calculate fees, determine Merchant’s continued eligibility for the referral program and any preferred pricing, and servicing and managing the Merchant’s account.
- Integrated Payments. Where an online platform provides LawCharge integrated with the platform’s own services, LawCharge shares with the platform information about our shared users, including their personal information. The online platform can use and disclose the information in accordance with applicable laws, rules, regulations, and the online platform’s own privacy policy.
- Order Information. When we provide processing services to our Merchants, we may provide Application Information to banks, other processors, credit and debit card organizations and associations, and other financial institutions involved in effecting the transaction represented by the Application Information. In addition, we disclose some or all of the information we collect to our affiliated companies or to non-affiliated third parties where necessary or appropriate to comply with local laws or the rules and regulations of the respective card organizations or other payment entities.
- De-identified information. We also use and disclose data we collect or generate on an aggregate or de-identified basis (such that it does not identify any individual Merchant or card holder) for business purposes, where permissible under applicable laws and regulations.
Protection of Cardholder and Merchant Data
LawCharge has implemented various measures, in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (“PCI-DSS”), to help ensure the security and confidentiality of cardholder and Merchant data. These measures include appropriate administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect against anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such information and against unauthorized access to or use of such information.
Retention of Information
LawCharge retains the personal information it collects as long as necessary for the fulfillment of the purposes for which it was collected, subject to reasonable legal limitation periods, statutory or regulatory retention requirements and legitimate business requirements. LawCharge will use reasonable efforts to ensure that personal information which is no longer required will be disposed of or destroyed in a secure manner.
Personal Information
For the purpose of this Privacy Policy, “personal information” means information that identifies, is identifiable to, or can be used to identify an individual alone or in combination with other information, as more particularly defined in applicable privacy legislation. Personal information does not include aggregate information that cannot be associated with a specific individual, and in certain jurisdictions, it also excludes business contact information.
Modifications to Privacy Policy
We continue to review our policies and procedures to assure they are effective in meeting our commitments to our Merchants. Accordingly, we may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will let you know by appropriate means such as by posting the revised statement on this page with a new “Last Modified” date. All changes will become effective when posted unless indicated otherwise.
Contact Information
If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, how we collect or use your Personal Information, or to exercise any applicable rights, please contact us at:
LawCharge@LawCharge.com; Attn: Privacy Policy
(Last modified October 23, 2024)