The short version
- We collect what we need to verify you, complete your trades, stop fraud and meet the law, and nothing more than that.
- We do not sell your personal information, and we do not run advertising or cross-site tracking on this website.
- VersusTrade will never ask for your password, PIN, OTP, wallet seed phrase or private keys. Anyone who does is not us.
- VersusTrade is a peer-to-peer (P2P) service. To complete a trade, the other trader sees the limited details they need, such as the name on a payment account. More in P2P trades and privacy.
- Crypto transactions are recorded on public blockchains. We cannot edit or erase blockchain data.
- You can ask to see, correct or delete your information at any time. See Your rights.
Who we are
VersusTrade (“VersusTrade”, “we”, “us”) runs a peer-to-peer trading service for cryptocurrency and gift cards, together with this website and the WhatsApp channels we use to talk to customers. We refer to all of these as the “Services”.
For the personal information described in this policy, VersusTrade is the “data controller”. We handle personal data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) and other laws that apply to us. This policy sits alongside our Terms of Use and Security.
What we collect
Information you give us
- Contact and account details: name, phone and WhatsApp number, email address, and the login details for your account.
- Identity verification (KYC): where we ask for it, an ID document or number (for example NIN, BVN, passport or driver’s licence), a selfie or liveness check, date of birth and address.
- Payment details: the bank or mobile-money account you pay from or receive into (account name and number), wallet addresses, the network used, and transaction hashes.
- Trade details: the asset, amount, rate, date, status, and proof of payment such as receipts and screenshots.
- Gift card details: the card brand, value, country, and the card code, images or receipt you send us so we can verify the card.
- Messages and support: what you send us on WhatsApp or through support, and any evidence you provide in a dispute.
Information collected automatically
- Device and browser type, IP address, approximate location from your IP address, pages viewed and times, and security logs.
Information from other sources
- Confirmations from banks and payment providers, public blockchain data, results from identity-verification, sanctions and fraud-screening services, and information from the other trader in a trade.
How we use it
We only use personal information when we have a lawful basis to do so under the NDPA. The main ones are below.
| What we do | Why (lawful basis) |
|---|---|
| Open and run your account, match and process trades, release payments and assets | To perform our agreement with you |
| Verify your identity, screen against sanctions lists, monitor for money laundering and terrorist financing, keep required records | To comply with legal obligations |
| Detect and prevent fraud, scams, chargebacks, account takeovers and abuse; keep the Services secure | Our legitimate interests (and those of other traders) in a safe marketplace |
| Resolve disputes between traders and handle complaints | Performance of our agreement, legitimate interests, and legal claims |
| Customer support and service messages (trade updates, security alerts) | Performance of our agreement and legitimate interests |
| Maintain and improve the website and Services | Our legitimate interests |
| Send you news, offers or promotions | Your consent. You can opt out at any time |
Some fraud and compliance checks can be partly automated. If an automated check leads to a decision that significantly affects you, such as limiting an account, you can ask for a person to review it.
P2P trades and privacy
On a P2P platform, you trade with other people rather than with a company balance sheet. That means some information has to reach the other side. Here is what that looks like in practice.
- What the other trader can see: your display name or the name on the payment account you use, the payment details needed to complete the transfer, and the trade details (asset, amount, rate, status). They do not see your ID documents or your full verification file.
- What you can see about them: the same limited details, and only for trades you take part in. Use those details only to complete the trade. Do not contact the person for other reasons, or share their details.
- Trade chats and proof of payment are kept so we can resolve disputes fairly. If a dispute is opened, our support team can read the relevant messages and evidence.
- Fraud and safety: if we believe an account is being used for fraud, scams or money laundering, we may restrict it and share the relevant information with banks, payment providers, other traders affected, or the authorities.
- Stay on the platform: moving a trade to private messages or paying outside the agreed process removes our ability to protect you.
Your browser and this site
Storage on your device
This website does not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. It does save a few small items in your browser’s local storage to work faster and remember your choices: your light or dark theme, the last exchange rate we showed, and the last market prices we showed. These stay on your device and you can clear them in your browser settings at any time. When you log in, essential cookies or tokens may be used to keep you signed in securely.
Third-party requests
To show live prices, rates and images, your browser connects directly to other companies’ servers: public crypto market-data providers (such as Binance, OKX, Bybit, KuCoin and CoinGecko), an exchange-rate data provider, and image or file hosts. Like any website you visit, they can see your IP address and basic browser details. We do not send them your account information. Their handling of that data is covered by their own policies.
Links to other services
Buttons that open WhatsApp take you to WhatsApp, which is run by Meta under its own privacy policy.
International transfers
Some of our providers (for example hosting, messaging and verification services) may store or process information outside Nigeria. When that happens we take steps required by the NDPA to protect your information, such as using providers with appropriate safeguards and contractual commitments.
How long we keep it
We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the reasons above. In practice:
- Identity and transaction records are kept for the period the law requires after your account closes or a trade ends. Anti-money-laundering rules commonly require several years (often five or more).
- Support chats and dispute evidence are kept as long as needed to resolve the matter and to deal with any later claims.
- Marketing preferences are kept until you opt out.
- Security logs are kept for a limited period for fraud and abuse prevention.
When we no longer need information, we delete it or anonymise it.
Security
We use safeguards that fit the sensitivity of the data, including secure (HTTPS) connections, access limited to staff who need it, and monitoring for suspicious activity. No online service can be 100% secure, so please help us protect your account:
- Only trust our official WhatsApp number and this website. Check the address before you log in.
- Never share your password, PIN, OTP, seed phrase or private keys with anyone, including people who say they work for VersusTrade.
- Be careful with links and attachments from people you do not know.
- Tell us straight away if you think your account or phone has been compromised.
Your rights
Under the NDPA you can ask us to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you and get a copy.
- Correct information that is wrong or incomplete.
- Delete your information, where we no longer need it or have no legal reason to keep it.
- Restrict or object to some uses, including direct marketing, which you can stop at any time.
- Receive your data in a portable format, where this applies.
- Withdraw consent where we rely on it. This does not affect what we did before you withdrew.
- Ask for human review of a significant decision made by automated means.
To use any of these rights, contact us using the details below. We may need to confirm who you are first, and we aim to reply within one month. Some information we must keep by law (for example transaction and verification records), and we will tell you if that applies. If you are unhappy with how we handle your request or your data, you also have the right to complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
Children
Our Services are for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has used the Services, please contact us and we will take steps to delete the information.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, for example when our Services or the law change. We will update the date at the top, and if a change is significant we will tell you through the website or WhatsApp before it takes effect.
Contact us
Questions about this policy, or want to use your rights? Message us and tell us what you need. Please do not include passwords, PINs, OTPs or seed phrases.