The NPC said officials and board members of the companies may be liable for up to seven years of imprisonment and fines of up to P5 million.

The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has filed criminal charges against three online lending companies allegedly for publicly shaming their borrowers.

At a news conference in Pasay City on Friday, NPC Commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro identified the lenders to include Fast Cash Global Lending Inc. and officials Kellon De Jesus Manalastas, Tiancai Huang, John Christian Sia, Jovy Co Ting, and Zichao Su; Unipeso Lending Company Inc. and staff Halolong Li, Guanqun Luo, Flordeluna Rosell, Rizza Mae Lorilla, and Renyvic Duquiatan; and Fynamics Lending Inc. and its members Meng Li, Changjin Wang, Kwinnie Mae Fianza, Jacquielyn Chua Garrido, Helen Joy Amican de Luna and Bernard Salvacion Jr.

The NPC found the lending firms harassed and threatened their borrowers who were unable to settle their loans on time by contacting third-parties — such as family members, friends, and co-workers — and posting their details on Facebook, without their consent or authority.

Liboro said the cited firms violated the Data Privacy Act under Sections 25, 28 and 31, all in relation to unauthorized processing of personal information for unauthorized purposes, and section 32 for malicious disclosure.

As of July 31, the number of complaints filed against Fast Cash has reached 166; another 138 for Unipeso; and 133 for Fynamics.

The NPC said officials and board members of the companies may be liable for up to seven years of imprisonment and fines of up to P5 million.

“Report found that the penalties inflicted on borrowers by these online lenders are abusive,” Liboro said.

“The public-shaming they carried out, has caused anxiety, depression; some have even lost jobs and feel they became unemployable, that their reputation and future was put in jeopardy. The permanence of these damages is disproportionate to the mere delinquency in paying debts, sometimes as low as P1,000,” he added.