Probe online loan predators, authorities urged

A victim of an alleged investment scam using the online selling platform Temu has appealed to law enforcement authorities to investigate the scheme.

The call was made to the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group, the National Bureau of Investigation and the National Privacy Commission (NPC).

Lawmakers were also enjoined to probe the matter to prevent more people from being victimized.

The mother of one, who requested anonymity, sought help from DAILY TRIBUNE to look into the scam that cost her P260,000, including funds meant for her daughter’s tuition this coming school year.

“I was lured to invest because of the ‘double your money’ assurance. They are using Telegram, a cloud-based messaging app, for their transactions. At first, I was able to receive the promised returns when I invested a small amount,” she said.

Hoping to increase her profits, the victim said she was advised by a so-called “manager” to take out loans from various online lending apps (OLA).

“We were given tasks to review and like TEMU posts. We earned P120, which supposedly doubled in the following hours or days. But we were obliged to wager the accumulated amount to double or even triple it,” she said.

“Once that ‘money-back guarantee’ arrived in your GCash account, you’d be lured to reinvest, this time using money from the OLAs,” she explained. “Now I’m drowning in debt. Worse, these third-party, fly-by-night call center agents accessed the names and numbers in my phone’s contact list.”

She said she and her contacts have since been receiving threatening messages saying she should “pay her debts.”

The lost savings forced her to transfer her daughter from a private school to a public one.

The NPC earlier said that OLAs are not allowed to harvest borrowers’ contact lists without explicit consent.

OLAs exploding

In a related report, Asia Pacific Digido Finance Corp. said Filipinos spent a total of 1.54 billion seconds — equivalent to 49 years — using non-bank digital lending applications in 2024.

An analysis of 47 digital lending apps registered to operate in the Philippines, including Digido, showed that 76.4 percent of the activities was on platforms offering personal loans, followed by “buy now, pay later” services at 21.4 percent, and installment loans at 2.2 percent.

Overall usage of these apps increased 16 percent year-on-year in 2024.

On average, active users spent 12 minutes and 14 seconds per month on digital lending apps, while the average session lasted 58 seconds.

The personal loans segment also drove app downloads, which rose 42.4 percent year-on-year from 89.66 million to 127.69 million.

Unique users increased by 43 percent, from 47.46 million to 67.84 million, while the number of active users rose by 53 percent, from 7.7 million to 11.78 million.

“Non-bank, digital-first lenders continue to grow despite the already high level of fintech penetration and market saturation,” said Digido business development manager Rose Arreco.

“Personal loans remain a key driver of the industry due to their flexibility, ease of access and competitive rates. The rise in downloads, active users and time spent in-app shows sustained consumer interest and demand. This also reflects the industry’s role in promoting financial inclusion and expanding access to formal credit,” Arreco said.