Hounded by threats, shamed in public, and exposed without consent, thousands of borrowers have found themselves at the mercy of abusive online lending apps, prompting the Philippine National Police (PNP) to launch a crackdown on operators accused of harassment, privacy breaches and cybercrime.

PNP chief Police General Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. said the move comes amid a surge of more than 47,400 complaints since 2024, with victims reporting intimidation tactics ranging from threatening messages to doctored images and unauthorized access to their contact lists.

“This is not acceptable,” Nartatez said, warning that such abuses warrant decisive police action.

“The operation of a business must not include harassing and humiliating people. Only thugs and criminal syndicates do that,” he emphasized.

Acorda provides figures

According to former PNP chief and now Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) executive director Benjamin Acorda, his office received 47,446 complaints against companies operating online lending apps for allegedly abusive behavior between August 2024 and January 2026.

As such, Nartatez directed the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) to arrest and build cases against operators involved in online harassment, data privacy violations and other cybercrime-related offenses.

He said the PNP-ACG has coordinated with PAOCC, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Privacy Commission to determine those who violate the laws.