Hyderabad: Nine victims of instant loan apps went missing in two days in Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda police commissionerate limits. Their family members lodged complaints in different police stations. Even if they don't ask for a loan, they harass the victims by sending short messages to their phones and depositing money in their bank accounts.
Recently the operators of loan apps have chosen a new approach. To collect the loan, they are targeting the contacts of women and young women on their phones, collecting their WhatsApp DPs and converting their photos into nude and sending them. "Your friend has taken a loan of Rs 1 lakh... tell her to pay it immediately... otherwise the nude photos will turn into videos," they threaten over the phone.
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The instant loan app providers are sanctioning the loan without a personal guarantee. Before giving a loan, they are asking for an Aadhaar card and contact list. After that, instant loan app recovery agents will continuously make calls within a week and exert pressure to pay the principal amount and interest. The victims are saying that there is a deadline of a week or ten days.
Cyber crimes through WhatsApp DPs have been increasing rapidly for the past few months. Instant Loan app recovery agents are targeting women and threatening them. KVM Prasad ACP of Cybercrimes suggested people especially women not take loans through instant loan apps. Even if taken... phone contact list should not be given to the loan providers and inform the police immediately if they start harassing them, he advised.
