By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan

RAIDED. Employees of a Pasig City firm operating an online lending app cover their faces during a government raid on July 15, 2025. The Philippine National Police on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) said it is intensifying efforts against abusive lending platforms involved in harassment, privacy violations and cybercrime offenses. (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)

MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) has stepped up efforts to combat abusive online lending platforms by investigating operators who harass borrowers, invade privacy and violate cybercrime laws.

The move follows over 47,400 complaints since 2024, with victims reporting threats, public shaming and unauthorized access to contact lists.

“We documented cases of manipulated photos to humiliate and scare their borrowers. This is not acceptable and this kind of wrongdoing clearly needs police action,” PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement Tuesday.

Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Executive Director Benjamin Acorda said 47,446 complaints were filed against online lending firms for alleged abusive practices from August 2024 to January 2026.

Nartatez ordered the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) to arrest suspects and build cases involving online harassment, data privacy violations and related offenses.

He said the PNP-ACG is coordinating with the PAOCC, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and National Privacy Commission (NPC) to identify violators.

Nartatez urged the public to stay vigilant and borrow only from SEC-registered lenders.

He also advised victims of harassment to report incidents to the nearest police station. (PNA)