Have you ever struggled with pesky loan apps constantly calling your phone and contacts without your permission? If so, you’re not alone. In Nigeria, predatory lending apps have become a huge problem, disgracing people by sharing their debt with friends and family without consent. However, there are effective steps you can take to stop these harassment tactics and regain control of your privacy.
When I was a university student a few years ago, I was in a tight financial situation and resorted to using several online loan apps.
At first, the loans seemed like a good shortterm solution. However, it didn’t take long before the issues started. No matter how many payments I made, the apps demanded more and more money along with excessive interest rates. If I missed a payment for any reason, they would call and text me at all hours of the day and night with threats.
Even worse, they began contacting all the numbers in my phonebook, shamelessly telling people I owed them money. It was humiliating and stressful. I knew I needed to find a way to make it stop.
How Predatory Loan Apps Operate
To prevent harassment, it’s important to understand how these predatory lending apps work.
Many target people in desperate financial situations and promise easy money, but the loan terms are intentionally deceiving.
High interest rates and penalties ensure it’s nearly impossible to ever pay off the full amount owed. They then use aggressive harassing tactics like excessive calling and sharing personal debt information to coerce repayment. While lending apps serve a purpose, predatory ones violate privacy laws and basic human decency.
Register a Do Not Contact Request
The first and most important step is to formally request that any lenders stop contacting you. Under Nigerian privacy laws, lenders must honor requests to stop calling, texting, and sharing your details with others. To submit a do not contact request:
Gather Lender Contact Information
Find the proper addresses and contact details for any lenders harassing you. Check emails, texts, apps, and loan documents. You’ll need specific company names and addresses.
Submit Requests in Writing
Draft a brief, polite letter or email to each lender requesting that all contact with you or your information cease immediately. State that any future contact will be considered harassment. Send the requests by registered mail to ensure delivery.
Follow Up if Necessary
If harassment continues after a week, send a follow up letter restating your request and warning of legal action if they fail to comply. Make sure to keep records of all correspondence in case you need proof later.
Report Harassment to the Appropriate Authorities
If your contact requests are ignored, it’s time to get authorities involved. Document all incidents of unwanted contact and next take the following actions
File a Police Report
Visit your local police station and file an official report about the harassment and privacy violations. Provide all documentation of your requests and their continued contact. This creates an official record.
Contact the Central Bank of Nigeria
The CBN regulates financial institutions and lending in Nigeria. Report the harassment and privacy issues, including the lender’s failure to honor your do not contact request. The CBN may investigate and take appropriate action.
Contact Your State Ministry of Justice
Consumer protection organizations at the state level can also assist with holding predatory lenders accountable. Provide full reports of the situation and request they intervene on your behalf.
Protect Your Privacy and Personal Information
While working to stop harassment, also make sure to protect your privacy going forward.
Update Privacy Settings on All Accounts
Go through all social media, banking apps, and other online accounts and remove access to your contacts, call logs, messages and tighten privacy controls. Don’t share details publicly.
Refrain from Providing Unnecessary Contact Details
Be cautious about giving out your full name, phone number or addresses to unknown entities. Only provide minimum details required.
Get a New Phone Number
As a last resort, porting your phone number to a new SIM card or device ensures past contacts have no way to reach you. Consider this if other options fail.
Use a Mouth Guard and Private Contact Details
Give out a temporary “mouth guard” number to lenders instead of your real one. Only provide your actual contact to trusted parties.
Conclusion
With a bit of effort, you can protect your privacy and peace of mind from harassing loan apps. Don’t be afraid to stand up for your rights using the steps above. Regain control by submitting do not contact requests, reporting improper behavior to authorities, securing your information, and avoiding risky loans in the future. Focus on longterm financial health so you never feel backed into a corner needing predatory “help” again. Stay committed, and you will overcome this stress and build a better path ahead.
FAQ
Can a loan app access my contacts after uninstalling?
After uninstalling a loan app, it should no longer have access to your contacts. To ensure this, you can disable contact permissions on your device for the specific app. Preventing loan apps from accessing your contacts is crucial for safeguarding your personal information and privacy.
What can I do if the loan apps are still contacting me after reporting them?
If harassment continues even after following all the steps above, you may need to consult a consumer attorney. They can send formal legal notices on your behalf demanding the behavior cease immediately or face potential lawsuits. Keep meticulous records of all unwanted contacts in case legal action becomes necessary. Most lenders will back down once faced with credible threat of real consequences.
