India mobile phone scams put lives of thousands in trouble

June 8, 2022

By The South Asia Times

NEW DELHI: Thousand Indians were compelled by illegal lenders to commit suicide after stuck and mobile apps owners stole their private data.

According to BBC, the Indian authorities identified 600 illegal lending apps that were used for the scam.

The Mobile phone apps are used for easy loans and attracts people to apply and receive loans within hours after providing personnel information.

The owners of the app can easily access the user's private mobile data and download the family photos and other documents from their mobile phones.

A victim told BBC that when he applied for a loan, he received the amount after the process and provided all personnel documents, Just three days later the company started demanding to pay back three times the amount they loaned him.

Now his debts increased by many folds and the companies blackmailing him that they would post his wife's nude photos on social media, one user said.

Due to illegal business, the people who received loans couldn’t go to the police to file complaints.

“If the victim fails to pay, more pressure is quickly applied.

"The first step is to harass. Then threaten. Then the actual game starts of blackmailing the person, as we have loanees' phone details," the scammer told BBC.

"Many don't go to authorities out of shame and fear."