‘They Called Us Thieves, Fraudsters’—Customers Of Loan Sharks Share Sad Tales Of CyberBully

The rise of unregulated financial intermediaries like loan sharks and other online loan platforms has become a tool of intimidation and infringement of rights of those seeking their service, according to victims who spoke to THE WHISTLER.

Loan sharks and online loan platforms have flooded the Nigerian market providing quick financial assistance to unsuspecting Nigerians.

But lately, regulators are under pressure to curtail the excesses of these unregulated players who have been accused of bumping into customers’ privacy.

In Nigeria, experts have linked the rush for the service of loan sharks to the country’s unemployment woes which is currently at 33.3 per cent.

Banks and other financial institutions have also shared the in the blame following the cumbersome requirements customers have to meet to secure loans.

The Nigerian Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019 provides that, “Anyone who is entrusted with Personal Data of a Data Subject or who is in possession of the Personal Data of a Data Subject owes a duty of care to the said Data Subject.

“Anyone who is entrusted with Personal Data of a Data Subject or who is in possession of the Personal Data of a Data Subject shall be accountable for his acts and omissions in respect of data processing, and in accordance with the principles contained in this Regulation.”

Melody Chinemerem, a student based in Abuja, shared with THE WHISTLER how her desperation for a quick cash to foot her school bills lured her into the net of GoCash, an online loan platform.

In January 2022, Chinemerem who was in need of N28,000 to foot a bill in school downloaded the GoCash app and applied to get an amount to settle her bills.

The victim said the loan had a tenure of eight days. The victim suspecting that she was going to default said she called GoCash two days before the repayment date, seeking for extension of the tenure.

But Melody, who is in her twenties, alleged that an agent of the loan platform declined her request and threatened to notify her contacts if she defaults.

“They asked me to pay the money before the due date if no messages will be sent to my contacts to embarrass me. The next day, my friends and people I haven’t spoken to in years were reaching out to me because of a certain message they got from GoCash concerning me.’ she said.

Melody said the next day, she received a message which reads, “Beware that the family of melody Chinemerem Agbo with phone number ‘070255029376’ are ruthless criminals who daily dupe people of their money. Presently, they are on the run with a company money and are refusing to pay. Be careful of these thieves as they are wanted by the police.”

The next day, another message from them was sent to her contact.

The message reads, “Beware that the family of Agbo are thieves. taking the fathers step is the bastard daughter melody Chinemerem with no 0702502** who duped a company of its money and is on the run be careful of the thief as she is wanted by the police”

The victim added, “In my entire life, I’ve never felt so low and embarrassed. Taking that loan in the first place was the biggest mistake I made. I don’t know why they had to drag my father’s name in the mud, tarnish my family image and paint the situation so negatively.

“I paid the money after two days of the due date and vowed never in my life to take a loan from these online vendors no matter how urgent the situation is”

Miss Mary Ameh, another victim, narrated her experience with NCash to THE WHISTLER.

Ameh said she secured a loan of N10,000 to meet an urgent financial need which she got credited to a few minutes after the request was approved.

Just like the other victim, Ameh’s loan tenure was eight days.

She said on the 7th day, she received a call from one of the members of staff reminding her of the payment.

According to her, she received what she described as ‘the shock of her life’ when her contacts reached out to her following a threatening message sent by NCash.

The messages reads, “Good day, this is to inform the general public that Mary Ameh, phone; 0703806** is a fraudster and deceitful person. This person has proven to be a ruthless/chronic and unremorseful debtor who goes about collecting money from different companies.

“This person is currently on the run with our company money (Ncash) and has refused to pay nor pick up our calls. Be informed that this person is declared wanted.

“Please contact us if you have any information about this person else the company will proceed to the next action because this person provided us with all your details.

“And if you are not aware of this loan, you can as well call the person to delete your information from the app because soon the person pictures alongside your pictures will be posted on all social media in the next few hours………NCash.”

Ameh said the action of NCash was shocking and had caused her so much shame.
“I was so ashamed of myself at that period. The messages sent to my contacts already portrayed me as a fraudster.

“I hardly went out that period or even socialized. It was a dark time for me truly. I eventually paid their money and deleted everything concerning them on my phone,” the victim lamented.

Gloria who also shared a similar experience said she took a loan from a money lending platform- L Credit, but the experience later turned sour.

She said, “I made part payment before the due payment date. I called to ask for some more days when I’ll be able to get the money and pay it back and instead, that evening my whole contact got a defamatory message from them.”

The message which portrayed her as a fraudulent person reads, “Attention! Name Gloria Owortikwu Emmanuel 0814627, 0803443 has been acting dubious and fraudulent towards paying her overdue loan to a fine Tech Company. Help notify her today or face legal actions.”

Explaining the impact of the messages sent to her contacts, Gloria said she lost her self-respect.

According to her, after settling the loan obligations, the loan shark continued sending messages to her contact.