Dennis Gasgonia

Article (news)

Andrea Taguines

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) launched on Friday a new campaign against unregistered online lending platforms as the number of Filipinos falling victim to illegal schemes continues to rise.From January to February this year alone, the CICC received nearly six hundred complaints—higher compared to figures recorded in the same period in 2025. Yet CICC Executive Director Renato “Aboy” Paraiso believes this issue is still very much underreported.“Sa loob ng wala pang 2 buwan ngayong 2026, mahigit P8 million na ang nanakaw sa bulsa ng ating mga kababayan dahil sa mga (online lending apps) na ‘to,” he said.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/2/23/sec-fines-pesocash-operator-over-unfair-debt-collection-practices-1131">SEC fines Pesocash operator over unfair debt collection practices</a></div>Many of the victims are women, like Sheena, not her real name, who resorted to online lending apps after her husband died, leaving her as the sole breadwinner of their family. “Kapit sa patalim na lang siguro. Pambayad ko sa tubig tsaka ilaw. Pagpapakain pa, gamot pa sa anak ko na PWD (Person With Disability). E wala talaga ako mapagkuhanan,” she said.Sheena borrowed P5,000 but received only P3,000 due to additional fees. She was given just 7 days to pay, despite requesting a one-month repayment period. Though she managed to pay, her troubles did not end there. “Hindi naman makarating daw sa kanila. Sabi ko may resibo naman ako. Ibang pangalan daw yung nagtawag sakin, baka ibang agent daw,” she said.That was when the harassment began.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/10/16/sec-cracks-down-on-credit-cash-credit-peso-operator-1506">SEC cracks down on Credit Cash, Credit Peso operator over &#x27;unfair&#x27; collection practices</a></div>“Katakot-takot na text nila sakin, tatawag na pag di mo yan babayaran, may kabaong na dyan sa harap ng bahay niyo. Bigla ka nalang tutumba dyan, may papatay na sa’yo. Doon ako na-stress talaga,” she recounted. “Lahat nung nasa cellphone na naka-phonebook sakin, lahat pa itetext, mga bastos pa,” she added.Authorities have already taken down several notorious and unregistered online lending platforms. But with new ones continuing to emerge, the CICC is now pushing to educate the public under a new awareness campaign.<div>ONLINE LENDING RED FLAGS</div>The CICC warns the public to steer clear of online promotions that direct you to online lending websites, rather than actual apps, with automatic authorization or auto-collection features.  Because of this, scammers gain access to a user’s contact list or online friends, which they later use to harass and pressure borrowers.“Hindi mo balak mangutang, magpa-pop up sa mga social media pages mo. Tapos iki-click mo dahil na-curious ka lang, nangutang ka na pala. Hindi na sila hihingi ng credit card. It automatically authorizes you to share your Facebook details,” explained Paraiso. <div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/8/21/paocc-warns-filipinos-vs-illegal-abusive-online-lending-apps-1708">PAOCC warns Filipinos vs illegal, abusive online lending apps </a> </div>“Hindi dapat ganun, may consent form dapat yan,” he added.Another thing to watch out for: excessive hidden charges, even when advertised interest rates appear low.“If it’s too good to be true, it’s not true,” reiterated Paraiso.“According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, it should not exceed 15 percent per annum, lahat-lahat ng fees, including yung interest, yung mga operational fees, transaction fees,” he noted.In terms of enforcement, the CICC is coordinating with the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group and the National Bureau of Investigation to go after syndicates behind these scams. “We know that the funding, the operations are located outside the country. Pero yung mga collector na andito sa Pilipinas, mabigat ang parusa dyan, because you are part of a syndicate. Syndicated estafa yan, non-bailable yan. So just try us,” Paraiso warned.<div>TELEGRAM BAN? </div>One messaging app supposedly used a lot by abusive collection agents to avoid being traced is Telegram, since the cellphone numbers of account holders are not visible.Earlier, the Department of Information and Communications Technology warned it could ban Telegram for failing to cooperate in stopping crimes on its platform, including the sale of contraband, prostitution, and human trafficking. <div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/9/16/no-cap-on-interest-rates-for-online-loans-sec-1920">No cap on interest rates for online loans — SEC </a> </div>But according to Paraiso, Telegram has since agreed to coordinate with authorities to help identify cybercriminals and block them from using the app.“It’s not a policy of the CICC or DICT yung iba-ban natin ‘tong mga applications na ‘to just because. Ang sinasabi natin, if the platform is used to commit criminal activities, we have to have a way malaman sino yung mga kriminal na ‘to. Otherwise, they are aiding and abetting the commission of these crimes,” he said. However, a tech policy expert warns that clear guidelines are needed when taking down accounts.Dominic Ligot, the AI Ethics &amp; Data Governance Director of the Philippine AI Business Association, noted that excessive regulation could risk turning into censorship, especially for an app commonly used by journalists. “What if you are unfairly identified as a threat actor? Because people can be mistagged. How do you appeal, diba? How do you negotiate? Parang napaka one-sided,” he said.On its part, the CICC reassured the public that it will only target criminals.“Pag nag-commit na ng crime, tsaka lang namin tinatanong yung mga platforms na ‘to. Hindi yung hindi pa nagcocommit ng crime, kailangan alam na namin lahat ng detalye, hindi ganun,” said Paraiso.

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center launched a new campaign against unregistered online lending platforms as more Filipinos fall victim to illegal schemes.

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center launched a new campaign against unregistered online lending platforms as more Filipinos fall victim to illegal schemes.

Gov’t cracks down on unregistered online lending apps as more Filipinos fall victim to modus

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Gov’t cracks down on unregistered online lending apps as more Filipinos fall victim to modus

Andrea Taguines,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 27, 2026 07:07 PM PHT

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Online lending apps

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