Fake Loan Apps: Is Your Data Being Stolen Now?

J&K Police have warned people about fake loan apps that steal personal data and defraud users. These scam apps look real but trap borrowers with hidden charges, data theft, and harassment — a growing threat across all of India.

Here's what happened: J&K Police issued a public warning about fake loan apps that steal users' personal data including contacts and photos and defraud them financially.. These fraudulent apps mimic legitimate lenders, offer instant loans with no paperwork, then extort borrowers using harvested private data as blackmail material.. Victims face harassment calls, morphed images sent to contacts, and financial loss — a pattern now reported across multiple Indian states, not just J&K..

What you should do: Check any loan app on RBI's official list of registered NBFCs and digital lenders at rbi.org.in before downloading — if it's not there, do not install it.. File a complaint immediately on the RBI Sachet portal (sachet.rbi.org.in) or the National Cyber Crime portal (cybercrime.gov.in) if you have already been targeted.. Revoke all permissions (contacts, camera, storage) from suspicious apps in your phone's Settings and uninstall them before they can upload more of your data..

Legitimate RBI-regulated digital lenders never access your contact list or photo gallery. Any loan app that asks for these permissions at install is a red flag — deny and delete.