Report Loan App Harassment in Pakistan to SECP and NCCIA
Loan app threatening you or messaging your contacts? Check the SECP whitelist, save proof, then report to NCCIA on 1799 and to the SECP. Steps checked today.
If a loan app is threatening you, messaging your contacts or posting your photos, report it in two places: the SECP, which licenses lenders, and the NCCIA cyber crime helpline on 1799. Do it the same day, and keep every message as proof.
It usually starts with a small loan and a very short repayment date, then threats and messages to your phone contacts. We opened the SECP and NCCIA websites on 2 October 2026 to check how loan app harassment can be reported in Pakistan today. Both reporting routes work, and neither one costs anything.
The scale is not small. The NCCIA's own homepage shows 139,464 complaints for 2026, and says financial fraud is the top reported cyber crime at 48 per cent.
First check whether the loan app is legal
The SECP publishes a whitelist of approved digital lending apps on its website. The version we opened is dated 11 September 2026. If your app is not on it, the lender is not licensed, and every payment it demands is a risk.
Search the SECP website for "White List of Digital Lending Apps" and download the latest file. Match the exact app name and the company behind it.
The SECP keeps a second list too: illegal personal loan apps and platforms. The copy on its site was last updated on 19 May 2025. In a February 2024 press release, the SECP said illegal apps were being spread as APK files through websites, emails and social media, outside the official app stores. It said these apps carry risks including misuse of personal data, fraud, and blackmail or harassment.
So the source of the app matters. An app you installed from a link on WhatsApp is a warning sign on its own. The SECP's advice is to download approved loan apps only from the official Google and Apple stores.
Save the evidence before you do anything else
Your complaint is only as strong as your proof. Before you block numbers or delete the app, take screenshots of every threat, note each caller's number, and save your loan details. Deleted messages are hard to get back later.
- Screenshot every message with the date, time and sender's number showing. Include messages your friends and relatives received about you.
- Record the loan details: app name, amount you received, amount demanded, due date and every payment you made, with transaction IDs.
- Save call logs. A list of numbers that called you, and when, helps investigators link the callers.
- Keep the app's name and download link, or a screenshot of its store page.
- Then remove the app's permissions. In your phone settings, turn off its access to contacts, photos and files.
Warn your close family before the app does. A short message saying "a loan app may send you lies about me, ignore it" takes the power out of the threat.
Report the threats to the NCCIA on 1799
Threats, blackmail and messages to your contacts are cyber crime. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) takes these reports from every province. Its homepage shows a 24/7 helpline, 1799, and an online form at complaint.nccia.gov.pk.
We opened the NCCIA complaint form on 2 October 2026. It asks for your full name, CNIC, gender, mobile number and city, all marked as required. Email, occupation and postal address are optional. You then choose a crime category and describe what happened.
The category list on the form is one line: "Cybercrime (Hacking, Electronic Frauds, Cyber Stalking, Online Defamation, Hate Speech and Other)". Loan app harassment fits it. In the details box, write the facts in order: the app, the loan, the threats and the numbers used.
The NCCIA also lists a head office phone, +92 51 9106692, and the email helpdesk@nccia.gov.pk.
Complain to the SECP about the lender
The SECP regulates non-bank lenders, including licensed digital lending companies. It wants you to complain to the company first. If that fails, you can complain online through the "Submit Your Complaint" button on the SECP homepage, by fax or by post.
| SECP channel | Details |
|---|---|
| Online complaint | "Submit Your Complaint" button on the SECP homepage |
| Questions | Toll free 080088008 (free from a landline only) |
| Email for queries | queries@secp.gov.pk |
| Fax | +92 51 9100471 |
| Post | Service Desk, SECP, NIC Building, 63 Jinnah Avenue, Islamabad 44000 |
The SECP's complaints page lists these routes. It says frivolous complaints will not be entertained, so stick to facts you can show.
A licensed lender is also under rules. The SECP announced on 28 December a directive against mis-selling, data privacy breaches and coercive recovery by licensed digital lending companies. A licensed app that threatens you is breaking the terms of its own licence. Say so in your complaint.
For an unlicensed app, the SECP's February 2024 press release said it acts against illegal apps together with the FIA and PTA. It also said it had blocked 132 illegal apps with Google, Apple, the FIA and PTA by then.
Bank loans and credit cards go to the Banking Mohtasib
If the harasser is a bank, not an app company, the route is different. The State Bank's Sunwai FAQ says the Banking Mohtasib Pakistan can hear complaints about harassment in loan recovery. You complain to the bank first, then to the Mohtasib.
The same FAQ says the State Bank has no jurisdiction over non-bank finance companies. Those complaints go to the SECP. That is why an app run by a non-bank lender is the SECP's business, while a credit card from a bank is not.
For the bank route, the step most people miss is the written first complaint to the bank. Without it, the Banking Mohtasib will send you back to the start.
What not to do while the complaint runs
Do not pay extra money just to stop the threats, and do not borrow from a second app to repay the first. Both make the problem bigger. Keep paying only what you actually owe a licensed lender, and keep receipts.
- Do not share your CNIC picture or OTP codes with anyone who calls about the loan.
- Do not delete the app before you have screenshots of its name, terms and your loan record.
- Do not stay silent. Shame is the tool these apps rely on. Telling family early removes it.
If someone threatens your safety in person, go to the nearest police station as well. A cyber complaint does not replace that.
Common questions
Is it legal for a loan app to message my contacts?
No legal lender should threaten you or shame you to your contacts. The SECP has issued a directive against coercive recovery by licensed digital lenders. Report it to the SECP and to the NCCIA.
Do I still have to repay an illegal loan app?
We cannot give legal advice on that. What we can say is that the SECP treats unlisted apps as illegal and acts against them. Take advice before paying any amount demanded under threat.
Which number do I call for loan app blackmail?
Call 1799, the NCCIA's 24/7 helpline shown on its homepage. You can also file online at complaint.nccia.gov.pk.
How do I know if a loan app is approved by the SECP?
Check the SECP's White List of Digital Lending Apps on its website. The copy we opened on 2 October 2026 was dated 11 September 2026.
Can I complain to the SECP by phone?
The SECP's toll free number, 080088008, is for queries and is free only from a landline. File the complaint itself online, by fax or by post.
Does the State Bank handle loan app complaints?
No. The State Bank's Sunwai FAQ says it has no jurisdiction over non-bank finance companies, and that complaints against them go to the SECP.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 2 October 2026. We opened these pages ourselves in a browser on that date: the SECP White List of Digital Lending Apps page (dated 11 September 2026), the SECP list of illegal personal loan apps and platforms (last updated 19 May 2025), the SECP complaints page for its complaint routes and contact details, the SECP press release of 28 December on digital lending standards, and the SECP press release of 14 February 2024 on illegal loan apps. We read the NCCIA homepage for the 1799 helpline and its 2026 complaint figures, and the NCCIA complaint form for its required fields and crime category. The Banking Mohtasib and SECP jurisdiction points are from the State Bank's Sunwai FAQ. The year of the 28 December SECP directive is not shown on its page, so we have not stated it. We did not file a complaint ourselves, so we cannot say how long either body takes to respond. Nothing here is legal advice.
About the author
Tax, Bills and Technology Writer
Ali Akhtar is a young and curious voice here at Pakistan Era. He is currently pursuing his A-Levels and has a growing interest in Pakistan’s changing industrial landscape and educational trends. Ali likes to write in a way that helps him explain and explore the world around him. His writing reflects the perspective of the new generation navigating the evolving trends of Pakistan where technology, youth innovation, and shifting opportunities are reshaping the country’s future.
