PAOCC, NBI RAID LENDING APP FIRM IN PASIG, ARREST 168 WORKERS

SOME 168 employees of an online lending company allegedly harassing borrowers on Tuesday were arrested in a raid led by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Pasig City.

Raided was an online lending firm with office at the 22nd floor of Robinsons Equitable Tower in Pasig City.

The place is the main operating hub of Creditable Lending Corporation, the company behind the online lending application Easy Peso.

Joint operatives of the PAOCC, NBI, PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG), PNP-CIDG, National Privacy Commission (NPC), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) launched the raid by virtue of a Warrant to Search, Seize, and Examine Computer Data (WSSECD) issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 46 in Manila.

Seized were hundreds of computers and several company-issued mobile phones allegedly used for harassment during debt collection, along with hundreds of pre-registered SIM cards, text blasters, and harassment scripts.

Prior to the operation, a former employee came forward to expose how the company harassed borrowers.

According to the PAOCC, some victims were directed to send payments to personal GCash or bank accounts under the guise of clearing their loans, only to be contacted again by collectors despite having paid.

The PAOCC said the operation came days after a male borrower took his own life after suffering harassment from individuals connected with Easy Peso.

The arrested employees are facing charges of violating the Data Privacy Act, Cybercrime Prevention Act, and Financial Products and Services Consumer Protection Act.