Predators on the Web: An Investigative Report on Student Harassment and Targetting by Loan Apps

By Bello Ameena, David Faith Ann, Azeez Azeezat,Bamidele Samuel, Badmus Teslim

As an issue of significant prevalence, harassment and scamming of citizens by loan apps have pervaded the Nigerian digital/online landscape, quickly transforming into a swift trap with the number of victims continuously building up. 

Studies, news reports and stats, document the effects of these predatory practices in Nigeria, which include increased consumer complaints and mental health issues, exhibited in the form of depression, anxiety and even suicidal complexes. 

A recent case study of some notorious loan apps by Felix O. Idowu, titled, The Dark Side of Digital Lending: The Rise, Proliferation, and Perils of Online Loans in Nigeria, also exposed how unregulated lending practices have created a debt trap for borrowers while exploring some moral implications as well, including violations of consumer rights, cyberbullying, and of course, coercive debt recovery tactics. 

This is to show how problematic this phenomenon has become over the last few years, so much so that the Civil society organization Citizens' Gavel has received at least 1,300 complaints over digital predatory loan apps. And in a report by The Street Journal (TSJ), back in September, 2025, The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), warned digital loan platforms and other businesses against harassing Nigerians in the name of debt recovery, stating that it has received overwhelmingly numerous complaints from consumers over abusive collection methods, “including threatening calls, offensive text messages, and the public shaming of debtors on social media.”

Moreover, as reports have it, these tactics could range from cyberbullying, excessive interest rates and hidden fees, and breach of privacy (in order to access sensitive data which is eventually used to blackmail and harass during debt recovery).

Be that as it may, it becomes a necessary obligation, as journalists, to take a closer look into this trend. In doing so, however, one must consider a given demographic of potential victims who are more likely to be prone to exposure to these predatory practices. This is why selecting students as interviewees for this investigation can be said to be justified. As it is, due to active social media usage and digital presence, as well as financial constraints that can occasionally be faced by students, many times, they are left vulnerable, falling straight into the hands of these perpetrators. 

For some students they discover these loan apps through online media or friends already using these platforms. From the first interview conducted, for instance, it was derived that students make contact with these apps first through ads online or hearing from a friend who utilises a loan app. These students have tried apps like Fairmoney, Palmpay and Easymoney. The primary goal is shown with utmost clarity because the loans are given quickly and it requires no collateral. The application process is simple but all these come with a cost.

Largely, the first encounter with these loan apps is deceptively calm. “Different loan apps usually call me, telling me I could  borrow money,” Ali recounted. 

“One day I decided to pick them up because the calls were constant from apps like Fair money, Easy Money and Okash. The application process was actually stress-free, and I got the loan in no time,” he stated. 

Another student, Bose however described a more chaotic first interaction, stating that her first encounter was a hectic one. She mentioned that “calls came in about two times per hour, and as your repayment period approaches the calls increase.” This excessive calling is a sentiment also echoed by the third interviewee, Zakariyyah.

These experiences by the students lay emphasis on the tactics used by these predators to pressure students into borrowing. Through their barrage of calls and messages they create an atmosphere of tension and confusion in their minds. Eventually, this same presure is applied on victims once the loan has been disbursed. This according to Ali, is where harassment really begins.