Illegal lending apps have unleashed massive advertising campaigns, prompting a thorough investigation by multiple agencies to protect citizens and their money from being siphoned off. The Union government’s recent report reviewed by News18 has highlighted the alarming trend, drawing the attention of cybersecurity agencies, who have asked tech giants to deploy experts to curb the menace.
These ads, orchestrated by organised threat actors — some of whom operate from abroad — have raised serious concerns, and the government has urged companies like Google and Meta to handle the matter with utmost importance.
Analysis by a central cyber agency has revealed that numerous mobile applications are running ad campaigns through Meta platforms.
Multiple suicides have been reported across India linked to harassment and extortion by illegal app operators and loan-recovery agents. The exploitation of users by misusing app permissions exacerbates the issue, with harvested credentials and data posing future cybercrime risks.
Now, running massive ad campaigns to lure people will add fuel to fire as agencies are struggling to curb the effects of these illegal loan-lending apps.
Government sources have told News18 that the Centre has urged Meta to bolster its malicious advertisement detection mechanisms to curb the widespread problem of loan app-related harassment. Additionally, strict advertising policies, especially for financial services ads originating from overseas, are being enforced. Redirection analysis for published ads is also mandated to track their origins and ensure compliance.
To enhance detection efforts, the government advocates for the correlation of known patterns such as IP addresses, payment information, and geographic locations associated with blacklisted or detected apps. Meta is urged to deploy a team of experts to scrutinise emerging platform abuse patterns, as emphasised by a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official speaking to News18 on the condition of anonymity.
Furthermore, safety campaigns targeting loan customers are slated for launch. Beyond Meta’s involvement, Google is requested to act on hash values identified as malware in the report. Integrating these values into Play Protect and developing auto-detection algorithms will help eliminate similar malicious apps from the Android ecosystem. Telecom companies are also tasked with identifying telemarketers to further combat the illicit promotion of these apps.
The collaborative efforts of government agencies, tech giants, and telecommunications providers aim to safeguard citizens from the pernicious impacts of illegal lending apps, the official said. It will help in fortifying detection mechanisms, enforcing stringent policies, and fostering industry collaboration, stakeholders strive to mitigate the threats posed by these exploitative practices and ensure the security of digital consumers.
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