Loans App finds a cheeky way of dealing with defaulters
A mobile application for loans has found a cheeky way of dealing with loan defaulters.
The App, O-Kash that is owned by Opera Group, has been texting and calling the contacts of customers who default loan repayment.
Victims took to the app’s Facebook page to voice their complaints with some terming it a breach of privacy.
“Pitisha 2 days, they will call all your relatives. I don’t know how they steal data from people’s phones but someone is investigating them and soon will fight them in court for breach of privacy. They called my 3 girlfriends and my dad and my brother yet I was late for 1 day. I had to borrow to pay them. I wont dare,” one wrote.
“Nyinyi ni mavi ya kuku…lazima mtangazie kila mtu kwa my contact list ati Niko na Deni yenu?” another questioned.
‘MESS YOU UP’
“Don’t try O-kash, these people will mess you up even if you fail to repay by one day. They will be calling all your contacts and increasing their loan daily,” another warned.
“It’s the worst app…how can they call your friends, its like ulikopa na wao. Very disgusting. Its supposed to be borrower and lender not everyone to know. They aren’t private even your details, they’ll just expose them,” another added.
“A disgracing app???Who gave them the right to announce our debts to our contacts?? This is total embarrassment… Just 2k and they behave nikama ile deni ya China,” a user scorned.
Nairobi News contacted the Managing Director of Opera in Kenya Eddie Ndichu for a comment but by the time of publishing he was yet to respond.
Editor’s Note: After the publication of this story, OKash responded through an email.
“OKash operates under a standard procedure for debt collection similar to other financial services in Kenya. As a new service, we are still in process of testing various methods for collecting bad debt, and we will evaluate the current practice in reference,” Opera communication manager Alejandro Viquez said.