What should I do if a loan app threatens to share my private photos?

This is a severe violation of your privacy and is explicitly illegal. The Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023 protects your personal data, including your photos, from being shared without your consent. Furthermore, threatening to share private photos to shame or extort you is a criminal act that falls under cyber harassment and potentially even cyber blackmail, as outlined in the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 .

You should not negotiate or plead with the app, as this often encourages them. Instead, you need to take decisive action immediately.

Example/Illustration:

Imagine a loan app sends you a WhatsApp message: "Pay the N50,000 by 5 PM today or we will send your picture with a caption saying you are a wanted criminal to all your contacts."

Your 3-Step Action Plan:

1. Do Not Pay Out of Fear. Paying will not stop the threat. They may keep your photo and demand more money later.
2. Document the Crime. Immediately take a screenshot of the entire conversation, including the app's phone number and the timestamp. This is your primary piece of evidence.
3. Report to the Police. Do not rely only on the FCCPC for this. Take your evidence to the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC). You can visit your state command's cybercrime unit or file a report online. This is a criminal threat, and the police have the authority to track the perpetrators. Ask for a case number for your records .