Lending and financing companies, and the agencies they hire, may not shame you, threaten you, insult you, call before 6 a.m. or after 10 p.m., or message people in your contacts other than your named guarantors. That is SEC MC No. 18 s.2019, issued Aug 19, 2019. Report a collector to the SEC, and report misuse of your contacts or personal data to the National Privacy Commission. Of the 179 SEC-registered lenders on this site, 79 publish a customer-service contact on their own Google Play listing or website, and only 2 (Cashini and Lendra) publish a separate complaints channel, so most complaints start with general customer service.
The eight prohibited collection practices
A lender may resort to “all reasonable and legally permissible means to collect amounts due”, but under Sec. 1 of the circular it, and any third party it hires, may not:
Use or threaten violence or other criminal means to harm you, your reputation or your property. Sec. 1(a)
Threaten action that cannot legally be taken. Sec. 1(b)
Use obscenities, insults or profane language. Sec. 1(c)
Disclose or publish your name and personal information as someone who refuses to pay. Sec. 1(d)
Tell anyone loan information that is false, or fail to say the debt is disputed. Sec. 1(e)
Use false representation or deception to collect or to get information about you. Sec. 1(f)
Contact you before 6:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m., unless the account is more than 15 days past due or you agreed to those times. Sec. 1(g)
Contact people in your phone contacts other than the guarantors or co-makers you named, even if you consented. Sec. 1(h)
The contacts rule in the SEC's own words: “Notwithstanding the borrower's consent, contacting the persons in the borrower's contact list other than those who were named as guarantors or co-makers shall also constitute unfair debt collection practice.” Read the circular (PDF).
Collectors, in-house or outsourced, must give you their full name or true identity (Sec. 4).
Every lending and financing company must have a customer service unit or person to handle borrower complaints (Sec. 4).
The company stays responsible for what a collection agency it hires does (Sec. 3).
Which office handles what. Rules: SEC MC No. 18 s.2019 (Aug 19, 2019); SEC MC No. 14 s.2025 (effective Apr 1, 2026); RA 9474; RA 10173.
What happened
Where to report
Legal basis
How
Collector shames you, threatens you, insults you or calls at night
SEC
SEC MC No. 18 s.2019, Sec. 1(a) to (g)
Hotline 14732 or the iMessage portal
People in your contacts are messaged about your loan
SEC and National Privacy Commission
SEC MC No. 18 s.2019, Sec. 1(h); Data Privacy Act (RA 10173)
SEC 14732; NPC complaints@privacy.gov.ph
Your photo or personal data is posted online
National Privacy Commission
SEC MC No. 18 s.2019, Sec. 1(d); RA 10173
Complaints-Assisted Form (CAF) to complaints@privacy.gov.ph, or (+63) 2 5322 1322 local 114 or 115
Charges above the cap on a loan of ₱10,000 or less, up to four months
SEC
SEC MC No. 14 s.2025, Sec. 3
Hotline 14732
The app is not on the SEC list at all
SEC
RA 9474, Sec. 12
Hotline 14732; do not pay it any fee
What to put in your complaint
The app name and the company behind it, with its SEC Registration No. and Certificate of Authority No. (each app page on this site lists them).
Your loan date, amount and due date, from the Disclosure Statement.
Screenshots of each message or post, showing the sender's number or account and the date.
The names of the contacts who were messaged, if any.
Which prohibited act each one is, by clause: for example “Sec. 1(h), contacted my co-worker who is not my guarantor”.
SEC (unfair collection, overcharging, unregistered lenders): hotline 14732 or the SEC iMessage portal.
National Privacy Commission (contacts messaged, photos or data posted): send its Complaints-Assisted Form (CAF) to complaints@privacy.gov.ph, or call (+63) 2 5322 1322 local 114 or 115 (privacy.gov.ph).
On unsecured loans of ₱10,000 or less for up to four months, taken out from Apr 1, 2026, the late or non-payment penalty is capped at 5% a month on the amount due, and interest, fees and penalties together cannot pass the amount borrowed (SEC MC No. 14 s.2025, Sec. 3).
Can you be jailed for an unpaid loan?
The 1987 Constitution, Art. III, Sec. 20: “No person shall be imprisoned for debt or non-payment of a poll tax.” (LawPhil). Issuing a check that bounces for insufficient funds is a separate offense under Batas Pambansa Blg. 22, punishable by imprisonment of 30 days to one year, a fine, or both. (BP Blg. 22 (LawPhil))
What a lender faces
Under Sec. 5, each loan of each complainant counts as one violation. A second offense costs a lending company ₱50,000 and a financing company ₱100,000; a third can bring a fine of up to ₱1,000,000, suspension of lending for 60 days or revocation of the Certificate of Authority.
This page explains the SEC and NPC rules and where to complain; it is not legal advice on your case. For threats of violence, go to the police; for a damages claim, a lawyer.
Questions
How do I stop loan app harassment?
Switch off the app's contacts permission, keep screenshots of every message, and report the collector: to the SEC on hotline 14732 or its iMessage portal, and to the National Privacy Commission at complaints@privacy.gov.ph if your contacts were messaged or your details posted.
Can a loan app call or message my contacts?
No, except the guarantors or co-makers you named. SEC MC No. 18 s.2019 Sec. 1(h) makes contacting anyone else in your contact list an unfair collection practice, even if you gave consent.
Can an online lending app post me on Facebook?
No. Disclosing or publishing the names and personal information of borrowers who allegedly refuse to pay is an unfair collection practice under SEC MC No. 18 s.2019 Sec. 1(d).
What time can loan collectors call?
Not before 6:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m., unless the account is more than 15 days past due or you agreed in writing, electronically or on record that those are the only convenient times (SEC MC No. 18 s.2019 Sec. 1(g)).
Can I be jailed for an unpaid loan?
The 1987 Constitution says: "No person shall be imprisoned for debt or non-payment of a poll tax." (1987 Constitution, Art. III, Sec. 20). Issuing a check that bounces is a separate offense under BP Blg. 22.
What happens to a lender that harasses borrowers?
Under SEC MC No. 18 s.2019 Sec. 5, a second offense costs a lending company ₱50,000 and a financing company ₱100,000; a third can mean a fine of up to ₱1,000,000, suspension of lending for 60 days or revocation of the Certificate of Authority.
