Apple has banned a total of six quick-lending loan apps in India. The Cupertino-tech giant has taken down these apps from its App Store in the country after complaints from multiple users on social media and online forums. According to users, these apps had access to sensitive data like contacts and gallery files, which were being used unlawfully to recover money. These apps were also engaging in unethical and predatory practices for loan recovery. Here are all details of the banned apps on the App Store in India.
6 Rapid Loan Apps Banned by Apple in India
Wtf is this, a personal loan app called Kash is threatening to send morphed nude photos of their customer to her entire contact list?! pic.twitter.com/5LcsukVgef
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) July 3, 2023
The Cupertino-based tech giant Apple has taken strict measures against 6 rapid loan apps in India. These apps were White Kash, Pocket Kash, Golden Kash, Ok Rupee, Rupiya Box, and Cash Mama. These apps were only available on Apple’s App Store in India and have been taken down since.
In one of the most severe cases involving this app, a user was threatened to circulate their morphed nudes to their contact list. This app was White Kash, available only on App Store in India. However, all other apps mentioned above have been engaging in unethical practices like calling contact lists with morphed pictures and even threatening physical harm if the loan amount is not paid on time.
According to various reports, these apps were developed and listed by shady individuals and websites. The listing pages of these apps were full of customer reviews confirming the unethical practices. Apple has removed these apps from the store, citing a violation of the rules and guidelines outlined in the Apple Developer Program License Agreement.
A loan app Ok Rupee which is threatening people for leaking their forge nude pics into their contacts.
Surprisingly I can see Cyber complaint is already filled with that app complaint but no action has been taken yet @CybercrimeCID
— priyanka singh (@itz_priyankaa) June 20, 2023
Some users claimed that there had been several complaints filed against Ok Rupee, one such app that indulged in unethical practice, with Cyber Crime Cell, and no action has been taken yet. This has led to a severe crisis where users of such apps are taking their own lives due to relentless pressure from loan recovery agents, threats being sent to their relatives, and no action being taken by authorities.
Important Disclaimer. We want to clarify that Blazeclan Technologies is not associated with the ‘Ok Rupee’ Application or Website. Be cautious and refrain from engaging with any unauthorized claims.#fraud #alert #fraudprevention #securityawareness #cybercrime #cybersecurity pic.twitter.com/70OZxEmbwF
— Blazeclan Technologies (@blazeclan_hq) July 3, 2023
A loan app called Ok Rupee is threatening people for leaking their forge nude pics into their contacts. To make matters worse, the app even claimed to be affiliated with leading financial institutions to look credible. Ok Rupee app claimed to be affiliated with Blazeclan Technologies, forcing the company to issue a public disclaimer, as you can see above.
Apple has assured that the company will keep looking for apps that don’t adhere to its data security and privacy policies. It will also work with the Indian government to address the crisis. Apple is not alone as Google also pulled the plug on over 3,500 such apps from its Play Store earlier this year.
However, there are still a lot of such rapid loan apps in the finance section of both the App Store and Play Store. It’s advised to refrain from using such rapid loan apps at all. However, if you must, read the reviews before signing up and applying for a personal loan on these apps.
