illustration of money being transferred over mobile
Source: India Today

How to find out if a digital lending platform is fake
by Rohit Shrivastava, Group head- legal,compliance & regulatory affairs, Balancehero India

illustration of money being transferred over mobile
Source: India Today

In a speech, Modi appreciated the contribution of Indian fintech players to India’s economy. He centered on the truth that forty percent of the world’s transactions that are electronic take place in India, emphasizing the development of the industry and its particular inclusiveness. While there has been a rise in the number of customers transacting through digital platforms, our company is additionally witnessing the increase in fake financing platforms which are tarnishing the image of the lending industry that is electronic.

Here are a few measures that users can decide to try to ensure that they are transacting with a genuine lender that is digital

As per a concentrate by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) working group on computerized loaning, up to six hundred extortion credit applications are there in a few application stores for Android clients in India. That credit candidate, thus, ought to initially confirm the name that is genuine of the application, its positions, surveys on the product shop, and so forth, before setting it up.

Clients likewise need to take care of business that is conceived applying for credit and attempt to get the subtleties of the organization working the application be that its site, contact subtleties, actual office address in Asia along with subtleties of banks dispensing credits through the product.

NBFC internet sites: it is critical to check the names of lending entities associated with the app (as per Google that is current policy it’s mandatory for lending apps to mention the names of all registered NBFCs and banks it is connected with), and the loan tenure (nearly all of the play stores do not allow short-term individual loans). Further, as per RBI tips on electronic lending platforms dated 24 June 2020, it is mandatory for NBFCs to list the name associated with the lending that is digital on their website too.

It’s been observed that many rogue apps falsify licensed NBFCs to their association. Hence, one should always check the ‘partners’ section on the website of the NBFCs that are applicable to verify all necessary details of their authorized digital platform providers. One should be wary of loan apps that are not listed on the website of the lending company.

App permissions: one concern that is major the illegal apps have raised is data collection by fraudulently taking various permissions from a user and misusing it later. Apps have the right to collect a minimum of that is just individual data after indicating the use of each data/ access permission thus obtained.

Loan documents: As per guidelines on the Fair Practice Code prescribed by RBI, a loan provider should disclose information that is necessary which affects the interest associated with the borrower) in a transparent and upfront manner so your borrower will make informed decisions. Most of the time, rogue apps either do not offer loan paperwork or fail to provide information that is necessary mandated by RBI. A user should constantly insist on a loan agreement while applying for the loan even from financing that is digital and verify that the loan agreement discloses the name of the actual lender, processing fees, annualized interest rate, penalty, repayment routine, etc.

RBI has over and over cautioned people not to fall prey to apps that are unscrupulous to verify the antecedents of the company/entity offering loans online or through mobile apps. Further, it has provided a dedicated‘Sachet that is a portal for reporting rogue apps.

This also underlines the significance of trustworthy and industry that works well /self-regulatory organizations (SRO) covering the participants in the ecosystem. These associations and SRO will play an important role in tackling illegal app issues, leading to heightened understanding among customers and enabling them to make informed choices in the longer term.