u/Emotional_Decision96

If they fail to reach you by phone, some agents will attempt to hack your Facebook and Gmail accounts. I strongly suggest that everyone secures their personal details immediately. Change your passwords to something much stronger, and be sure to write them down or take a screenshot so you don't forget them.

Additionally, ensure all your contact details are set to private. If you are currently being targeted, I recommend deactivating your social media accounts or temporarily changing your
profile name. Most importantly,

set your friends list to "Only Me" to prevent them from reaching out to and harassing your friends.
Extra Security Tips
To make your advice even more effective, you might want to suggest these two specific steps to your viewers:

• Turn on 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication): Even if they guess a password, they won't be able to log in without a code sent to your phone or an authenticator app.

• Check "Logged In Devices": In Facebook and Gmail settings, you can see every device currently logged into your account. If you see a device you don't recognize, you can "Log Out" of that session immediately.

I applied for a ₱10,000 loan, but I only received roughly ₱6,400. It was then that I realized I had likely been scammed. I took out the loan on April 19, with a due date set for April 25. However, starting April 23—two days before the deadline—I began receiving threats and harassment. Being unfamiliar with how these schemes work at the time, I suffered from severe anxiety. I didn’t realize from day one that I had fallen victim to an illegal Online Lending App (OLA).
By April 25, I had paid back an amount equivalent to the principal. My next scheduled payment was for May 2, bringing the total repayment to over ₱10,000, despite only receiving ₱6,000+. Others advised me to stop paying altogether, as these collectors often continue to harass borrowers even after a loan is fully settled.
It is now May 3, and their tactics have escalated:
• Identity Threats: They previously emailed my own valid ID and a photo of my face back to me to intimidate me, but I didn't give in.
• Barangay Threats: They claimed to have contacted my local Barangay Captain and threatened a field visit, which never happened.
• Reference Harassment: They have long threatened to contact my references. While it hasn't happened yet, I am wary now that I am officially "overdue."

Tas posted na raw mukha ko sa soc med which is ive been trying to look everywhere, wala naman.

Throughout this ordeal, I have remained silent. I block every number and never reply. I’ve realized these are all scare tactics designed to pressure me into paying exorbitant, illegal fees.

Worst thing is, ung app nila has been removed sa App Store Pero ongoing pa mga kanilang harassment.

It might feel scary at first because you were caught off guard, but trust me, it gets easier as the days go by. You’ll eventually stop worrying because you'll realize that their actions were illegal from the very beginning. All you need to do is post an awareness notice on your social media stating that your phone was hacked and warn your contacts about it. The truth is, your contact list was compromised the moment you clicked “allow access to contacts” in the app.

Note: There is no official Tala app in the Apple App Store. Any "Tala" app found there is a clone or a scam. The only legitimate Tala app is available on the Google Play Store