On May 17, the Cabinet division had issued a communiqué, warning the public about the scam apps that were active on Play Store.
Despite a passage of nearly eight months, the incidents of data theft and misuse related to the said apps are growing unchecked.
Their modus operandi is that they get access to personal data with the offer to grant small loans. But it follows a retrieval of contact lists of the users, and a subsequent misuse of the same.
Zarrar Khuhro, host of Dawn TV programme Zara Hut Kay, recently revealed that the misuse may range from contacting one's contacts for the repayment to blackmailing.
In one case, he added, a woman was threatened that her doctored images would go viral if she failed to repay the loan received.
Sharing his thoughts at the programme, co-founder Data Darbar Mutahir Khan indicated multiple issues with the apps, such as massive interest rates, lies, and harassment.
He advised the users to stay away from such apps altogether in order to avert a potential blackmailing.