Hong Kong woman held for allegedly doxxing ex-classmate over HK$20 million loan
Privacy watchdog says fliers with victim’s name, Hong Kong ID number, address and photos were circulated after she failed to pay interest
A 60-year-old woman has been arrested in Hong Kong for allegedly disclosing the personal details of a former schoolmate who borrowed around HK$20 million (US$2.6 million) but later stopped paying interest, according to the city’s privacy watchdog.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said on Wednesday that the incident stemmed from a dispute over a loan in 2018 when the victim, a woman, was facing financial difficulties while operating a factory.
The pair, who had known each other from secondary school, reconnected that year, when the victim sought to borrow money from the arrested woman, the watchdog said.
Its investigation found the doxxing victim had originally promised to pay interest on the loan every month, with the total loan ballooning to about HK$20 million.
But the victim stopped paying interest to the woman in early 2025. It was not immediately clear how much of the loan had been repaid in the intervening years.
Between April and May, one of the victim’s neighbours began receiving fliers in the post containing what the watchdog described as “adverse comments” about the victim, including an inability to repay debts.