A 60-year-old woman in Hong Kong has been arrested for allegedly disclosing the personal details of a former schoolmate who borrowed around HK$20 million (US$2.6 million) from her without repaying, according to the city’s privacy watchdog.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said on Wednesday that the doxxing incident stemmed from a dispute over a loan in 2018, when the victim was facing financial difficulties while operating a factory.

The pair, who had known each other from secondary school, reconnected sometime 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 around HK$20 million.

However, the victim stopped paying interest to the woman in early 2025.

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.