The UK data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), has imposed a record £590,000 in fines on four companies that made illegal nuisance calls to the elderly and vulnerable. The calls, which were made between January 2019 and February 2020, offered services such as insurance, pensions, and investments without the consent of the recipients.
The UK data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), has imposed a record £590,000 in fines on four companies that made illegal nuisance calls to the elderly and vulnerable. The calls, which were made between January 2019 and February 2020, offered services such as insurance, pensions, and investments without the consent of the recipients
The four companies that were fined are:
Bourne Telecom Ltd (£170,000): The company made over 2.6 million calls offering funeral plans and life insurance. The ICO received 232 complaints about the company, with some people reporting that they were called up to 10 times a day.
Compare Health Ltd (£150,000): The company made over 8.5 million calls offering health insurance products. The ICO received 327 complaints about the company, with some people saying that they felt “harassed” and “intimidated” by the callers.
Sapphire Media Ltd (£140,000): The company made over 1.8 million calls offering pension reviews and investment opportunities. The ICO received 118 complaints about the company, with some people stating that they were misled into believing that the calls were from official sources.
Switch Your Insurance Ltd (£130,000): The company made over 1.3 million calls offering life insurance and funeral plans. The ICO received 104 complaints about the company, with some people describing the calls as “annoying” and “intrusive”.
The ICO’s head of investigations, Andy Curry, said: “These companies have deliberately flouted the law by making millions of unwanted calls to people who had expressed their wish not to be contacted in this way. These calls can be a real nuisance and cause misery and distress for many people. We will continue to take action against those who break the rules and harass people with nuisance calls”.
The ICO has also issued enforcement notices to the four companies, ordering them to stop making unsolicited marketing calls or face further action. The fines are part of a wider crackdown on rogue operators who breach the PECR, which can result in penalties of up to £500,000 per case. In 2020/21, the ICO issued £2.6 million in fines for nuisance calls and texts.
The ICO has also urged the public to report any unwanted calls or texts to them or to register with the TPS to reduce the number of nuisance calls they receive. The ICO also advised people to be wary of callers who claim to be from official sources or offer financial products or services that sound too good to be true
