The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined five businesses a combined £590,000 for making 1.9 million nuisance marketing calls to elderly and vulnerable people.
Coming as part of a wider crackdown by the ICO as it looks to tighten the squeeze on rogue operators, the fines aim to deter the use of pressure tactics to sell white goods and other consumer electronics.
Named and shamed by the ICO, the five companies fined were:
- SGS Home Protect Ltd
- Cover Appliance Ltd
- F12 Management Ltd
- House Hold Appliance 247 Ltd
- RHAP Ltd
The ICO found that the companies in question would often unashamedly target the elderly or those with vulnerabilities – and in most cases, people who already had the service that the firms were trying to sell.
With our latest action against companies targeting vulnerable people, we’ve issued £1.45m in fines to predatory marketers since October 2021.
These latest fines are a result of our detailed investigations and intelligence from National Trading Standards: https://t.co/74YJ3kLDAK pic.twitter.com/ACnuXkoSno
— ICO – Information Commissioner's Office (@ICOnews) September 21, 2023
“We’ve heard harrowing stories of people being hounded with these nuisance calls, and feeling forced into handing over bank details for unwanted and unnecessary insurance,” ICO head of investigations Andy Curry said.
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“We’re working to protect people who are being deliberately targeted because they’re seen as easy pickings by unscrupulous cold callers. Registering with the TPS makes it illegal for companies to call you without your consent.”
He continued: “We’d encourage anyone who wants to block unsolicited marketing calls, to either a land line or mobile phone, to sign up to this free service. Then, if you or your loved one is on the receiving end of this kind of call, contact the ICO so we can investigate.”
In one instance, Jonathan Young’s parents were coerced into making around £2,000-worth of payments to a dozen companies for bogus insurance policies that they did not need.
Two of the companies implicated in the case are among the five fined by the ICO. Young has since spent several months trying to track down and recover the money defrauded from his elderly parents.
Young added: “Despite opting out of receiving marketing calls, my parents were bombarded by calls from companies selling insurance products. They were often left confused about who was calling them and high-pressure sales tactics led to them paying thousands of pounds for policies they didn’t need or really want.
“During one call, I believe my mother may have been coerced into making a payment using my father’s debit card while he was asleep. Companies should not be targeting elderly people and those with vulnerabilities in this way and I am grateful to the ICO for its continuing action to help prevent distress to other families.”
