Firm fined for hounding OAPs with nuisance calls claiming to sell call-blockers

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Key points

• The ICO carried out search warrants throughout residential and business premises in Bolton in Greater Manchester, Burnley in Lancashire, Liverpool, London and Swansea, South Wales.
• It additionally tried to strike itself off the Businesses House register against the backdrop of the probe, the ICO remarked.
• Last month, the ICO raided properties linked to five firms throughout the UK thought to be responsible for sending 170 million nuisance car finance mis-selling claims text messages.
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• The ICO remarked complaints disclosed EAL callers were "aggressive, misleading, and often failed to identify themselves".

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For context, a firm has been fined £190, 000 by Britain's data watchdog for bombarding elderly residents with nuisance calls while claiming to be selling devices designed to block unwanted calls.

Notably, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) remarked Elderly Aids Limited (EAL) had deliberately targeted elderly residents, making almost 760, 000 cold calls to those registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) between May 2024 and February last year to promote call-blocking devices.

For context, the ICO remarked complaints disclosed EAL callers were "aggressive, misleading, and often failed to identify themselves".

One complainant documented their elderly father had been persuaded by EAL to sign up to a call-blocker service, paying £139 upfront and a monthly fee of £6.99, according to the ICO.

For context, the TPS allows individuals and businesses to opt out of unsolicited sales and marketing calls.

It is illegal to create a live marketing call to anyone registered with the TPS, unless they have given permission to be contacted by a specific organisation.

EAL repeatedly ignored requests from the ICO for information and continued to create nuisance calls during the investigation, according to the ICO.

Andy Curry, head of investigations at the ICO, remarked: Not only did this business target vulnerable individuals who had explicitly asked not to be called – they harassed them to sell call-blocking devices.

EAL indicated a complete disregard for the law and the residents they were hounding.

"This penalty should serve as a clear warning to any business that thinks the law does not apply to them – we will hold them to account for both exploiting people in this way and trying to avoid accountability."

As well as the financial penalty, the ICO remarked it has issued an enforcement notice ordering EAL to stop making illegal marketing calls and to meet caller identification rules.

Russell Roach, director of preference services at the Data & Marketing Association, remarked: "Residents register with the Telephone Preference Service since they want greater control over who can contact them. "Cases like this demonstrate why those protections are so significant.

Anyone making live marketing calls must respect the choices individuals have produced regarding their privacy.

"When organisations ignore those preferences and contact individuals who have explicitly opted out of receiving unsolicited sales calls, particularly those who are most vulnerable, they undermine consumer trust and risk causing significant nuisance and distress."

Notably, the ICO carried out search warrants throughout residential and business premises in Bolton in Greater Manchester, Burnley in Lancashire, Liverpool, London and Swansea, South Wales.

It follows more than 12 million complaints regarding motor finance nuisance text messages since September last year, with up to 100, 000 being received by the ICO every day.

Taken together, the developments around firm fined for hounding OAPs with nuisance calls claiming to sell call point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.