Five companies that made thousands of unsolicited marketing calls to “elderly, vulnerable people” have to pay fines totaling £405,000.
Some of those affected suffered from dementia, the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) said.
One of those who complained to the watchdog described the cold calling as “threatening and compulsive.”
The ICO says it continues to investigate a number of other companies.
The calls were about selling insurance products or services for home appliances and other large household appliances like TVs, washing machines, and refrigerators.
“It made me really sick, they kept calling and taking money from me. I’m an elderly woman,” wrote one of those affected in a complaint.
Another person wrote that her mother-in-law received a cold call to “convince an elderly vulnerable person with age memory loss to take out unnecessary insurance for equipment.”
The mother-in-law was “unable to manage her own affairs,” the complainant reported.
According to data protection officials, companies are deliberately targeting older people when purchasing third-party marketing data lists.
The companies specifically asked for personal information about people aged 60 and older, homeowners and with landline numbers, the ICO said.
Evidence gathered by the ICO led it to believe that the companies are either collaborating or using the same marketing list to target people.
As a result, some lost thousands of pounds on insurance and maintenance on home appliances that companies often knew they didn’t need, it said.
John Edwards, the UK’s Information Commissioner, wrote in a statement: “These are unlawful, predatory marketing calls, targeted at some of the most vulnerable members of our society, for financial gain only.”
Mr Edwards cautioned companies using these tactics not to expect a strong response and encouraged anyone harassed by such calls to report their concerns to the ICO.
The consumer organization What? welcomed the fines and said that over the years it has reported over 100 companies reporting people to the ICO and trade standards for insuring white goods or other household appliances.
Jenny Ross, which ones? Money Editor, said: “It is unacceptable that unscrupulous companies are targeting elderly, vulnerable people and pressuring them to buy chipped device covers they don’t need – so it’s positive that the ICO is taking action on this matter.”
Many people register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), which aims to protect people from unwanted advertising calls.
Unless they have informed the caller that they wish to receive them, live marketing calls should not be made to people who have registered with the service, the ICO said.
According to the ICO, the following companies were fined:
- Domestic Support Ltd (DSL) based in Littlehampton, West Sussex, which made 69,133 unsolicited marketing calls to TPS registered persons between January 2020 and July 2020 and was fined £80,000.
- Home Sure Solutions Ltd (HSSL) based in Hove, East Sussex, which made 229,483 unsolicited marketing calls to TPS registered persons between March 2020 and September 2020 and was fined £100,000.
- Seaview Brokers Ltd, based in Chichester, West Sussex, made 4,737 unsolicited marketing calls to people registered with the TPS in June 2020 and was fined £15,000.
- UK Appliance Cover Ltd, based in London, which made 39,167 unsolicited marketing calls to people registered with the TPS between June 2020 and December 2020 and was fined £100,000.
- UK Platinum Home Care Services Ltd, based in London, which made 412,556 unsolicited marketing calls to people registered with the TPS between March 2020 and October 2020 and was fined £110,000
The ICO has also issued writs to the companies asking them to stop such calls immediately.
Add Comment