The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has imposed substantial fines totalling £590,000 on five companies for collectively placing 1.9 million unwanted marketing calls, with a particular focus on elderly and vulnerable individuals. This decisive action by the ICO is part of an ongoing effort to combat rogue companies employing high-pressure sales techniques to peddle insurance products related to household appliances such as washing machines, fridges, and televisions.

Since October 2021, the ICO has issued a total of £1.45 million in fines to 16 companies for engaging in illegal and unwelcome marketing calls. Many of these calls targeted individuals who had taken measures to block nuisance calls by registering with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). The ICO’s enforcement efforts were bolstered by intelligence provided by National Trading Standards.

The modus operandi of these companies frequently involves targeting older individuals and those with vulnerabilities, often persuading them to purchase services they either did not require or had no interest in.

Andy Curry, Head of ICO Investigations, emphasised the importance of protecting individuals deliberately targeted by unscrupulous cold callers. He stated, “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. We’re working to protect people who are being deliberately targeted because they’re seen as easy pickings by unscrupulous cold callers.”

One poignant case illustrates the real impact of these unwanted marketing calls. Jonathan Young’s parents ended up making payments exceeding £2,000 to around a dozen companies after receiving marketing calls for insurance policies they neither needed nor wanted. Mr. Young painstakingly traced these payments through his parents’ bank statements and spent months attempting to recover the money. As part of its latest enforcement actions, the ICO has fined two of these companies.

Jonathan Young shared his family’s ordeal, saying, “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.” He added, “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.”

It’s important to note that making live marketing calls to individuals registered with the TPS is illegal, unless explicit consent has been granted to the specific organisation.

Andy Curry also urged individuals to register with the TPS to block unsolicited marketing calls, whether on a landline or mobile phone, and to promptly report such calls to the ICO for investigation.

To register a landline or mobile phone for free and block unwanted marketing calls, visit the Telephone Preference Service at [tpsonline.org.uk](http://tpsonline.org.uk).

Complaints regarding nuisance calls can be submitted to the ICO at [ico.org.uk](http://ico.org.uk).

The five companies recently fined by the ICO are as follows:

– SGS Home Protect Ltd, fined £70,000 and issued an enforcement notice for making 24,241 calls to TPS registered numbers.

– Cover Appliance Ltd, fined £200,000 and issued an enforcement notice for making 511,499 calls to TPS registered numbers.

– F12 Management Ltd, fined £200,000 and issued an enforcement notice for making 1,346,019 calls to TPS registered numbers.

– House Hold Appliance 247 Ltd, fined £55,000 and issued an enforcement notice for making 19,069 calls to TPS registered numbers.

– RHAP Ltd, fined £65,000 and issued an enforcement notice for making 15,288 calls to TPS registered numbers.