Keurboom Communications Ltd has been handed the highest ever fine of £400,000 for nuisance calling after more than 1,000 people complained about automated calls.
The calls, made during an 18 month period, including road traffic accident claims and PPI compensation. Some people received repeat calls, even on the same day and during unsociable hours. The company also hid its identity, making it harder for people to complain.
The law says that companies can only make automated marketing calls to people if they have given consent. Keurboom ignored this and called without consideration.
The government is working on a new law to allow prosecution of Directors and fine them up to £500,000. This is because some companies deliberately closed down to avoid the fines imposed on them.
Following the ICO’s investigation, Keurboom Communications Ltd has been placed in voluntary liquidation. The ICO says it is committed to recovering the fine by working with the liquidator and insolvency practitioners.
How to Block Nuisance Callers
- Register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) then reputable companies will no longer make sales and Marketing calls to your number.
- Use your phone to block repeated unwanted callers and caller ID withheld numbers. Some phones allow you to do this and some services such as BT Call Protect enable this.
- Use the magic phone number when a website demands your number. (More information at https://fightback.ninja/test/a-magic-phone-number-and-call-blocking/)
If you have any experiences with scammers, spammers or time-waster do let me know, by email.
