A company that made almost 100 million unsolicited automated marketing calls has been handed a £400,000 fine by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
The penalty levied on Keurboom Communications – the highest ever given by the ICO for nuisance calls – followed more than 1000 complaints from individuals who did not consent to be contacted.
The company, which is now in liquidation, made 99.5 million automated calls over an 18-month period. The ICO had previously issued seven information notices to the firm asking it to provide information to the regulator. These were ignored, and the company and its director were prosecuted and fined for failing to comply.
Steve Eckersley, head of enforcement at the ICO, said: “Keurboom showed scant regard for the rules, causing upset and distress to people unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of one of its 100 million calls. The unprecedented scale of its campaign and failure to co-operate with our investigation has resulted in the largest fine issued for nuisance calls.”
The ICO issued total fines worth £1.23 million to 23 companies for nuisance marketing between 1 April 2016 and 31 March this year.
