The Information Commissioner’s Office is continuing to big up its record against so-called nuisance calls and texts by insisting its tough stance has resulted in an unprecented decline in complaints about automated calls.
As if to prove it is winning the war on the “modern day menace” the ICO insists it also has more than £1m worth of fines against rogue operators in the pipeline and 167 cases under investigation.
According the ICO’s latest update, concerns about “robocalls” fell significantly between July and August from 8,742 to 3,301; this is the lowest number of reports since December 2013.
The regulator cites a combination of its own investigations, its work with Ofcom, and action by the telecommunication service providers for the “unprecedented fall” in reported automated calls.
ICO enforcement manager Andy Curry said: “So far we’ve issued fines totalling more than £1.5m to companies that made automated calls. People tell us these are some of the most upsetting and frustrating to receive. That’s why we will continue our fight to stop them.”
Six companies – Safestyle UK, trading as HPAS; Euroseal Windows; Accident Claim Expert (UK); Solarplants; Halo Insurance Services; and Aspen Capital Consultants – have now been added to the ICO “watch list”.
However, it is not all good news; gripes about live calls went up 10% to 5,832, while SMS complaints nearly doubled to 1,942, the highest number of reports this year. The ICO did not detail any reason for this increase.
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