Companies fined £550k for bogus marketing calls

The ICO said the firms used pre-recorded messages which were activated by call centres abroad

A watchdog has fined two companies more than half a million pounds combined over unlawful marketing calls.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said Green Spark Energy (GSE) in Durham and Home Improvement Marketing Ltd (HIML) in Pembrokeshire used an avatar software to make nearly 12 million automated calls.

Call recipients were told they were talking to "Jo, Helen or Ian" from the UK, but these were scripted lines recorded by voice actors and activated by call agents abroad.

Elderly people and cancer patients were among those who received the calls, the ICO said.

The firms were investigated as part of a wider operation looking into complaint trends in relation to the energy and home improvement sectors.

'Scare tactics'

About 9.5 million calls were made on behalf of GSE to arrange a survey and offering loft insulation between May 2023 and May 2024.

It led to about 500 complaints, including from a 91-year-old cancer patient.

One complaint said the caller used "scare tactics" and claimed their loft insulation had asbestos.

The ICO found that from 31 May 2023 to 31 August 2023, 2.4 million automated calls were made on behalf of HIML through an overseas call centre which also used the avatar software.

It resulted in 274 complaints.

The regulator said the callers identified themselves as being from "Energy Hub" and "Energy Saving Team", offering solar panels.

GSE was fined £250,000 and HIML was fined £300,000.

Both firms were also issued with an enforcement notice.

How to spot the calls

Andy Curry, head of investigations at the ICO, said the robo-call technology was making it harder for the public to spot automated calls and report them to the ICO.

Such calls might have:

• Slight pauses before responses, as the agent selects the next pre-recorded clip

• Limited flexibility, as the conversation always comes back to a fixed marketing script regardless of answers

• Identical voice and tone across calls

• No background noise or natural breaks