Chorley New Road based Breathe Services Ltd was ordered to pay £170,000 after an investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office into complaints about unsolicited phone calls.
The firm has been fined alongside Oldham based Money Bubble Ltd, which was ordered to pay £120,000 for making more than 168,000 unlawful calls.
ICO interim director of investigations Andy Curry said: “This is appalling behaviour by both companies, causing people distress, upset and anxiety.
“People registering with the Telephone Preference Service do so specifically to avoid these types of calls.
The company had made more than four million unlawful calls (Image: Newsquest)
“I hope the fines that have been issued demonstrate that we will take action against rogue companies.
“A reputable company knows its legal obligations, accesses support and guidance from the ICO, and respects the role of the TPS and those who sign up to it.
“Both Breathe Services and Money Bubble ignored the measures which are in place to protect people’s privacy, showing complete disregard to all those that registered with the TPS.
“The enforcement action we have taken should act as a warning to any other organisation considering operating in a similar way.”
The ICO found that both firms had made nuisance calls to people who had opted out of getting marketing calls, trying to sell them life insurance and debt management solutions.
Breathe Services Ltd was found to haves spoofed its outbound phone number by presenting over 1,000 different telephone numbers on calls.
The company’s Bolton office was searched by ICO officers in March 2023 where they seized evidence including documents and electronic devices.
During the investigation, the ICO found that BSL had deliberately tried to conceal its actions as well as ceasing to cooperate with the ICO. As a result of this unlawful behaviour, the company has been fined £170,000.
The ICO’s investigation found that the firm had sent out a staggering 4,376,037 unsolicited calls to numbers that had registered with the Telephone Preference Service.
This sparked 58 complaints to the TPS and another 193 complaints to the ICO, which laid bare the impact calls like these had had on often vulnerable people.
One complaint said: “[They] kept saying they can help with my debt. I advised them I keep receiving calls and it’s making me feel suicidal […] I receive these calls from the same company every single day, sometimes three or four times a day.”
A second complant said: “I’ve asked the company every day for three weeks to remove my number […] and they still call every day! I am disabled and suffer with extreme anxiety and they will not leave me alone after weeks of begging!”
A third said: “As I am a university student this impacts my education and most recently, they phoned me over five times during an exam leading to my paper being voided and more pressure and stress.”
Another said: “On at least seven occasions I have specifically instructed for no further calls and to be removed from their call list […] These calls are incessant at all times of day and night.”
A final example said: “The harassment has been ongoing for months. It has been incredibly annoying and stressful.”
The ICO said that as officers investigated the company tried to conceal its behaviour and stopped cooperating.
The company has now been fined £170,000.
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The Bolton News tried to contact Breathe Services Ltd only for its listed phone number to ring off.
According to Companies House, the firm’s latest accounts and confirmation statement are both overdue.
It’s last accounts had been made up to June 30 2021, while its last statement was dated June 9 2022.
The same ICO investigation also identified a second company, Oldham based Money Bubble Ltd which was found to have made 168,852 spam calls sparking several complaints.
The Oldham firm did not provide evidence that anyone whose number had been called had consented to receiving calls and was hit with a £120,000 fine.
Money Bubble Ltd’s only listed phone number rang off when The Bolton News tried to contact the company.
