Elderly Aids Limited Fined £190,000 for Nuisance Calls

Callers frequently failed to identify themselves, according to claims made by the ICO and complainants to both the ICO and TPS. An elderly father was reportedly persuaded by EAL to sign up for a call-blocker service, paying £139 upfront and a monthly fee of £6.99, the ICO claims.

Andy Curry stated, "Not only did this company target vulnerable people who had explicitly asked not to be called – they harassed them to sell call-blocking devices." Curry further asserted that "EAL showed a complete disregard for the law and the people they were hounding."

EAL attempted to deregister from Companies House during the ICO's probe. The company reportedly tried to strike itself off the Companies House register once it became aware it was under scrutiny, the ICO claims.

Andy Curry warned, "This penalty should serve as a clear warning to any business that thinks the law does not apply to them – we will hold them to account for both exploiting people in this way and trying to avoid accountability." Russell Roach emphasised that "Anyone making live marketing calls must respect the choices people have made about their privacy."

Roach added, "When organisations ignore those preferences and contact individuals who have explicitly opted out of receiving unsolicited sales calls, particularly those who are most vulnerable, they undermine consumer trust and risk causing significant nuisance and distress."

The ICO can take further action to recover the fine, including disqualifying directors. Separately, the ICO recently raided properties linked to five companies suspected of sending 170 million nuisance car finance mis-selling claims text messages.