Britain’s data regulator has fined a Carmarthenshire sole trader £200,000 after finding he sent 966,449 text messages about debt solutions and energy saving grants from 383 mobile numbers between December 3, 2023 and July 3, 2024, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said. The regulator published its decision today.
The ICO said the messages contained no website address or identifying information and simply invited recipients to reply ‘YES’ to find out more about debt services. Recipients who replied ‘YES’ were then called by a company describing itself as ‘The Debt Relief Team’, the regulator said.
The activities came to the ICO’s attention during a separate investigation into a person suspected of sending texts on Chand’s behalf and advising on a SIM farm, the regulator said. When ICO officials executed a search warrant at Chand’s home on June 11 last year, he denied involvement despite a call script being on open display, and the ICO cited WhatsApp messages it said showed Chand discussing excuses and encouraging another person to lie in response to a regulator letter.
The ICO received 19,138 complaints about the messages via the 7726 spam reporting service and concluded Chand knowingly and deliberately transmitted or instigated the transmission of the texts without valid consent, breaching direct marketing rules. Chand has appealed the decision, and because of the appeal he is not eligible for a 20% discount that would have applied if the fine had been paid by October 16, the ICO said.
The regulator noted Chand has been a registered director of seven companies, including Compensation Claims Direct, Consumer Claims Ltd, Consumer Marketing Solutions Limited, Platinum Home Designs Ltd, Databook Ltd, Bombay Bites Takeaway Ltd and Blue Box Pictures Ltd. Andy Curry, head of investigations at the ICO, said the texts were targeted at people at greater risk of harm, and that Chand showed disregard for the law and attempted to mislead the regulator.