ICO fines Wigan-based Pinnacle Life £80,000 for “predatory” spam call campaign

• Company made 47,998 unsolicited calls to individuals on TPS attempting to sell life insurance
• Spam calls described as “persistent”, “aggressive” and “misleading”, including attempting to capitalise on the pandemic

Wigan-based company Pinnacle Life has been fined £80,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for a year-long unlawful spam phone call campaign.

The company made nearly 48,000 illegal calls between May 2021 and May 2022 to people registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) to opt-out of marketing calls.

During the spam calls, the company attempted to sell life insurance products. Members of the public told the ICO that company employees would often become insulting or aggressive during these calls and continue to harass victims when they asked not to be contacted further. They would present misleading information, often suggesting they were employed by the same company with which the victims had a life insurance policy.

An investigation by the ICO found evidence to suggest attempts by the company to continue to operate under another name and not comply with orders to cease contacting individuals.

Examples of spam calls

 

 

Further details of contraventions

• Between 5 May 2021 and 5 May 2022, Pinnacle Life instigated the use of a public telecommunications service, for the purposes of making a minimum of 47,998 unsolicited direct marketing calls. The calls were made to subscribers registered with the TPS and who had not notified Pinnacle Life that they were willing to receive such calls. The ICO received four complaints.
• Complainants reported the calls they received from Pinnacle Life or were made on behalf of Pinnacle Life, made them feel annoyed and/or anxious. Some of the recorded calls showed that the callers were aggressive, rude and persistent with the individuals.
• Complainants reported receiving multiple calls over a short period of time, despite repeated opt-out requests, and this is evidenced in the call recordings

ICO’s work to tackle nuisance communications

The ICO enforces the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), which cover the rules for organisations wishing to make direct marketing calls, texts or emails.

The ICO has issued more than £2,590,000 million in fines against companies responsible for nuisance calls, texts and emails since April 2023. Some of these investigations began with a single complaint from a member of the public.

For more information about the ICO’s work to tackle nuisance calls, emails and texts visit ico.org.uk/nuisancecalls.

Advice for the public

To help you, your friends and relatives stop unlawful marketing calls, texts or emails you can:

• Register landlines and mobile numbers with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS) free of charge. The TPS and CTPS is a register used by legitimate marketing companies to identify people and businesses that have said they don’t want to receive marketing calls. Alternatively, you can tell the company directly that you do not wish to be contacted.
• Mobile phone users can report the receipt of unsolicited marketing text messages to the Mobile UK’s Spam Reporting Service by forwarding the message to 7726.
• Refer concerns that you or someone you know has been the victim of fraud to Action Fraud (in England, Northern Ireland and Wales) and Police Scotland (in Scotland); wider concerns about a business’ practices can be referred to Trading Standards; any abandoned calls that you receive to Ofcom.
• Complaints about nuisance calls, texts or emails can be made to the ICO via our website.

1. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent regulator for data protection and information rights law, upholding information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals. 
2. The ICO has specific responsibilities set out in the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA2018), the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR), Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) and a further five acts and regulations.  
3. The ICO can take action to address and change the behaviour of organisations and individuals that collect, use and keep personal information. This includes criminal prosecution, non-criminal enforcement and audit.  
4. To report a concern to the ICO telephone our helpline 0303 123 1113 or go to  ico.org.uk/concerns.