PPI text spammers fined £440,000

A company that sent millions of illegal texts encouraging people to claim compensation for PPI or accidents has become the first to be fined.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) ordered the owners of Tetrus Telecoms to pay £440,000 after an 18-month investigation found it sent as many as 840,000 unlawful spam texts per day over three years

Owners Christopher Niebel and Gary McNeish were making between £7,000 and £8,000 per day selling the details of those who replied to claims management companies.

The ICO sent a stern warning to other firms sending similar texts or phone messages.

Information commissioner Christopher Graham, said: “The public has told us that they are distressed and annoyed by the constant bombardment of illegal texts and calls and we are currently cracking down on the companies responsible, using the full force of the law.”

He added: “The two individuals we have served penalties on today made a substantial profit from the sale of personal information. They knew they were breaking the law and the trail of evidence uncovered by my office highlights the scale of their operations.

“We will continue to work with the relevant authorities as well as the network providers to ensure companies like this are punished. We’re also working with the Ministry of Justice to target claims management companies that purchase this information breaching the industry regulations, the Data Protection Act 1998, as well as electronic marketing regulations.

“Our message to the public is that if you don’t know who sent you a text message, do not respond, otherwise your details may be used to generate profits for these unscrupulous individuals. Together, we can end to this unlawful industry that continues to plague our daily lives.”