Context
The ICO has fined H&L Business Consulting Ltd (H&L) £80,000 for sending hundreds of thousands of text messages to people who had not consented to receive them.
Key points to note
- H&L sent 378,538 unsolicited direct marketing text messages between January 2020 and July 2020. This resulted in more than 300 complaints.
- The company sought to capitalise from the pandemic by directly referencing lockdown. The spam messages promoted a “government-backed” debt management scheme, even though the company was not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide regulated financial products or services.
- H&L has also been issued with an enforcement notice by the ICO, ordering it to stop sending unlawful direct marketing messages.
Next actions
Whilst we have included this item for information and awareness, we suggest all firms ensure that they have appropriate recorded consent for all marketing campaigns.