WIREDGOV

The ICO is asking for consumers’ help after a spike in nuisance calls selling boilers, insulation and solar panels.

The automated calls appear to be coming from 0161 or 0191 numbers, but initial investigations suggest the caller is using a false number. The number may also show up as being international on some phones.

Anyone receiving a call is asked to report it to the ICO.

Anyone who’s already engaged with the company or received a visit from someone representing them should call our Helpline, on 0303 123 1113.
Andy Curry, Enforcement Manager at the ICO, said:

“What we want to do is to stop these nuisance calls, but to do that we need the public’s help. If you’ve signed up to the TPS and you’re getting calls, or if you’re getting recorded message calls when you haven’t asked for them, then we need to know.”

“It looks as though these green energy initiatives and dubious scrappage schemes are becoming ‘the new PPI’, with more and more people receiving nuisance calls and texts about them. They are responsible for a significant chunk of the concerns we receive, and are a focus for our enforcement team.”

Text messages promoting green energy initiatives and so-called ‘scrappage schemes’ were responsible for 42% of concerns raised with the ICO between January and March. That coincided with a significant reduction in the number of concerns about messages relating to Payment Protection Insurance (PPI).

Earlier this month, the ICO warned two companies in Yorkshire and Devonthey face fines totalling £140,000 for making nuisance calls. The ICO also raided a SIM farm in Wolverhampton which may have sent more than a million nuisance text messages.

Notes to Editors

1. The Information Commissioner’s Office upholds 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 1998, the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.

3. The ICO is on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and produces a monthly e-newsletter. Our press office page provides more information for journalists.

4. Anyone who processes personal information must comply with eight principles of the Data Protection Act, which make sure that personal information is:

Fairly and lawfully processed
Processed for limited purposes 
Adequate, relevant and not excessive 
Accurate and up to date 
Not kept for longer than is necessary 
Processed in line with your rights 
Secure 
Not transferred to other countries without adequate protection