Crackdown on unsolicited texts and emails

The Information Commissioner's Office says it will fine companies who send out illegal unsolicited emails and text messages.

Companies that send out unsolicited emails or text messages offering credit or compensation could be fined up to £50,000, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has said.

The crackdown comes after a massive increase in such communication in recent years.

Charity the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) has been conducting a campaign on Twitter, asking people to send examples of this kind of message and passing them on to the ICO.

Some companies have been selling on email addresses and mobile phone numbers as part of their data capture, although this is legal if an opt-in box is ticked or it’s part of the terms and conditions.

Other messages are generated at random.

Some people have been contacted with speculative unsolicited messages about claiming compensation for motor accidents, despite them not having been involved in a crash.

Others have been contacted by fee-charging debt management companies, even though they could be helped by free services such as the CCCS.

The ICO told the BBC that it knows where many of these messages have originated from and is now going to “execute search warrants”.

If you are receiving unsolicited texts, you can report them to your mobile operator and to the ICO at www.ico.gov.uk

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