Home security systems firm handed £80,000 fine for thousands of nuisance calls

A home security systems provider based in the West Midlands has been handed an £80,000 fine for making thousands of calls to numbers on the exclusion register.

The Information Commissioner’s Office said Secure Home Systems, based in Bilston, made calls to 84,347 numbers registered with the Telephone Preference Service between September and December 2017, using call lists bought from third parties without screening them.

People made 268 complaints about the company over a two-year period.

One complainant said: “I was angry and disturbed that they had obtained my number and ignored the fact that we’re registered with the TPS.”

Andy Curry, ICO group enforcement manager, said: “These fines should set alarm bells ringing and deter marketing companies across all sectors that are contacting people without their consent. It is a company’s responsibility to make sure that it has valid consent to make these calls.

“The TPS is there for a reason – to protect people’s privacy and ensure that marketing companies obey the law. Marketing companies failing to take the basic step of checking TPS can expect robust enforcement.”