Page 34 - Londra Gazete Sayı 1097

Londra Gazete, 17 March 2022 LondraGazete.com/English 7

Companies fined for marketing

calls targeting elderly

FIVE companies who made thou-
sands of unwanted marketing calls
to "older, vulnerable people" must
pay fines totalling £405,000.
Some of those targeted suffered
from dementia, the Information
Commissioners Office (ICO) said.
One of those who complained to
Online Safety Bill tweaked the watchdog described the cold-
call as "threatening and coercive".
The ICO says it is continuing to
to target scam ads investigate a number of other com-
panies.
SOCIAL media sites and search to block ads appearing online and The calls involved the sale of in-
engines could soon have to stop remove them if they slip through surance products or services for
paid-for scam adverts appearing by the net. white goods and other large house-
law. The idea is intended to better hold appliances, such as televisions,
The updated proposal is part of protect people from scams where washing machines and fridges.
the Online Safety Bill, a piece of criminals impersonate celebrities "It has made me really ill, they
landmark legislation trying to de- or companies to steal personal keep calling and have taken money
termine how sites deal with harm- data, peddle unsafe financial in- from me. I am an elderly woman", plainant reported. Commissioner, wrote in a state-
ful content. vestments or break into bank ac- one of those targeted wrote in a The data privacy watchdog said ment: "These are unlawful predato-
Campaign groups say being a counts. complaint. companies were deliberately target- ry marketing calls that were target-
scam victim can cause both finan- Culture Secretary Nadine Dor- Another person wrote that their ing older people when buying mar- ed at some of the most vulnerable
cial and emotional devastation. ries said: "We are also announcing mother-in-law had received a cold keting data lists from third parties. members of our society and driven
The government is also launching a review of the wider rules around call designed "to persuade an elder- The companies were specifically purely by financial gain".
a consultation into how online ad- online advertising to make sure in- ly vulnerable person with old age asking for personal information Mr Edwards warned companies
vertising is regulated. dustry practices are accountable, memory loss to take out unneeded about people who are aged 60 and employing these tactics to expect a
Under a new legal duty being transparent and ethical - so people insurance on equipment". over, homeowners and with land- strong response and encouraged an-
added to the bill, platforms will be can trust what they see advertised The mother-in-law "is unable to line numbers, the ICO said. yone pestered by such calls to report
required to put in place processes and know fact from fiction." arrange her own affairs" the com- John Edwards, UK Information their concerns to the ICO.