Used car dealer fined £40k for spam marketing texts

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has handed out a £40,000 fine to a used car dealer for sending out thousands of spam texts.

Concept Car Credit, which is based in Radcliffe, was issued with the penalty following an investigation by the ICO.

It found the company, which offers both car finance and cars for sale, had broken the law about how firms can use people’s details to send marketing texts.

Steve Eckersley, ICO head of enforcement, said: “The mass sending of over 300,000 marketing text messages without following the rules is simply not on.

“We have published clear guidance on how to comply with the law and have a helpline which gives businesses further advice. There’s no excuse for getting it wrong and intruding into people’s everyday lives with spam texts.”

The company told the ICO it had obtained the data used to send the messages from other organisations. As the instigator of the texts it was Concept Car Credit responsibility to ensure it was only texting people who had consented to receive the marketing. The ICO ruled that the firm failed to do this.

Alongside the fine, the ICO has also issued an enforcement notice ordering the company to stop sending unlawful texts in the future. If the company does not comply with the notice, it could face court action.

The ICO has published detailed guidance for firms carrying out direct marketing by phone, text, email, post or fax. The ICO has the power to impose a monetary penalty on a data controller of up to £500,000.