Sale company fined for ordering thousands of spam texts to be sent promoting its loans

This action prompted hundreds of complaints from the public to the Information Commissioners Office.

Financial services business Munee Hut, which operated out of Cross Street’s Grade II-listed building Eyebrow Cottage, the oldest surviving building in Sale, was fined after a lengthy investigation. It revealed Munee Hut had obtained the personal details used to send the messages from a variety of loan and prize draw websites.

None of these sites indicated the data would be used for sending marketing text messages from Munee Hut, which trades under the name Moolr.

The law says that companies must have obtained specific consent from people confirming they are willing to receive marketing text messages from, or on behalf of, their firm. Munee Hut did not have this consent.

Steve Eckersley, ICO head of enforcement, said: “Paying an overseas company to send text messages for you is not a get-out for failing to comply with the law. Munee Hut should have taken responsibility for ensuring that proper and specific consent to send the messages had been obtained.”

In addition to the £20,000 fine, Munee Hut has also been issued with a legal notice compelling it to stop instigating the sending of unlawful text messages. Failure to comply with this could result in court action.

It was the second time in the last year that the ICO have  been aware of a company using the Eyebrow House address in the last year to send spam texts. LAD Media was fined £50,000 in June  for sending nearly 400,000 spam texts about debt last year.

If you wish to report a concern to the ICO, call the helpline 0303 123 1113 or visit ico.org.uk/concerns/