By https://www.theguardian.com/profile/juliakollewe
Publication Date: 2026-08-27 07:14:00
Key events
Call-blocking device company fined for ‘hounding’ people with nuisance calls
Alex Daniel
A company that made its money promising to protect elderly people from nuisance calls has been fined £190,000 for “hounding” them with hundreds of thousands of nuisance calls of its own.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said Elderly Aids Ltd, a company selling call-blocking devices, made 758,053 cold calls between May 2024 and February 2025 to try and sell its products.
About 20 complaints were made to the ICO and the Telephone Preference Service – a service that prevents your telephone number from being shared – some of which said callers were aggressive, misleading and often failed to identify themselves.
One complainant said they were “overcharging for call blocking services that they aren’t authorised to sell – my father was persuaded to sign up to pay £139 upfront and a £6.99 monthly fee”.
The ICO described Elderly Aids Ltd’s actions as “bombarding people with the very nuisance calls it claimed to protect them from”.
When the ICO started investigating the company, Elderly Aids Ltd repeatedly ignored requests for information while continuing to cold call people.
The company also attempted to strike itself off the Companies House register once it became aware it was under scrutiny and is now registered at a default address.
Andy Curry, head of investigations at the ICO, said: