News

Nuisance call firm linked to web of call centre woes

Published

7 years ago

January 24, 2018

Ammanford call centre boss: Richard Jones

A WEST WALES based company has been fined for making nuisance calls just a week after another was punished for the same offence. This has taken place as a Herald investigation has revealed that many companies working in the telesales industry in west Wales are connected by common directors or shareholders.

Miss-sold Products UK had a call centre in Ammanford where they employed up to 15 call centre agents. Those agents made 75 million nuisance calls in just four months – between November 2015 and March 2016 – most of which were from an automated dialler.

Now the company, which had its registered office in a terraced house in Milford Haven at the time, has been fined £350,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). That is a registered address shared by several other call centre type companies.

Last week Port Talbot-based Barrington Claims Ltd was also fined – this time £250,000 – after making more than 15 million automated PPI calls, between February and May 2016. That company, which is not connected to Miss-Sold, had failed to ensure automated marketing calls were sent to individuals who had consented to receive marketing.

Miss-Sold Products UK Ltd was a Payment Protection Insurance reclaims specialist. Charging customers they sold to an upfront fee, promising they would get more back later once their PPI claims would be settled. The company had previously been known as Penguin Claims Limited until November 2015.

The current director of the company is listed as Douglas Andrew Albury. His address is given as 83 Dulcie Street, Manchester. However a quick check found that this was as copy shop offering mail redirection services. Albury over recent years has been linked to over 37 limited companies. They include several other call centre based business still trading in Ammanford and Carmarthen – his contact address differs depending on which company his is connected with – but his date of birth and middle name show it is the same man. Companies House shows he also has a west Wales address in Neath.

Companies he controls include Your Money Rights Ltd, which is currently trading, and another, Business Advice Bureau UK Ltd, was struck off the register at Companies House as recently as Wednesday (Jan 17).

MILLIONS IN DEPOSITS LOST

Other now dissolved firms that he has been involved with in locally include Scarlet Protect Limited – a reincarnation of a Carmarthenshire based PPI firm which ripped the general public off for millions of pounds.

Albury was also a director of its forerunner, Scarlet Marketing Services Limited – again a PPI reclaim firm – which employed, according to a former member of staff, around 60 call centre staff in offices at King Street Carmarthen. That company was put into voluntary liquidation on December 8, 2016, with almost £5.7m of debts, including over £70k in unpaid fines, £88k owing to HMRC and over £5,000,000 in deposits owing to members of the public.

Your Money Rights Ltd – also known as U Legal – is another firm he was listed as a director of. That firm is still trading

Miss-sold Products UK Ltd made its latest, mostly automated, marketing calls between November 16, 2015, and March 7, 2016. The calls contained recorded messages, primarily promoting PPI compensation claims, but the company did not have the recipients’ consent for making marketing calls, which is against the law.

It also broke the law, the ICO ruled, by failing to identify the organisation making the calls, while it used so-called ‘added value’ numbers that generate revenue when an individual calls the number, which is then apportioned and passed to associated companies and the network carrier.

OVER 100 COMPLAINTS

The ICO received 146 complaints from the public about Miss-sold Products. Some people were called on multiple occasions. Others said they were unable to opt out of receiving the calls. Some expressed further distress as they were concerned that calls late at night may have been from family members or those to whom they provided care.

Albury as director of Miss-sold – which had its registered office at 10A North Road, Milford Haven before it was moved in 2017 to Darlington, County Durham – had applied to strike the firm off the Companies House register but the ICO has blocked the move pending enforcement action.

10A North Road is not an official address, but number 10 is owned by local businessman Adrian Jenkins who was also an officer of the now defunct Business Advice Bureau UK Ltd

A further company of which Albury was a director recently moved its registered office from that Darlington address to the Dulcie Street address in Manchester. Another key player in Miss-Sold was Richard Jones – he has resigned his directorship but is still actively involved in other call centre related businesses in Carmarthenshire.

This is to allow all options to be considered for recovery of the penalty, and for the actions of the director in running the company to be fully scrutinised.

ICO Enforcement Group Manager Andy Curry said: “This company blatantly ignored the laws on telephone marketing, making a huge volume of intrusive calls over a short period of time and without any apparent attempt to ensure they had the consent of the people they were harassing.

“The ICO will come down hard on rogue operators who want to treat the law and the UK public with contempt. We hope the Government will bring forward plans to introduce personal liability for directors as a matter of urgency, to stop them from escaping punishment after profiting from nuisance calls and texts.

“In the absence of a change in the law, the ICO will continue to face challenges in the recovery of penalties, and rogue directors will think they can get away with causing nuisance to members of the public.”

Community

Grieving family’s aim to protect young drivers in memory of daughter

Published

7 hours ago

January 22, 2025

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL Road Safety Team have worked in partnership with the family of a young woman killed in a road traffic collision to launch an intervention for young drivers in our County and beyond.

Ella Bee’s Story aims to prevent further deaths on the road, particularly among the 17 to 25-year-old age group, and concentrates on the Fatal 5, peer pressure, driver behaviour and how to reduce the risks both as a driver and passenger.

Twenty-one year-old Ella Smith was killed in a road traffic collision on the Broad Haven road in 2021 and her family are bravely telling their story of the night it happened and the aftermath of losing Ella.

Two drivers involved in the collision were jailed for ten years each having been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The intervention was launched recently and will be available to all schools and young peoples’ groups in the County, along with Pembrokeshire College.

The Road Safety Team worked closely with the family to put together the intervention which includes the production of two videos that can help educate all young drivers, and any adults with young drivers in the family.

Following the launch Ella’s mother Maria said: “We as a family and Ella’s best friends have worked tirelessly with Pembrokeshire County Council to produce a presentation on road safety to be delivered to schools, colleges and youth groups to educate young drivers on the devastating impact that losing Ella has had on us all.

“Ella your legacy will live on and you will forever be remembered for helping others even now.”

Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services Cllr Rhys Sinnett added: “The launch of Ella Bee’s Story was incredible moving. Ella’s family has been incredibly brave in their determination to ensure her tragic death is not in vain and this project will help other young drivers stay safe on our roads.”

For further information about how your school or youth group can access Ella Bee’s Story please email [email protected]

Community

Storm Éowyn upgraded to ‘danger to life’ amber warning for Wales

Published

8 hours ago

January 22, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE MET OFFICE has upgraded its weather alert for Storm Éowyn to an amber warning, signifying a “danger to life” as strong winds and heavy rain approach Wales and other parts of the UK. The warning is in effect from 6:00am to 9:00pm on Friday, covering northern Wales, Northern Ireland, northern England, and southern Scotland.

Strong winds and widespread disruption

The amber alert warns of winds reaching 60-70 mph inland and up to 90 mph in exposed coastal areas and high ground. The Met Office advises that flying debris poses a risk to life, while power cuts, travel disruption, and property damage are highly likely.

Road, rail, air, and ferry services are expected to face delays and cancellations. Homes and businesses may also sustain structural damage as the storm progresses.

Areas in Wales under amber warning:

Conwy
Denbighshire
Flintshire
Gwynedd
Isle of Anglesey

Alongside the amber alert, two yellow warnings for wind cover all of Wales on Friday, lasting from midnight Thursday to midnight Friday. A separate yellow warning for rain is also in effect from midnight to 9:00am on Friday, predicting 15-25 mm of rain across much of Wales and 40-60 mm in higher elevations. The heavy rainfall may lead to surface water flooding in some areas.

A Met Office spokesperson said: “Storm Éowyn will move across the northwest of the UK on Friday, clearing northeast by Friday night. This will bring a spell of very strong west to southwesterly winds, with a brief reduction in wind strength as the storm’s centre passes over certain areas. Winds will then increase rapidly before gradually easing later on Friday.”

Residents are urged to secure loose outdoor items, avoid unnecessary travel, and monitor updates as the storm approaches.

Crime

Only 3% of sexual offences reported to Dyfed-Powys Police result in a charge

Published

11 hours ago

January 22, 2025

Tom Sinclair

MORE than 1,600 rape and sexual offences have been reported to Dyfed-Powys Police in the last year, but just three per cent resulted in a charge or summons.

New data obtained by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice (SACA) has revealed that between September 2023 and 2024, a total of 1,686 offences were reported to the force but just 47 resulted in a charge or summons.

Sexual Abuse Claims Specialist, Ellie Lamey says it is “staggeringly low” and “it is important victims know that support is available.”

In the last year, there were 1,141 sexual offences reported to Dyfed-Powys Police as well as further 545 rapes.

Of those, just 47 resulted in a charge with 552 offences still under investigation.

According to the force, the majority of rape and sexual offence victims and alleged perpetrators were between the ages of 0-17.

Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice also obtained new data from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) – which is a government-backed organisation that can offer compensation to victims of sexual abuse.

In the last year, the CICA received 13,313 applications from alleged victims of sexual assault or abuse.

Of those, 1,763 received compensation – that’s just 13 per cent.

CICA Specialist at SACA, Ellie Lamey said: “The number of sexual assault/abuse victims who have applied for CIC is staggeringly low compared to the number of offences being reported to police forces across the UK.”

This, along with mammoth delays in the court system and the early release of prisoners is, of course, hugely concerning for victims.

SACA’s investigation revealed the main reasons why victims are rejected by the CICA. They include: the incident was not a ‘crime of violence’, the application was made outside the relevant time limit, failure to co-operate with bringing the assailant to justice and failure to co-operate with the CICA.

In the last year, the organisation paid out compensation totalling £18,463,509.85 to victims of sexual abuse.

Specialist Ellie Lamey added: “It is so important that victims know there is support available for them and not to be deterred or fearful of rejection.

“Victims should be aware that they can report historical periods of abuse/assaults to the police, regardless of the amount of time that has passed.

“Victims can avoid rejections by ensuring they fully cooperate with the police in bringing the assailant to justice as well as seeking appropriate medical attention regarding any physical or psychological injuries sustained from the assault they are a victim of.

“CICA data from 2020-2022 shows that 18 per cent of applications are submitted outside of the two-year time limit, and of these 61 per cent went on to receive an award.

“With relevant evidence, we can provide exceptional circumstances that have contributed to the delay in a victim submitting an application.”

Dyfed-Powys Police responded to the data saying that it had the second highest conviction rate for rape offences in England and Wales at 72.7% in the year to date.

However, the force said it recognises that there is still a lot more to do to ensure that all victims-survivors get the justice they deserve.

One of the force’s priorities is to provide a compassionate response to victims of rape and serious sexual assault and the relentless pursuit of offenders

The force joined Operation Sorteria Bluestone in 2022, the aim of which was to transform the policing response to rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO).

A spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting victims-survivors of rape and sexual assault and all detectives are fully trained in the College of Policing Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Investigative Skills Development Programme (RISDP).

“We’ve revolutionised our response to rape victims-survivors by providing an option of speaking to an officer via video call utilising specialist software. This has enabled victims-survivors to have access to specialist support in an environment which is comfortable for them.

“Rape and sexual offences investigations can be complex and due to their very nature can take longer than 12 months to investigate thoroughly.

“The Government’s review also acknowledged that not all victims-survivors who report incidents to the police want to proceed with a criminal justice outcome.

“As such, measuring charge rates within a 12-month period against the volume of crime reported can be sometimes misleading.”

The police spokesperson added: “We would urge anyone who has been a victim-survivor of a sexual offence to please come forward and get the support they rightly deserve.

“Whether a victim-survivor chooses to involve the police or not, support is available to everyone. New Pathways is the largest sexual violence support provider in Wales, with extensive experience of delivering specialist support to adults and children affected by the trauma of rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse.

“We would also encourage victims-survivors of sexual assault to seek help through sexual assault referral centres (SARCs). SARCs provide a safe space and dedicated care for people who have been raped, sexually assaulted or abused, and are here for everyone.”

Visit New Pathways on www.newpathways.org.uk, or to find a SARC go to collaborative.nhs.wales/SARCs
For details of support services and how to report a sexual offence, including non-recent incidents, visit https://bit.ly/reportsexualoffences
If you have been a victim of a crime, report it to Dyfed-Powys Police, either online at: https://bit.ly/DPPContactOnline, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 101. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired text the non-emergency number on 07811 311 908.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111, or visiting www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice (SACA) also offers a specialist service for anyone looking for support and advice after being affected by rape or sexual assault.

They operate a 24-hour helpline and live chat service which you can access on their website.