Firm bombarded people in debt with 5.5m texts

A business has been fined £300,000 for bombarding people in debt with more than 5.5 million unlawful texts, including fake bailiff threats.

Manchester-based KRA Consultancy sent messages appearing to come from bailiffs to people's phones to frighten them into responding, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said.

The firm was found to have sent 5,575,715 unsolicited direct marketing texts between April 2022 and May 2025, promoting debt solutions to people who had already been turned down for loans.

Andy Curry, the ICO's head of investigations, said it was a "calculated, unlawful scheme, and it caused real fear and distress to people who were already struggling with debt".

People in financial difficulty deserved support, not exploitation, Curry said.

"KRA deliberately sought these people out - knowing they might be especially susceptible to this kind of high-pressure marketing - and bombarded them with illegal texts," said Curry.

"When that wasn't enough, it sent fake threats telling people bailiffs were coming to their homes to remove their belongings."

He said KRA Consultancy showed complete disregard for the law throughout the investigation and the £300,000 fine - one of the largest for nuisance marketing in recent years - reflected that.

"It should leave no doubt that we will pursue any company that thinks it can evade the law and prey on the public," he said.

Fabricated bailiff threats, designed to frighten recipients into engaging with the company's debt services, were sent using the sender name 'DEMAND' and said that bailiffs would be visiting within 48 hours to remove goods under the authority of court orders.

More than 60,000 complaints about the nuisance texts were made to the ICO and Mobile UK's 7726 spam reporting service.

An ICO spokesperson said that, under The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, organisations must only send marketing text messages to people if they have agreed to receive them, or the company has a genuine existing relationship with them.

Organisations sending marketing messages should follow the ICO's direct marketing guidance and use its direct marketing advice generator to ensure they are complying with the law, they added.

Alongside the fine, the ICO also issued an Enforcement Notice, ordering the company to stop sending marketing messages without consent within 30 days.

KRA Consultancy was also not registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, despite directing people towards debt solutions.

The ICO advises:

• Do not respond to a marketing text from an unfamiliar company or click any links, as doing this confirms your number is active and may lead to more messages.
• Forward spam texts to 7726, which is a free service, used by the ICO to investigate companies breaking the law and to take action.
• Anyone also receiving nuisance marketing calls can add their landline or mobile number to the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) free of charge. If this continues after registering, this can be reported to the ICO using its online reporting tool.

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