article_snippet: But the ICO fears the ICO could be a bonanza for sharks and 'snake oil salesmen' targeting older people with texts and cold calls to try to get older people hands on older people pension pots.
article_snippet: Yesterday the ICO served a legal notice on a company in Swansea, Help Direct UK, for sending nearly 190,000 spam texts including many thousands about pensions.
article_snippet: One message was identified by the ICO as being both deeply misleading and sent to those who had not signed up for direct marketing, as the law requires.
article_snippet: the ICO said Help Direct UK told a 'web of lies' about how the ICO obtained the recipients' contact details.
article_snippet: New rules which come into force on the same day as the pensions reforms will allow the ICO the ICO to impose fines of up to half a million pounds on cold call and nuisance text firms.
article_snippet: Andy Curry of the ICO said: 'There is clearly the potential for a huge spike in the number of these scam texts and calls.