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Financial services company Information Support Australia (trading as Super Information Team) has been fined $102,120 by the media watchdog Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for breaching telemarketing rules.
Super Information Team paid the massive infringement notice after an ACMA investigation found it was responsible for 880 calls to phone numbers on the Do Not Call Register in October 2020.
Consumers were offered a review of their superannuation and to connect them with a financial advisor, with the calls made by a third-party call centre.
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said unlawful financial services marketing is an ACMA compliance priority given the potential for harm involved, especially at a time when many Australians have been experiencing financial difficulties due to COVID restrictions.
“Unwanted telemarketing causes frustration and anxiety, and the Do Not Call Register is your phone’s equivalent of a ‘No junk mail’ sticker on your letterbox,” O’Loughlin said.
“Super Information Team did not have adequate compliance systems in place to prevent the calls being made to numbers on the Register by an outsourced provider. You can’t outsource your compliance obligations. If a third-party is working on your behalf, it is your responsibility to ensure compliance with the telemarketing rules,” she said.
“The size of this infringement notice sends a message to telemarketers that we will not hesitate to take action against those that break the rules.”
O’Loughlin said the ACMA will be paying close attention to how Super Information Team meets its commitments under the undertaking to prevent future breaches.
Over the past 18 months, businesses have paid $1,797,000 in infringement notices for breaking telemarketing and spam laws.
Enforcement action for breaches of Australia’s unsolicited communications laws can include formal warnings, infringement notices, court-enforceable undertakings and action in the Federal Court.
Communications laws can include formal warnings, infringement notices, court-enforceable undertakings and action in the Federal Court.
Source: ACMA
Zoe is a content creator, specialising in speech and corporate communications. She is currently the content producer of Supply Chain Channel— a learning ecosystem dedicated to connecting and empowering the Australian supply chain community.
