"The ICO said the use of what it calls "robo call technology" - avatar software that allows callers to present themselves as people they are not - is making it more difficult to discern genuine calls from those made by predatory marketeers. It said the telltale signs of such calls include slight pauses before responses (indicating call handlers selecting recordings to play), limited flexibility to answer offbeat questions, identical voices and tones, and no background noise or natural breaks in speech."
"These types of marketing calls are not strictly illegal in the UK, but they must be made only to individuals who have freely given their informed consent to receiving them. Green Spark Energy and Home Improvement Marketing were both fined on August 28, £250,000 (around $334,000) and £300,000 (around $400,000) respectively. The ICO and Telephone Preference Service received a combined 497 complaints about Green Spark Energy, including from elderly people and cancer patients, from the circa 9.5 million calls it mad"
Two British firms were fined a combined £550,000 for equipping offshore call handlers with avatar "robo call" software and pre-recorded messages to target elderly and other vulnerable people. The technology made it difficult to distinguish genuine calls from predatory marketing, producing telltale signs such as slight pauses, identical voices, limited flexibility in responses, and no natural background noise. The calls must only be made to individuals who have freely given informed consent. Regulators received hundreds of complaints and urged the public to report suspected robo calls to aid investigation and enforcement.
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