21 million nuisance calls lands telecoms boss with ban

The Legend Alliance Ltd was incorporated in January 2010 with Jason Gambling (48), from Basingstoke, as its sole director. The company provided telecommunications consultancy services.

Between February and May 2016, the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) received complaints from members of the public who had received unwanted direct marketing calls from telephone numbers associated with The Legend Alliance.

The ICO informed The Legend Alliance that it was under investigation in January 2017. The agency found that the telephone numbers associated with the company had made in excess of 21 million unsolicited calls for direct marketing purposes in that 4-month period.

When challenged by the ICO, The Legend Alliance was unable to provide evidence that it had obtained permission from the 21 million recipients to contact them, in breach of Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.

The company had also failed to declare itself in its calls to the public as the party making the call.

In February 2017, The Legend Alliance entered into Voluntary Liquidation proceedings, owing almost £200,000 to creditors and the ICO referred Jason Gambling’s conduct to the Insolvency Service.

On 19 November 2019, the Secretary of State accepted a disqualification undertaking from Jason Gambling after he did not dispute breaching the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.

Effective from 10 December 2019, he cannot, without the permission of the court, be involved in the formation, promotion or management of a company, directly or indirectly, for 7 years.

Claire Entwistle, Assistant Director of Investigations for the Insolvency Service, said:

Despite extensive experience in the telecommunications industry, Jason Gambling allowed his company to be party to 21 million marketing calls over a 4-month period, to people who did not want to receive them.

Directors of companies who breach regulations that exist to protect members of the public should take heed that the Insolvency Service will investigate them, and they may be disqualified from running companies for a substantial amount of time.

Jason Gambling is from Basingstoke and his date of birth is July 1971.

The Legend Alliance Ltd (Company Reg no. 07120317).

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings. Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

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