Regulator fines sole trader that misled consumers into calling an expensive phone line
Provider had registered its service as an IT helpline, but it was actually an unauthorised financial service.
The Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA) has fined and banned a sole trader from the market.
Himanshu Singh ran Uplink IT Solutions, which provided a service that charged consumers £2.50 a minute. Though this service was registered as a technical support line, it seems consumers who used the service believed they were contacting a loan service called ‘Best Loan Solution’. However, this was not a legitimate financial service.
The Tribunal found that the provider had committed a number of breaches, including around pricing information and being misleading.
The Tribunal fined Singh, trading as Uplink, £250,000 and banned him from the market for at least seven years. It also ordered the provider to issue refunds to affected consumers who claim one.
Read the Tribunal’s decision in full.