A health insurance firm has been illegally targeting OAPs to rake in millions of pounds. AXA Healthcare medical cover used a marketing database which should have been erased.
The information was provided to sales people by a company called Secure Health, owned by Axa. Around 10,000 pensioners took out policies over a decade. Whistleblowers passed evidence to The Sun.
MPs have called for a thorough investigation after material was handed over to regulators. A whistleblower revealed a sample of over 5,000 of the profiled people’s details.
Sales people are accused of illegally using phone data to cold call. It is estimated that from two million numbers more than 350,000 were targeted.
One person listed on the database, retired Alan Hazel, 77, from Kingston-upon-Thames, South West London, said: “It’s quite frustrating to hear our details are listed like this. We get these companies calling us.”
MPs Andrea Jenkyns and Nus Ghani condemned the company’s behaviour. The Information Commissioner’s Office vowed to investigate Secure Health and AXA. An AXA spokesman, on behalf of Secure Health, said: “We will, as a matter of priority, investigate this thoroughly and take all the necessary action to protect customers.”
Esther Rantzen, founder of The Silver Line charity helpline for older people, blasted the practices. She said: “It’s completely unacceptable. “Many older people live alone and they may be receptive, and actually dangerously receptive because they enjoy conversation. I think it’s unscrupulous. Older people have savings they may desperately need if they become frail and need care. This is money they may desperately need in the future.”
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