HelloFresh fined for sending millions of spam texts and emails

HelloFresh has been fined £140,000 for sending millions of spam emails and texts over a seven-month period.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) found that the meal delivery company sent 79 million spam emails and a million spam texts to customers without the required permissions.

Read on to find out more about the ICO's investigation and for advice on dealing with spam.  

Sign up for scam alerts

Our emails will alert you to scams doing the rounds, and provide practical advice to keep you one step ahead of fraudsters.

Sign up for scam alerts

'A clear breach of trust'

The ICO says it has fined HelloFresh £140,000 for a ‘clear breach of trust’.

The data watchdog's investigation found that HelloFresh sent marketing messages based on an opt-in statement which didn't reference that it would contact customers by text. 

In addition, customers were not given sufficient information that their details would be used for marketing for up to two years after cancelling subscriptions.

Finally, the ICO says it discovered that HelloFresh continued to contact some customers even after they’d requested for communications to cease. 

Thousands of complaints

The ICO’s investigation has been ongoing since March 2022. 

In addition to complaints made directly to the ICO, 8,729 complaints were logged by the '7726' service, under which members of the public can flag spam text messages.

Andy Curry of the ICO says: 'Customers weren’t told exactly what they’d be opting into, nor was it clear how to opt out. 

'From there, they were hit with a barrage of marketing texts they didn't want or expect, and in some cases, even when they told HelloFresh to stop, the deluge continued.'

A HelloFresh spokesperson says: 'Customers are at the centre of everything we do, and we take our data protection obligations extremely seriously. 

'Of the emails sent, the ICO only received three complaints. We have worked closely with the ICO, we have carefully considered its feedback and have made changes to our SMS and email policy.'

How to report spam texts and emails 

How you should deal with unsolicited texts or emails depends on whether the message is spam from a genuine company, or a potential scam message.

Watch our two videos for advice on protecting yourself from dodgy texts and emails. 

Spam texts

• You can report unsolicited texts to Mobile UK's spam reporting service by forwarding the message to 7726.
• Spam texts can also be reported to the ICO using its online service.
• Only reply 'STOP' to a message if you're sure it's genuine and not a scam. Otherwise, you'll be letting a scammer know your number is active.
• If you think the text may be a scam, don't click on any links and don't reply. Block the sender.

Spam emails

• Move the email to your junk folder. Your email provider should then block future messages from appearing in your inbox. 
• If you receive lots of spam emails or find out your account is being used to send out spam emails, change your password. If this continues, consider setting up a new email address.
• If you think an email is a scam, report it to the National Cyber Security Centre.