A company which made random mobile phone calls to over 160,000 people has been fined €1,500 in the first case of its kind in Ireland.
Fours a Fortune pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court to breaches of data protection legislation in March last year.
The company is run by Tom Higgins, who is also Managing Director of Irish Psychics Live.
The court heard that 086 customers were alerted to missed calls. When they returned the calls they found a message advising them to ring a premium rate number to play a game of chance.
Judge Anne Watkin imposed fines of €300 each in respect of five of the customers who complained and also ordered Fours a Fortune to pay legal costs of €1,000.
The judge said it was a serious offence and queried why there was no provision for a custodial sentence in present legislation.
