I tried to report what I believe to be a legitimate case of personal data misuse, following the ICO’s official guidance. After submitting my phone number to a single online service, I began receiving scam calls — including one impersonating HMRC.I contacted the ICO via their live chat, explained the situation calmly and clearly, and was immediately told it was not their concern — without asking for any real detail. Because I hadn’t contacted the (suspicious) company directly first, I was also blocked from submitting the report through the official form.The system leaves no room for good-faith reporting when you suspect your data has been mishandled by a potentially untrustworthy service. I expected at least a basic intake of information — instead, I was dismissed entirely.
