Two super spammers, who sent millions of nuisance texts "that blatantly break the law" to people claimed they were owed personal injury compensation or payment protection insurance refunds, will be fined more than £250,000.
The spam texts claimed each person was owed a payout for an accident which never happened, or was owed PPI refunds they had never taken out in the first place, according to The Information Commissioner.
The pair must prove their spamming was in line with the law or face fines of over a quarter of a million pounds.
Members of the public reported almost 30,000 calls or texts received from an unknown sender in the last six months, director of operations Simon Entwisle said on the ICO's blog.
"This is an important step that shows those who blatantly break the law will be in line for a sizeable six-figure penalty from the ICO.
"We know that many of the companies making illegal marketing calls and sending spam texts try to operate below the radar.
"However, we have been analysing information in order to identify the most complained-about companies.
He said the spam texts and calls were often from "rogue companies" operating outside the law.
"We wrote to companies who featured at the top of these complaint lists to request details of how they were making sure they complied with the law.
"From the responses we received, eight companies are now being investigated further and have been warned that they may face further action unless they can prove that they are compliant."
He added: "While honest mistakes can occasionally be made, we will look to take action against individuals and companies that continue to break the law."
The ICO has written to both individuals to confirm that it intends to issue the penalties for breaching the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), which regulate electronic marketing, a spokesman said.
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