Vodafone España, S.A.U. – €40,000 Fine (Spain, 2021)
General GDPR enforcement action
This case relates to broader data protection obligations, not specifically to cookie or consent banner compliance. It is not included in cookie statistics or the Risk Calculator.
Vodafone España was fined €40,000 for not checking if contracts were signed by the real person. Fraudsters used someone's personal details to open phone lines without their knowledge. This case shows companies need to verify customer identities to prevent fraud.
What happened
Vodafone España registered two phone lines in a person's name without verifying the contracts were legitimate.
Who was affected
A person whose identity was used by fraudsters to open phone lines without their consent.
What the authority found
The Spanish DPA ruled that Vodafone lacked a valid legal basis for processing personal data, as they failed to verify the authenticity of the contracts.
Why this matters
This ruling highlights the importance of identity verification for companies to prevent fraud. Businesses should ensure they have proper checks in place to confirm customer identities before processing personal data.
GDPR Articles Cited
The Spanish DPA (AEPD) imposed a fine on Vodafone España, S.A.U. for insufficient legal basis for data processing. The data subject stated that two telephone lines were registered in his name, for each of which charges were made. However, the data subject had never concluded contracts with the company for either of these lines. Rather, the contracts in question were concluded by fraudsters using the data subject's personal data. Nevertheless, the personal data was entered into the company's information systems without any verification as to whether the contracts had been lawfully and actually concluded by the data subject. The contracts were concluded even though they were not signed and the information provided by the fraudster, such as the address or date of birth, did not match those on the data subject's ID card. The original fine of EUR 50,000 was reduced to EUR 40,000 due to voluntary payment.
Related Enforcement Actions (20)
Other enforcement actions involving Vodafone España, S.A.U. in ES
Fine
€40K
Details
Fine Date
14 September 2021
Authority
Agencia Española de Protección de Datos
Fine Amount
€40,000
Enforcement Tracker ID
ETid-845
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Vodafone España, S.A.U. - Spain (2021). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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