A UK-based debt collection company sent more than 55 million text messages to individuals struggling with overdue payments over a two-year period, according to records examined by The Register. The scale of the operation has drawn fresh attention to aggressive tactics used by firms chasing consumer debts, particularly those linked to public sector bodies such as local councils, government departments and NHS trusts.
The company, Lowell Financial, forms part of a larger group that buys portfolios of unpaid debts from creditors who prefer to offload them rather than pursue recovery themselves. Once acquired, these accounts are chased through repeated contact across multiple channels. Between January 2024 and December 2025, Lowell dispatched 55.4 million SMS messages to people whose debts it had purchased or been instructed to collect. That figure equates to roughly 76,000 texts every single day, or more than 3,100 messages per hour around the clock.
Many recipients were already facing financial hardship. Council tax arrears, unpaid hospital parking fines, benefit overpayments and outstanding court costs made up a significant share of the debts involved. Data obtained through freedom of information requests shows that public sector organisations continue to sell or assign large volumes of such accounts to private collectors each year. In some cases local authorities reported recovery rates below 20 percent after handing files to external agencies, yet still turned to them as a way of balancing stretched budgets.
The volume of texting stands out even against industry norms. While automated calls and letters remain common, the shift toward mobile messaging has accelerated because SMS open rates often exceed 90 percent. Recipients tend to read texts almost immediately, giving collectors a direct line into people’s daily routines. Lowell’s messages typically contained demands for payment, links to online portals, or threats of further action if balances remained outstanding. Some texts arrived in clusters, with several landing on the same day or within the same week.
Consumer advocates argue that such frequency can tip vulnerable households from manageable stress into serious distress. People living with anxiety, depression or low income may experience repeated messages as harassment rather than legitimate reminders. One charity worker described clients who changed their phone numbers solely to escape the constant pings, only to find that the new SIM cards eventually received the same treatment once the debt followed them through credit reference agencies.
Lowell maintains that its approach complies with regulations set by the Financial Conduct Authority. The firm points to built-in safeguards that supposedly prevent excessive contact. These include systems that limit the number of attempts per customer within certain timeframes and requirements to honour requests to cease communication. Critics counter that the overall numbers suggest those limits are applied loosely or that the sheer size of portfolios overwhelms any practical restraint. With millions of accounts under management, even modest contact rates per person produce enormous aggregate volumes.
The practice reflects wider changes in the debt purchasing market. After the 2008 financial crisis, banks and utilities began selling non-performing loans in bulk to specialist investors who treat the portfolios as financial assets. Returns depend on extracting as much repayment as possible, often at fractions of the original value. A debt bought for pennies on the pound can still yield healthy margins if even a small percentage of debtors pay something. This business model creates strong incentives to maintain pressure across every available channel.
Public sector creditors have come under particular scrutiny. Freedom of information responses compiled by The Register reveal that some NHS trusts and councils sell parking penalty notices, unpaid care home fees and even library fines to collection agencies. While these bodies insist they only pursue cases where people have the means to pay, evidence suggests many debtors are on low incomes or receiving state support. Government statistics show that council tax debt alone affects millions of households, with arrears rising sharply after the cost-of-living crisis.
Regulators have begun to examine the wider use of automated messaging. The Information Commissioner’s Office has previously warned companies against using personal data in ways that cause unwarranted annoyance or distress. However, enforcement actions remain relatively rare. The FCA expects debt collectors to treat customers fairly and to consider individual circumstances, yet the regulator’s own reports acknowledge that monitoring millions of daily interactions presents practical difficulties. Industry insiders say many firms rely on self-reported compliance data rather than independent audits of actual message logs.
Technology has made mass texting inexpensive and easy to scale. Modern platforms allow collectors to upload entire databases, set contact rules, and launch campaigns with minimal human oversight. Templates can be personalised with a debtor’s name, outstanding balance and a payment link, creating the impression of individual attention. Some systems even adjust message frequency based on whether previous texts received replies or clicks. This automation removes much of the cost that once limited how often companies could afford to chase accounts.
The human impact appears in anecdotal reports gathered by debt advice services. Advisors describe clients who avoid opening their phones for fear of seeing yet another demand. Others report paying small amounts they cannot afford simply to stop the flow of messages, sometimes worsening their overall financial position. Mental health organisations have linked repeated collection contact to increased rates of anxiety and sleep disruption, particularly among people already managing multiple debts.
Lowell is not alone in adopting heavy SMS strategies. Several competitors have reported similar or larger contact volumes in recent years, though exact figures are seldom published. What makes the latest disclosure striking is the precise two-year total and the proportion traced back to public sector debts. When government-related creditors outsource collection, they effectively delegate the human consequences to private firms operating under commercial pressure.
Some local authorities have started reviewing their contracts with debt purchasers. A handful now insist on minimum repayment thresholds before accounts are referred, or require collectors to provide evidence that they have attempted to establish a debtor’s ability to pay. These measures remain patchy, however, and many councils continue to prioritise short-term cash flow over long-term debtor welfare. Central government departments have been slower to change, with HMRC and the Department for Work and Pensions still assigning substantial volumes of overpaid benefits and tax credit debts to external agencies.
Consumer law offers limited immediate protection. The Consumer Credit Act and associated regulations require collectors to act reasonably, but proving a breach often demands detailed records of every contact. Most individuals lack the resources or knowledge to challenge firms effectively. Those who do complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service sometimes receive compensation for distress and inconvenience, yet such cases represent only a tiny fraction of total contacts. The 55 million texts sent by one company alone suggest that the true scale of affected households runs into hundreds of thousands.
Industry representatives maintain that texting remains an efficient way to reach people who might otherwise ignore letters. They note that many debtors prefer digital communication and that prompt reminders can prevent debts from growing larger through added interest and charges. This perspective assumes that recipients have the means to pay and simply need prompting. Evidence from advice agencies indicates that a large subset of cases involves people who are genuinely unable to meet the demands, making repeated contact more punitive than practical.
Calls for tighter rules have grown louder. Some parliamentarians have suggested capping the number of unsolicited texts per debt per month, while others propose banning the sale of certain categories of public debt altogether. Consumer groups advocate for a statutory duty of care that would require collectors to assess financial vulnerability before escalating contact. Such reforms would likely face resistance from an industry that generated billions in revenue last year from purchased consumer debt.
In the meantime, individuals receiving frequent texts from debt collectors have several practical options. They can request in writing that contact is reduced or stopped, citing financial difficulty. They can seek free advice from organisations such as StepChange or Citizens Advice, which can negotiate on their behalf. Checking credit reports for accuracy and disputing incorrect entries can also pause collection activity. None of these steps eliminate the underlying debt, but they can reduce immediate pressure.
The episode revealed by The Register highlights a system in which public creditors, private collectors and technology combine to create relentless digital pressure on financially strained households. Whether this approach ultimately recovers money efficiently or simply shifts costs onto the most vulnerable remains a matter of ongoing debate. What is clear is that 55 million text messages represent a volume of contact that many people experience as overwhelming, regardless of regulatory compliance on paper. As more public bodies turn to external collectors to plug budget gaps, the volume of such messages seems likely to increase unless clearer limits are introduced.
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