What's going on
Accident claims cold calls have been plaguing UK phone users for years. You pick up the phone and a recorded voice, or sometimes a real person, tells you that you may be entitled to compensation for a road traffic accident. In some cases they already know you were in one. In others, they're just fishing. Either way, you didn't ask for the call and the people behind it are often operating outside the law.
These calls come from claims management companies, or firms pretending to be one. Their business model is simple: find people who have been in accidents, sign them up to make a personal injury claim, and take a cut of the payout. The problem is that many of these outfits use illegal methods to find their leads, from buying stolen personal data to bulk dialling millions of numbers with automated messages. The ICO has fined companies hundreds of thousands of pounds for this, and one firm alone was found to have made 99.5 million nuisance calls about accident claims and PPI over just 18 months (ICO enforcement action against Keurboom Communications Ltd).
How these calls work
Accident claims cold calls come in a few different forms. Some are automated recordings. Others use real callers working from a script. Here's what you'll typically run into.
1. The recorded message
An automated voice tells you that records show you were involved in a road traffic accident and that you may be owed compensation. It asks you to press 1 to speak to an adviser or press 2 to opt out. These calls go out to thousands of numbers at once. The system doesn't know whether you've had an accident or not. It's a numbers game.
What to watch for
Never press any buttons. Even pressing 2 to opt out confirms that a real person answered the phone. That makes your number more valuable to the people behind the call, and you'll likely end up getting more of them.
2. The live caller who knows about your accident
This version is more unsettling. A real person rings up, mentions specific details about an accident you were actually involved in, and offers to help you claim compensation. They might know the date, the rough location, or that your car was repaired. This happens because your details were passed along the chain after you made your insurance claim. Repair garages, hire car firms, insurers, and breakdown companies all handle your data. It only takes one person in that chain selling it on for the calls to start.
Why this is a problem
Selling your personal data without your consent is a breach of data protection law. Under UK GDPR, you have the right to know who holds your data and to ask for it to be deleted. If someone is calling you with details about your accident that you never shared with them, a data breach has taken place.
3. The text message with a link
Some claims management companies send text messages instead of calling. The message will say something like "Our records indicate you may be entitled to compensation for a recent road traffic accident. Reply YES or click here." The link leads to a form asking for your personal details. Do not reply and do not tap the link. Forward the text to 7726 (free on all UK networks) so your provider can investigate.
4. The follow up pressure call
If you engage with the first call, even briefly, expect more. Some of these operations will ring back repeatedly, sometimes several times a day. They may claim the deadline to make your claim is about to run out or that you'll lose your right to compensation if you don't act immediately. The limitation period for personal injury claims in England and Wales is three years from the date of the accident (Limitation Act 1980, s.11). Nobody legitimate is going to ring you in a panic about a deadline unless you're right up against it and you've already been in touch with them.
What these calls sound like
If you've had one of these calls, you'll recognise the script. Here are the most common lines these callers use.
"We understand you were involved in a road traffic accident that wasn't your fault."
The classic opener. They say "we understand" to make it sound like they have information about you. Most of the time, they don't. They're calling thousands of people hoping some of them say yes.
"You could be owed up to £3,000 in compensation. There's no cost to you."
They dangle a specific figure to get your attention. The "no cost to you" part means they take their fee from the compensation payout. What they don't mention is that their cut can be 25% to 40% of your award, and some firms charge fees even if the claim goes nowhere.
"We just need to confirm a few details to check your eligibility."
This is where they start collecting personal information. They'll ask for your full name, date of birth, address, and the details of the accident. In the worst cases, they'll ask for bank details so they can "arrange your compensation." A legitimate solicitor would never ask for bank details during a cold call.
"Your claim window is closing. If you don't act now, you'll lose your right to compensation."
False urgency. The limitation period for personal injury claims is three years. Nobody who rings you out of nowhere knows exactly when your deadline is. This is pressure to stop you thinking it through and hanging up.
How they got your number
One of the most common questions people ask after getting one of these calls is how the company got hold of their details. There are a few ways this happens.
Data sold from the insurance chain
When you make an insurance claim after an accident, your data passes through several companies: your insurer, the other driver's insurer, repair garages, hire car providers, and breakdown recovery firms. It only takes one employee or contractor in that chain selling the data on. Once your details are out there, they get passed from one list to the next (Bartletts Solicitors).
Bought in bulk from data brokers
Some companies buy lists of phone numbers from data brokers who scrape public records, online forms, and social media. These lists aren't targeted. The company just dials every number on the list and hopes for a hit. This is how you can get a call about an accident you were never in.
Online forms and competitions
Ever entered a prize draw, filled in a quote comparison form, or ticked a box without reading the small print? Some of these forms contain consent clauses that let the company share your details with third parties for marketing. Your number ends up on a list that gets sold to claims firms.
Random automated dialling
The laziest method. Automated systems dial sequential phone numbers or random combinations and play a recorded message to whoever picks up. No data needed. This is how people who have never been in an accident in their life still get these calls. The system doesn't care who you are.
What to do when you get one of these calls
Hang up
Don't engage. Don't press any buttons. Don't confirm your name, your date of birth, or whether you've been in an accident. Just put the phone down. Anything you say, even "no thanks," tells the system your number is active.
Note the number
Write down the phone number, the date, the time, and anything the caller said. If you get more calls, keep logging them. This information is what the ICO and Ofcom need when you report it. Look the number up on CallerCheck to see if others have had the same call.
Block the number
Block it on your phone so the same number can't reach you again. Bear in mind that these firms often use multiple numbers, so you may need to block more than one. Both iPhone and Android make this easy from your recent calls list.
Our full call blocking guideReport to the ICO
The Information Commissioner's Office handles complaints about unsolicited marketing calls. Report the call through their website. Include the number, the date and time, and what was said. Your report feeds into enforcement investigations and can lead to fines against the company behind the calls.
Report to the ICOForward scam texts to 7726
If the contact came by text, forward it to 7726 (it spells SPAM on a phone keypad). This is free on all UK networks and alerts your provider so they can investigate the number and block it for other customers too.
Check your TPS registration
Make sure your number is on the Telephone Preference Service register. It won't stop calls from overseas or from firms that ignore the law, but it gives you stronger grounds for a complaint when a UK company calls you anyway.
Register with TPSThe law on accident claims cold calls
There are specific rules about how companies can contact you about personal injury claims. Several regulators are involved, and the rules have got tighter over the years.
PECR: no marketing calls without consent
The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 say that companies cannot make unsolicited marketing calls to people who are on the TPS register, or send automated marketing calls or texts to anyone without their specific consent. Breaking these rules can lead to fines of up to £500,000 from the ICO.
FCA regulation of claims management companies
Since April 2019, claims management companies (CMCs) are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The FCA requires CMCs to be authorised and to follow rules around how they find clients. Cold calling is one of the practices the FCA has cracked down on. If a firm contacts you and isn't on the FCA register, they shouldn't be operating at all.
SRA rules for solicitors
Solicitors regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority are not permitted to cold call potential clients about personal injury claims. If someone claiming to be a solicitor rings you out of the blue about an accident, they are either breaking their own regulator's rules or they're not actually a solicitor at all.
UK GDPR: your data rights
If a company got your details without your consent, that's a data protection breach. Under UK GDPR, you have the right to ask any company what data they hold about you, where they got it, and to have it deleted. You can also claim compensation if the breach caused you distress (UK GDPR, Article 82).
Enforcement example: The ICO fined Keurboom Communications Ltd £400,000 after it made 99.5 million automated nuisance calls over 18 months. The calls were about road traffic accident claims and PPI compensation. The company failed to respond to seven information notices and was eventually wound up (ICO enforcement programme).
What if you actually were in an accident?
Getting a cold call about an accident that really happened can be confusing. You might wonder whether you should take them up on it. Here's the thing: a cold call is never a good starting point for a compensation claim.
Don't use the cold caller
- • You don't know who they are or who they work for
- • They may not be FCA authorised
- • Their fees can eat into your compensation
- • They got your number through questionable means
- • Some firms encourage inflated or false claims
Do this instead
- • Contact your own insurer directly
- • Find a solicitor through the Law Society's Find a Solicitor service
- • Check any firm's FCA registration before using them
- • Citizens Advice can point you in the right direction
- • You have three years from the accident to claim, so don't rush
Frequently Asked Questions
Are accident claims cold calls illegal?
How do I find out who sold my data?
I pressed 1 and gave them my details. What do I do?
Can I claim compensation for the nuisance calls themselves?
Why do these calls come from different numbers each time?
Quick Summary
If You Get the Call
- • Hang up, don't press any buttons
- • Never confirm personal details
- • Note the number, date, and time
- • Block the number on your phone
- • Look up the number on CallerCheck
Where to Report
- • Marketing calls: ICO
- • Automated/silent calls: Ofcom
- • Scam calls: Action Fraud
- • Spam texts: forward to 7726
- • Dodgy claims firms: FCA