Cold Calling for Personal Injury Claims

Cold calls and spam text messages trying to persuade someone to claim compensation for an injury have long been a source of annoyance for public, with most people at one time or another receiving these calls and texts. In 2018, measures came into force which ministers said would curb the number of cold calls and text messages about personal injury claims. These measures have not worked. New research from YouGov commissioned by APIL reveals that in the past 12 months, 55 per cent of UK adults have received a cold call or text about making a personal injury claim. This equates to 29 million UK adults. A separate request made under the Freedom of Information Act, meanwhile, found that in the year ending 31 August 2020, calls and texts about personal injury claims were still the biggest cause of complaints to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

It should hardly come as a surprise, therefore, that YouGov’s research reveals that almost the entire UK adult population (93 per cent) now support a total ban on cold calls and texts message about personal injury claims. 

Solicitors are banned from cold calling for personal injury claims, and we fully support this. Claims management companies (CMCs) are still allowed to contact people provided they follow the rules as set out in the Financial Guidance and Claims Act 2018. 

When the Bill was going through Parliament we cautioned that changing the rules on consent was not the solution, and would do nothing but add more confusion to the rules on cold calling. 

Cold calling for personal injury claims exploits vulnerable people. It is tasteless and intrusive. It generates the false perception that obtaining compensation for injuries is easy, even when there is no injury. It brings the whole sector into disrepute. 

Changing the rules has not solved the problem of cold calling. An outright ban is the only solution to rid the public of cold calls and text messages about personal injury claims.