Data Protection & 'ambulance chasers'

FerndownBrian

My first post!

My wife had a car accident the other day that didn’t involve anyone else at all or any injury. We told our insurers, QuoteMeHappy, who are the only ones besides ourselves who know about this, and this morning she got a call on her mobile from an “ambulance chaser” .
They said “we believe you’ve had an accident that wasn’t your fault.” They called her by her first name. The call came from 01452 068208. They were evasive about who they were. Needless to say we didn’t respond – but have QuoteMeHappy leaked this information? My wife is complaining to them now.
Thanks for any advice.

elsien

I've tried to find out similar as I was very miffed about random companies getting hold of my mobile number.
My insurer denied point blank it was them.
The consensus on here was that it could have been the recovery garage or anyone else involved passing/selling the details on.
I'm still getting calls 2 years later. I've tried to find out more from the companies who call, but they tend to end the call when you start asking those questions. Now I just block them.

Bigphil1474

It could be random calling and it's a coincidence that you actually have had an accident - used to get these before I registered with TPS. Or it could be info from some database because it was reported. For actual accidents, you can normally only claim for up to 3 years after it, so you only have to put up with these calls for a few days short of 3 years.

Car_54

Bigphil1474 wrote: »

It could be random calling and it's a coincidence that you actually have had an accident - used to get these before I registered with TPS. Or it could be info from some database because it was reported. For actual accidents, you can normally only claim for up to 3 years after it, so you only have to put up with these calls for a few days short of 3 years.

Six years, surely? Three years is for personal injury claims.

Ebe_Scrooge

I get these fairly regularly - the one and only time I've had an accident was about 30 years ago ! Had one recently, the number showed up as a "real" UK number. I was bored, so played along with them for a while. Got cut off as I was on a train and it went through a tunnel. The guy called straight back - a totally different, but still "genuine UK" number showed up. Then I got bored, cut him off - and he rang straight back on yet another different number.

They're just scumbags, treat them with the contempt they deserve - and no, in all likelihood it's not your real insurance company that's given or sold the number to them. Even registering with the TPS doesn't help because they're always from India.

lostelephant

I had these after having a non-fault accident. Kept getting 3-4 calls a day from random numbers with very vague answers to where they were calling from (kept changing their company name each time), where they received my details. They knew everything about the accident, my reg plate, how it happened etc. Ended up calling one back and they said all accidents get put on a database... but no information of who put my details on there or who has access to it.

I knew it had to be either my insurance, my insurances solicitors, the hire car company, the recovery company or the recovery company's solicitors. Rang every one of them and got told by each one that they hadn't passed my details on. I decided to do my own research and found out from here that one of the companies calling me (Accident Advice Centre/Helpline/whatever they being called that day) formerly had the same registered business address as Slater & Gordon, who were the recovery company's solicitors.

I rang them up and requested (more like demanded) all of my details removing and removing from any 'database', followed up by an email confirming it, and I haven't heard a peep since.

jimjames

I regularly get them, I suspect your one was random nothing to do with the insurance company.

I did have a spike in calls when I advertised my car on Gumtree. The only enquiries I had were accident claims.

ohreally

jimjames wrote: »

I suspect your one was random

Would random, call her by her name?

Ebe_Scrooge

ohreally wrote: »

Would random, call her by her name?

The calls I get always call me "Mr. <correct surname>". I've no idea where they get my number from, but it sure as hell ain't from some "accident database".

Ergates

I get these fairly regularly - (and they call me by my surname) - and I've never been in an accident.

It's *probably* just a coincidence, and if it isn't it's unlikely that the insurance company sold you out.

DoaM

Car_54 wrote: »

Six years, surely? Three years is for personal injury claims.

Aren't almost all ambulance chasing calls looking for personal injury claims?