Swansea property raided in UK-wide probe into nuisance finance texts

Nation.Cymru staff

A property in Swansea has been raided as part of a UK-wide investigation into companies suspected of sending millions of nuisance motor finance claims text messages.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) carried out searches at residential and business premises in Swansea, Bolton, Burnley, Liverpool and London, on Wednesday.

The raids form part of an investigation into five companies, which have not been named, that are thought to have sent a combined 170 million nuisance marketing text messages between September 2025 and May this year.

The investigation follows more than 12 million complaints about motor finance nuisance text messages received by the ICO since September last year, with up to 100,000 complaints being made each day.

The ICO has been working with the Financial Conduct Authority, the Advertising Standards Authority and the Solicitors Regulation Authority to tackle poor practices in the handling of car finance mis-selling claims.

Andy Curry, the ICO’s head of investigations, said: “People are fed up with being bombarded by unwanted calls, texts and emails about car finance claims, and we’re taking action.

“This week’s searches send a clear message to the claims management sector: comply with the law or expect to hear from us.

“We are working closely with our taskforce partners to make sure people are properly informed and protected and we will not hesitate to take further action where we find evidence of wrongdoing.”

Legal challenges

The FCA has been working on a scheme to compensate millions of people who took out motor finance deals with hidden or unfair commission, although the redress scheme has recently been put on hold because of legal challenges.

Regulators have been looking to stamp out poor claims handling and marketing practices in the mis-selling saga, while also warning about fraud attempts.

More than 1,220 misleading adverts have so far been removed or changed since January 2024 after action by the FCA.

The regulator has also secured so-called voluntary requirements with 12 firms ensuring they agree to stop or change their marketing activities, and other action has also been taken to help protect consumers.

Alison Walters, director of consumer finance at the FCA, said: “Firms that misuse people’s personal information or use aggressive marketing can cause serious harm and damage trust.

“Through our joint taskforce, we are sharing information and working together to protect consumers and improve standards across the sector.”

People who receive unwanted calls or texts about car finance claims can register with the Telephone Preference Service and report unsolicited marketing via the ICO website or by forwarding text messages to 7726.

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