The PCP Cold Call That Lasted Exactly Until I Mentioned TPS

Today (Tuesday 17th February 2026) I received an unsolicited call from a firm trying to sign me up for a PCP claim.

The caller faces a number of problems:

1. My mobile number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) – the UK’s official “do not call” register for unsolicited sales and marketing calls.
   (tpsonline.org.uk)
2. The caller used a name that only exists to catch spam callers, a “canary” name I provide when I want to see exactly who’s selling my details.
3. I’ve been here before, and as a business owner that operates in the claims sector I know that this scourge puts all of us in a bad light and I do what I can to stop it.

I recorded the call, and I’ll be sending the evidence to the ICO (who enforces the rules on nuisance marketing calls) and the FCA (because anyone pushing “claims” activity like this should be prepared for regulatory scrutiny).
(ICO – PECR guidance)

And the most telling detail?

The moment I said “TPS”, the caller hung up. No debate. No confusion. No “we thought we had consent”. Just… gone.

The TPS Exists for Exactly This

Let’s be crystal clear, TPS isn’t a polite suggestion. It’s the mechanism people use to opt out of unsolicited live marketing calls.

Organisations making live marketing calls are expected to screen numbers against TPS and maintain “do not call” lists.

So when a caller dials a TPS-registered number to sell a claims service, this isn’t a “mistake”. It’s usually one of two things:

• incompetence, or
• a desperate business model that relies on breaking the rules until someone stops them

Given the speed of the hang-up, I’m not betting on incompetence.

This Isn’t Just Annoying, it’s Poisonous

These outfits aren’t just irritating consumers. They’re actively damaging genuine, compliant firms.

We saw this during PPI. A legitimate issue became a gold rush, and the public got battered by waves of nuisance calls, dodgy lead generation, and “we can get you thousands” nonsense.

Now it’s happening again, but with motor finance/PCP claims as the new bait.

And here’s the kicker, claims cold calling has already been targeted by government and a ban was introduced in relation to claims services (except where the person has consented).

So why are these calls still happening?

Because rogue operators know the economics:

• make enough calls,
• hook enough people,
• and treat the occasional complaint as “cost of doing business”.

Regulators Have Teeth, Let’s Make Them Use Them

If anyone thinks the ICO doesn’t act, think again.

The ICO has fined firms for unlawful marketing calls to TPS-registered numbers, including a £90,000 fine against a compensation-related company that made 95,000+ unsolicited marketing calls without evidence of consent.
(ICO – enforcement example)

So yes, this behaviour is absolutely on the regulator’s radar.

What’s missing is volume. Complaints. Evidence.

Which is why I recorded the call.

Why I Record These Calls

Because nuisance callers thrive in the fog.

They rely on:

• consumers not knowing the rules,
• consumers not having proof, and
• regulators receiving “he said / she said” summaries instead of clean evidence.

A recording cuts through all of that.

If you’re going to report a call, evidence matters.

Common-sense note: be careful about sharing recordings publicly, but providing evidence to regulators as part of a complaint is very different from uploading it for entertainment.

What Needs to Happen Next

This stops when it becomes unprofitable.

So here’s what I’m calling for:

1. The FCA and ICO must treat PCP/claims cold calling as a priority – Not a side quest. Not a “we’ll add it to the pile.” A priority.
2. Meaningful penalties, and faster – Fines exist. Use them. Publicise them. Repeat offenders shouldn’t get endless chances.
3. Clamp down on lead generation supply chains – These firms don’t just call, they buy, sell, recycle and repackage your data. That ecosystem needs disrupting.
4. Better protection for compliant firms – The good operators get tarred with the same brush. That’s unfair, and it drives consumers away from legitimate help.

These are not difficult to implement, and would be welcomed by all who operate in the correct manner.

If This Happens to You

• Register with TPS (if you haven’t already):
• If you’re TPS-registered and still get marketing calls, report them to the ICO:
• Note the number, time, what was said, and try to get the caller to confirm:
  • who they are,
  • where they got your data,
  • and what “consent” they think they have.

Most of the time, they magically develop a sudden interest in ending the call.

Final Thought: “We’ll Help With Your PCP Claim” Is the New “Have You Had an Accident?”

Unsolicited claims calls aren’t a harmless nuisance. They’re a pipeline for misinformation, pressure selling, data misuse, and they corrode trust in an entire sector.

It happened with PPI. It’s happening again.

It only stops when regulators are flooded with evidence and forced to act.

So to the mystery caller who hung up the moment I mentioned TPS:

Thanks for confirming everything I needed to know about where you were calling from.