Many of us have been contacted by cold callers offering us compensation for various conditions such as hearing loss. These companies should not be calling you out of the blue and most are simply farming your data which is sold off at a later date.
Recently on the FT Advisor, the managing director of Devon-based IFA Philip J Milton & Co has warned others about the scams. Mr Milton said that he had received an enquiry about his hearing and noisy work environments in the past, and urged his peers to follow his lead in logging calls.
Mr Milton, who said he had sympathy for those who have difficulty hearing, added that some people sought any means to chase claims.
He said: “The Ministry of Justice regulates claims management companies and these things are abuses of the present rules, let alone the new rules which should be coming into force soon.
“I have had the first telephone call enquiring after my hearing and my noisy work environment in the past.
“Religiously I report all such unsolicited calls to the Ministry of Justice and perhaps all readers should do the same.
“I have to have confidence they are being logged and that at some point something will be done about them.”
According to Mr Milton, the MoJ had acknowledged all of his messages, and he advised more advisers to follow suit in the hope that increasing numbers will make the ministry “act more quickly”.
In an email he previously sent to the Ministry of Justice, Mr Milton urged it to look into questionable claims and criticised claims management companies for encouraging dubious ones.
The email said: “Someone must start to bring these miscreants to justice. There are rules and laws and they are being flouted blatantly and there appear to be no penalties and no sanctions against these firms despite the letter of the law.
“As far as they are concerned, they brave the wrath of a regulator who is toothless in their eyes and where the penalties, if ever any are levied, are less than the potential income from canvassing in this way.”
Mr Milton added that it was important for the MoJ and the regulator to understand the “immense” costs faced.
He said: “The time cost of dealing with these unsolicited claims-chasing companies is immense and they are not paying for it as they should be.”
If you would like more information about cold calling please go to our ‘What is Cold Calling?’ FAQ guide for help on how to report it and how to get reputable advice.