Car finance claim texts (PCP): what they mean and what to do

What the texts say

The wording changes, but the texts usually say you could be owed a refund or compensation on car finance, often PCP, and ask you to check or claim through a link or by replying. Some quote a precise sum, some quote your car registration. In September 2025 Virgin Media O2 published this example from the messages reported and blocked on its network in August 2025, with the link removed:

The example ends with what looks like a reply-to-opt-out code (EXIT=88440). The ICO advises being careful about replying to any message when you do not recognise the sender, and reporting suspicious messages to 7726 instead.

Texts we have pages on

Each page lists the dated reports of one sender, the checks we made, and how to stop the texts:

• REFUND PCP car finance texts: what we know and what to do (latest dated report 6 July 2026)
• UpdatePCP car finance texts: what we know and how to stop them (latest dated report 13 March 2026)
• All reported texts

How many texts, and what the ICO did

The ICO says the public has submitted more than 12 million complaints about nuisance marketing texts since September 2025, with up to 100,000 a day, as it works with the FCA, the Advertising Standards Authority and the Solicitors Regulation Authority on car finance claims.

“The companies are subject to ongoing investigations, believed to be responsible for sending a combined 170 million text messages to members of the public between September 2025 and May 2026.” (ICO, 30 July 2026)

Those are the five companies linked to the homes and business premises the ICO searched on 29 July 2026, across Bolton, Burnley, Liverpool, London and Swansea. The ICO has not named them, so no one can say from public information which texts they sent.

Where the FCA scheme stands (2 October 2026)

The FCA's consumer page, last updated 16 September 2026, says that finance for a car, van, motorbike or campervan taken out from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024, including PCP and hire purchase, may qualify for compensation if you were not told about certain links between the lender and the broker who arranged it. These include a discretionary commission arrangement, which let the broker raise your interest rate to earn more commission; a high commission, worth at least 39% of the interest and charges on the loan and 10% of the amount borrowed; and a contractual tie, where the broker worked with just one lender or let one lender have first refusal (with exceptions, for example where the lender, the maker and the dealer visibly shared a name). The FCA estimates that 37% of agreements, about 12.1 million, qualify, and that people who are paid will receive around £830 per agreement on average.

The scheme has been challenged in court. In a statement of 2 July 2026 the FCA said the Upper Tribunal is due to hear the case on 14 to 18 December 2026 or 16 to 26 February 2027, and that parts of the scheme are suspended until the case is over: until then, lenders do not have to work out or pay compensation under the scheme, or send messages about compensation owed under it. The FCA expects a judgment in the months after the hearing. If the court upholds the scheme and no one appeals, the FCA expects payments to start in 2027. If the scheme is overturned, the FCA says it may ask lenders to handle each complaint separately through their normal complaints process.

Some people will hear sooner that they are not owed anything. If you complained by the cut-off dates on the FCA's page, your lender should let you know by 18 November 2026 or 18 January 2027, depending on when your agreement began, and within 5 months for later complaints.

So if a text says money is ready to be paid to you now, compare it with this timetable and check with your lender directly, using the details on the FCA's list of lenders.

Do I need to reply to a text to be included?

No. The FCA says you can complain to your lender yourself, for free, using its list of lenders and template letters; that its scheme does not require a claims company or a law firm; and that you do not need a claims company to find out whether you qualify. None of the FCA pages we read on 2 October 2026 asks you to answer a text to take part.

The FCA also says claims companies and law firms may not approach you uninvited to sell their services (page last updated 8 April 2026).

If you use a claims company or a law firm

• Check it is authorised. GOV.UK: “Businesses must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to legally provide claims management services.” Search the Financial Services Register by name, trading name or number (GOV.UK).
• Know the cost. The FCA's consumer page says fees can reach 36% of your compensation, including VAT; its statement of 2 July 2026 says such firms may charge over 30%. Using several firms for one claim can mean paying several fees.
• You can leave. The FCA says any fee for leaving should be reasonable, in line with the work already done, and that you can ask to leave for free if you were signed up without agreeing, or were misled or treated unfairly. Complain to the firm first, then to the Claims Management Ombudsman (claims companies) or the Legal Ombudsman (law firms).

How to report the texts

1. Do not reply, not even STOP. On texts saying you are owed money, the ICO says: “We advise that you don’t reply to these text messages.”
2. Forward the text to 7726. GOV.UK: “Forward suspicious text messages to 7726 - it’s free. This will report the message to your mobile phone provider.” How to forward a text to 7726.
3. Tell the ICO if the texts keep coming, through its nuisance calls and messages form, and register with the Telephone Preference Service for calls, as the ICO suggests.
4. Tell the regulator of the firm, if one is named. The FCA says to report claims companies to the FCA and law firms to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
5. If you lost money, call your bank on the number on your card. Then report it to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 if you are in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, or to Police Scotland on 101 if you are in Scotland (Report Fraud).

What not to share

The FCA says a lender may ask for your bank details to pay you compensation, but that you should give them only when you are certain who you are dealing with, and never give anyone your PINs or passwords. It also says it would never ask you to send it money. GOV.UK's advice is not to give out bank details, reply to texts or click links when you are not sure a message is genuine.

Paste any text you are unsure about into the text checker to see which warning signs it carries.

Sources

• ICO, car finance search warrants (30 Jul 2026): ICO, 'Multiple properties searched across UK after millions of car finance complaints', published 30 July 2026: "More than 12 million complaints about nuisance marketing text messages have been submitted by the public since September 2025, with up to 100,000 received per day. ... The warrants, carried out by us yesterday (Wednesday 29 July), targeted a mix of residential and business premises linked to five companies across Bolton, Burnley, Liverpool, London and Swansea. The companies are subject to ongoing investigations, believed to be responsible for sending a combined 170 million text messages to members of the public between September 2025 and May 2026. ... People who continue to receive unwanted calls or texts about car finance claims are encouraged to register with the TPS and report unsolicited marketing via the ICO website or by forwarding text messages to 7726. ... The ICO is unable to comment further on the specific companies involved or details of the searches while enquiries continue. ... To report a concern to the ICO telephone our helpline 0303 123 1113 or go to ico.org.uk/concerns.". Information Commissioner's Office, 'Multiple properties searched across UK after millions of car finance complaints', 30 July 2026, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. — https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2026/07/multiple-properties-searched-across-uk-after-millions-of-car-finance-complaints/, read on 2026-10-02
• ICO, spam texts about claims: ICO, 'I keep receiving marketing text messages (spam), but I want them to stop', no date shown: "Be careful about replying to any messages if you don’t recognise who has sent them to you. If you believe it is a suspicious message, report it to the 7726 mobile service. ... We’re aware that people are receiving text messages about accident claims, debts, pensions, or mis-sold PPI. These messages vary but usually say that you’re entitled to money and should reply to claim it. ... Unfortunately, the numbers sending these messages often change, so your network provider can’t guarantee to stop all spam messages. We advise that you don’t reply to these text messages.". Information Commissioner's Office, 'I keep receiving marketing text messages (spam), but I want them to stop', page read 2 October 2026, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. — https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/texts/, read on 2026-10-02
• ICO, advice for the public (20 Jan 2026): ICO, 'Fines of £225,000 for nuisance marketing messages', published 20 January 2026: "Do not reply to suspicious texts or click on any links. Report spam texts for free by forwarding the message to 7726. Consider blocking the sender on your phone and report persistent offenders to the ICO.". Information Commissioner's Office, 'Fines of £225,000 for nuisance marketing messages', 20 January 2026, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. — https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2026/01/fines-of-225-000-for-nuisance-marketing-messages/, read on 2026-10-02
• GOV.UK, report suspicious texts: GOV.UK, 'Avoid and report internet scams and phishing', no date shown (first published 2014): "Do not give out private information (such as bank details or passwords), reply to text messages, download attachments or click on any links in emails if you’re not sure they’re genuine. ... Forward suspicious text messages to 7726 - it’s free. This will report the message to your mobile phone provider. ... Contact Report Fraud if you think you’ve lost money or been hacked because of an online scam or fraud and you’re in England or Wales. ... call 0300 123 2040 ... If you’re in Scotland and you’ve lost money because of an online scam or fraud, report the crime to Police Scotland.". Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. — https://www.gov.uk/report-suspicious-emails-websites-phishing, read on 2026-10-02
• GOV.UK, check a claims company: GOV.UK, 'Check if a claims company is registered', no date shown (first published 2014): "Businesses must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to legally provide claims management services. ... You can search by business name, trading name or authorisation number.". Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. — https://www.gov.uk/check-claims-company-registered, read on 2026-10-02
• Virgin Media O2, top scam texts of August 2025: Virgin Media O2, 'Virgin Media O2 issues warning after significant rise in gambling, recruitment and car finance scam texts' (press release), published 4 September 2025: "Our records indicate you could be owed up to £2,382.58 in mis-sold car finance. Check for free: <FREE SITE> EXIT=88440". — https://news.virginmediao2.co.uk/virgin-media-o2-issues-warning-after-significant-rise-in-gambling-recruitment-and-car-finance-scam-texts/, read on 2026-10-02
• FCA, car finance claims (consumer page): FCA, 'Car finance claims' (first published 11 January 2024), last updated 16 September 2026 (paraphrased, not quoted). — https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/car-finance-complaints, read on 2026-10-02
• FCA, scheme partially suspended (2 Jul 2026): FCA statement, 'Motor finance scheme partially suspended', published 2 July 2026 (paraphrased, not quoted). — https://www.fca.org.uk/news/statements/motor-finance-scheme-partially-suspended, read on 2026-10-02
• FCA, unwanted car finance contact: FCA, 'Unwanted car finance emails' (first published 2 February 2026), last updated 8 April 2026 (paraphrased, not quoted). — https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/car-finance-complaints/unwanted-emails, read on 2026-10-02
• Report Fraud, who should report: Report Fraud (police), 'Should I report to Report Fraud?', no date shown (paraphrased, not quoted). — https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/should-i-report-to-report-fraud/, read on 2026-10-02

Quotes from GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk, mygov.scot, the NCSC, the ICO and NHS England are used under the Open Government Licence v3.0; material from Ofcom is Ofcom copyright. Other pages are summarised in our own words or quoted briefly, with a link. How we check.