Who sends UpdatePCP texts?

We could not identify the sender. A web search of FCA, ICO and GOV.UK pages on 2 October 2026 found none that names UpdatePCP, and the reports we read do not show a company name or an FCA number in the texts.

Is UpdatePCP part of the FCA compensation scheme?

No FCA page we found on 2 October 2026 mentions UpdatePCP. Under the FCA's scheme your lender deals with your complaint, and the FCA says the scheme does not require a claims company or a law firm.

Should I reply STOP or tap the link?

No. The ICO advises not replying to texts that say you are owed money and not clicking links in suspicious texts. Forward the text to 7726 instead; it is free.

How did they know my car registration?

We do not know, and the reports do not say. If you think a firm has misused your personal data, you can raise a concern with the ICO on 0303 123 1113 or at ico.org.uk/concerns.

UpdatePCP car finance texts: what we know and how to stop them

Checked by TextCheckUK · Last checked 2 October 2026 · How we check

People have reported texts from a sender shown as UpdatePCP saying they could be owed thousands of pounds on car finance, in one case naming the person's car by its registration. This page sets out what the dated reports say, what we checked on 2 October 2026, and how to stop and report these texts.

At a glance

Sender shown: UpdatePCP
First dated report we found: 22 July 2025
Latest dated report we found: 13 March 2026
Who runs it: Not identified
Named on FCA, ICO or GOV.UK pages (web search): None found (searched 2 October 2026)
What to do: Do not reply or open links. Forward the text to 7726.
Last checked: 2 October 2026

What the message says

What the reports describe, in our words (not a copy of a real message)

From UpdatePCP: says you could be owed up to [AMOUNT] on car finance and names one of your cars by its registration [REG]. Online Threat Alerts describes versions with a heading such as UpdatePCP or FINAL STAGES and a link [LINK].

UpdatePCP (display name): The sender name in the Talkford forum post of 22 July 2025 and on the Online Threat Alerts page published 13 March 2026.
Web address vsms.io (shown as text, not a link): Given as an example of the links, in the form vsms.io/[code], on the Online Threat Alerts page (published 13 March 2026, updated 8 July 2026). We have not seen these texts ourselves. vsms.io is a link-shortening service (see Who is behind it), so it is not necessarily the sender.
Web address clickstop.cc (shown as text, not a link): Given as another example on the same page. We have not seen it in a text ourselves.

Placeholders in square brackets stand for details we leave out: your registration, amounts, links. We never publish a full phone number (only its first digits) or a working link from these texts.

The dated reports

A post on the Talkford forum dated 22 July 2025 describes a text from the sender UpdatePCP saying the recipient might be owed as much as £16k and mentioning one of the poster's car registrations. The poster says they could not work out how the sender had linked the car to their mobile number. (Talkford forum post, read 2 October 2026)
A page on 'UpdatePCP' texts, published by Online Threat Alerts on 13 March 2026 and updated on 8 July 2026, describes texts with a heading such as UpdatePCP or FINAL STAGES, mentioning sums such as £16,000, and gives vsms.io/[code] and clickstop.cc as examples of the links. (Online Threat Alerts, UpdatePCP page, read 2 October 2026)

Earliest dated report we found: a Talkford forum post of 22 July 2025. Latest dated report we found: the Online Threat Alerts page published 13 March 2026 (it shows an update on 8 July 2026 without saying what changed). We found no later dated report on 2 October 2026.

Who is behind it

We could not identify who runs this sender. None of the reports we read shows a company name, an address or an FCA number in the texts, and a web search of FCA, ICO and GOV.UK pages on 2 October 2026 found none that names UpdatePCP.

The vsms.io homepage describes vsms.io as a tool from Voodoo SMS for shortening links in text messages and tracking clicks, with a free account on offer. A vsms.io link shows which service made the short link, not who sent the text, and we have no evidence that Voodoo SMS sent these texts. (vsms.io homepage, not linked, read 2 October 2026)
A text can quote the name or the FCA number of a real, authorised firm that has nothing to do with it. Look the firm up on the FCA Register and contact it only through the details listed there.

What the regulators say

On 29 July 2026 the ICO searched premises linked to five companies believed to have sent a combined 170 million texts between September 2025 and May 2026, as part of a joint taskforce on car finance claims. The ICO has not named the companies, so we do not know whether the texts on this page are among them. (ICO, car finance search warrants (30 Jul 2026), read 2 October 2026)
The FCA says claims companies and law firms may not approach you uninvited to sell their services, and that unwanted contact can be reported to the ICO (FCA page last updated 8 April 2026). (FCA, unwanted car finance contact, read 2 October 2026)
The FCA says you can complain to your car finance lender yourself, for free; that its compensation scheme does not require you to use a claims company or a law firm; and that you do not need a claims company to find out whether you qualify (FCA page last updated 16 September 2026). (FCA, car finance claims (consumer page), read 2 October 2026)
The FCA's compensation scheme has been challenged in court and parts of it are suspended. The Upper Tribunal is due to hear the challenge on 14 to 18 December 2026 or 16 to 26 February 2027, and the FCA expects a judgment in the months after that. Until the case is over, lenders do not have to work out or pay compensation under the scheme, or send messages about compensation owed under it (FCA statement of 2 July 2026). (FCA, scheme partially suspended (2 Jul 2026), read 2 October 2026)
GOV.UK says a business must be authorised by the FCA to provide claims management services, and that you can look it up on the Financial Services Register by its name, trading name or authorisation number. (GOV.UK, check a claims company, read 2 October 2026)

Check a firm yourself on the FCA Financial Services Register and the FCA Warning List, and use only the contact details listed there. Firms can be listed under a different legal name, so search for every name in the text.

How to stop and report these texts

Do not reply, not even STOP, and do not open the link. The ICO, on texts saying you are owed money: “We advise that you don’t reply to these text messages.” (ICO)
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.” (GOV.UK) See how to forward a text to 7726.
If the texts keep coming, block the sender and report them to the ICO, as the ICO advises. For calls too, register your number with the Telephone Preference Service.
If you opened the link and gave bank or card details, 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).
If you think you were mis-sold car finance, complain to your lender directly, for free, using the FCA's list of lenders. Our guide to car finance claim texts explains where the FCA scheme stands.

Our view

This is our opinion, not a finding of fact. It rests on these facts from the sections above:

We could not identify who sends these texts, and none of the reports shows a company name, an address or an FCA number in them.
The texts mention sums of up to £16,000. The FCA estimates that people who get compensation under its scheme will receive around £830 per agreement on average.
The FCA says claims companies and law firms may not approach people uninvited to sell their services.
The FCA says you can complain to your lender for free, and that its scheme does not require a claims company or a law firm.
The ICO advises not replying to texts that say you are owed money, and forwarding suspicious texts to 7726.

Our view (opinion)

We would not reply to these texts or open any link in them. We would forward them to 7726 and delete them. If we thought we had been mis-sold car finance, we would complain to the lender directly, with the contact details from the FCA's list of lenders.

Similar texts

Checks we made

Date	What we checked	Result
2 October 2026	Searched fca.org.uk, ico.org.uk and gov.uk through a web search engine for 'UpdatePCP' and 'Update PCP'.	No page on those sites names this sender. This was a web search: we did not search the FCA Register or Warning List directly.
2 October 2026	Opened the Talkford and Online Threat Alerts pages listed under Sources.	Both were online. The dates on this page are the dates those pages show.
2 October 2026	Looked in those reports for a company name, address, company number or FCA number linked to the texts.	None of the reports gives one.
2 October 2026	Opened the vsms.io homepage.	It describes a tool from Voodoo SMS for shortening links in text messages and tracking clicks, with a free account.
2 October 2026	Re-read the FCA, ICO, GOV.UK and Report Fraud pages on car finance claims and on reporting texts.	The scheme status, dates and reporting routes on this page match those pages as they read on that day.

Corrections and right of reply

Do you run this sender, or is anything on this page wrong or out of date? Email hello@textcheckuk.xyz. We review every request free of charge and publish a correction, or your statement, on this page. We never charge to correct or remove anything.

Sources

Talkford forum, thread about texts from UpdatePCP, published 22 July 2025; read on 2 October 2026. Paraphrased in our words.
Online Threat Alerts, page on 'UpdatePCP' texts, published 13 March 2026; read on 2 October 2026. Paraphrased in our words.
ICO, 'Multiple properties searched across UK after millions of car finance complaints', published 30 July 2026; read on 2 October 2026. Quoted: “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.
FCA, 'Unwanted car finance emails' (first published 2 February 2026), last updated 8 April 2026; read on 2 October 2026. Paraphrased in our words.
FCA, 'Car finance claims' (first published 11 January 2024), last updated 16 September 2026; read on 2 October 2026. Paraphrased in our words.
FCA statement, 'Motor finance scheme partially suspended', published 2 July 2026; read on 2 October 2026. Paraphrased in our words.
GOV.UK, 'Check if a claims company is registered', no date shown (first published 2014); read on 2 October 2026. Quoted: “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.
vsms.io homepage, 'Shorten URLs and Track Visits', no date shown; read on 2 October 2026. Not linked, because vsms.io appears in the texts. Paraphrased in our words.
GOV.UK, 'Avoid and report internet scams and phishing', no date shown (first published 2014); read on 2 October 2026. Quoted: “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.
ICO, 'I keep receiving marketing text messages (spam), but I want them to stop', no date shown; read on 2 October 2026. Quoted: “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.
ICO, 'Fines of £225,000 for nuisance marketing messages', published 20 January 2026; read on 2 October 2026. Quoted: “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.
Report Fraud (police), 'Should I report to Report Fraud?', no date shown; read on 2 October 2026. Paraphrased in our words.

Quotes from the ICO and GOV.UK are used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. FCA and Report Fraud pages are summarised in our own words with a link; nothing on this page is copied from them. Forum posts and other websites are summarised, not quoted.

TextCheckUK is an independent information site run by Softmed Labs SRL, a company registered in Romania, and funded by advertising. We are not a government service, and we are not connected to UpdatePCP, the FCA, the ICO, Ofcom or your mobile network. This page is information, not legal or financial advice.

Last checked: 2 October 2026 (see Checks we made). First published 2 October 2026. The date changes only when we re-check the facts.

Frequently asked questions

Who sends UpdatePCP texts?: We could not identify the sender. A web search of FCA, ICO and GOV.UK pages on 2 October 2026 found none that names UpdatePCP, and the reports we read do not show a company name or an FCA number in the texts.
Is UpdatePCP part of the FCA compensation scheme?: No FCA page we found on 2 October 2026 mentions UpdatePCP. Under the FCA's scheme your lender deals with your complaint, and the FCA says the scheme does not require a claims company or a law firm.
Should I reply STOP or tap the link?: No. The ICO advises not replying to texts that say you are owed money and not clicking links in suspicious texts. Forward the text to 7726 instead; it is free.
How did they know my car registration?: We do not know, and the reports do not say. If you think a firm has misused your personal data, you can raise a concern with the ICO on 0303 123 1113 or at ico.org.uk/concerns.