Laptops, mobile phones and documents have been seized after officials carried out search warrants in a crackdown on claims companies plaguing people with spam text messages about the car finance mis-selling scandal. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced a £7.5bn industry-wide compensation scheme for the millions of victims of the scandal in March. The head of investigations at the ICO, Andy Curry, 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 raids “send a clear message to the claims management sector: comply with the law or expect to hear from us”, he said. The raids represent an escalation of the crackdown on rogue CMCs and other businesses.