Law firms have been reminded to check the origins of referrals to ensure they were not generated by unwanted text messages, after investigations uncovered widespread anger at such ‘spam’.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said this week it is working with mobile phone networks to study the source of messages inciting people to make a claim. One claims management company has been raided this year, with several others visited.

An ICO survey showed 95% of consumers found the texts inconvenient, concerning or distressing.

The SRA is emphasising to firms the importance of checking how case information has been obtained. While the use of texts is not explicitly banned, the SRA warns that solicitors must not pay introducers for referrals obtained in a way that would breach practice rules. ‘Solicitors must be satisfied that the introducer is not doing things the solicitor couldn’t do,’ said an SRA spokesman.

‘If a company is not known to the firm we would expect them to ask for some kind of evidence, not just take the introducer’s word about what they’re doing.’

An ICO survey of 1,000 legal services consumers found almost 70% had received a text causing concern.