It is in bad taste IMHO but I guess they don't care because there is the chance that someone in the minority somewhere will sign up
Re ambulance chasers - I'm also not sure if some of that info is in the public domain either - possibly from insurance brokers?
The year before dad died, someone smashed into the side of his car coming out of a junction. It was only about a month or so before it was discovered that he had cancer of the bladder so chasing compensation when he wasn't even hurt was the last thing on our minds. Dads car went in for repair and as far as we were concerned that was it. But he got an awful lot of phone calls that knew in part some of the specific details of the accident.
The really odd thing is something which happened just before he died. Because he was so ill, he added me on his insurance to be able to drive his car. It was the day that we were told he was terminal and had secondary cancer of the spine and I'd just dropped mum at her house when the phone rang. I answered as mum was too distraught and it was an ambulance chaser who had some details of the accident. I told him it was not a good time to speak as we'd just been informed dad only had a few weeks left and I put the phone down telling him not to contact us again.
After settling mum, I went home. I'd only been home about 2 mins when my (ex-d) phone rang. I picked it up and it someone launched into the speil about the accident that dad was involved in on x date and assuming I was a passenger in the car at the time. It was the same guy.. and I said hang on a minute how the heck did you get these details and I told you not 20 mins ago never to contact us again. The guy admitted he had spoken to me at my parent house.. realising I was in a mix of upset and furious emotions and was even apologetic about dad. But seriously realising he wasnt going to get anywhere with the main policy holder and then contacting the person who was a named driver I thought was a bit much.
We confronted the insurance broker who denied passing details on and they tried to say it must have been the body shop where he had the repairs done.. but that doesnt quite ring true as I don't think they would have had all my details too. Who ever did ring knew far too much about the original accident including names and dates... and the fact that I was also on the policy. Not quite sure where all that info could have come from other than the
insurance brokers.