The voice on the phone already knows you were in an accident. They say you could be owed money, and they are only calling to help you claim it.
Here is what they leave out: they were not there, nobody referred you, and the moment you confirm a few details, your name becomes something to sell.
This is claim farming, and for years, it ran almost unchecked across Queensland.
What claim farming actually is
A claim farmer is a middle operator. This means that they cold-contact people by phone, text, email or even social media and pressure them into starting a personal injury claim. Then they sell that person's details to a law firm or a claims-management business for a fee.
The Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), which regulates Queensland's compulsory third party (CTP) insurance scheme, puts it bluntly: Car crash scammers contact you and pretend to help you make a personal injury insurance claim in Queensland, but what they really do is sell your personal details to make money.
Even though it is now illegal, MAIC estimates that around 1.5 million Queenslanders have been contacted by a car crash scammer.
The gap between the offer and the reality
WorkSafe Queensland, the state's workplace injury regulator, warns that farmed claims can result in "false promises, misinformation about your rights and entitlements" and can "increase your legal costs." It also notes that claim farmers do not support you; instead, they only “offer to help” and might tell you they are “connected to a government agency or insurer.”
Remember, someone has paid for your details, and that cost needs to be recovered from somewhere; more often than not, it tends to come out of the compensation you were owed in the first place.
You can also end up signed to a firm you never chose, and one that may not suit your situation. You become a lead that was bought, rather than a client who decided.
Where the calls come from
Callers are often vague about who they actually work for, and the specific law firm is usually not named at the start.
Many of these operations run from call centres, including overseas ones, working through long lists of phone numbers. The accident they mention is only a guess. They are betting that some people on the list really have been in a crash and will respond.
Some will go to great lengths to try and win your trust. MAIC explains that if it sounds too good to be true, it’s because it is. True organisations won’t make you feel pressured.
Why it was so profitable, and what changed
For a long time, harvesting and on-selling accident victims was simply good business for the people doing it. The product was you, and the buyers were firms willing to pay for a steady supply of claims.
Queensland moved to shut that down. Changes to the Motor Accident Insurance Act 1994 (Qld) that took effect on 5 December 2019 made claim farming a criminal offence. It is now unlawful both to cold-call or solicit someone to make a CTP claim and for a law firm to pay or receive a fee for a farmed referral.
MAIC states that the conduct may attract fines of up to $48,390 from 1 July 2021. Law firms now also have to certify, by statutory declaration, that neither they nor anyone acting for them engaged in claim farming on a given matter.
The law has teeth, and it has been used. In February 2023, the Brisbane Magistrates Court fined a company $1 million for 94 claim-farming offences, in what was reported as Australia's first successful prosecution under the new regime. Since the ban, MAIC has recorded a significant drop in reports that people are being harassed by claim farmers.
In 2022, the crackdown widened. Queensland extended the claim-farming ban across other personal injury and workers' compensation claims, closing the gap that the 2019 motor-accident reforms had left open.
How to spot a claim farmer
If you receive a call from an unknown caller, then there are clear signs that they may be a scammer. Here’s what to look out for:
- Unsolicited contact about an accident you never reported to them. A stranger phones, texts, emails or messages you about a "claim" you did not start.
- They sound official, but something still feels “off.” Watch for callers implying they act for MAIC, a government agency or "your insurer."
- They are vague about who they are. A reluctance to clearly name the actual law firm is a warning sign.
- It feels like a call centre, sometimes from overseas. Scripted urgency and a poor line are common.
- Pressure to act now or sign quickly. MAIC is clear that it is "not acceptable for someone to pressure you or harass you into bringing a claim."
- They fish for accident details. Confirming the date, location or injuries hands over exactly what they want to on-sell.
- You are told you are "entitled" to money before anyone has properly looked at your situation.
What to do if you are targeted
The single most effective response is the simplest one: Hang up.
Do not confirm any details, and do not sign anything put in front of you over the phone or online. The goal of the call is your information and your signature.
Remember that the choice of lawyer is yours. MAIC confirms that you have the right to engage a lawyer of your own choosing or to deal directly with the insurer about your claim. A genuine, reputable firm does not cold-call accident victims, because doing so is now against the law.
If you have been contacted, report it. MAIC runs an online "Report a car crash scammer" form, and reports can be made anonymously. WorkSafe Queensland has its own reporting channel for farmed workers' compensation claims.
Read our article on How to Lodge a CTP Claim in Queensland
The bigger picture
Claim farming survived for as long as it did because it traded on a fair instinct. After a crash, people genuinely want help, and a confident voice offering it is easy to accept.
The law has reframed that exchange. Cold-calling injured people is no longer a grey area; it is an offence, and the financial penalties now sit with the operators rather than their targets.
The protection that remains in your hands is awareness. An unexpected call about an accident is not the start of your claim. More often, it is someone trying to make your misfortune their product.
