Today I received in the post a letter from my motor insurance company, stating that a claim was being pursued against me for an alleged incident one day last August.
This took me rather by surprise as I haven't been involved in any bump with my car at all. I have phoned them up to explain, and apparently all the info they have is the name of the claimant (I have never even heard the name before) and apparently I turned into their driveway and bumped their car, but there is no location specified.
On the day in question I only did my local school run and have certainly had no such incident so I am stressing now as to how this person obtained my details and what on earth can I do to prove it is nothing to do with me?!! Does anyone have any idea how this could happen?

Identy theft by the sound of it as your details may well have been stolen and somebody could use them. the only puzzling thing is the number plate as I assume they had the right model as well ?

It could be somebody with a grudge that knows who you are and the car you drive ?

You can find out the make and model of any UK car online just by having the vehicle registration.

But could you find out the owners name and insurance details anywhere?

Yes, by reporting an apparent accident to the police. 

Go to your local police station and tell them about it, taking all the paperwork you have with you.

So if someone picked out my registration to claim against, the police would give them my details? Presumeably they have all that info on their databases so I wonder if someone could hack into it? Funny thing is there is no location given for this incident so I don't even know if it would be anything to do with the local police. I might try to contact them anyway as I am concerned that someone is stealing this kind of information.

Yes, this can happen

However, if you contact your local police station, they are able to run checks to see who has checked your vehicle (if that makes sense!) or if anyone has reported the accident, and as it appears to be a fraud, can investigate.

It could be be a legitimate accident where the claimee has copies down the wrong registration number, or got a digit wrong.

Eeek I have just called the local non emergency force and they will send someone along later to speak to me about this. For some reason I am very nervous of policemen!! I always feel like I will be told off for something I haven't done like being at school!!!!!!!!!!!

Well it was actually a policewoman and she was not scary at all!! Extremely helpful in fact and she will try to get to the bottom of what has happened. I am very impressed.

Great news lets hope they sort it out :)

This happened to me, and I also panicked. Firstly all insurers have access to a database of all people who are insured. Someone made a claim against my insurance and i got a letter from my insurers saying that they intended to settle with the claimant for the accident....the first i had heard of any accident. It turned out that there had been an accident with someone else, and the victim had taken the car reg incorrectly. He gave the wrong reg number (mine)to his insurers, who identified that registration number as being mine, looked on the insurers joint database, and contacted my insurers without going thru me at all! First I heard was when my insurers rang me to ask a question, as they had amitted liability on my behalf!!!!!!!!!!!! I demanded they went through all details with me, wher it immediately became clear.....the victim had given my reg number, but this did NOT tally with the make and model of my vehicle. My insurers hadnt checked. When they looked they realised that unless I had significantly "pimped my ride" i did not drive a mercedes coupe., merely a renault laguna :D
Its probably a very simple mistake. Please try not to worry...you dont have to prove it was nothing to do with you....THEY have to prove that it was.

I got a bill once from a Windscreen company for not paying the full excess when they fitted a new windscreen to my Lotus Elan ! Only one problem my Lotus Elan is in fact a Subaru Impreza & I hadn't needed a new windscreen.

I rang the company & asked them what was going on & they told me that I have a £50 excess on glass replacement not the £40 I had paid them & if I didn't pay up PDQ they would send the bailiffs. I then asked why should I pay them anything as they would have had a hard time fitting a Lotus Elan windscreen to my Impreza-reply Oh we must have fitted an Impreza screen & someone put Lotus Elan by mistake-I don't think so I replied as the name on the copy of the invoice they sent me(complete with full Credit Card details)was for a man & I was definitely wasn't a man & on the day in question I was in The Netherlands !!-Ah came the reply can you prove that-Of course but it's up to you to prove I wasn't. Silent & then I'll get my Manager to call you back.

Three days later said manager rang me & very crossly asked me why I was saying I had an Impreza when they had fitted a windscreen to an L reg Lotus Elan. Ah but the Reg is actually L115 DS? & Not L11SDS which is my personal reg & your enquiry to the DVLA was not for the number on the invoice but mine, & it was on my new car that I had only just bought at the time that the windscreen was replaced. Silence again then, Oh I see what has happened the office staff have misread the Reg number-to which I replied, wouldn't it have been easier to contact the car's insurance company to get the details of the keeper instead of using the DVLA which is supposed to be a last resort-I am really sorry came the reply & we will send you a letter of apology. This I received I then reported then to the DVLA & also the DATA protection as they had sent me the actual keepers full card details.

The other false claim I had against me was when someone claimed that I had backed into their car with my 4 x 4 & written it off. My insurance company contacted me to see when i had changed my car for a 4x4(I hadn't)I asked for the address of the claimant & yes it was a customer from work who I had taken to court ! The police arrested her & she ended up in prison again(had just got out !)

They have to prove it was you(independant witnesses etc)especially as they had the wrong car details

ohh, nice. sure you wouldn't have minded if they sent you an merc out :D