Driving test fraudsters are advertising online: Groups offer lookalikes to sit practical tests and Bluetooth headset help for theory exam
- As of mid-June at least 669 accounts were advertising driving test scams
Hundreds of fraudsters are advertising illegal driving test schemes on social media that promise to help Britons get their licence without taking a test, it has emerged.
TikTok, Facebook and Instagram are littered with accounts, groups and pages promoting scams that will have a lookalike driver sit practical driving tests. Others claim they will feed theory exam answers to test takers via Bluetooth headsets.
Data from the social media platforms revealed that as of mid-June at least 669 accounts with 138,900 followers were advertising driving test scams, BBC reported.
It comes as driving test fraud through impersonation is skyrocketing, with Driving Standards Agency (DVSA) showing that reports of the scam rose from 654 in 2018 to 2,015 in 2023.
The DVSA told the news outlet that although more cheaters are being caught and having their licences revoked, the illegal testing schemes remain a ‘largely hidden problem’.
Hundreds of fraudsters are advertising illegal driving test schemes on social media that promise to help Britons get their licence without taking a test, it has emerged. Note: The BBC believe the adverts often use genuine pictures of pass certificates and driving licences that have been snatched from real driving school social media accounts
TikTok, Facebook and Instagram are littered with accounts, groups and pages promoting scams that will have a lookalike driver sit practical driving tests. Note: The BBC believe the adverts often use genuine pictures of pass certificates and driving licences that have been snatched from real driving school social media accounts
The social media platforms promoting the driving test schemes promise to ‘help’ wannabe drivers a full DVLA database licence in as little as five to 10 days without taking any tests or exams.
The adverts are often in foreign languages and use genuine pictures of pass certificates and driving licences, which the BBC claims have been snatched from real driving school social media accounts.
The fraudsters provide little data about how their so-called help works, but encourage learner drivers to reach out via direct message, phone or WhatsApp.
Undercover BBC reporters contacted several of the scam accounts to learn how they operate.
One fraudster allegedly said that for £720 a pass certificate would be delivered to the reporter’s home within five days, despite her not having sat the exam.
Another charged £1,600 for cheating on the theory test and £2,600 for the practical driving test. The scammer needed to know what the reporter looked like so she could find a ‘suitable lookalike to take the tests’.
One reporter actually met with a man who had posted an advert, written in Turkish, in a London cafe offering a ‘100% guarantee’ to pass the theory test.
The man, who called himself Erdal, told the journalist he would actually sit the exam, but would be fed answers via a ‘microscopic’ Bluetooth earpiece that connects to a mobile phone.
Erdal explained that for £1,500 he would provide the answer to each exam question as it was ‘read out loud’ by the computer.
‘We have done this for a long time. We do this for a minimum of two people every day,’ Erdal reportedly said, adding that the earpiece would be in the reporter’s ear and ‘test administrators will not look in your ear’.
The social media platforms promoting the driving test schemes promise to ‘help’ wannabe drivers a full DVLA database licence in as little as five to 10 days. Note: The BBC believe the adverts often use genuine pictures of pass certificates and driving licences that have been snatched from real driving school social media accounts
The fraudsters provide little data about how their so-called help works, but encourage learner drivers to reach out via direct message, phone or WhatsApp
The Driving Standards Agency reiterated that the Driving and Vehicle and Licensing Agency (DVLA) is the only authority that can issue a genuine driving licence. The authority warns that adverts promoting full licences are ‘money-making scams’ and can only provide a fake licence
The DVSA says the number of people being prosecuted for impersonations and test fraud is on the rise and law enforcement revoked hundreds of illegally-obtained licences last year.
In the year from April 2022, the agency has sent 30 cases of fraud by false representation, involving nearly 500 offences, for prosecution. Investigators also made 50 arrests.
But Marian Kitson, head of the DVSA’s law enforcement, said it is clear the illegal licence scheme is a large-scale and ongoing issue.
She told the BBC: ‘The internet is so huge; the social media platforms are vast and these people are very clever, they move the adverts around; they change them frequently. So actually, spotting them and taking action quickly is a real challenge.’
The DVSA reiterated that the Driving and Vehicle and Licensing Agency (DVLA) is the only authority that can issue a genuine driving licence.
The authority warns that adverts promoting full licences are ‘money-making scams’ and can only provide a fake licence.
MailOnline has approached the DVSA and DVLA for comment.
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