Criminals are cashing in on would-be drivers’ frustration over test delays by claiming they can help them skip queues and obtain licences without the need to do exams.
Fraudsters are asking for hundreds of pounds for what they say are legitimate licences, claiming they have staff inside the government testing and licensing bodies working for them.
In one scam seen by the Guardian, the fraudster asked for £850 for a driving licence, payable in instalments, claiming that a “team of DVSA-certified instructors” would process the buyer’s details.
They claim the driver is enrolled in a test centre but will not have to sit the theory or practical test. Instead, they claim their staff submit test results through the system, which leads to the licence being issued.
However, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which issues licences, and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), which carries out tests, have warned that the promised shortcuts are scams designed to gather victims’ money and personal details.
They have also warned that any documents that do arrive are counterfeit.
Anyone found in possession of a fake driving licence could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Waiting times for tests have averaged about 22 weeks across Great Britain this year, with London drivers having to wait 24 weeks in many cases.
The latest DVLA figures show 668,128 people had a practical driving test booked in Britain at the end of September, up from 579,138 a year earlier.
Recent figures from the bank TSB showed that among its customers total losses linked to driving lesson and test fraud had doubled in a year, and victims had lost an average of £244 each.
It found almost every recorded scam was carried out via a social media platform.
The number of drivers who have fallen victim to scams around learning to drive is on the increase, according to TSB, which said recently that some of its customers had also been duped into buying fake driving lesson offers.
What the scam looks like
The fraudsters behind social media accounts seen by the Guardian encouraged prospective buyers to get in touch with them by WhatsApp.
When contacted, one said that they had an “agent working on the DVLA system” who could obtain a full driving licence and passing certificates for the theory and practical tests. They said the cost would be £500, with £200 paid upfront and another £300 due once the licence arrived, which they said would be within four days.
Another claimed to be a technician working on the DVLA database. They asked for £740 for an automatic licence and £850 for a manual one.
One of the fraudsters asked how good the potential buyer’s driving skills were and whether they had any medical issues and points on their licence, which the fraudsters said was necessary to process their application. One asked for the screenshot of a provisional licence for the application.
The accounts contacted by the Guardian requested payment via bank transfer.
What to do
The DVLA said it had found no evidence that any staff had been involved in such scams.
“These accounts are not connected to DVLA and are recognised scams that attempt to obtain payment or personal information,” a spokesperson said. “Anyone concerned they may have been a victim of a scam should contact the police through Action Fraud straight away.”
The DVSA said it had received a large number of reports about the scams, and promised documents usually failed to arrive.
A spokesperson said: “These accounts are not connected to DVSA and are recognised scams that attempt to obtain payment or personal information.
“We take all allegations about test standards and fraud extremely seriously. We fully investigate reports of any individuals who attempt to circumvent the testing process and have a robust process in place to ensure driving tests conducted by our examiners meet the required standard of assessment.”
TikTok banned three accounts highlighted by the Guardian. “Our community guidelines are clear that we do not allow the trade or marketing of regulated, prohibited, or high-risk goods and services, nor do we allow attempts to defraud or scam members of our community,” a statement from the social media company said.
Meta, which owns Instagram, removed two accounts using similar tactics that were pointed out by the Guardian. The platform said it bans content that dealt in the trade of forged documents.
