Huge driving test scam uncovered
Discussion
Huge driving test scam uncovered
Tens of thousands of people are paying fraudsters to sit their driving test for them, the BBC has learned.
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) says impostors charge up to £500 and can have taken more than 200 tests each.
The scam works when the fraudsters pass themselves off as the person in the photo on the provisional licence that candidates must bring to their test.
The DSA described the problem, the scale of which has only recently become clear, as serious.
Difficult to spot
The head of the DSA's fraud team, Andy Rice, said: "It is quite common for them to do over 100, sometimes over 200 tests, before we're in a position to arrest them. We're into the tens of thousands."
Many of the fraudsters have sat tests at different driving centres around the country.
If they pass the test, the person paying them is granted a full licence - despite having never sat a practical road examination.
Ashley Bateman, a driving examiner in Nottingham, explained that it could be difficult to spot those trying to cheat the system.
"If their face looked the same shape and they had the same colour eyes and things like that, there is a chance then that it would be difficult for the examiner to identify there's a problem," he said.
The AA's head of road safety, Andrew Howard, said he was shocked at the size of the problem and he believed it could be related to the increasing difficulty of the driving test.
"As the tests get harder to make the roads safer, more and more people will do whatever it takes to get around the hard exam," he said.
He also pointed out that drivers who had not passed a test were up to nine times more likely to have an accident, and it was more likely to be a serious one.
Lethal drivers
Shadow Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "This is yet more evidence that there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of rogue drivers on our roads without tax or insurance and now, it appears, often without a legal driving licence.
"This is a huge road safety challenge and we clearly need urgent action to tackle the problem."
There are already cases of alleged falsehoods reaching the courts.
On Monday, two men from Oldham, Greater Manchester, were convicted of obtaining driving licences by deception.
Shazad Akhtar, 34, was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and ordered to pay £500 costs after pleading guilty to 22 counts of obtaining and attempting to obtain driving licences by deception.
The DSA, which gathers evidence before handing it on to police, has run 1,200 investigations into the activity so far.
The fear is that the figures are the tip of the iceberg and that there are many more untested and potentially lethal drivers on the roads.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6231892.stm
Tens of thousands of people are paying fraudsters to sit their driving test for them, the BBC has learned.
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) says impostors charge up to £500 and can have taken more than 200 tests each.
The scam works when the fraudsters pass themselves off as the person in the photo on the provisional licence that candidates must bring to their test.
The DSA described the problem, the scale of which has only recently become clear, as serious.
Difficult to spot
The head of the DSA's fraud team, Andy Rice, said: "It is quite common for them to do over 100, sometimes over 200 tests, before we're in a position to arrest them. We're into the tens of thousands."
Many of the fraudsters have sat tests at different driving centres around the country.
If they pass the test, the person paying them is granted a full licence - despite having never sat a practical road examination.
Ashley Bateman, a driving examiner in Nottingham, explained that it could be difficult to spot those trying to cheat the system.
"If their face looked the same shape and they had the same colour eyes and things like that, there is a chance then that it would be difficult for the examiner to identify there's a problem," he said.
The AA's head of road safety, Andrew Howard, said he was shocked at the size of the problem and he believed it could be related to the increasing difficulty of the driving test.
"As the tests get harder to make the roads safer, more and more people will do whatever it takes to get around the hard exam," he said.
He also pointed out that drivers who had not passed a test were up to nine times more likely to have an accident, and it was more likely to be a serious one.
Lethal drivers
Shadow Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "This is yet more evidence that there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of rogue drivers on our roads without tax or insurance and now, it appears, often without a legal driving licence.
"This is a huge road safety challenge and we clearly need urgent action to tackle the problem."
There are already cases of alleged falsehoods reaching the courts.
On Monday, two men from Oldham, Greater Manchester, were convicted of obtaining driving licences by deception.
Shazad Akhtar, 34, was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and ordered to pay £500 costs after pleading guilty to 22 counts of obtaining and attempting to obtain driving licences by deception.
The DSA, which gathers evidence before handing it on to police, has run 1,200 investigations into the activity so far.
The fear is that the figures are the tip of the iceberg and that there are many more untested and potentially lethal drivers on the roads.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6231892.stm
Chrispy Porker said:
Sadly this has been going on for years.
Yes it has. The standard of driving generally is probably reasonable evidence of something amiss with the driving test and drivers not having passed at all is quite believable. ...and the government seems to think that obsessing on the speed at which people travel is how to make drivers safer...and all they do is catch the mainly accident-free all registered bona fide driver 
7db said:
fluffnik said:
Chrispy Porker said:
Sadly this has been going on for years.
...yet resources are wasted on speed traps.Heads should roll, very senior ones for preference.
Edited by s2art on Saturday 23 June 20:02
7db said:
fluffnik said:
Chrispy Porker said:
Sadly this has been going on for years.
...yet resources are wasted on speed traps.Heads should roll, very senior ones for preference.
Wasn't the photo license, introduced at great expense, meant to stop this very thing?
It would surprise me greatly if replacing the membership of ACPO and most of the Home Office with empty desks would do anything bad.
The money saved would pay for a lot of useful public servants though!
Edited by fluffnik on Saturday 23 June 20:10
Chrispy Porker said:
They are also career police officers.
Who would you rather have authorising a firearms operation?
Right now an ACPO member is running the Glasto operation.
Do you think a sheriff could do that?
Probably, I think people would vote for those with credibility most of the time. And why do you think career police officers wouldnt still be assigned to jobs such as Glasto?Who would you rather have authorising a firearms operation?
Right now an ACPO member is running the Glasto operation.
Do you think a sheriff could do that?
But to be qualified to lead a police force or a major operation you need senior officers of high calibre.
Are you suggesting the public are presented with a group of Chief Supt's and asked to elect their next ACC ?
I cannot see the electorate getting very excited about that. We have pathetic turnout in general elections, and local councillors get in unopposed as it is.
All you will get is a handful of people electing whoever looks nicest or makes the best speeches.
Utter nonsense.
Take politics out of policing. Don't introduce a whole new level of it.
Are you suggesting the public are presented with a group of Chief Supt's and asked to elect their next ACC ?
I cannot see the electorate getting very excited about that. We have pathetic turnout in general elections, and local councillors get in unopposed as it is.
All you will get is a handful of people electing whoever looks nicest or makes the best speeches.
Utter nonsense.
Take politics out of policing. Don't introduce a whole new level of it.
so chief superintendents and their association become the new ACPO?
Brilliant.
So to distinguish whoever is in charge, ( some one has to be) we will call him/her chiefchief superintendent.Bit of a mouthful......
tell you what lets just call them Chief Officer.
see where we are going here?
Brilliant.
So to distinguish whoever is in charge, ( some one has to be) we will call him/her chiefchief superintendent.Bit of a mouthful......
tell you what lets just call them Chief Officer.
see where we are going here?
Chrispy Porker said:
But to be qualified to lead a police force or a major operation you need senior officers of high calibre.
Are you suggesting the public are presented with a group of Chief Supt's and asked to elect their next ACC ?
I cannot see the electorate getting very excited about that. We have pathetic turnout in general elections, and local councillors get in unopposed as it is.
All you will get is a handful of people electing whoever looks nicest or makes the best speeches.
Utter nonsense.
Take politics out of policing. Don't introduce a whole new level of it.
Let me see, vote for someone who may do a good job with the chance to get rid if he doesnt, or get Brunstrom. Hmmm tricky.Are you suggesting the public are presented with a group of Chief Supt's and asked to elect their next ACC ?
I cannot see the electorate getting very excited about that. We have pathetic turnout in general elections, and local councillors get in unopposed as it is.
All you will get is a handful of people electing whoever looks nicest or makes the best speeches.
Utter nonsense.
Take politics out of policing. Don't introduce a whole new level of it.
Mon Ami Mate said:
Huge driving test scam uncovered
Ashley Bateman, a driving examiner in Nottingham, explained that it could be difficult to spot those trying to cheat the system.
How about:Ashley Bateman, a driving examiner in Nottingham, explained that it could be difficult to spot those trying to cheat the system.
Left and right thumbprint taken at Theory
Ditto at Practical
Ditto on the spot if pulled over or accident.
Would show up multiple 'test sitters' and also whether person using the licence was the one who took both the theory and practical tests. Not watertight but more of a deterrent than than present system.
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