HOW SCAMMERS ARE FLEECING LEARNERS DRIVERS WITH NON-EXISTENT EXAMS
Scammers are fleecing learner drivers up and down the country out of hundreds of pounds to pay for non-existent driving exams, amid record waits for lessons and tests.
The latest data shows that learner drivers are facing increasingly long wait times for tests, with the average amount of time they wait for rising from 14.8 weeks in February to 17.8 weeks in February, according to figured obtained by the AA Driving School.
The increased wait times have left learner drivers, especially young people, more and more desperate for test slots.
Social media scammers are now exploiting this desperation, the Times reported, leading to learners forking out up to £250 for non-existent driving tests through dodgy Facebook groups that advertise last-minute test slots, often run from other countries including Bangladesh.
Driving instructors approved by the Driving Standards Agency (DVSA) have access to a special platform to book tests for pupils. The DVSA only charges £62 for most tests.
They require a learner's provisional drivers licence number to book official tests.
But many claim this system is open to abuse, as driving instructors can use their licence number to book a test without permission, before swapping the booking with a pupil ready to take the test.
Alina Mayer, 34, from Reading, told the newspaper she was able to buy a test through social media and ended up paying £100 as well as £62 for the test.
'There was absolutely nothing on the DVSA website for anywhere near my area,' she said. 'I searched online and came across these Facebook groups. I found out you have to have an existing test, and they will swap it with an earlier one. I booked one for the Isle of Wight.
'I then joined a WhatsApp group run by the people behind the Facebook page. They constantly list test slots for centres all over the country. A date in Slough was listed so I messaged. I've got no idea how the group gets the tests in the first place. They are based overseas, but I sent the money to a NatWest bank account. I definitely think this should be illegal, it feels incredibly dodgy, but it did help me pass sooner.'
But scammers can go even further, claiming in fake social media groups that they can book last-minute tests slots for an extortionate fee, only for learner drivers to find out that the tests never even existed in the first place.
Learner Oly Hutchings, 30, from Southampton said he was shocked by the sheer number of scams on social media sites.
'I have a friend who was scammed — they paid £200 to swap for an earlier test but when they turned up to the centre in High Wycombe they discovered the test didn't exist.
'Then I found these Facebook groups online, and I could see how many people were getting scammed the same way. The scammers offer you an earlier test date and take your money, then just disappear or the test doesn't exist.
'I was furious. People are desperate to pass, and the scammers know that. They've spent so much money only to be taken advantage of.'
The DVSA told the Times it 'does not run, approve or endorse any cancellation finder apps or services and we encourage learners only to book their driving test when their instructor agrees they are ready'.
Read more 2024-06-23T21:04:38Z dg43tfdfdgfd
