Newslink July 01-40

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lessons for honest learners.
Anyone using the services, if ever caught,
would have their licence revoked, face
prosecution for fraud potentially resulting in a
prison sentence and/or a fine.
It has been suggested that the rise in fraud
could be down to the long driving test waiting
list with a six month wait, assuming a
first-time pass.
One BBC reporter responded to a flyer,
written in Turkish, they had found in a London
café. The reporter, posing as someone with
little driving experience, met the advertiser.
He offered the ‘microscopic’ Bluetooth
earpiece service for the theory test for
£1,500. They have claimed to have been
doing this for a long time and had helped a
minimum of two people a day.
One legitimate driver had found that a
photo of his driving licence had been stolen
from a logistics company he was registered
with. He had discovered it being used on
Instagram by someone offering theory/
practical certificates without exams.
“The DVSA’s head of law
enforcement, Marian Kitson,
said it had revoked hundreds of
illegally obtained licences in
2022, but admitted they did not
know the full scale of the
problem. ... ‘the internet is so
huge; the social media platforms
are vast and these people are
very clever...’
Subsequently, over the last year, he has had
to dispute hundreds of French parking and
speeding tickets from someone using his
licence fraudulently.
During the year from April 2022, DVSA had
sent 30 cases of fraud by false
representation for prosecution - involving
497 offences, and there had been 53 arrests.
The DVSA’s head of law enforcement,
Marian Kitson, was interviewed on the news
report. She said the agency had revoked
hundreds of illegally obtained licences in
2022, but admitted they did not know the full
scale of the problem.
She is quoted as saying “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,” she said. “So actually, spotting
them and taking action quickly is a real
challenge.”
The larger problem is the unknown number
of people with no formal training and perhaps
little or no experience who are on our roads.
In total the report made sobering and
depressing viewing. About the only bright
point came in the interview with our very
own Janet Stewart, who made some
pertinent comments to the reporter – as well
as giving her a quick refresher course on her
driving. It was nice to see an MSA GB member
being asked for their opinions, and for the
BBC to be taking this problem seriously
enough to devote a lengthy news report to it.
NEWSLINK n JULY 2023 07