The RAC is cautioning learners to all the time use the official Authorities web site and to keep away from web sites that supply to ebook or notify them of accessible take a look at dates, for the reason that common wait time for a sensible driving take a look at in England and Wales after the epidemic remains to be roughly 4 and a half months.
The driving take a look at’s governing physique, the Driver and Car Requirements Company (DVSA), has closed 689 companies, suspended 746, and issued 283 warnings for abusing its reserving system since January 2023.
Sadly, nevertheless, the RAC has found that some unlicensed web sites proceed to try to make the most of college students who’re having problem changing into licensed drivers.
A ‘black market’ that utilises bots to order take a look at areas extra shortly than any particular person may is steadily attractive learners who’re determined to beat the take a look at backlog.
As soon as out there, these slots are subsequently resold at exorbitant costs or by means of paid providers that notify prospects of take a look at cancellations of their neighbourhood.
In keeping with RAC analysis, some web sites are reselling driving checks for as much as £195, which is greater than thrice the official value, regardless that the take a look at itself prices £62.
The RAC has found that many driving take a look at dates should be bought on-line by means of third events since they’re provided by means of encrypted WhatsApp chats, regardless of the DVSA’s swift efforts to crack down on the black market.
The ‘disappearing message’ function is steadily utilized by distributors on these channels to make conversations untraceable.
By way of ‘cancellation alert’ purposes and schemes, which cost shoppers a one-time price to obtain alerts each time a slot turns into out there sooner than their authentic take a look at, different third events are making a living off of the backlog.
Even when some web sites demand legitimate documentation of a DVSA take a look at, drivers should need to pay almost twice as a lot for sign-up charges as for a real take a look at; ‘VIP packages’ can value as much as £117.
The RAC has additionally found that college students needs to be fearful about shedding not solely cash but additionally their private data. One such sufferer is freelance journalist Lara Olszowska, with whom the RAC has had conversations.
Lara mentioned: “I purchased into the driving take a look at black market at £169 for a take a look at value £62, simply to keep away from having to retake my concept and delay my sensible examination. I gave them my driving licence quantity, my concept certificates quantity, and my house deal with with out batting an eyelid.
“After failing that take a look at, I went on-line to attempt to ebook my subsequent try, however the DVSA web site saved popping up with an ‘error’ message.
“That led to a fateful telephone name with the DVSA the place I realized my account was blocked for having ‘too many’ checks booked utilizing my particulars – regardless that I used to be blissfully unaware for the years it was occurring.
“An organization had used my particulars to repeatedly ebook checks underneath my identify 52 instances and swap them with different candidates who wished the slots for triple the value.
“My recommendation to different drivers is all the time to ebook by means of the DVSA on-line or over the telephone and, when you have months of ready time, plan backwards from there along with your teacher so you already know you’re greater than able to move by the point your take a look at date comes.
“You don’t need to find yourself spending a whole bunch on sooner take a look at dates, just for a 3rd occasion to run off along with your particulars to ebook a number of checks so your particulars get blocked, and you discover out when it’s too late.”
To be clear, the RAC is recommending that drivers make their reservations instantly by means of the Authorities web site as an alternative of utilizing a third-party ‘black market’ web site, which steadily gives inaccurate data just like the frequency of driving take a look at bookings.
Learner drivers are expressing their dissatisfaction with the reserving course of on Reddit and Mumsnet boards, and scammers are even endorsing their web sites there.
RAC head of coverage Simon Williams mentioned: “It’s horrible that ‘brokers’ utilizing software program to order checks quicker than a human probably may are making it so laborious for learners to ebook take a look at slots. It appears as if expertise is consistently getting used to cheat the system as we’ve been informed somebody’s driving licence quantity was used to ebook a number of checks.
“Definitive motion must be taken to stop ‘bots’ reserving checks after which promoting them on to determined learners for loopy quantities of cash. This results in real slots being wasted and learners, who’re able to take their checks, lacking out and having to attend months for an opportunity to grow to be a professional driver. It’s no surprise some learners find yourself reserving take a look at slots earlier than they’re prepared.
“It’s additionally very unsuitable that actual people who find themselves genuinely making an attempt to ebook their checks are being handled as if they’re ‘bots’ as a result of their knowledge has been stolen by fraudsters.
“The very best plan of action earlier than the DVSA finds an answer to this drawback as soon as and for all is to ebook solely by way of the official Authorities web site and never pay properly over the chances by utilizing a so-called dealer’s website.”
