Learner drivers blacklisted from booking tests amid identity theft

Desperate learner drivers are being blacklisted from booking tests after their identities are stolen by scammers, a driving school boss has claimed.

Seb Goldin, chief executive of Red Driving School, said the theft and abuse of personal details was resulting in learners being shut out of driving test booking systems.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) says that only approved driving instructors can book tests for their students but to do so, they need to insert each candidate’s details into a DVSA system.

Unscrupulous instructors are reselling valuable test slots for hundreds of pounds each, The Telegraph understands. Some are said to be using legitimate candidates’ names to block-book tens of tests at a time.

The DVSA charges £62 for a driving test and said it was cracking down on the misuse of candidate details by instructors.

The claim of identity theft comes after the AA Driving School found that waiting times for driving tests grew by a fifth between February and May.

Average waiting times across the country were more than four months (17.8 weeks) at the start of May, AA Driving School research revealed, up from more than three months (14.8 weeks) in February.

Massive test backlog

Millions of learners were forced to put their driving on hold during the Covid-19 pandemic, creating a backlog of hundreds of thousands of people.

Driving school bosses now say the DVSA needs to make more test places available to help clear the backlog and reduce the number of desperate learners turning to the black market to secure a slot.

Speaking to The Telegraph on Thursday, Mr Goldin said some learners were finding themselves shut out of the DVSA driving test system after using social media to find people claiming to have spare test places available for sale.

“There’s a bit of identity theft going on because to book a test, you need a provisional driving licence of someone who’s passed the theory test,” said Mr Goldin.

“And some people are finding that their identities are basically being stolen online. And then multiple tests are being booked in their name, they don’t know that.

“So when they actually then come to try and look at booking a test, they’re blacklisted by the DVSA because DVSA have seen that individual has booked 30 or 40 tests, but it’s not actually them.

“It’s some WhatsApp group somewhere else, not even in this country, who are basically using that identity to book tests and then resell them on.”

‘Eyewatering prices’

Mr Goldin’s comments were echoed by Camilla Benitz, chief executive of the AA Driving School.

“Basically a number of bots have been developed by businesses that mimic human behaviour to basically get those driving lessons slots as soon as they’re published,” said Ms Benitz.

“And they will then sell them on for eyewatering prices. You’re looking at a £250 per test.”

Both driving school bosses said the DVSA needed to do more to tackle its backlog of driving tests, with Ms Benitz estimating that 1.2 million were cancelled during the pandemic years.

“That’s really disappointing, that turn of events, and they just don’t seem to have a plan,” she said.

“Now nothing’s been shared as to what happens next. But it’s just unacceptably high waiting times.”

Mr Goldin added: “If people get desperate and there’s more demand than supply, people will get pulled into these grey areas.

“If you can’t book a test in the local area when you go onto the website to try and book it... and someone suddenly offers you one, there’s probably something not quite right with it. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”