The RAC is cautioning learners to all the time use the official Authorities web site and to keep away from web sites that provide 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 continues to be roughly 4 and a half months.
The driving take a look at’s governing physique, the Driver and Automobile 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 individual might is ceaselessly engaging learners who’re determined to beat the take a look at backlog.
As soon as obtainable, these slots are subsequently resold at exorbitant costs or by means of paid companies that notify clients of take a look at cancellations of their neighbourhood.
In response to RAC analysis, some web sites are reselling driving exams for as much as £195, which is greater than thrice the official value, despite the fact that the take a look at itself prices £62.
The RAC has found that many driving take a look at dates should still 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 ceaselessly utilized by distributors on these channels to make conversations untraceable.
By way of ‘cancellation alert’ purposes and schemes, which cost customers a one-time payment to obtain alerts each time a slot turns into obtainable sooner than their unique take a look at, different third events are being profitable off of the backlog.
Even when some web sites demand legitimate documentation of a DVSA take a look at, drivers should still should 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 must be fearful about dropping not solely cash but in addition their private info. 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 price £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 tackle 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’ exams booked utilizing my particulars – despite the fact that I used to be blissfully unaware for the years it was happening.
“An organization had used my particulars to repeatedly ebook exams beneath my title 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 together with your teacher so you recognize 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 lots of on sooner take a look at dates, just for a 3rd get together to run off together with your particulars to ebook a number of exams 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 immediately by means of the Authorities web site as a substitute of utilizing a third-party ‘black market’ web site, which ceaselessly supplies inaccurate info 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 exams sooner than a human probably might are making it so laborious for learners to ebook take a look at slots. It appears as if know-how is continually getting used to cheat the system as we’ve been advised somebody’s driving licence quantity was used to ebook a number of exams.
“Definitive motion must be taken to forestall ‘bots’ reserving exams 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 exams, lacking out and having to attend months for an opportunity to turn out to be a certified driver. It’s no marvel some learners find yourself reserving take a look at slots earlier than they’re prepared.
“It’s additionally very improper that actual people who find themselves genuinely making an attempt to ebook their exams are being handled as if they’re ‘bots’ as a result of their knowledge has been stolen by fraudsters.
“The perfect 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 nicely over the chances through the use of a so-called dealer’s web site.”
