Motorcycle licence test scams on the rise

Bikers who’ve never passed a bike test are getting full licences by paying someone to fraudulently take the exam for them, according to the Driving Standards Agency (DSA).Tens of thousands of learners, including motorcyclists and drivers, have paid impostors with a passing resemblance to attend tests centres and pretend to be them by presenting their photocard provisional licence.

A DSA spokeswoman said up to 1% of all practical tests were sat by fraudsters charging up to £500.

She said: “Impersonation has been a growing problem for about the last three years.”

Paul Smith, of anti-speed camera campaign Safe Speed, said the story was an attempt by the Department for Transport (DfT) to distract attention from Scrap Speed Camera Week, in which road users are being asked to sign an online petition to Number 10. Smith said: “At Safe Speed we’ve become used to DfT issuing distraction stories to press in order to bury bad news. In this case they have issued a scare story about driving test fraud from the DSA – A DfT Agency. It’s obviously intended to distract everyone from the failure of speed camera policy as highlighted in Scrap Speed Cameras Week.”