TikTok users warned about fake driving licence | Tech News
Social media users within the UK are being warned about a rip-off that would go away victims a whole lot of kilos out of pocket. Fraudsters are concentrating on learner drivers anxious about passing their check, offering fake driving licences for as a lot as £400 with no examination required.
Exploiting the stress and long wait instances presently going through UK learner drivers, scammers are selling bogus providers via TikTok accounts, claiming they will fast-track licences in simply days. With the UK grappling with a record-breaking backlog for sensible assessments, some users could also be tempted by the false promise of skipping the queue.
The warning comes as online curiosity in shortcuts is surging — Google searches for “buy driver’s licence online” have jumped 200% year-on-year, whereas “buy driver’s licence” has risen by 67%.
Aseem Munshi, founder of financial app Updraft, is urging users and oldsters to be alert. He warns that younger learners on social media could also be notably weak to those scams, which not solely end in financial loss however may additionally expose victims to id theft and legal bother.
Updraft seemed into the problem on the app and found that fraudsters are preying on pissed off learner drivers by offering fake driving licences for up to £400 and sensible driving assessments for £200, with guarantees of supply within simply three days. They recognized a number of accounts linked to the rip-off, together with one with over 6,000 followers selling these unlawful providers.
The so-called “licences” have no legal standing, which means victims not solely lose their money but in addition face the risk of fines, prosecution for driving with out a legitimate licence, and even id theft.
In addition to fake licences, some scammers declare they will take away driving bans or penalty factors for a price, which may additionally result in legal penalties for these concerned. In a report by GOV.UK, “from 8 April 2025, learner drivers will need to give more notice when changing or cancelling their car driving test to avoid losing their fee.
“Currently, clients can cancel up to three days forward of their check with out shedding their check price. Under the new guidelines, learners should give 10 full working days’ discover to change or cancel their check with out shedding the price. This is the most recent motion within the authorities’s 7-point plan to scale back ready instances and can permit more slots to be made obtainable.”
Aseem Munshi warned that financial pressure is an element of the issue: “When people are under pressure, whether it’s from rising costs or the fear of falling further behind in the driving test queue, they’re more vulnerable to offers that promise a quick solution.
“Unfortunately, scams like these don’t just leave victims without a licence, but they also deepen financial stress by wiping out hundreds of pounds that could have gone towards genuine lessons or paying off debts. Scammers are clever at exploiting frustration, but the only safe and legal way to get a licence is to pass your test. No social media account can shortcut that process, and paying them could cost you far more in the long run.”
TikTok and Meta have been approached for a remark. Meta, which owns Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook, mentioned: “We don’t allow fraudulent activity and work closely with law enforcement to support investigations and keep scammers off our platforms and with Stop Scams UK to help identify scams at the source.”
It doesn’t permit content material that:
- Offers solicitation, creation, sale, buy or commerce of fake or cast paperwork.
- Offers sale of visas or inexperienced playing cards.
- Guarantees visa or inexperienced card approval.
- Enables users to get visa approvals with out fulfilling regular necessities.
It urged people to study more about the most recent scams and tricks to keep away from them, go to Meta’s Anti-Scam hub.
According to a TikTok spokesperson: “Our Community Guidelines are clear that we do not allow the trade or marketing of regulated, prohibited, or high-risk goods and services, nor do we allow attempts to defraud or scam members of our community.”
Reach despatched a quantity of accounts to TikTok, which took swift motion. It added: “We have taken action against the accounts shared for violating our Community Guidelines.”
It mentioned: “As highlighted in our Community Guideline Enforcement Reports, we proactively eliminated 94% of content material that violated our fraud and rip-off insurance policies in Q1 2025.]
“If our users encounter suspicious exercise in-app, we ask that they report it beneath “Frauds and Scams” in order that we will take rapid motion and proceed to keep the platform secure for our neighborhood.”
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