Learner drivers stuck in the UK’s record 600,000-strong backlog are being lured by smooth-talking TikTok accounts offering what they call “driving made easy.” The scam is simple. Fraudsters post short videos promising government-approved driving licences delivered in days, no test required. In the captions, they tell viewers to message them on WhatsApp, claiming they can “skip the queue” with an inside link to the DVSA.
Once the marks take the bait, the pitch rolls in: £400 for a full licence, £200 for a fake test pass, or more if they want penalty points wiped clean. Some even claim they can erase driving bans. Victims are told to send photos, personal details, and a deposit. The documents they receive when anything arrives are worthless recreations printed on basic card stock.
The frauds thrive off frustration. A practical test can take up to six months to book, and cancellations now require ten working days’ notice. Instructors say desperation is fuelling the problem. Young drivers hungry for independence are also the easiest to fool. One account tied to these scams had over 6,000 followers before TikTok shut it down.
British regulators say reports of fake licence services have spiked sharply this year. The DVSA and police have urged victims to come forward, reminding them that holding or using a forged driving licence is a criminal offence. Meta, which owns WhatsApp, has reiterated its ban on fraudulent activity, and TikTok says it removed nearly all flagged scam content within hours.
But the videos keep returning under new names. The promise of a shortcut is too tempting, and scammers know it. In a climate where a driving test feels like winning a ticket to freedom, the con artists of TikTok have found their perfect target impatient dreamers with their foot hovering over the clutch.
