Learner drivers are increasingly being scammed on social media by fraudsters offering driving lessons and tests that do not exist, a bank has warned.
TSB said losses among learner drivers had more than doubled in the past year with the average victim losing £244.
While a smaller sum compared to many scams, disproportionately affects younger people who can be hit hard in their pockets.
According to TSB’s analysis, 56 per cent of losses between January to August this year were linked to scams advertised on Facebook, with Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and WhatsApp also seeing fraudulent behaviour.
In one case TSB came across, a learner driver paid £500 for 20 driving lessons upfront via TikTok, only for contact to dry up once the payment was made.
Entire fake websites purporting to be the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) have also cropped up. TSB discovered that several of its customers paid £350 for a driving test, having been contacted with the offer on WhatsApp. Once the payment was made, the scammers blocked contact with the learner drivers.
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One reader of The i Paper, who wishes to remain anonymous, got in touch to explain how he had been scammed by someone claiming to offer driving test slots. The scammer alleged they could watch the database of slots on his behalf and had “years of experience” getting tests booked quickly.
The reader only discovered he had been scammed after searching on Facebook for tips on how to pass a driving test. Helpfully, someone on Facebook had posted a warning about scammers “who try to influence your thoughts about the test process.” For this learner driver, however, it was already too late.
Alex Robinson, head of fraud analytics at TSB, said: “Fraudsters have really upped their attempts to target learner drivers – with offers of driving lessons and fast-tracked tests that simply don’t exist.
“Almost all these scams start from social media platforms – so we’d advise only paying for a service if you can verify it first, and stick to official routes when booking your exam. Don’t let a fraudster put the brakes on learning to drive.”
‘I’m an instructor and have seen a rise in scams’
Ged Clegg runs Bayview Automatic Driving School, operating in Morecombe, Lancaster and surrounding areas.
Ged is fully booked until around March 2026. He said his local driving test centre also has very long waiting times running into next year, adding that some desperate students were turning to social media and falling prey to scammers in a bid to try and speed the process up.
The instructor told The i Paper: “I always tell my students to avoid links on certain social media sites and messaging services about driving lessons and tests due to the risk of scams.
“The prevalence of driving lesson and test scams rose sharply in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. No tests could be booked for a couple of years. Even now, there are just not enough tests available to meet the demand. The DVSA are doing their best, but hiring more examiners alone won’t solve the problem. Scammers also buy up slots and offer them for inflated fees to learners.”
Ged explained that, in his view, “driving test tourism” plays a part in the problem. Learner drivers in busy locations like London are booking tests in further afield locations, but not always showing up for the test. We need to geo-lock the test centres and only allow people living within a certain vicinity to attend.
Ged Clegg warns his students against potential online scams“This would help ease the backlog and hopefully stop desperate students falling for social media scams,” Ged said.
He also wants to stop people being able to swap booked tests with other students. This would, in his opinion, help stop the scammers as the tests could not be sold to another person.
Many learner drivers are facing significant waits to get lessons and a practical test booked prompting some learners to turn to social media.
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In December 2024, the DVSA published a seven-point plan aimed at tackling long waits for driving tests, including recruiting and training 450 new examiners across the UK and re-examining how far ahead in advance driving tests can be booked. The current limit is 24 weeks.
A Freedom of Information request to the DVSA by the AA Driving School showed practical driving test times reached a new-high earlier this year, with learners typically waiting 20 weeks.
As of 3 February, only 14 driving test centres had waits at or below the DVSA’s end-of-year target of seven weeks, the AA Driving School said.
A DVSA spokesperson said: “We take all allegations about test fraud extremely seriously and fully investigate reports of any individuals who attempt to circumvent the testing process.
“We urge people to report any suspicious social media accounts offering driving services to the relevant social media network.”
How can learner drivers protect themselves?
If you are looking for driving lessons, always check the DVSA’s list of instructors and driving schools online beforehand.
When you are looking to book your practical driving test, stick to the DVSA’s official website to select a date and time for your test.
Robinson, of TSB, added: “Social media platforms remain rife with scam content – so be careful with who and what you engage with.
“It really pays to verify the seller and service before exchanging funds – as too often people make payments online only to never hear from the person they’ve been speaking with again. And use your card to pay, or a secure payment platform – avoiding a bank transfer for a service or seller you haven’t verified.”
Robinson said learner drivers need to be cautious about messages received from messaging services like WhatsApp purporting to offer driving lessons or tests.
He said: “Be vigilant to messages you receive claiming to be from official organisations, or offering fast-tracked tests.
“Always check a website you’re dealing with is the official site – as fraudsters make very believable versions of the real thing.”
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