Learner driver scammed over test feels 'hopeless'

Lucy Sturt found a third party on social media to book her driving test but never heard back

A teenager who lost £200 after booking a driving test from scammers has called on the government to improve its booking system and waiting lists.

Lucy Sturt, 18, from Bishops Waltham, Hampshire, found a third party on social media to book a slot but never heard back from them after parting with her money.

She said: "I'm feeling pretty depleted and just a bit hopeless because it limits what I can do, not being able to drive, which is really sad."

A Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson recommended learners used the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) official site. The DVSA said it was committed to developing a new booking system.

Lucy describes the official website as "horrific", with attempts to log into it early in the mornings when new tests were released proving fruitless.

Automated systems, or bots, block-book driving test slots, contributing to the problem. She is also regularly booted from the site when it assumes she herself is a bot.

According to figures obtained by the AA Driving School, the majority of test centres in the south of England have waiting times of more than five months.

Lucy searched Facebook groups advertising driving test cancellations and was directly messaged by an admin after leaving a post on one of them, with the discussion carried over to WhatsApp.

"I probably knew it was too good to be true because the test was coming up in a few weeks, but because I was so desperate you just resort to things like that because you really want the end product," she said.

Lucy has called for a "complete reform" of the DVSA system, as well as "more safeguarding to stop these robots from bypassing the system".

Lucy's mother Chrissy Sturt said: "The scammers are exploiting desperation, and the desperation is caused by this centrally-broken system.

"We're just an ordinary little family. We can't compete with these bots and other systems that have been set up to grab all the slots."

Lucy describes the official website as "horrific", with attempts to book a test proving fruitless

Danny Chambers, MP for Winchester, said he was receiving letters from constituents worried about their tests on a weekly basis.

"The reason this market exists for scammers is because there's so much more demand than there is supply," he told the BBC.

"It's a scam, they're bots, it's completely wrong. They're taking advantage of people's desperation."

'Stuck in limbo'

In a statement the DVSA said it used "enhanced bot protection" to stop bots buying up tests, but that they were "constantly evolving and changing".

It said it did not "run, approve or endorse any cancellation finder apps or services", and that learners should use the DVSA official channel to book their test.

It added: "Any tests booked outside of the official DVSA booking site could be a scam and may result in the learner driver not having a test slot and losing their money."

Since January 2023, the DVSA has investigated more than 1,600 business accounts for booking violations.

It said it was committed to developing a new system to both deal with the increase in demand and the use of bots which "cheat learners out of being able to easily book a test".

A DfT spokesperson said it had "inherited a frustrating system where many learners found themselves stuck in limbo, waiting to ditch their L plates, but unable to get a test".

It said it instructed the DVSA to take further measures, and was seeing "early signs of improvement" though there was "still more to be done".

It said the department would "make sure the DVSA continues to do all they can to reduce waiting times".