The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has issued a stark warning to all UK motorists, urging heightened vigilance against a rising tide of fraud. The alert comes after the agency's contact centre received close to 20,000 reports of suspicious or fraudulent activity from customers in 2024 alone.
How to Spot a DVLA Scam
The agency is reminding drivers that the only official source for its services and information is GOV.UK. Many fraudulent websites attempt to impersonate the DVLA, often charging inflated fees for services that are cheaper or completely free on the official government portal. These can include applications for driving licences, vehicle tax transactions, and Clean Air Zone (CAZ) payments.
Fraudsters commonly use phishing tactics, sending emails or text messages that ask unsuspecting victims to confirm personal or bank details. Some messages may falsely claim the recipient is entitled to a substantial vehicle tax refund. The DVLA stresses it will never ask for bank account details or payment information via email or text. The only time it might request confirmation of personal details by these methods is if the recipient has a live, ongoing enquiry with the agency.
The Dangers of Oversharing Online
The DVLA also cautioned drivers about the risks of sharing images of official documents on social media. While getting a new driving licence or V5C log book is a milestone, both documents contain key identifying information. Scammers can use these details to steal your identity or even clone your vehicle.
The consequences can be severe and costly. Victims may find themselves wrongly receiving parking fines, congestion charge penalties, or speeding tickets for offences committed by criminals using their cloned vehicle details.
Official Advice: What You Must Do
The agency's guidance is clear and direct. If you receive a suspicious message purporting to be from the DVLA:
- Do not click on any links contained within the email or text.
- Report the message immediately to the National Cyber Security Centre.
- Delete the message after reporting it.
It is also vital to remember that all genuine vehicle tax refunds are issued automatically by the DVLA; they are never processed via an email containing a link.
For any transaction, the DVLA's repeated advice is to always navigate directly to services via a search on GOV.UK, rather than clicking through from search engine results or links, to ensure you are on the legitimate site and not a convincing copy.
