Fraudulent traffickers in Flanders are systematically stealing time slots for practical driving tests and then reselling them to people who want to pass their exam faster. The fraud was discovered by the consumer radio program WinWin.
It remains unclear how the fraudsters operate. However, it involves a form of hacking in which hackers reserve time slots for hypothetical clients. Once they find a real client, they modify the personal data and resell the time slots.
GOCA, the umbrella organization for driving test centers, is aware of the problem but has failed to address it effectively. Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA) condemns the practices and promises a swift approach to combat the problem.
Accredited driving school or private instructor?
In Flanders, you can take your practical driving test in two ways: through an accredited driving school or with your own instructor. Driving schools usually offer faster results because half of all available time slots are reserved for schools. The other half goes to all other prospective drivers.
The number of people seeking a driver’s license has increased again recently. This is due to several factors. For example, the many newcomers to our country who want to obtain a Belgian driver’s license, as well as the growth of parcel delivery, are driving up the demand for licenses.
‘Reprehensible practices’
Getting a driver’s license without driving school supervision is cheaper, but the wait times are longer. In some testing centers, you sometimes have to wait more than seven months before you can take your exam. In the meantime, rogue traders manage to systematically grab many of the available slots and then resell them on social media.
The Flemish political world is more than fed up with these ‘reprehensible practices’. Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA) wants the Department of Mobility and Public Works to investigate the situation as soon as possible, and will also ask Goca to take measures. The fraud undermines the entire system and only makes waiting times longer.
Not watertight
The fact is that Goca’s booking system may not be sufficiently watertight. The system allows candidates to book quickly, cancel at the last minute, and rebook. There’s also insufficient oversight. Resale of an exam appointment isn’t generally a criminal offense. All of this complicates enforcement.
Incidentally, we see similar fraud in our neighboring countries. However, it’s often organized differently there. In the United Kingdom, the problem is known, and it’s structural. In the Netherlands, practical exams have been resold for years.
In France, there’s a structural shortage of examiners, which also leads to ‘commercial’ intermediaries. In Germany, on the other hand, the fraud problem is often less prevalent because the market mechanism for resale is lacking.
