| PWPW warns: watch out for online scammers offering driving licences | |
| (12-01-2016) |
False agents, offering to fix a driving licence without an examination, are looking for potential victims online. Polish Security Printing Works has just managed to block one of the websites on which scammers offered this type of paid service. This is a very serious problem, because this way the criminals not only steal people’s money, but also wheedle the victims’ full personal data with along with the photograph and the signature.
The website was blocked immediately after it was detected by PWPW. The police will now take care of looking for its author. The scammer created a website on which he offered “to fix a legal driving licence without an examination”. He lied to his victims, claiming co-operation with various institutions, including but not limited to the Provincial Training Centres for Drivers and Polish Security Printing Works. He tried to convince people that for 500 zlotys he can supply an authentic and fully legal driving licence without the need to pass an examination. Furthermore, he demanded that his potential victims provide their full personal data, address of residence, the PESEL number, as well as their photograph and signature template.
“It’s easy to imagine what further use a criminal can make of a person’s personal data, photograph and signature. We caution people and ask them to remain vigilant. There is no quick path to receive a driving licence. Each candidate must complete a training course and pass an examination at a Provincial Training Centre for Drivers. And if anybody claims that he has a way of providing such a document against payment, it means that he is a scammer,” said Paweł Prus, PWPW’s press spokesman.
Polish Security Printing Works monitors such scam attempts and immediately reports them to the law enforcement authorities. Each website of this type is immediately blocked to prevent the criminals from any further attempts.