Scalper Bots Enabling DVSA Driving Test Black Market

A surge in the use of scalper bots is causing chaos for driving test applicants in the UK, new research from DataDome has revealed.

The fraud prevention specialist claimed that scalpers are using automated programs to book in-demand driving tests when new slots are released every Monday morning. Because the bots are able to do so in under 10 seconds, versus four minutes for the average human, touts have an outsized advantage.

Although tests are nominally available for £65 ($86) on the Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA) website, they are being sold for as much as £250 on social media platforms, with some touts bragging of making thousands of pounds a day, DataDome claimed.

The firm warned that some resellers are also demanding extra personal information from would-be driving test applicants, exposing them to potential fraud.

Read more on bad bots: Bot Traffic Overtakes Human Activity as Threat Actors Turn to AI

The UK has never recovered from a pandemic-era backlog made worse by shortages of driving test supervisors. Although the DVSA has vowed a crackdown on driving instructors booking test slots for learner drivers they are not teaching, its plans to reduce the current wait time to seven weeks by December look ambitious.

There are no laws preventing the use of DIY bots to book driving tests. However, their use has resulted in delays which can reach six months on average, meaning many learners’ theory tests expire before they get behind the wheel, DataDome said.

The firm identified three main challenges facing the DVSA:

• Its site only uses anti-bot measures on certain endpoints, leaving others exposed
• The site only uses a simple CAPTCHA test at the beginning of the booking process, which is not adequate protection from today’s bots
• DataDome was able to successfully book tests using an open source bot framework and CAPTCHA-solving service with little configuration

“While the DVSA has tried to introduce changes to make it easier for learners to secure that crucial test slot, it has neglected to address one crucial issue: bots. Even novices with a basic understanding of coding can create their own ‘DIY scalper bot,’ which can successfully snap up a test in less than 10 seconds,” explained co-founder Benjamin Barrier.

“We can’t allow bots to be used to profit off basic government services that everyone should have access to.”