A FRAUDSTER who sat over 100 driving tests for other people made a fortune by charging them up to £800 every time.
Inderjeet Kaur, 29, admitted to taking around 150 theory and practical driving exams for learners between 2018 and 2020.
She committed the offences in England and Wales, taking tests in Swansea, Carmarthen, Birmingham and around London, Swansea Crown Court heard.
An investigation was launched after staff at the test centres started to suspect Kaur was impersonating test applicants.
Tarian, the regional organised crime team for south Wales, found Kaur was offering services to test applicants who had difficulty with the English language.
They found 63 drivers linked to the fraud in 2019 and 2020 – although Kaur told them the offences probably started as early as 2017.
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Judge Huw Rees told the court Kaur could quite probably have made £120,000 from her crimes, as well as leaving unprepared and unqualified drivers at the mercy of Britain’s roads.
After her arrest in May 2021 she admitted the offences to the police in two separate interviews – during the second of which she admitted at least 150 incidents of impersonation that she could remember.
James Hartson, prosecuting, told the court: “Driving tests are only to be taken in English, Welsh or sign language and an interpreter cannot accompany the person taking their test.
"The defendant admitted taking practical and theory tests on 150 occasions, but investigations only established 63 offences.
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“On September 14, 2020 a DVSA examiner at a test centre in Carmarthen reported to the police his concerns of a woman taking driving tests on behalf of others.
"The defendant took a practical driving test for a woman and provided the examiner with identification in the correct driver’s name – but the ID did not match the defendant’s appearance.”
According to the DVSA one of the indicators of fraud of this kind is when a candidate asks to take a test hundreds of miles away from home.
Another occasion saw an examiner become suspicious when Kaur turned up at 9.15am unstressed for her test at 9.19am and comfortably passed again.
The examiner was so suspicious they told the DVSA they only took Kaur for the test to not inconvenience other learners scheduled to sit their test afterwards.
The crimes Kaur committed circumvent the driving test process and, in turn, puts innocent road users at risk, by allowing unskilled and dangerous motorists to have seemingly legitimate licences.
Her home was searched in January 2021 and £21,000 was seized.
A bundle of £18,000 was later linked to the fraud, although she told police that she spent all of the money she gained from the impersonations on food.
After admitting impersonating 150 people she said she had been forced into it, but also told police she had been tempted by the money.
In a prepared statement she said she charged £700 for theory tests and £800 for practical exams.
Kaur, from Llanelli, pleaded guilty at Swansea Crown Court and was jailed for eight months.
Detective Chief Inspector Steven Maloney, who led the investigation, said: "The crimes Kaur committed circumvent the driving test process and, in turn, puts innocent road users at risk, by allowing unskilled and dangerous motorists to have seemingly legitimate licences."
Caroline Hicks, from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, added: "Driving and theory tests exist to help ensure people have the correct knowledge, skills and attitude to drive on our roads.
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"Circumventing the tests puts lives in danger, we have methods in place to detect test fraud and will come down hard on the people involved.
"This includes cancelling test passes that have been gained fraudulently."
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