Demerit point swaps: Desperate drivers on Facebook Marketplace avoiding fines and loss of licence
>
Drivers take to online marketplaces to sell traffic fines in a desperate bid to keep their licenses.
The black market scheme sees drivers admit to the traffic offenses of others in exchange for cash.
In a typical ‘swap’, a driver with little or no penalty points to his name offers to take over the penalty points from drivers who are about to lose their license.
Some lists advertise that a motorist will take another driver’s penalty points for as little as $70, while others charge $140 per penalty point.
Ads are largely non-descriptive and contain images of other car related items and titles that contain the names of car parts or car types, 9News reported.
“Tyre/Demerit points,” read some of the Facebook marketplace listings in an apparent attempt to appear innocent.
Australian drivers caught doing wrong on the road go to online black markets and pay others to take their penalty points (above a mobile speed camera in Brisbane)
There are large marketplaces on online sites (pictured) with drivers eager to make a quick buck by participating in the fraudulent scheme
The naming scheme also helps promote the services in general car-related searches.
‘Solutions/disadvantages’ reads another entry.
Entire Facebook groups have also been created to facilitate the exchange of penalty points.
A group in Sydney is specifically targeting residents of the exclusive Eastern Suburbs.
‘Tires/demerit points’ read some of the trade listings (above), which are often disguised by the use of car related items
Drivers even ask that people take over their penalty points if they can’t find a suitable seller (pictured)
According to police statistics, Waverly and Randwick boroughs both have a high rate of traffic violations.
“If you’re looking to make some extra cash, make people aware that you’re willing to sell your negatives by advertising on the wall, just as wisely if you want to buy points,” the page reads.
Desperate drivers who are about to lose their license are also frantically sending messages to online trading boards asking if someone would like to take their driving fines for money.
“Anyone who wants to take 10 penalty points for (money),” a man from Sydney asked in an online post on Sept. 14.
He later made another desperate post a week later asking if anyone would be interested in withdrawing his remaining demerit points for cash.
“Hi guys, I still have two negatives for sale (message me) if you’re interested,” he wrote.
The exchanges function by exploiting a loophole in the points system.
Any driver with a full license may accumulate 13 penalty points before losing their license, but penalty points are added to a license when a driver commits a traffic violation.
A motorist asks in an online post if someone wants to take 10 penalty points for him. Drivers can only accumulate 13 points before their license is suspended
Drivers caught, often through automated speeding and using mobile phone cameras, receive a postal notice warning them of the fine they will have to pay and the number of penalty points that will be added to their licence.
Since the person who owns a car may not always be the one driving it when a violation is committed, there are online processes that make it possible to customize the ticket in any state or territory.
The fines and penalty points can be transferred to the driver who was responsible for committing the offense online.
Drivers can be in serious trouble if they are caught participating in penalty point swapping programs (a speed camera warning sign above)
The black market scheme means drivers will present themselves as the offending driver, collect the ticket penalty and receive cash in return.
While the willingness to advertise to take penalty points is not strictly illegal, participating in the scheme is a serious offense and drivers can even serve prison terms.
Knowingly providing misleading information to a government agency carries maximum sentences of between two and five years between states, and the conduct can also result in huge fines.
Criminal defense attorney Kent Park told 9News the practice was common, but advances in technology are making it much easier for authorities to spot fake nominations.
Roadside cameras normally take pictures of the violation, triggered by the speed of a car or the detection of cell phones.
“Depending on what type of case it is, for example when it comes to speeding, it can be difficult to tell the person’s gender,” he told the site.
“But if it’s a cell phone detection camera, the camera is tilted so that you can kind of see what the driver looks like, and that actually picks up a lot.”
Commenting on the mentions, Facebook’s parent company Meta said, “Listings promoting deception or deceptive practices are a clear violation of our trade policy, and we will take action if we detect or notify anyone attempting to circumvent these policies.”