Clampdown On Web Cheats

The DVLA is cracking down on websites advertising fake driving documents - and it has claimed its first scalp.

Auto Express Car Reviews

08th February 2005

An anti-fraud team has closed an online shop selling replacement licences, MoTs and tax discs - but not before Auto Express had a look. It attracted punters with an address similar to the official DVLA one; the offending site was at www.dvla-gov.org.uk while the genuine location is www.dvla.gov.uk. The letter A, which officially stands for Agency, stood for Acquisitions in the fake firm.

"The authorities were made aware of the content of the false site and the products on offer, and have taken appropriate action," said a DVLA spokesman. So who was behind the firm? Our investigation revealed the site was registered to Scotweb Ltd, which also has another Internet page. We're not publishing its details, and while there's nothing in the visible pages about fake paperwork, text hidden in the computer coding claims it sells driving licences.

We tried calling Stephen Brian Else, company secretary of Scotweb, at the number listed on the global website register. But the woman who answered said nobody of that name lived there. Records at Companies House show him living in Alicante, Spain.