Scotland's crime bosses are exploiting the cost of living crisis by making fortunes from selling bogus MOT certificates. A growing number of cash-strapped motorists are buying these 'ghost' certificates to avoid paying for expensive repairs and to keep their cars on the road.
How the scam works
Normally an MOT costs £54.85, but drivers are paying £80 to several hundred pounds for fakes. In most cases, criminals issue certificates without the vehicle being present at a garage or inspected. In others, cars that may have failed the test still receive a 'ghost' certificate.
Call for crackdown
The Scottish Motor Trade Association (SMTA), which has 1,300 members, has called for a crackdown on unscrupulous test centres and tougher penalties for offenders. SMTA CEO Alan Gall has been told that many behind the scam are involved in organised crime, meaning legitimate traders are losing out. Ghost MOTs are also advertised directly to motorists on social media by organised crime groups.
Mr Gall said: "It's relatively easy to get an MOT licence. It is relatively speaking inexpensive, if you intention is criminality, to get an MOT station. This seems to be more than just random individuals within towns but organised structures."
He added: "People are blatantly and flagrantly breaking the law with ghost MOT's. My members aren't these types of people but we must ensure they are not unfairly disadvantaged by the greed and criminality of the dangerous few individuals seeking to dupe the system."
Examples and enforcement
In January, a garage in Forfar was stopped from carrying out MOT tests after allegedly issuing fraudulent certificates. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), which regulates testing stations, said vehicles were not present in the premises when the MOT was said to have been carried out.
Mr Gall acknowledged that years of austerity and rising cost of living make it difficult for people to keep cars on the road, and the temptation to buy a bogus certificate exists. He said: "If you have got no money and it is going to cost you a £1000 to fix your car for the MOT and someone says we will do it for a couple of hundred quid then individual personal pressures come into place. If you need the car to go to work and take to the kids to school and you don't have £1000 to repair the car you have two choices: you just don't go to work, you don't take your kids or you risk it and more people are choosing to risk it."
Mr Gall said: "It is not that they are trying to be criminals or break the law. Our concern is that these cars are going out on to the road unsafe and could be a false economy if you end up in an accident. If the cars literally can't stop because they don't have the correct brake pads or they don't have the correct tyres on them there will be more accidents and that will unfortunately lead to more serious injuries and deaths."
Prosecutions and bans
The number of prosecutions across the UK of those caught issuing bogus MOT certificates doubled last year to more than 230. Official figures show that 80 per cent of bogus MOT certificates issued each year were obtained by owners of vehicles that never attended a test centre.
Last year, the Swansea-based DVSA banned over 540 authorised examiners from carrying out MOT tests in a crackdown. One tester south of the border was found to have issued a staggering 200 ghost MOTs in one 12-month period.
Garages and MOT centres have been used as fronts for organised crime. Kristopher Kinnaird, who ran an MOT centre in Maryhill, Glasgow, was jailed for six years in November for his involvement in trafficking cocaine and cannabis. The 42-year-old also acted as a "middleman" in sourcing weapons, including a submachine gun.
DVSA statement
A spokesperson for the DVSA said: "The MOT is designed to help keep road users safe by helping ensure vehicles are roadworthy and environmental standards are maintained. DVSA is committed to taking action against anyone who undermines the integrity of the MOT and compromises road safety."
