05-07-2012

Motorists across the UK are warned to be on the lookout for a bogus email requesting verification of details held on the DVLA Swansea database. The email, purporting to be from the DVLA, informs motorists that refusal to supply the required information will result in drivers having to retake their test.

The phishing scam includes a link to a fake DVLA form. Once the details requested in the form have been filled in and returned, the scammers then have all the information they need to create false identities, apply for passports and access bank accounts and credit cards.

Those motorists who have been duped by this scam then find they face an uphill battle when they try to obtain credit, apply for financial services or obtain legal documents, as their details have been identified as potentially fraudulent.

A statement has been issued by the DVLA warning motorists about the potential dangers of entering their information into the scam email: “The DVLA never requests such information in an email. There are some telltale signs that an email is a phishing scam. Firstly, the emails often contain spelling mistakes and are poorly formatted. Also, if you hover over the link in the email with your mouse before clicking it, you will see that a completely different address appears to the DVLA or Directgov.”

At this stage the email has only recently been discovered, so the DVLA are still unsure where it originated from and exactly how many people have been targeted.

If you do receive a suspicious looking email from the DVLA then report it straightaway to Action Fraud. Simply forward on the message to: email@actionfraud.org.uk.

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