8:53 am, April 26, 2021
Members of the public are being urged by the government to report dodgy MOT testers and garages.
The DVSA has issued new guidance to help stamp out MOT fraud and protect people from unsafe vehicles.
It said it looked into 2,057 reports of fraud over the past year, which led to 335 testers and 156 garages being stopped from testing.
People can report an MOT tester or centre to the DVSA if they believe they’re breaking the law. That includes:
- Giving an MOT certificate to a vehicle they know should have failed
- Giving an MOT certificate to a vehicle they haven’t tested
- Taking bribes for MOT certificates
- Failing vehicles unnecessarily to generate work
Once the DVSA receives a report, it reviews the information and investigates where appropriate.
If it finds evidence of fraud, it can take a range of actions depending on the severity of the offence. Garages or tester can be:
- Fined
- Banned from carrying out MOTs
- Jailed
As well as acting on reports from the public, the DVSA also checks that garages are operating legally by carrying out site visits, vehicle inspections, mystery shopping and covert surveillance.
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