Scotland’s crime bosses are exploiting the cost of living crisis by making fortunes from the sale of bogus MOT certificates.
A growing number of cash strapped motorists are buying the ‘ghost’ certificates to avoid the cost of having to pay giant repair bills and to keep their car on the road.
Normally an MOT costs £54.85 but drivers are paying anything from £80 to several hundred pounds for the fakes.
In most cases cars are being given MOT certificates by criminals without the vehicles being present in the garage or having been inspected or tested.
In other cases the cars are being issued with the ‘ghost’ certificates even though they may have failed the test.
The Scottish Motor Trade Association (SMTA) which has 1300 members has called for a crackdown on unscrupulous test centres and tougher penalties for offenders,
View 3 Images‘Ghost’ MOT certificates are issued(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
SMTA CEO Alan Gall has been told that many of those behind the certificate scam are involved in organised crime meaning legitimate traders like his members losing out.
Ghost MOT’s are also being advertised directly to motorists on social media by organised crime groups.
Mr Gall added:”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.
“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.”
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.
View 3 ImagesAlan Gall, CEO of The Scottish Motor Trade Association.
Mr Gall recognises that years of austerity and rises in the cost of living make it difficult for people to keep their cars on the road and the temptation is there to pay for a bogus certificate.
He added:” 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.
“It is not that they are trying to be criminals or break the law.
“Our concern is 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.”
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 a front in the past for people involved in organised crime
Kristopher Kinnaird, who ran an MOT centre in Maryhill, Glasgow – was jailed for six years in November for his involvement in the trafficking of cocaine and cannabis.
The 42 year old also acted as a “middleman” in sourcing weapons, including a submachine gun.
A spokesperson for the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (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,”