Chinese Cheat Jailed for Driving Theory Test Scam

A Chinese translator, approved by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), has been jailed this week for his involvement in a driving theory test scam.

Peter Hui pocketed £100,000 by ‘assisting’ theory test candidates with passing their test. Hui’s services were utilised by the DSA to guide foreign applicants through the test.

Yet suspicions regarding Mr Hui’s activities were aroused when the DSA uncovered an increased number of theory test candidates requesting to use his services. Towards the end of 2011 and moving into 2012, Hui’s client list surged and grew rapidly.

Upon investigation, West Midlands Police and the DSA exposed Hui and revealed that he had ‘helped’ over 200 applicants to pass the driving theory test using a unique cheat’s code which involved him saying “shi” (the Mandarin sound for “yes”) before revealing the answer he believed to be correct.

Hui was caught out and subsequently arrested at the Dale End test centre in Birmingham on the 21 August 2012. When presented with the evidence gathered against him he admitted to the scam and conspiring to defraud the DSA.

Nearly 12 months on Hui received a 1 year prison sentence and police finance investigators will now look to recoup the cash and seize assets gained by Hui as a result of his activities.

In a statement from the Chief Investigating Officer, Detective Constable Mark Calvert of West Midlands Police’s ECU, he said: “This was a serious fraud that potentially put road users and pedestrians at risk by putting people behind the wheel of vehicles when they were not properly qualified or competent enough to drive.”

He added: “We estimated Hui netted around £50,000 in 2012 before his arrest in August – but with a further 101 tests already in his diary for the second half of last year he stood to pocket another £25,000. And that’s on top of the money he made from the fraud in 2011.”

Furthermore, investigations led to the arrest of two candidates that had agreed to pay Hui for his ‘services’. A man from Smethwick, aged 25 and a man from Highgate, 45, were found guilty of conspiracy and were sentenced to 80 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £100 in costs. Their theory test certificates were also revoked.

In a statement from the DSA’s Head of Fraud and Integrity, Andy Rice, he said: “The driving test is there to ensure that all drivers have the skills and knowledge to use the roads safely and responsibly. Anyone who tries to circumvent this process is putting innocent road users at risk.”

He added: “This sentence sends a clear message that driving test fraud is a serious offence and will be dealt with accordingly. We have stringent measures in place to detect fraudulent activity and work closely with the police to bring all offenders to justice.”

A spokesperson for BookTheoryTestToday.com said: “It’s great to see scam operations being dealt with seriously as situations like this tend to tarnish other service providers who get labelled with the same stigma.”

Tags: Driving License, Driving Theory Test, Driving Theory Test UK, Hazard Perception, Hazard Perception test, Theory Test, UK Full Driving Theory Test

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